For years now it has felt like Jose Mourinho might end up in Everton’s dugout, only for him to find an alternative roole where he would instead bring success.
As recently as 2019 saw the Portuguese legend linked with a Merseyside switch, and yet since then things have only gone downhill for the Toffees.
Back-to-back relegation dogfights have outlined this as the new normal for one of England’s finest footballing institutions, who are constantly weighed down by their financial failures of the past.
Mourinho would not go anywhere near the club nowadays.
Fortunately, they are no longer in need of a new boss, having settled on Sean Dyche, set to lead them into a brighter future.
And, to make things even better, former Everton ace Michael Ball has even sought to outline the key similarity that these two managers share, as if to emphasise why the former Burnley man is the perfect fit for the job.
He claimed, writing for the Liverpool ECHO: ‘Even someone like Jose Mourinho has his own style of play, which is to park the bus, as they say, and he deployed that at Real Madrid, but the big difference is that he had Cristiano Ronaldo up front.
‘I am not comparing Jose Mourinho to Sean Dyche, but what I am saying is that both managers have their own beliefs about how their sides should be set up to play.
‘Sean Dyche, and he deserves credit for this, has found a solution to get the best out of the players he has at his disposal. Which is what we wanted him to do when he became manager.’
How good is Jose Mourinho?
Whilst that mini-comparison will likely please Dyche, placing the managerial careers of the two beside one another outlines just how far ahead the former Chelsea and Manchester United man is.
After all, with a trophy cabinet boasting eight league titles across England, Spain, Italy and Portugal, as well as two Champions Leagues, there are few more decorated than the 60-year-old.
He too is renowned for his pragmatic philosophy, often preferring to sit back and hit teams on the break after weathering heavy pressure.
The key difference between him and the 52-year-old Everton boss is, the players he has had at his disposal have been on another level.
During his illustrious career in management, Mourinho has had the pleasure of overseeing stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and more. It’s no wonder that his attacks still flourished despite the defensive nature of his football.
Dyche would love to have such talent at his disposal, but, for now, he seems content ushering in the steady resurgence of the Toffees with Dominic Calvert-Lewin as his alternative to those world-class names.
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