Chelsea won’t sack Mourinho, yet

It is the worst title defence in Barclays Premier League history, but Chelsea maintain they will not sack Jose Mourinho.

It is the worst title defence in Barclays Premier League history, but Chelsea maintain they will not sack Jose Mourinho.

Published Nov 9, 2015

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It is the worst title defence in Barclays Premier League history but, at least for now, Chelsea maintain they will not sack Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea’s defeat at Stoke was their third on the trot in the league and seventh this season. It left them fifth bottom.

No wonder owner Roman Abramovich is being forced to contemplate the previously unthinkable — firing the most popular and successful manager in the club’s history.

It is Mourinho’s record and reputation at Chelsea that has seen him survive so far but Abramovich’s patience is being severely tested— just a month after the club tookthe unorthodox step of releasing a statement that offered their ‘full support’ to the Blues boss.

Chelsea claim that they will not seek a replacement during the upcoming international break, though their Russian billionaire owner will only tolerate humiliation so long before deciding he has no other choice.

Mourinho led Chelsea to the title last season but a club insider claimed he was close to breaking point even before this defeat, which leaves them hopelessly adrift of the top four.

Mourinho watched the match from the team’s hotel due to the one-game stadium ban handed to him by the Football Association after his half-time confrontation at West Ham.

But despite not being at the Britannia Stadium, Mourinho found ways around his suspension to stay in control at Stoke, including giving his team talk at the hotel and handing Chelsea assistants Steve Holland and Rui Faria a list of decisions to make in different scenarios.

His replacements on the touchline also appeared to communicate with Mourinho via devices that were spotted in the Chelsea dugout, which the FA had admitted would be almost impossible to police.

Mourinho stuck to his regular routine until the coach left for the Britannia shortly before 4pm.

He had vowed to stay with his squad until the last possible moment but did not board the bus, choosing to avoid falling out further with the FA whose rules prohibited him from even entering the car park.

Having him exiled from the Britannia was costly, however, as Chelsea slipped to 16th in the table.Mourinho was missed andStoke manager Mark Hughes said he was surprised Chelsea’s dug-out was so quiet in his absence.

Hughes expected Chelsea to arrive with all guns blazing— as is the norm when Mourinho is the visiting manager— but found their staff and squad curiously subdued throughout.

‘Their bench is probably one of the more animated ones,’ said Hughes. ‘I wasn’t aware of them today. I don’t know if they were jumping up and down. That surprises me somewhat because they are usually quite animated.’

Ruud Gullit, the former Chelsea star and manager, yesterday claimed they were no longer feared by opposing teams.

‘It’s like Tiger Woods,’ Gullit said. ‘In the beginning everybody who was standing with Tiger Woods knew already that they had lost the game. Now people see him and Chelsea and think, “We can beat them”.

‘They lost that aura of invincibility. They lost it. You can feel it. You can sense it. The players sense it also that the opposition is not afraid of you any more. To get that back, you get it only by results.’

Chelsea were dominant in the first half but failed to take advantage and, eight minutes into the second period, Marko Arnautovic scored for Stoke.

Eden Hazard’s relationship with Mourinho has been under scrutiny after last season’s Player of the Year was dropped to the bench in their Champions League win over Dynamo Kiev last week.

The forward started at Stoke but his influence in the game faded. Loic Remy came on for Ramires as Chelsea chased the equaliser and was deemed too honest after passing up an opportunity to win a penalty.

The striker hurdled over Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland after being put through but tried to stay on his feet as the chance went begging. Had he gone to ground, Chelsea would likely have been thrown a lifeline.

There was also a bizarre incidentinvolving Diego Costa, who was accused of ‘assault’ after appearing to step on a steward’s foot during the defeat.

TV footage showed the Chelsea striker leave the pitch to retrieve the ball for a throw-in next to a steward, who reacted angrily towards Costa.

The forward was reported to referee Anthony Taylor after full-time but the issue was dealt with quickly.

A Chelsea spokesperson dismissed it as ‘utter nonsense’ and, though Taylor must include it in his official report that goes to the FA, further action is highly unlikely.

At least that’s one problem solved for Mourinho. The rest, though, continue to pile up. – Daily Mail

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