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It has been building for weeks, but after Chelsea’s latest loss is it a case of sooner rather than later for Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea exit?
The Portuguese manager led Chelsea to another loss this weekend as the Blues let a 1-0 home lead against Southampton slip to a 3-1 loss. Chelsea’s fourth loss in this season’s first eight Premier League outings leaves the defending champions wallowing in 16th position on the table.
They have now lost the same amount of games as they did in the entire 2014-2015 season. You would have to go as far back as the 1978-79 season to see Chelsea endure such a terrible start to a league season.
Mourinho’s behaviour this campaign also highlights the actions of a man under immense pressure. From an altercation with club doctor Eva Carneiro, which saw her removed from her position at the club, to his long rant after the recent Southampton game, Mourinho is clearly a man who knows his time may be limited under an ownership that has never been shy to let managers go.
Mourinho’s post-game rant, reminiscent of Kevin Keegan’s in 1996, was an effort at reverse psychology directed at Roman Abramovich, Chelsea’s Russian billionaire owner, with whom Mourinho has butted heads with in the past. While doing his typical shtick of referee blaming, Mourinho dared the Chelsea hierarchy to sack him, cheekily boasting that it wouldn’t happen as he is the best manager for the job.
Looking back at Jose’s first Chelsea exit in September of 2007, it was just this type of jostling with Abramovich and Chelsea’s board of directors that lead to ‘The Special One’ leaving the club by mutual consent. At the time Chelsea were also experiencing a poor run of form, although not as drastic as in 2015, sitting fifth in the league and winless in three games.
In those days, however, it were differing opinions on Chelsea’s transfer activity, among other things, that ended the relationship.
Fast forward to present day and it appears that Mourinho’s problems lie within the locker room. After winning last year’s title on the backs of key players like Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, Nemanja Matic, Branislav Ivanovic and Cesc Fabregas, the same collection of stars have collectively been underperforming. As a result, many football pundits believe the manager has lost the confidence and trust of the players.
It is now imperative for the charismatic Mourinho to use all of his man management skills to transform the pedestrian performances of last year’s stars to complement those of bright sparks such as the Brazilian winger Willian.
It is too late for Chelsea to successfully defend their title, but it is vital that they finish in a top-four spot and qualify for next year’s Champions League. A Champions League berth is essential if Chelsea want to acquire new players to challenge for the Premier League title next year.
Whether or not Mourinho will be around for the ride is in serious doubt though, as we know that today’s top clubs like to pull the trigger on the manager before a collection of players.
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