Ugly. Destructive. Negative. Anti-football.
The Italian press seemed to have an endless supply of words for Mourinho after the first leg against Juventus.
Ironically, many of them were exactly the same accusations those newspapers had spent years throwing at Capello.
Now, after losing 2-0 in Manchester, Capello was suddenly being portrayed as the adventurous one.
The reality was rather simpler.
Juventus had been two goals down.
Of course they had to attack.
Mourinho, meanwhile, had done what Mourinho usually did once his team gained control of a knockout tie.
He protected it.
And New Manchester United won.
For Mourinho, defending was never merely the responsibility of the back four.
That was one of the foundations of his football.
A truly strong defensive structure began with the striker.
The forwards dictated where the opposition could build.
The midfield closed the next passing lanes.
Only then did the defenders make their interventions.
If every player carried out his responsibility, Mourinho believed his team could make themselves extraordinarily difficult to score against.
The final seventy minutes in Manchester had therefore become almost predictable.
So, in all likelihood, would much of the return leg in Turin.
With a two-goal advantage, Mourinho had absolutely no intention of arriving at the Stadio delle Alpi and playing an open attacking match.
Capello would have to take the initiative.
Mourinho would defend.
Then he would wait for the spaces Juventus inevitably left behind.
And New Manchester United had more than enough pace to exploit them.
Martin Tyler made exactly that point in his column.
"The first leg was almost entirely predictable," he wrote.
"The only surprise was how ferociously New Manchester United attacked during the opening twenty minutes."
"For that period, they overwhelmed Juventus completely."
"They played at such speed that Capello's side could barely organise themselves, never mind counterattack."
"That intensity produced the two goals."
Tyler continued:
"Once Kaká scored the second, I felt the match was effectively decided."
"Juventus had started poorly and looked short of rhythm. I never believed they would recover enough in Manchester to score twice."
"After that, Mourinho did what everyone knew he would do."
"He closed the game."
The most interesting question for Tyler was what Capello would do with what he had learned.
"The last seventy minutes gave Capello a prolonged look at Mourinho's defensive structure."
"Perhaps one of Europe's finest tactical coaches will identify a weakness and attack it differently in Turin."
"That is the main reason I want to watch the second leg."
"As for Mourinho, if he suddenly decides to go to Italy and attack recklessly with a two-goal lead, that would not be courage."
"It would be tactical regression."
Elsewhere in Europe, the Champions League quarter-finals had produced equally significant results.
AC Milan beat Inter 2-0 in the first leg of the Milan derby.
Palacio scored one.
Inzaghi scored the other.
The former Red Rebel continued to justify Milan's enormous investment in him.
The following night, Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich 4-2 at the Bernabéu.
On paper, it looked like a strong advantage.
In reality, Bayern's two away goals made the tie far more dangerous than the score initially suggested.
Real's deeper problem was also becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
The squad was ageing.
They still possessed extraordinary individual quality, but their ability to control matches for ninety minutes had declined.
That weakness had been obvious late against Bayern, when the Germans scored twice and transformed what had looked like a comfortable result into a precarious one.
The Spanish media immediately returned to a familiar subject.
Succession.
Who would eventually replace Zidane?
Who would succeed Figo?
What happened after Ronaldo Nazário?
Florentino Pérez's Galáctico policy had transformed Real Madrid commercially, but keeping the model competitive would require another generation of elite talent.
There were already signs that Florentino had accepted that.
Following Ethan's earlier advice, he had spoken with Vicente del Bosque about creating clearer pathways for the club's best academy prospects.
Juan Mata had since been promoted into the first-team picture.
The youngster had impressed.
There were also persistent reports that Real Madrid had reached an agreement to sign David Silva from Valencia, although no transfer fee had been confirmed.
That move would have carried political significance as well.
Relations between Madrid and Valencia had deteriorated badly after the Gaizka Mendieta saga, when Valencia resisted selling their captain to Real and he eventually left for Serie A instead.
Florentino appeared determined to repair that relationship.
Mata and Silva were not the only younger options emerging.
Portillo had matured.
Morientes remained productive.
Raúl was still central to the side.
Real Madrid were not short of attacking talent.
But the transition from one generation to the next had become urgent.
Chelsea, meanwhile, had made their own quarter-final look almost straightforward.
They beat Monaco 4-1 at Stamford Bridge.
Conceding an away goal was irritating, but Ancelotti's side already appeared to have one foot in the semi-finals.
That allowed Chelsea to turn some attention back towards the Premier League.
Before the Champions League first leg, Ancelotti had rotated heavily in the league.
Manchester City punished him.
Van Gaal's side won 1-0, Ibrahimović scoring the only goal.
New Manchester United took full advantage.
Moyes's Everton were beaten 3-1 in Manchester.
Everton had actually improved despite losing Rooney, and their form had put Liverpool's fifth position under pressure.
But defeat against Mourinho's side cost them ground.
Liverpool, meanwhile, beat Bolton 1-0 and increased the gap again.
Manchester United also stumbled.
They were held 0-0 at home by Blackburn.
That left them two points behind New Manchester United.
Arsenal continued their strong domestic form by thrashing Norwich 4-1 and remained second.
Three days after facing Juventus, New Manchester United travelled to Blackburn.
Rovers had just frustrated Manchester United and entered the match full of confidence.
Mourinho's side struck first.
Blackburn responded aggressively, dominated a spell of the match and equalised.
For a while, the game looked as though it might slip away.
Then Ishmael changed it.
At a crucial moment, the teenager found space and unleashed a powerful finish.
New Manchester United held on.
Another away win.
Another three points.
Chelsea rotated too.
This time it cost them even more.
Steve Bruce's Birmingham went to Stamford Bridge and nearly won.
Walter Pandiani gave the visitors the lead.
Chelsea chased the game for the rest of the afternoon.
Only in the closing moments did substitute Shevchenko rescue a draw.
Those two dropped points transformed the title race.
Chelsea's advantage disappeared.
Arsenal caught them.
The two clubs were level on points, with Chelsea remaining top only on goal difference.
New Manchester United were one point behind them in third.
A title race that had looked almost finished in January was now completely open.
Then came Turin.
Mourinho's approach surprised nobody.
He had no intention of attacking the Stadio delle Alpi as if the tie were level.
The only real question was exactly how defensive he would be.
The answer came with the team sheet.
Kolo Touré replaced Maicon at right-back.
That alone indicated Mourinho's priorities.
Touré was the more conservative defender and offered greater protection against Juventus's left side.
The midfield remained unchanged in structure.
De Rossi.
Essien.
Beckham.
Three central midfielders, all capable of defending.
Further forward came the one significant adjustment.
Drogba was left out.
Villa started.
Mourinho wanted more speed.
More movement.
A striker capable of threatening the space behind Juventus once Capello committed men forward.
Ronaldo and Villa formed the primary attacking pair, with Kaká operating just behind them.
Without the ball, the structure resembled a 4-3-1-2.
And the bench told the same story.
Lahm.
Vidić.
Mikel.
Michael Johnson.
Options for control.
Options for defending.
Options for protecting the aggregate lead.
Everything about Mourinho's selection said the same thing.
Come and break us down.
Juventus tried.
For ninety minutes.
When the match ended, the pitch at the Stadio delle Alpi was surrounded by a sea of white paper thrown from the stands.
The scoreboard read:
Juventus 1-0 New Manchester United.
Normally, that would have been a victory worth celebrating.
Nobody in black and white felt like celebrating.
Juventus had won the match.
They had lost the tie.
New Manchester United advanced 2-1 on aggregate.
It had been an exhausting evening.
Mourinho ordered his side deep.
Capello sent Juventus forward.
For long periods, the match became exactly what everyone had expected.
Attack against defence.
Pressure against resistance.
Eventually, Juventus found their breakthrough.
Del Piero collected possession near the left corner of the penalty area.
He created half a yard.
Then curled an exquisite shot towards the far top corner.
Čech reacted.
He stretched.
He could not reach it.
1-0.
A magnificent goal.
And suddenly Juventus believed.
The Stadio delle Alpi came alive.
The players did too.
After spending so long being frustrated by Mourinho's defensive block, Capello's side finally saw a route back into the tie.
One more goal would force extra time.
Juventus attacked desperately.
New Manchester United defended just as desperately.
By the final stages, several players were struggling with cramp.
Nobody came off willingly.
Nobody stopped running.
Terry headed crosses away.
Curtis blocked shots.
Kolo Touré refused to allow anything down his side.
Beckham kept demanding concentration.
Essien chased everything.
De Rossi threw himself into challenges.
Then, late in the match, came one final warning to Juventus.
De Rossi intercepted near the edge of his own penalty area.
He found Michael Johnson.
The youngster looked up and immediately sent a long ball beyond Juventus's defensive line.
Ronaldo had already started running.
He beat the offside trap.
Suddenly he was through.
Buffon rushed out.
Ronaldo shot too early.
The finish lacked composure.
Buffon gathered it.
A missed opportunity.
But tactically, it was priceless.
For the next few minutes, Juventus hesitated.
They had been reminded that one overcommitted attack could end everything.
That moment of hesitation was enough.
New Manchester United survived.
The final whistle arrived.
Juventus 1-0 New Manchester United.
Aggregate: 2-1.
Mourinho was through to the Champions League semi-finals.
The Juventus supporters were furious.
White tissues flew from the stands in waves.
Some landed near the touchline.
Others covered sections of the running track.
It looked almost like snow.
If frustration alone could have buried Mourinho's team, the Stadio delle Alpi might have done it.
It could not change the score.
At the press conference, Capello was gracious.
He praised New Manchester United's discipline and tactical execution.
"They are very difficult to play against," he said.
"They have excellent individual players, but more importantly, they understand exactly what their manager asks of them."
Capello went further.
"If they maintain this level, they have a genuine chance of winning the competition."
A reporter immediately asked about the likely semi-final opponent.
Real Madrid.
Capello's expression changed slightly.
"Real Madrid are the defending champions."
He nodded.
"They are a great team."
Then came the qualification.
"But that was last year."
He continued.
"This Real Madrid side does not control matches as well as the one from last season."
"They are older."
"They are less intense."
"They are no longer at their peak."
Capello's meaning was obvious.
If New Manchester United met Real Madrid, he believed Mourinho's side could beat them.
Mourinho heard the comments.
He did not care.
He preferred his own analysis.
If Real Madrid came next, New Manchester United would prepare for Real Madrid.
Capello's opinion would not decide anything.
Before that, however, Mourinho faced another problem.
The fixture list.
A brutal one.
The Champions League run had compressed everything.
Over roughly the next week and a half, New Manchester United faced four domestic matches.
First came an FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal.
Then Aston Villa at home in the league.
Then Bolton away.
Then Portsmouth away.
Immediately after Portsmouth came the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, potentially away to Real Madrid.
The schedule was punishing.
Mourinho took only one small comfort from it.
Chelsea were suffering something similar.
That at least made the league battle feel slightly fairer.
Arsenal were another matter.
They had no Champions League football to worry about.
And Mourinho did not hide his irritation.
He began attacking the fixture schedule publicly.
Then he started attacking Arsenal.
The press assumed he was trying to unsettle Wenger before the FA Cup semi-final.
That was only partly true.
Inside Newton Heath, Mourinho had already decided the cup tie would not receive priority.
He was prepared to sacrifice it if necessary.
His real target was the league.
In the 34th round, Chelsea would host Arsenal.
That match could shape the title race.
Mourinho wanted both teams emotionally exhausted before they even reached it.
Let Wenger become angry.
Let Ancelotti respond.
Let the newspapers turn it into a battle.
Let Chelsea and Arsenal spend a week attacking each other.
Then let them take points from one another.
Mourinho smiled when he explained it to his staff.
"Best case?"
Cassell looked at him.
"They tear strips off each other."
Mourinho leaned back.
"And we collect whatever they leave behind."
(To be continued.)