Leicester City top the Premier League table after beating Chelsea 2-1 last night, with goals from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez (who else?).
Chelsea however sit in 16th position with 14 points, one point away from the relegation zone.
So why are Chelsea so awful this season?
It’s a strange question that I can’t answer and one that has me confused. But I suppose if we did know the answer then Mourinho is intelligent and experienced enough to sort it out.
We’ve heard so many times that Jose Mourinho is the greatest manager that ever lived – and huge legends of the game such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wesley Sneijder, Didier Drogba, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Marco Materazzi, Xabi Alonso amongst countless others have heaped praise on the Portuguese manager.
His record, as hard as it is to admit, is phenomenal with Mourinho finding success at every club he has managed – and within one or two seasons as well. So why is he finding it so hard at the moment?
He has a massive reputation and is respected by some of the biggest names in football. Chelsea only won the Premier League last season so it would be hard to imagine that he’s suddenly lost the respect of the dressing room overnight – and even though that’s cited as the main reason for Chelsea’s slump – surely they can’t nose dive as quickly as they have in the league.
He had the situation with Eva Carneiro and while that whole episode was unsavoury to say the least, it would be hard to imagine that all of the players would sudden turn against a man who has managed to much success and delivered a successful Premier League campaign the season before – or are football players as fickle as that?
Yes, Mourinho was completely out of order in that whole saga and I’m not excusing his actions one bit, but if you’re sitting in the dressing room then surely you’re going to follow the manager? Not support him necessarily (he was completely in the wrong) but this is a man that wields so much power in the game. It’s like crossing Alex Ferguson or Brian Clough in their managerial prime – you’d be stupid to do so.
I can’t comment specifically on the performances because I make a habit of avoiding them whenever possible but it seems strange that they can lose to lower league opposition on a regular basis but beat Arsenal. But I suppose that’s down to the players “turning up” for a big game.
I’ve also heard that Mourinho is a “phenomenal man-manager”, knows exactly to get the best out of players and that his personal relationship with the players is comparable to an unbreakable bond. As previously mentioned Zlatan Ibrahimovic loves Mourinho and there’s that famous footage when Marco Materazzi was caught crying in Mourinho’s arms as it was announced he would be leaving for Real Madrid.
I just find it extremely strange to see how a manager like Mourinho is so adored by a club and their players has suddenly lost his magic touch. Has he turned into a terrible manager overnight? Surely not.
Are the Chelsea players too old? Perhaps but not everyone in that squad is over the hill and their team is filled with world class talent and shouldn’t be hovering over the relegation zone. And surely a club with their resources can find a player who can do a job? Isn’t that what youth teams and reserve sides are for?
So overall it is a very strange scenario which is equally very confusing. Surely if some players aren’t playing for you then you blood some young talent and send a message to the rest of the team? It would be hard to imagine Arsene Wenger putting up with a player who is lacking in effort and he would be more than happy to blood a young, hungry player instead.
So why do you think Chelsea and Mourinho are struggling so badly? And can they actually turn this all around??
Its all a farce… Maureen wants out to another team and is setting all this up. I would not be shocked if a couple of the current Chelsea team show up in one shape or the other at a different team with you know who as coach… Rubbish!!
Honestly, I’d rather leave that debate to Chelsea fans as I, absolutely, have no interest in ‘helping’ them turn this situation around. Hell! I am really pleased to see the arrogant one turning grey and looking flustered about what is befalling his wards. It just shows he still has a thing or two to learn about creating the right spirit after a title win and coping with a semblance of other egos in the team (Eva, Hazzard,). It is an all encompassing role. Not just having a smart mouth always.