Embattled Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho faces the greatest crisis of his stellar career, with British media reports claiming that he could be days away from losing his job.
With the defending champions 15th and floundering in the Premier League, fresh misery arrived on Tuesday when they had their League Cup crown prised from their fingers in a penalty shootout defeat at Stoke City.
It prompted the latest in a flood of damning headlines, with Wednesday’s edition of The Sun splashing that Mourinho was “clinging to his job by a thread”, his two-year tenure “all but over”.
The Daily Mirror, meanwhile, reported that some senior players believe it is “only a matter of time before Mourinho departs”, echoing recent claims that his combative methods have alienated members of his squad.
While the broadsheet newspapers were more circumspect, the tone was similar. The Daily Telegraph said he was “fighting for his future”, The Guardian that his future was “up in the air”.
Once again, Mourinho seems to be succumbing to the curse of ‘third season syndrome’, which has dogged him throughout his career.
When Mourinho last left Chelsea, in September 2007, it was because his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich had broken down and although he was recently given a public vote of confidence, there are suggestions that his abrasive antics may have upset the club hierarchy.
However, a lack of available alternatives could buy him precious time.
Abramovich seems no closer to his dream of luring Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola to west London, while Carlo Ancelotti is said to be reluctant about returning following his abrupt sacking by the Russian in 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment