It’s safe to say that Laurent Blanc was not Paris Saint-Germain’s first choice to take over from Carlo Ancelotti last summer. In fact he probably wasn’t even in the top five if the club were being honest; top 10 might even be pushing it. Throughout the summer, many names were linked with the role: Andre Villas-Boas, Michael Laudrup, Arsene Wenger, Guus Hiddink and Fabio Capello to name but a few. One of the other big names linked was Real Madrid coach, Jose Mourinho. Things may have been very different for the French club had Mourinho accepted the job, with Blanc currently doing such a great job in Paris it is unclear whether the PSG fans would go back and swap Le President for The Special One.
Let’s rewind back to August and imagine that Mourinho didn’t take over at Chelsea, but instead he arrived in Paris ready to start a new chapter in his career. What would have happened to PSG if Jose Mourinho was in charge?
August 2013: A special press conference is announced by Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, and the rumours are that it will see the club announce Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho as their new coach for the 2013/14 season. Mourinho, not one to be outdone, is presented on top of the Arc de Triomphe. There is music and lights, and some fireworks can be seen in the distance. Mourinho has arrived in Paris, and he wants people to know that he is the biggest show in town.
Things settle down and the former Chelsea manager sets out his plan for his new club. “Je suis le special!” Mourinho is in no mood to be modest; he lets the press know that he is here for one thing and one thing only; and that is to conquer France and lead PSG to Champions League glory. He is not ready to wait for the two, three or five-year plan; he wants it to happen now. He says he is happy with the squad, but he will have to make some tweaks here and there if they want to taste instant success.
President, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, backs up his new manager, saying that Mourinho has his full support and that anything that the Portuguese coach wants he will get, no questions asked. It seems as if Jose has been given carte blanche, so to speak.
During the summer transfer window, there isn’t a day that goes by without PSG being linked to another world-class signing. With Mourinho having left Real Madrid, there is constant speculation linking him with a move for Real’s marquee star, Cristiano Ronaldo. Although Mourinho, the player and the clubs all deny any truth in the rumour, it’s the story that won’t go away. There are mock pictures of Ronaldo wearing the new PSG shirt: We see comments from David Beckham telling Ronaldo that Paris is the city that will make him a bigger star than Lionel Messi and he could easily go on to lift that elusive second European Cup.
The move doesn’t happen and Mourinho settles for a €64 million move for Napoli’s Edinson Cavani, it is unclear how Mourinho will combine both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cavani together; he won’t play 4-4-2 after it was a disaster for him at Chelsea, but he says he will find a way to combine the two world-class strikers.
Mourinho does make a couple of his own signings before the close of the window. In comes Portuguese defender, Fabio Coentrao, from Real Madrid, he is to challenge Gregory van der Wiel for the starting right-back spot and it forces Christophe Jallet to accept his position at the club, the Frenchman moves back to his old club FC Lorient.
The other move that Mourinho masterminds is not as readily accepted by the PSG fans. The Special One deems that Marco Verratti has too big a head and isn’t impressed with the Italian's attitude: He is quickly sold to Juventus for around €20 million. To replace the fiery Italian, Mourinho brings in one of his old favourites, Raul Meireles, from Turkish side Fenerbahce. Jose praised Meireles’ spirit and character and says he will be a great influence around the PSG dressing room.
September 2013: After drawing the first two games of the season, PSG are then held to a 1-1 draw at home to title rivals Monaco. Mourinho comes out after the game and declares that the Parisian side are no longer favourites for the Ligue 1 title. He anoints Claudio Ranieri’s side as the favourites as there is no pressure on them. He says that the constant pressure on his side has taken its toll and that they will be lucky to keep pace with the Monegasque club.
Paris Saint-Germain then go on to win all 12 of their subsequent home games, they also win all but four of their away games and lead Monaco by six points going into April. Mourinho still refuses to declare his side the favourites for the title despite bookmakers paying out, and many bets being placed that the side from the capital will go on to finish the season unbeaten. Even when asked about emulating Arsene Wenger’s “Invincibles” it raises a wry smile, but the Portuguese coach isn’t going to be drawn into a war of words about his old French nemesis.
In the Champions League, PSG go to Belgium and beat Anderlecht 6-0—with all six goals coming from Ibrahimovic—and the victory sees them secure qualification to the last 16. Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani comes out and airs his frustration about playing a reduced role at the club. He has failed to replace Ibrahimovic as the main striker and is struggling to win a place in the starting line-up.
Mourinho has been playing 4-3-3 for the majority of the season, with Meireles and Blaise Matuidi protecting the defence as the two central midfielders, Javier Pastore playing in the Wesley Sneijder-esque playmaker role with Ibrahimovic flanked by Ezequiel Lavezzi and Lucas Moura.
Young Hervin Ongenda has impressed as Pastore’s back-up, with Mourinho calling him one of the best young players in Europe. He says he has the potential to be better than Eden Hazard, but only if he forgets about the stories linking him with moves to England and to concentrate on his PSG career. Ongenda calls Mourinho the greatest influence of his career and hopes to win many titles with the Portuguese coach guiding him to the same level as Messi and Ronaldo.
After dispatching German side Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 of the Champions League, PSG is drawn against Didier Deschamps’s Chelsea. There is a mutual appreciation from both men and their respective sides, but Mourinho tries to pile the pressure on the London club by making it known to the press that they, and not PSG, are the favourites to lift the trophy. Chelsea play in the world’s best league and therefore has the advantage in the two-legged tie.
Despite losing the first-leg 1-0 after Eden Hazard scores one of the best goals in Champions League history—beating four players before flicking the ball over Salvatore Sirigu’s head—PSG bounce back at Stamford Bridge, the French side win the game 2-1, Ibrahimovic scores two second-half goals as PSG win on away goals.
Mourinho’s side moves on to face Real Madrid in the Champions League final. PSG play well, but they come up against Cristiano Ronaldo in inspired form and Real lift the European Cup, winning 2-1 in the final. After the match, the Portuguese coach announces that the Parisian project isn’t for him and he reveals that he will leave the club at the end of the season.
PSG’s search for a new boss begins again and the legend of Jose Mourinho moves on to his new challenge, lifting the European Championships with Portugal.