After the rather disappointing 3-1 defeat to Everton, we caught up with Twitter personality, Chelsea_HQ. After Mourinho hit the spotlight, we discussed the ‘special one’ and what is going wrong at Chelsea.
Well, that was disappointing, yet again. What exactly is going wrong at the moment at Chelsea?
In my opinion, it’s still down to our poor pre-season. The club, from top to bottom, got it horribly wrong. It just wasn’t enough time to get the players ready for the new campaign and it’s quite obvious now that they’re still not as fit as they should be.
Eden Hazard looks somewhat chubby, Cesc Fabregas seems to think he’s still relaxing on a sunny beach in Spain… and don’t get me started on Branislav Ivanovic.
Jose Mourinho’s post-match comments also don’t help. He claims we’ve been unlucky with results this season, which simply isn’t true. Some people will say he’s trying to protect his underperforming players, but it seems to be getting worse every week.
Let’s be realistic, there will be fans out there that will be calling for Mourinho’s head after the start to the season. Will he be here at the end of the season?
I think it would be the wrong move to sack him. There seems to be a financial restriction at Chelsea at the moment, which could be down to our new stadium. So in terms of bringing in new players and strengthening our squad, any other manager would have to work with exactly the same budget.
I do, however, believe that he has to get a lot right tactically and in terms of team selection.
Players like Branislav Ivanovic and Cesc Fabregas can’t keep starting if they don’t perform, it sends out the wrong message. Eden Hazard can also not be immune from criticism, he simply hasn’t turned up yet.
Jose Mourinho is the right man for Chelsea, but you never know what is going through Roman Abramovich’s mind.
Regardless of the fact he is Mourinho, should he be fearing for his job? If this was Benitez, Scolari or even Ancelotti, you can’t help but feel they may have already been gone.
With the exception of Carlo Ancelotti, I don’t think any of the names above are capable of adding the same winning mentality to their teams.
Jose Mourinho knows this club inside out and, as it says on one of the banners at Stamford Bridge, he is one of us.
Of course it’s his job to sort out the problems, that’s what he gets paid to do, but I have complete faith in him. If there’s one man who can turn it all around, it is him.
What does he need to do to turn this start around?
He needs to keep reminding his players that they won the Premier League title last season. Their performances so far have been unacceptable, not good enough to be calling yourself champions.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if he brought in one or two players in January if we don’t improve drastically.
Speaking hypothetically, should Mourinho lose his job, what would that mean for the future of the club?
No manager is bigger than the club, but I do believe him leaving would be a massive blow. Carlo Ancelotti is currently the only manager available who is on the same level as Jose Mourinho. I think it would be a big, big struggle to find a replacement.
It would easily take a whole season for the current squad to get used to a new manager and his philosophy, which is the last thing we need right now.
Kenedy came off the bench and was bright again. There were no minutes for Loftus-Cheek though, after another poor performance from our midfield, should he be getting more game time?
I would start both of them in midweek, in the Champions League against Maccabi Tel-Aviv. It’s now or never for our younger players in the squad, they can’t play any worse than some of the big names.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek showed against Crystal Palace before the international break that he is more than capable of doing the job for us – he deserves a chance.
Fabregas was under the spotlight, despite playing further forward, he was not influential at all. Do you feel we’re playing him for the sake of having him in the team?
That is one of the biggest mysteries at the moment. How can a player keep starting if he doesn’t contribute to anything? I don’t know if it’s down to him becoming a father again, but Cesc Fabregas has been poor since the start of 2015.
I think he will struggle to keep his place in the side once Oscar returns from his injury. I am still surprised he lasted 75 minutes against Everton.
Following the Champions League in midweek, we have Arsenal at home. How are you feeling about going into that match?
Arsenal always seems to be a good fixture for us, regardless of our situation.
It will be a tough game, but Jose Mourinho’s record against Arsene Wenger always fills me with confidence, whenever we face them.
The Gunners themselves, despite being called title favourites before the start of the season, have not been too impressive. They’re still lacking a few more world-class players and I’m confident we can bounce back against them, especially at Stamford Bridge.
