Jose Mourinho should retire!

Benfica lost again in the Champions League and are second to last in the table. Questions about Mourinho’s level continue to rise. If he senses regression, retirement is the best option.

Since taking over the hot seat at Benfica, Coach Jose Mourinho has yet to secure any points for the Portuguese club in this season’s Champions League. The 0-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on the early morning of November 6 marked Benfica’s third consecutive loss under Mourinho’s reign in the Champions League, leaving the club second to last among the 36 teams in the group stage.

Benfica appointed Mourinho after their 2-3 defeat to Qarabag, hoping the "Special One" would revive the team that reached the 2022/23 Champions League quarterfinals. They expected Mourinho to impart experience, resilience, sharpness, and passion to each player. However, Mourinho has only partially succeeded in the domestic league, while on the Champions League front, he seems to be failing. There is no sign of improvement in Benfica’s Champions League performance. It’s so bad that you wouldn’t believe Benfica has yet to score a single goal under Mourinho’s leadership in the continental competition.

After the match, the 62-year-old coach gave familiar comments, saying Benfica lost due to external factors:“We had 21 shots, including four or five very clear chances, but lacked luck and were inefficient in finishing. I’m very pleased with the team’s progress and the quality of play. It was a comprehensive performance, only missing the goal to make it perfect.”

Alongside that, he also defended defender Dahl: “I feel heartbroken because a young player who performed very well made a mistake that led to Leverkusen’s goal. The team fought until the end but faced many difficulties as they retreated with four or five tall players blocking the central lane. Overall, one small error cost us dearly. However, Dahl played excellently throughout the match. That’s football.”

More notably, Mourinho hinted at tension with the Italian referee Simone Sozza. In some sense, Mourinho “believes” Benfica is disliked because of him: “I know Sozza doesn’t have much sympathy for me, and frankly, I don’t like him either. I don’t want to blame anyone, but when the opposing team repeatedly wastes time and commits tactical fouls without punishment, the responsibility lies with the referee.”

Despite facing a crisis, Mourinho remained satisfied with his players’ spirit. He believes that if the team maintains the style shown in this match: “6 more points would be enough for us to get back into the race.”

A very Mourinho-style encouragement. The problem is, everyone understands that, but will Benfica actually get those 6 points? And if Benfica does get 6 points, will their direct rivals stay still? That’s impossible. Mourinho’s illusions are truly unstable. Benfica did not hire him to watch the team struggle like this in the Champions League. They need Mourinho to help the club at least reach the round of 16 or quarterfinals. That’s not an overly difficult target if Benfica plays up to their potential. But instead, the club is disappointing.

They lose to clubs rated lower as well as to higher-level opponents. People no longer see a sharp Mourinho who can intimidate rivals. Instead, they know exactly what tactics and formations Mourinho will use for his teams. In short, Mourinho is out of ideas now.

Let’s listen to former striker Antonio Cassano’s blunt, harsh but accurate assessment of Mourinho: “As a coach, Mourinho is completely finished now. He no longer has the ability to coach; he’s still doing things like he did over 10 years ago.”

Except for Inter, Mourinho’s more than 20 years of coaching have always followed a closed loop: initial success followed by locker room conflicts, emergence of negative football, disputes with club owners over transfers, and ultimately failure and departure. Clearly, Mourinho belongs to the past. At 62, he has been completely left behind.

Around Mourinho now are younger, passionate, talented, and sought-after strategists all under 55, such as Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Roberto De Zerbi (Marseille), Thomas Frank (Tottenham), Ruben Amorim (MU), Glasner (Palace), and Michel (Girona). Even Pep Guardiola — once Mourinho’s rival — constantly reinvents himself, especially tactically, in recent years.

As for Juergen Klopp — he is now a senior executive at Red Bull, no longer coaching. Others who faced Mourinho in the past like Benitez and Ranieri have accepted different roles or coach smaller clubs. They are no longer in high demand but are considered suitable for “firefighting” tasks. Mourinho should understand his own position too.

He is truly no longer fit for top-level football. Mourinho could take a high-paying, relaxed job in the Middle East or MLS. Worse yet, he should retire on his own rather than face dismissal.

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