Time up for Mourinho

These days the only person Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is not fighting with is, perhaps, himself. Not one to sup with his rivals, the Portuguese is turning his ire on his own camp this season. The man whose success is based on creating a siege mentality in his team is under siege now. Friendless and frustrated, Mourinho seems destined for an early exit from the Real hot seat. It will be a miracle if he survives the Real roulette by the end of the season. These are turbulent times in Spain. Even as the country is in the midst of a dire economic crisis with unemployment at an all-time high, the capital club are in serious danger of falling by the wayside. Mourinho faces the toughest test of his resplendent career now as he tries to rescue a seemingly lost season with Europe’s most successful club. Real trail Barcelona by 16 points midway through the season. In the winter of discontent, Real have more chances of catching cold than getting anywhere near the Catalan club. Mourinho must be clutching at the straw of success in the Champions League but he must not forget that Lionel Messi & Co. are also in the mix along with Bayern Munich who have regained their mojo after playing second fiddle to Dortmund for the last two seasons. It is never going to be easy for him to bring the big-eared trophy to the Bernabeu. The final is too far away; first Manchester United must be dealt with in the last 16. What must have hurt Mourinho most is Real have become irrelevant in the title race with only half of the season completed. People with bloated egos can live with fierce criticism including the below-the-belt variety but they can never digest being slighted. Mourinho, supposedly a better manager in a league than in a cup competition, knows in his heart of hearts that his time is up in Spain. The Champions League is a chimera. That is why he opened another can of worms by dropping captain Iker Casillas against Malaga on Sunday. Was it a professional decision Or, did it stem from vendetta “No” may be the answer to both questions. Mourinho feels unloved in Madrid among all sections, unlike his tenure with Chelsea and Inter where he enjoyed a special bond with fans even if his relationship with the press wasn’t always cordial. His soul isn’t in the Real job. More importantly, Barcelona are too good. He is a peripheral figure in Spanish football, so he wants to pack his bags to protect his halo. The earlier he leaves the better for Real.