Mourinho is at fault – but there is no way Chelsea should sack him
DESPITE the fact that Liverpool haven’t won the League for a quarter of a century, their teams through that period have usually been full of danger and guile.
From Fowler to Gerrard to Torres to Suarez, playing against Liverpool has always been a tough fixture and there has never been any shame in losing to them. This current team is different.
Though they are a club on the up, the group of players amassed by their former manager, Brendan Rodgers, should never be beating the champions in their back yard.
We were knocked out of the League Cup in possibly the most unglamorous of circumstances less than a week ago. Strangely, though, the mood among the travelling contingent from west London at Stoke that night was optimistic. We chanted Bob Marley’s
Three Little Birds for a solid half an hour and as Jose Mourinho exited the pitch he was given the reception of a hero.
Make no mistake, Mourinho has the support of the Chelsea faithful and I was one of those serenading him on Saturday with a chorus of his name.
There are, of course, those who are too tribal to acknowledge that Mourinho has done anything wrong in the build-up to the mess we find ourselves in, but for me he has played his part.
Our problems stem back to the most disastrous of close seasons the club has had under Roman Abramovich.
Our pre-season was shambolic and based solely around raising money and enhancing the club’s brand.
There was the ludicrous decision to do the “honourable thing” with Petr Cech and allow him to join Arsenal, a bonkers decision and one that Mourinho was vociferously against.
Then there was our transfer policy.
When Mourinho first won the League we went out that summer, bought Michael Essien and retained our trophy.
This summer, the champions were reinforced by the might of Radamel Falcao, Papy Djilobodji and Michael Hector. To top it all, Diego Costa, our talisman and main goal threat, had accrued a gut that would suggest he had a wonderful time over the summer.
These things, no doubt, left Mourinho feeling exasperated but his own conduct on the opening day of the season left the club at the heart of another PR disaster.
Dr Eva Carneiro is suing the club for constructive dismissal, as is her right. Since this disaster Mourinho has been charged for his comments after our game against Southampton and sent off against West Ham.
I think if he is judged on poor results alone then Mourinho will be safe. It is the perennial problems that he creates that could convince Abramovich to pull the trigger. I just hope that he doesn’t.
We are undoubtedly facing a crisis. A crisis that Mourinho played a role in creating. However, if you think there is a better man to lead Chelsea out of the mire then I think you’re insane.
No manager knows how to win games better than Mourinho. His man-management skills are second to none and if anyone has earned the chance to put things right it is the man who has led us to eight major trophies.