Rubin Draw Brings Out Mourinho Doubters

Internazionale Milano manager José Mourinho

Rubin’s Champions League draw against Italian champions Internazionale Milano has proven to be an all-around disappointment. The issues surrounding Rubin’s half of the result were covered here, in our match-wrap, as well as in the first segment of our latest episode of Russian Football Now’s podcast. By getting only one point against a short-handed Inter side, Rubin’s made it very difficult to finish third in their group, let alone advance to the next round of the Champions League.

For Internazionale, the draw means José Mourinho has won only two of ten Champions League matches since taking over in Milan just over one year ago. Those two wins came in last year’s group stage, when a series of draws within a group that also included Greeks Panathinaikos (eventual group winner) and Germans Werder Bremen saw Internazionale barely get to the second round, accumulating only eight points. In that round they lost their two legged tie with Manchester United, but adding those matches to the two iterations of Champions League group stage has Internazionale with two wins, three losses and five draws.

Apparently, and somewhat disrespectfully (discussed below), the draw in Kazan was the last straw for some Italian media. Mourinho is now being described as mediocre, despite the fact that in the six seasons he’s been allowed to finish since 2002, Mourinho has won five league titles (two Portuguese, two English, one Italian). Against Rubin, Mourinho was without Wesley Sneijder, Thiago Motta, Diego Milito, and Marco Matarazzi. He also saw starlet Mario Balotelli make the debilitating mistake of picking up a second yellow card.

With that list of offsets, a draw in Kazan is understandable. At least, it is understandable for people who know Russian football. In fact, the draw is more than understandable – it’s a very good result. Yet in Italy, questions are being asked of Mourinho, and I can not help but wonder about the general impression of Russian football. Is the regard so low that Internazionale could miss four regulars, have a player red carded, be no the road yet still be expected to win? It that is the attitude, it is disrespectful and ignorant.

Earlier this summer, I though Rubin was playing superior football to Internazionale. Because of Rubin’s slump and Inter righting many of the wrong of their preseason, I can no longer say that, but Rubin is never so far from Inter that anybody should be shocked that they get a point from an out-manned Nerrazzuri. As we (and Gurban Berdiyew) have discussed, it’s Rubin that should be disappointed, not Inter.

Perhaps this reflects a bias against Russian football, but this may only be a bias against Rubin. If Internazionale had posted a similar result (under similar circumstances) in St. Petersburg against Zenit – a team that Italians are more familiar with thanks to their recent UEFA Cup win and their group stage matches against Juventus last season – Mourinho’s draw may be more readily forgiven. Perhaps if Inter drew against CSKA, a team with a more recognized name than Rubin in Europe, the Special One would still be special.

For over a year, Rubin has been better than each of those clubs, something Italy does not seem to realize.