Why Did Draw in Kazan Turn Tide for Mourinho?

Maybe it didn’t (and the title’s question is presumptive), but in monitoring news about Rubin Kazan, it seems a large proportion of it originates in Italy and expresses some combination of shock, surprise, and disappointment in Inter Milan drawing with the Russian champions. For a litany of reasons, this reaction is ill-placed, something I discuss at Russian Football Now, asking whether the reaction represents a lack of respect for Russia and/or Rubin:

For Internazionale, the draw means José Mourinho has won only two of ten Champions League matches since taking over in Milan just over one year ago. Those two wins came in last year’s group stage, when a series of draws within a group that also included Greeks Panathinaikos (eventual group winner) and Germans Werder Bremen saw Internazionale barely get to the second round, accumulating only eight points. In that round they lost their two legged tie with Manchester United, but adding those matches to the two iterations of Champions League group stage has Internazionale with two wins, three losses and five draws.

Apparently, and somewhat disrespectfully (discussed below), the draw in Kazan was the last straw for some Italian media. Mourinho is now being described as mediocre, despite the fact that in the six seasons he’s been allowed to finish since 2002, Mourinho has won five league titles (two Portuguese, two English, one Italian). Against Rubin, Mourinho was without Wesley Sneijder, Thiago Motta, Diego Milito, and Marco Matarazzi. He also saw starlet Mario Balotelli make the debilitating mistake of picking up a second yellow card.

You can read more from the post here, at Russian Football Now.