Tuesday, May 24, 2022 at 09:00• Shane Jebbink • Last update: 09:19

Feyenoord will play the final in the Conference League on Wednesday evening. In Tirana, the team from Rotterdam will compete against AS Roma in the final battle. José Mourinho is at the helm of the Romans, no unknown opponent for Dutch trainers in a European final. For example, in 2010 Louis van Gaal faced the Portuguese’s Internazionale with Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, while in 2017 the Europa League final battle was between Mourinho’s Manchester United and Peter Bosz’s Ajax. Both trainers look in the General Newspaper back on their experiences with the Roma coach.

Bosz still remembers that during the final training with Ajax for the Europa League final in Stockholm, he had unwanted snoopers. “José Mourinho and the United players came to take a look at the stadium,” recalls the current coach of Olympique Lyon. “United did not train there themselves, although it was made mandatory by UEFA. But Mourinho had said it was impossible.” It is characteristic of Mourinho, 58-year-old Bosz indicates. “Not being able to train yourself, but can explore the stadium exactly when the opponent has his last preparation there. This man is just going to do anything to his advantage. No matter how small, how pathetic or how shameless. We were told that UEFA would fine him first. But that never happened in the end, because Mourinho just said ‘force majeure’. And got away with it.”

Louis van Gaal also knows Mourinho’s tactics all too well. The two managers met in the 2010 Champions League final when Internazionale took home the ‘big ears’ cup by beating Van Gaal’s Bayern Munich 2-0. “Mourinho is going to defend and fully adapt to the opponent”, the national coach of the Dutch national team begins his story. “That is on the one hand due to its character, but also due to its national character. Look at the Portuguese national team, they have made defense an art for many years and they are successful with that.”

After both the 2010 and 2017 finals, Mourinho shouted that he knew in advance that he was going to win. He faced Dutch coaches; they always have the tendency to want to make something of such a finale, something that was not alive with him at all. Bosz also received the statements at the time. “I still maintain that the result of that final (2-0 for United, ed.) was not because of how we played and how they played. Anyway, if Roma now beat Feyenoord, Mourinho will also say about Slot that he is such a typical Dutch trainer. And if Roma lose, he will say that the referee has wronged him or that UEFA is corrupt or whatever. Mourinho is a narcissist. One who is always busy creating conflicts and making theatre. It’s his way.”