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Inter Milan are
desperate to keep coach Jose Mourinho but the colourful Portuguese
could be on his way whether or not they secure an unprecedented treble.

As Roma’s home
defeat by Sampdoria on Sunday put Inter back in command in the Serie A
title race with three games left, while the champions also battle Roma
in the Italian Cup final on May 5 for the fifth time in six years.

Champions League
glory remains the major aim, but Mourinho’s future is far from clear
despite Inter holding a 3-1 lead heading into Wednesday’s semi-final
second leg in Barcelona.

Powered by hatred

The highly
successful former Porto and Chelsea coach hates the Italian soccer
establishment so much that he refuses to hold domestic news conferences
in case he clashes with the aggressive media and receives another
touchline ban for his outspokenness.

“I am very happy at
Inter but not in Italian football,” he told Britain’s Sky Sports
television last month, prompting renewed talk he wants to return to his
beloved England.

The crafty
47-year-old caused more mystery and mischief after last week’s win over
Barca, which put Inter a step closer to their first European Cup
success since back-to-back wins in 1964 and 1965.

“Anything can happen in the second leg. We can go there and lose the game and lose the coach,” he cryptically remarked.

Mourinho has
consistently said he wants to win a league title in Spain to complement
his triumphs with Chelsea and 2009 scudetto with Inter, leading to
constant speculation linking him with the revolving door of managers
which is Real Madrid.

Barcelona would
look an unlikely destination given coach Pep Guardiola’s success and
Mourinho’s rocky relationship with the Nou Camp since leaving as
assistant coach in the late 1990s.

Acid tongue

The greying charmer
has said that one day he would return to Chelsea, but no one was really
sure if he was joking, and he has hinted that the Manchester United job
would appeal to him.

But given Alex
Ferguson has said he had no immediate plans to retire, Mourinho has no
idea how long he may have to wait to have a shot at the Old Trafford
hot-seat making Real, Liverpool, or seeing out his Inter contract until
2012 more likely.

Despite his acid
tongue and abrasive nature, often with his own team, Inter are certain
his mercurial managerial abilities outweigh the Mourinho circus which
has led some Serie A rivals to say Italy would be better off without
him.

Sulley Muntari,
Mourinho’s first signing at Inter in 2008, has been blown away by the
coach’s tactical acumen – so much so it sounded like an advert for
other interested clubs.

“We have done an
amazing season. We didn’t believe it but you know it hasn’t finished
yet, we can win all three or we can win one or two or maybe we could
lose all three,” the Ghana midfielder told Reuters. “We have full
confidence in ourselves and now we have this great manager and he can
transform the team in any way. We are happy about what we have done so
far.”

It’s all good

Inter president
Massimo Moratti, excited about a possible first treble and vindicated
over his decision to replace Roberto Mancini with Mourinho two years
ago, is unperturbed by the rumours linking his master coach with a move
away.

“Mourinho has a
contract with Inter but even ignoring this, I am sure he will happily
remain,” Moratti told reporters. “The newspapers talk about Mourinho as
a character but they forget that, above all, he is a great
professional. He takes care of every minor detail. He is very focused
on the work in training and I believe he deserves all the money he gets
from his contract.”

Ultimately the
decision rests with Mourinho and given his unhappiness in Italy and the
fact he walked away from Porto in 2004 after their Champions League
triumph, anything is possible.