Mourinho charms his way into Inter job

By Mark Meadows - Analysis

MILAN (Reuters) - Inter Milan have been unable to resist the charm of Jose Mourinho despite Roberto Mancini leading the Serie A side to a third straight title.

Mourinho, whose brash nature fits the traditional image of a big-spending, flashy Inter, was linked with the club as soon as he left Chelsea last September.

The shadow of the charismatic Portuguese put Mancini under pressure and the Italian cracked after March's Champions League last-16 defeat by Liverpool, when he said he would quit at the end of the season only to change his mind the next day.

It was a fatal error which convinced Inter owner Massimo Moratti that he had to change his coach at the end of the campaign.

Both the club and Mourinho denied media reports of a meeting in March but the rumour mill continued and Mancini began to look isolated.

The team also started to stutter, blowing an 11-point lead they had in February and sealing the scudetto only on the final day on May 18. Whether Mancini's nerves had spread to the players is uncertain, but Moratti had seen enough and sacked him last week.

The lure of the ever-confident Mourinho, a breath of fresh air after four years of Mancini, was too great for Moratti.

Mourinho offered him a glimpse of what he craves most -- success in the Champions League.