Chelsea Football Club made one of its biggest mistakes when it parted ways with Jose Mourinho yesterday afternoon. The Portuguese boss will go down in history as the club’s greatest ever manager, winning eight trophies throughout during his time in charge whilst captivating the hearts of its fans across the globe.
It is no secret that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s ruthless desire to win titles means that every manager is almost immediately put on the hot seat from the minute they take the job. In fact, in between Mourinho’s sacking in September 2007 and his return six years later, Abramovic hired and fired eight new managers.
However, Mourinho’s return to west London in 2013 was different, as the self-proclaimed ‘Happy One’ was ecstatically welcomed back to Chelsea with open arms from fans and players alike.
There was a hope that Mourinho could be our version of Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson; giving the club the stability it so desperately needed while spearheading a dynasty at the helm.
Mourinho’s first season back in charge of Chelsea was a complete dud. Yet, it was clear that Abramovich had turned over a new leaf in re-signing Mourinho: the Portuguese stayed at the club despite its trophyless 2013/14 campaign. It was an early sign that Mourinho’s return indeed meant that stability was finally to become evident at Chelsea.
Mourinho and the board worked together and had a fantastic transfer window in the summer of 2014, bringing in the likes of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, who proved to be the missing pieces of the puzzle. Chelsea won the Premier League title without much of a challenge while also picking up the League Cup in a satisfying win over London rivals Tottenham.
Now, it was time. Mourinho was back at Chelsea, winning titles. It was time to start our dynasty, time to take over English football for years to come, and time for Mourinho to finally bring home the Champions League to his favorite club, Chelsea.
That was until the summer transfer window slammed shut on 1st September, just a few months ago. Chelsea failed in their bids to bring John Stones to the club, and instead signed two random centre-backs, Michael Hector and Papy Djilobodji.
While each of the country’s other top clubs strengthened in an effort to challenge Chelsea’s title defense, the Blues sat still, content with their squad, and why not? At the time, it made sense. The team was absolutely perfect and walked the league with ease a few months prior. The late signing of Pedro from Barcelona quieted down the club’s critics for the time being, but deep down there continued to be a worry that Chelsea’s performance in the summer transfer window was just not good enough.
Not to mention Chelsea’s torrid preseason, where the team was embarrassed by the New York Red Bulls (I was in attendance, it was horrible) and only defeated Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona in the United States via penalty kicks. As well as a defeat to Fiorentina in the final preseason match only made fans more uneasy. The board, staff, and squad seemed complacent; too busy celebrating last season’s winnings instead of properly preparing themselves for the defense of their newly-captured Premier League title. It was almost like a premonition of what was to come…
It fell apart for Chelsea; results only got worse and worse. Now, the club sees itself sat just above the relegation zone as the busy holiday period fastly approaches. Chelsea’s transformation from champions to chumps has been English football’s biggest storyline of the season, and just when things have seemed to be getting better, the opposite has happened.
The win against FC Porto seemed like it could have been the turning point in the season for Mourinho and Chelsea, but on Monday, the buzz around Stamford Bridge after topping Group G in the Champions League fizzled out when the Blues suffered defeat in the league once again. Could that have been the last straw for Mourinho at Chelsea? Well, it didn’t seem like it, because the week went on and Mourinho still had his job…
Then, all of a sudden, he was sacked. The spirit of (almost) all Chelsea supporters was crushed in an instant. Two days went by after the loss to Leicester City, and Thursday afternoon, less than two days before Chelsea’s next match, the decision was made.
Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have today parted company by mutual consent. https://t.co/YYJaxxdE36 — @ChelseaFC
The world of Chelsea fans was then split into two factions: those who supported the board’s decision, and those who defied it.
The fact of the matter is, the departure of Mourinho all but confirms that hopes of managerial stability at Chelsea Football Club are dead. If there was anyone to lead the Blues out of this mess, it was Mourinho. If there was anyone to take Chelsea to the next level and turn it into the dominant European super club that it is destined to be, it was Mourinho.
Now, the fifty-two-year-old will be available to all of Europe’s top clubs come next season. With years of management left in him, who’s to say that Mourinho won’t go on and be successful with the next trio of clubs he decides to manage? Who’s to say that he won’t return to England someday in the form of Manchester United or Manchester City? Imagine a world where Jose Mourinho is an enemy of Chelsea Football Club…
While many may believe that the board’s decision to part company with Mourinho was the right one, it must be said that the timing of that decision was completely wrong.
First of all, if it was to happen at all, it should have happened directly after the loss to Leicester, not two days later and two days before our next match. That way, at least, the team could look ahead to its next match against Sunderland and prepare for it properly.
However, I do not believe it should have happened at all. Abramovich had surprisingly shown a hunger for stability at the club through his faith in Mourinho throughout the past two seasons. Furthermore, it surprised many that Abramovich was even willing to let Mourinho stay in charge of the first team for so long this season, even after bad results continued to pile up.
Why not just write this season off? I would have loved to see the board keep Mourinho in charge and settle for a top-half finish in the Premier League before going on and mounting a strong challenge in both the Champions League and FA Cup. Despite how horribly Chelsea’s title defense has gone, many are oblivious to the fact that there is still glory to be obtained this season for the Blues. No matter what happens at the end of this season, next summer will bring an opportunity to strengthen the squad through the transfer market and to start off fresh in August of 2016.
Now, if there’s anyone who could do that for Chelsea, it’s Mourinho. I continue to be puzzled by Abramovich’s decision to pull the plug on the Portuguese after showing so much faith in him since his return. Mourinho, in my opinion, would have had no problem achieving the above. It seemed as though he would be given the chance, too, when the board publicly stated it’s backing of the manager about a month ago.
However, it is now too late to mull over the ‘what if’s. Mourinho has been sacked, and the board will now be working as hard as possible to find a new manager.
Yet, one thing is for certain: Abramovich will never be able to find a manager who is more passionately in love with Chelsea Football Club than Jose Mourinho.
