Why mourinho will fail at chelsea

Mourinho had stressed the need for greater depth in quality, having instigated a more pragmatic style of play since the turn of the year as he sought to edge Chelsea over the line. His squad ended their title-winning campaign exhausted, with the head coach duly delaying their return for pre-season.

That might have been necessary but it left them playing catch-up from the outset. Regardless, Mourinho was already unimpressed with recruitment and his downbeat, grumpy mood set the tone. The outbursts were wild, the manager lashing out as if convinced the world was suddenly conspiring against him. They were directed inexcusably at the medical staff on a difficult opening afternoon against Swansea — the subsequent legal dispute with Dr Eva Carneiro would rumble on long after his departure — and would persist against television pundits and, most regularly, officialdom.

His livid accusations added to the sense of panic that gripped tighter with each spluttering performance mustered by his team out on the pitch. Maybe his players had tired of his training methods, or of the grinding style to which he had resorted, but nothing Mourinho tried — be it carrot or stick — succeeded in coaxing consistent performances from a collective shorn of confidence.

They lost three of their first five league games. Even their aura of invincibility at home had been replaced overnight by choking apprehension. Roman Abramovich, who had secured the Portuguese with a new four-year contract that summer, was present that afternoon to witness the loss. This is a crucial moment in the history of this club because, if the club sack me, they sack the best manager this club ever had.

And the message again is that if there are bad results, the manager is guilty. Yet he had never previously been in this position and, with a disaffected squad crammed with key players horribly out of form, results did not improve.

If anything, they deteriorated further, prompting the owner and his staff to scrutinise the schism developing between coach and squad.

His methods simply were not getting through. When the time came to pull him out of the Christmas lunch, confirmation must almost have felt like a relief. Dominic Fifield. Given Chelsea failed to qualify for Champions League football this season, they will have more than a week to fully prepare for the visit of Mourinho, just 10 months after he was unceremoniously sacked by club owner Roman Abramovich.

But while Mourinho hopes to delay the controversial return to his former stomping ground, United are said to be resigned to playing the fixture on 23 October regardless of how far they have to travel in their Europa League tie, should it prove to be played away from Old Trafford.

Sky and BT Sport are yet to announce fixture moves for October, but the prospect of playing the Chelsea match on Monday 24 October is not possible given that both sides will be in League Cup action on the following Tuesday or Wednesday. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later?

Sign in. Accessibility help Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer. Choose your subscription. Trial Try full digital access and see why over 1 million readers subscribe to the FT. For 4 weeks receive unlimited Premium digital access to the FT's trusted, award-winning business news. Digital Be informed with the essential news and opinion. Delivery to your home or office Monday to Saturday FT Weekend paper — a stimulating blend of news and lifestyle features ePaper access — the digital replica of the printed newspaper.

Team or Enterprise Premium FT.