Some Europe’s top football coaches Wednesday met to once again chat way-forward for the round leather game.
Jose Mourinho was among the 13 elite coaches who met at the UEFA ELITE CLUB COACHES FORUM in Nyon, Switzerland which also had in attendance his Manchester United predecessors Louis van Gaal and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Mourinho, known by fans as a coach who has always shared a respectful relationship with Ferguson, but that may not be said with Van Gaal, who he has routinely criticised since taking over at Old Trafford in 2016.
Other elite coaches from across Europe including Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, PSG’s Unai Emery and Newcastle’s Rafa Benitez were also present at the 19th edition of the annual conference.
They were also joined by some of their former players in the round table discussion on some of the issues in football.
With Ferguson acting as chair, the meeting is designed to give Europe’s most influential coaches a chance to express their concerns and exchange views on the major issues facing European competition.
One notable absentee from the star-studded line-up of was Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who has been an influential figure at the conference in years gone by.
Although his absence is unexplained, Arsenal’s busy end to the summer transfer market — Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are both expected to leave — makes for a fitting excuse. There was also no sight of Pep Guardiola, who is hoping to bring Sanchez to Manchester City before Thursday’s deadline.
The day will also see UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin meet with former players including Peter Schmeichel and Xabi Alonso to discuss issues affecting today’s stars.
They will discuss a wide range of topics including competition rules, laws of the game, football promotion, education and post-football activities.
It was a rare sighting of former Manchester United manager Van Gaal, who has yet to take on new work since his dismissal from Old Trafford. It was a worthwhile trip as he was presented with a special plaque for managing 100 European matches at club level.
Although winning an FA Cup at the end of a two-year spell, the Dutchman is not remembered fondly; and that is something Mourinho took advantage of when explaining his own shortcomings last season.
After a less-than-impressive Premier League campaign, Mourinho aimed a thinly veiled dig at Van Gaal with regard to decisions he made in the transfer market.
Speaking in March, Mourinho said: ‘I found a sad club. Manchester United sold players that I would never sell, bought players that I would never buy.
‘I would have never have sold Angel Di Maria, Chicharito [Javier Hernandez] and Danny Welbeck. Never. No chance.’
Then, in July, he followed up that comment with: ‘I would like the next [Manchester Untied] manager to find a much, much better club and team than one I found at every level.’
While Mourinho has been keen to eradicate Van Gaal’s legacy from the Manchester United dressing room, he has been actively seeking to keep Ferguson’s. He invited the legendary manager to travel with the team to away matches and gave him free access to the dressing room after games.
He revealed earlier this year: ‘At the end of games, when he [Ferguson], Sir Bobby Charlton and the CEO come down and he’s the only one that doesn’t come in the changing rooms, I told him this type of situation makes no sense, he needs to feel free to do what a person of his stature that represents the club can do.’
