THE VERDICT
WERE CHELSEA RIGHT TO SACK MOURINHO?
JAMIE CARRAGHER: Yes, unfortunately, because something had to change. The situation could not go on as it was and, in football, when that is the case, the manager goes.
JAMIE REDKNAPP: I don’t think they had any choice. As soon as words like ‘ betrayal’ are thrown around you’ve got no chance. It’s weird, at times it’s looked like Jose has been angling for this from the start of the season.
MARTIN KEOWN: Probably. Given Chelsea’s track record for sacking managers it’s remarkable he lasted this long. It felt like things were spiralling out of control and I’m sure the club were worried about what he might say or do next.
HOW WILL HE BE REMEMBERED?
KEOWN: When the dust settles, he will go down as an all-time Chelsea legend and one of the best managers to grace the Premier League.
When he rolls into a job he’s a charming and positive but when he claims the world is against him his petulant behaviour becomes tedious.
He’s such an overpowering personality that bust-ups are inevitable but it’s never been quite so spectacular. But this will not be the end of the Jose Mourinho show. He’ll be back.
CARRAGHER: Jose should be regarded as one of the greatest managers in the Premier League, probably second only to Sir Alex Ferguson.
Do not underestimate what an achievement it was to win the title last year. The Manchester clubs had kept it for four years and Chelsea had not challenged in that period.
REDKNAPP: As football gold dust. He is a supremely talented manager with an incredible record but you know what you’re going to get, and Chelsea knew as well.
He brings success and, at first, he’s a breath of fresh air. Sadly, by the end, it becomes venomous.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PLAYERS IN THIS?
REDKNAPP: Watch them play now because they are going to fly up the league. Whoever the next boss is just has to walk in, pick a few chins up off the floor and tell the players how good they are. The whole process felt like a silent assassination.
KEOWN: When you go from challenging for the title to having no chance it’s tough to re-adjust expectations. But that’s no excuse and to down tools is unforgivable.
Last year against Arsenal Oscar was magnificent. Against Leicester he was anonymous. You could say the same of five or six others. When Mourinho’s language went from ‘we’ to ‘us’ and ‘them’, it was obvious the respect was gone.
CARRAGHER: I’m sure that if it had been possible to sack players, some of them would have gone before Mourinho. There is no way players as good as they are should be in that position. I have never seen anything like this.
Whether you have fallen out with the manager or whatever, your own personal standards should stop you from playing that poorly. Mourinho was right to ask questions of them.
WHO SHOULD REPLACE HIM AT THE BRIDGE?
REDKNAPP: Honestly, I’ve no clue. But I’m sure Pep Guardiola and his agent brother must be loving this. By the end of the season he could have Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea all clamouring for him.
Diego Simeone is in the Jose mould and I’m sure the fans would love him but they don’t have to look abroad. Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman would be on my radar and maybe even Eddie Howe in the long term.
CARRAGHER: Guus Hiddink is the obvious candidate to see things through until the end of the season, given he has enjoyed success at Chelsea before. In the long term, they won’t get Guardiola. That won’t happen. I don’t see them getting Carlo Ancelotti, either. Simeone has outstanding credentials but will he give Roman Abramovich the attractive football he wants? No.
KEOWN: Hiddink feels like Abramovich’s go-to man in the short term and I think the job is too big for Brendan Rodgers. Guardiola feels a more natural fit for Manchester City or even Arsenal, though Simeone would be interesting — he drives players like Jose does.
WHERE DO YOU THINK JOSE WILL GO NEXT?
REDKNAPP: I think he needs a break. After the stresses of this season, why would he want to go straight back into football? This will have really dented his pride and time away with his family would do him good.
When he comes back there will be plenty of takers. I can’t see him at somewhere like United but football is about success and few managers can guarantee that like Mourinho.
KEOWN: I agree with Jamie, he needs time to reflect because this has been a heavy defeat. He needs to examine himself as he has hit the self- destruct button.
Jose is a grafter and will want to get back in, though there might be fewer jobs available as he has burned a few bridges. Further down the line I wouldn’t rule out international football, maybe even England.
CARRAGHER: Paris SaintGermain. He has won titles in every country in which he has managed and PSG would be another box to tick.
Laurent Blanc is a good coach but he is not in the same bracket as Mourinho and if PSG want to make a mark in the Champions League, Mourinho would be a clear fit. In fact, Mourinho might actually want Chelsea to knock PSG out of the last 16 to improve his prospects of getting a role in Paris.