Yahoo News Chelsea have consigned Jose Mourinho to history... now the rest could follow suit
There was a nagging feeling the first time Roman Abramovich sacked Jose Mourinho that Chelsea had made a huge mistake.
A Blues statement released upon his departure in 2007 claimed “we had reached a point where the relationship between the club and Jose had broken down” but many fans said goodbye with a heavy heart to a man who had delivered unprecedented success.
Back-to-back Premier League titles - including Chelsea’s first for 50 years - cemented Mourinho’s status as one of the finest managers of the era and his return to Stamford Bridge in the away dug-out saw Inter Milan knock his former club out of the Champions League.
“Mourinho does not lose at Stamford Bridge,” he said, back in the days when he could more often than not back up such hubris with team performances of brilliance and bravado, discipline and defiance. Although the Blues continued to win trophies in his absence, the second coming of the Special One in 2013 had an air of inevitability about it, the product of unfinished business on both sides.
How different it all feels now. Mourinho has lost on each of his three visits to west London as United manager and faces an uphill task in trying to improve that record when the teams meet on Saturday.
Michael Essien discusses Jose Mourinho's troubles at Manchester United
A dramatic comeback victory against Newcastle eased the pressure a little in what Mourinho described as a “manhunt” following the latest report of his demise, which claimed he would be sacked no matter what the result against Rafael Benitez’s side.
But trouble followed that match as he was charged over comments he made in Portuguese to a TV camera and whether the win merely proves a stay of execution will depend on United’s forthcoming games: a tough run including Juventus twice, a resurgent Everton, a Bournemouth team who have exceeded expectations and a trip to champions Manchester City.
In days gone by, with the odds stacked against him, Mourinho would perform the role of Machiavellian mastermind to perfection, scheming his way out of danger before concluding with a dour stare or putdown. However, that performance was usually reserved for big matches with trophies in sight. Once the wider downward spiral at a club begins, Mourinho’s tenure unravels at an alarming rate.
Chelsea are so well versed in this act they’ve seen the main show and the matinee. And so, this next flurry of matches resembles a gauntlet the latter-day, more vulnerable Mourinho is not certain to navigate. He faces a battle to prove the game has not left him behind at a ground where it feels like his former club finally have.
The revolving door policy at Stamford Bridge can see managers transformed from heroes to zeros very quickly but Maurizio Sarri could hardly have started better. In fact, in a somewhat bizarre irony, he has exactly the same Premier League record at this stage of the season as Mourinho had in 2004: six wins, two draws, no defeats.
Both won their opening two matches in Europe, too, although Mourinho was contesting the Champions League as opposed to the Europa League.
The Premier League defeats which cost Jose Mourinho
The Premier League defeats which cost Jose Mourinho
1/11 Jose Mourinho - the new Manchester United manager
Jose Mourinho has been appointed as Manchester United's new manager nearly six months after he was sacked as Chelsea's coach. Where, however, did it all go wrong for the Special One at Stamford Bridge? Scroll through the gallery to re-visit the key games that Mourinho's Chelsea side lost - which resulted in him leaving the club in December.
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
2/11 Manchester City 3 Chelsea 0, August 16
Jose Mourinho's side suffered their first defeat of the season as goals from Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho sent Manchester City top of the table. The loss followed a home draw with Swansea on the opening day and left the Blues 16th.
Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
3/11 Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2, August 29
Chelsea suffered just their second home defeat in the Premier League under Jose Mourinho as Joel Ward's headed winner snatched three points late on. Radamel Falcao had cancelled out Bakary Sako's opener with a superb diving header, but Mourinho's men couldn't hold out for a point.
Paul Gilham/Getty Images
4/11 Everton 3 Chelsea 1, September
Everton marched past Chelsea as they dropped to 16th in the Premier League table with defeat at Goodison Park. Steven Naismith bagged a hat-trick as Nemanja Matic's impressive first-half strike could not prevent a third loss of the season.
5/11 Chelsea 1 Southampton 3, October 3
Chelsea's slump became something of a crisis as they suffered another home defeat. The Blues went in front through Willian, but Steven Davies, Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle bit back with interest as the Saints grabbed their first win at Chelsea since 2002. The win prompted the Chelsea board to publicly back their under-fire boss.
Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images
6/11 West Ham 2 Chelsea 1, October 24
Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic was dismissed in the first period and Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands as Andy Carroll dealt another blow to the Blues' stuttering season.
Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images
7/11 Chelsea 1 Liverpool 3, October 31
Jurgen Klopp sealed his first away win in the Premier League as the pressure mounted on Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. Ramires had opened the scoring but an impressive Liverpool side were level just before the break through Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian then doubled his tally in the second period before Christian Benteke coolly wrapped up an impressive win.
Clive Rose/Getty Images
8/11 Stoke 1 Chelsea 0, November 7
Jose Mourinho watched Chelsea's defeat to Stoke from a local hotel as he served a one-match stadium ban following his behaviour towards officials in the October defeat to West Ham. The Blues played some good football in the second half but Marko Arnautovic grabbed a winner at the back post to worsen the Chelsea boss' woes.
Paul Ellis
9/11 Chelsea 0 Bournemouth 1, December 5
Chelsea struggled to break down Premier League newcomers Bournemouth in this early-December game at Stamford Bridge. Eddie Howe's men sat deep for much of the game but substitute Glenn Murray headed a late winner as the Cherries launched a rare counter.
Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
10/11 Leicester 2 Chelsea 1, December 14
Premier League leaders Leicester hammered the final nail into Jose Mourinho's coffin as Chelsea dropped to within a point of the relegation zone with defeat at the King Power Stadium. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez put the Foxes two goals up before Loic Remy's second-half header proved to be only a consolation goal.
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
11/11 Jose Mourinho sacked
Chelsea finally parted ways with Jose Mourinho for the second time in December following a disastrous spell of nine Premier League defeats in their opening 16 games.
Clive Mason/Getty Images
Sarri-ball is starting to take shape, they have scored three more League goals than Liverpool and beaten the Merseysiders in the EFL Cup. He has adjusted quickly, with a severely limited pre-season, coming along way from Sangiovannese, the Italian third- tier side he led when Mourinho first joined Chelsea as a Champions League winner 14 years ago.
At Sarri’s previous club, Sansovino — a sixth-tier team in Italy — he had earned the nickname ‘Mister 33’ after it emerged he prepared 33 different attacking set-pieces for matches.
It is an attention to detail Mourinho was once famous for. Despite the geography involved, both have their permanent home in London; the transient feel to Mourinho’s tenure at Old Trafford is only enhanced by his refusal to buy a property in the area, preferring instead to spend a reported £816 a night to stay in a Lowry Hotel suite ever since joining the club in July 2016. These are formative days in Sarri’s reign and history should serve as a warning that we should not anticipate the 59-year-old former banker remaining at Chelsea long enough to build a legacy similar to Mourinho’s.
But regardless Chelsea are in a different place now, respectful to a point for Mourinho’s contribution but consigning him to history. The problem for Mourinho is that he is fighting to prove the League as a whole shouldn’t go the same way.
