MOURINHO'S CHELSEA CAPITULATION: THE FULL EXPOSE
Inside Mourinho's Chelsea capitulation: The
full extent of the Portuguese manager's
downfall at Stamford Bridge, from losing the
dressing room to public faux-pas
A third successive Premier League defeat,
this time to Stoke City on Saturday, has
brought Jose Mourinho to the brink of losing
his job as the manager of Chelsea.
The defeat to the Potters was preceded by
embarrassing losses to West Ham and
Liverpool, leaving the reigning Premier
League champions with just 11 points from
their opening 12 games.
And now, following further dressing room
unrest, Goal understands that the Blues boss
is hanging by a thread at Stamford Bridge,
with owner Roman Abramovich considering
the Portuguese manager's future over the
international break.
From losing the dressing room to a
disastrous summer transfer window, in this
full expose of Mourinho's Chelsea
capitulation Goal details how it has
unravelled for the former Real Madrid
manager...
If there had previously been cracks
in Mourinho's relationship with Eden Hazard,
it has turned into a giant chasm in the last
few months.
Mourinho is understood to have made
attempts to build bridges in the last two
weeks, but some observers feel there is no
way back for Chelsea's manager and star
player.
The final straw for Hazard came when he
was dropped for the 2-0 home win over Aston
Villa earlier this month and brought on in the
final stages with the result beyond doubt. He
has since found himself in and out of the
side.
The 24-year-old's lack of confidence has
been clear for all to see this season - but he
would put much of that personal slump down
to his deep unhappiness with Mourinho.
Hazard was the PFA and FWA player of the
year last season, but he is yet to score in 18
appearances in all competitions this term.
Mourinho has constantly looked to deny his
own accountability and blame his players,
and Hazard has received more criticism than
anyone behind closed doors.
Mourinho has spoken affectionately in the
past about conversations with Hazard's father
about his method of challenging his star man,
showing more mental aggression and taking
more responsibility.
Hazard has frustrated Mourinho with his
previous flirtations with Paris Saint-Germain
and his cryptic recent 'like' of an Instagram
post linking him with Real Madrid raised new
questions about the player's commitment to
Chelsea.
Nemanja Matic and Oscar are among the
other players to have been singled out and
there is a resentment among the squad that
certain players appear to have been targeted
by Mourinho this season while others escape
criticism.
Even those still on Mourinho's side - such as
captain John Terry and striker Diego Costa -
have been badly off-form. Costa, the club's
top scorer last season, has scored just two
Premier League goals this term.
Captain John Terry is understood to be one
of the few players still behind Mourinho, but
that no longer means as much as it once did
in the past.
Terry will turn 35 at the end of this year and
he no longer exerts the same influence on or
off the pitch.
His own relationship with Mourinho has
deteriorated during a miserable run of form
for the centre-back, especially since Terry
was substituted at half-time during the 3-0
defeat at Manchester City in August.
Yet that doesn't matter as much. Terry may
still carry himself around Cobham as if he he
owns the club, but he's not the most
influential figure in the squad anymore.
Terry used to be the leader of a core of
Mourinho acolytes that included the likes of
Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Branislav
Ivanovic and Petr Cech.
Now only Terry and Ivanovic are left and
Mourinho is badly missing the influence of a
group of leaders and proven winners in the
dressing room.
Without them, there is a vacuum and no-one
has been able to lift the players' heads. They
may be Premier League champions, but that
doesn't make these Chelsea players natural
winners.
Mourinho's foul mood pre-dates Chelsea's
plummet in form this season - and it stems
from his anger with the board over the club's
transfer activity in the summer.
For a start, he was annoyed that Petr Cech
was sold to rivals Arsenal against his wishes.
But beyond that, he was furious with the lack
of quality brought in as he sought signings to
freshen up the squad.
Mourinho wanted a top quality central
defender, a central midfielder, a winger and a
striker at the start of the summer.
He would have been happy enough to see
Pedro arrive from Barcelona and Radamel
Falcao signed on loan from Monaco as back-
up to main striker Diego Costa.
He made no secret, though, of his desire to
sign John Stones as a long-term replacement
for John Terry. Mourinho saw Chelsea's
defensive troubles coming and was
particularly worried by the lack of mobility in
the centre.
The Blues were convinced they would sign
Stones from Everton but even a £40 million
bid wasn't enough.
To add insult to injury, Papy Djilobodji and
Michael Hector were brought in on deadline
day for combined fees of just under £6m.
One has made just one League Cup
appearance, the other has returned to
Reading on loan.
In midfield, Mourinho wanted £50m-rated
Paul Pogba or, as an alternative, Axel Witsel
from Zenit St Petersburg. He got no-one and
the Blues are now being consistently overrun
and outpassed in central midfield.
Having been given the players he asked for in
2014, Mourinho's influence over transfer
strategy appears to have waned. The arrival
of left-back Baba Rahman from Augsburg in a
£22m deal is also known to have been driven
by technical director Michael Emenalo.
Mourinho has had many on-field lieutenants
during his career, but perhaps Didier Drogba
ranks as the chief of them all.
Drogba is the ultimate Mourinho loyalist. He
was signed twice for Chelsea by the
Portuguese - the first time for an eyebrow-
raising £24 million and the second time to
give his experience to the squad ahead of
last season's successful title challenge.
Mourinho got the very best out of Drogba and
brought to the fore the winning mentality
that has seen the Ivorian score so many
crucial goals during the course of his career.
Drogba, now 37 and playing in MLS with
Montreal Impact, did not always appreciate
Mourinho's famously-high demands in the
early part of his career in London - until he
started seeing the results.
And that is the message that Drogba would
pass on to Chelsea's players when the going
got tough at times last season.
Drogba was particularly respected by the
French-speaking and African platers in the
squad as a 'big brother' figure - and it is in
that role that he would put his arm around
team-mates, keeps spirits high and ensure
that everyone was totally committed to
Mourinho's direction.
He was the heartbeat of the dressing room.
Beyond being the pre-match DJ as the
players prepared, he summed up the all-for-
one and one-for-all team mentality as he
cheered the team on from the bench for
much of the campaign.
Chelsea have badly missed his influence. With
no Drogba, heads have dropped and individual
gripes have been allowed to grow into
something far bigger, allowing for a culture
where it's open season on Mourinho among
the players.
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