Jose Mourinho latest: Public attack on Chelsea players shows a fraying relationship close to breaking point

8 years ago

Jose Mourinho latest: Public attack on Chelsea players shows a fraying relationship close to breaking point

There was a time when Jose Mourinho would only criticise opponents for parking the bus, but his final act as Chelsea manager may turn out to be the moment he threw his players under one.

One by one, Mourinho went through the card of those “superstars” he deemed to have let him down, not only in Monday’s 2-1 defeat at Leicester but since the Premier League trophy was hoisted aloft at the end of last season.

Some were singled out by name – such as Diego Costa, for “leaving his areas” – while others were damned by their achievements, in a manner that was dripping with Mourinho’s contempt.

“They have to look to Sunderland and Watford and say, ‘hey, we are at the same level’,” Mourinho said. “‘I am not the superstar, I am not the player of the season, I am not the world champion, I am not the Premier League champion. At this moment, I am at your level.’”

Eden Hazard, already shifting uncomfortably with the hip injury that forced him out of the game after half an hour at the King Power Stadium, would have known precisely who Mourinho was referring to when he spoke of the “player of the season”, while Cesc Fabregas would only have been fooling himself if he believed that the “world champion” in his manager’s sights was August arrival Pedro rather than himself.

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Jose Mourinho latest: Public attack on Chelsea players shows a fraying relationship close to breaking point

Mourinho’s remarkable criticism of his under-performing players sets the clock ticking on his demise
Mark Ogden Tuesday 15 December 2015 17:40 BST
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho GETTY IMAGES
There was a time when Jose Mourinho would only criticise opponents for parking the bus, but his final act as Chelsea manager may turn out to be the moment he threw his players under one.

One by one, Mourinho went through the card of those “superstars” he deemed to have let him down, not only in Monday’s 2-1 defeat at Leicester but since the Premier League trophy was hoisted aloft at the end of last season.

Some were singled out by name – such as Diego Costa, for “leaving his areas” – while others were damned by their achievements, in a manner that was dripping with Mourinho’s contempt.

“They have to look to Sunderland and Watford and say, ‘hey, we are at the same level’,” Mourinho said. “‘I am not the superstar, I am not the player of the season, I am not the world champion, I am not the Premier League champion. At this moment, I am at your level.’”

Eden Hazard, already shifting uncomfortably with the hip injury that forced him out of the game after half an hour at the King Power Stadium, would have known precisely who Mourinho was referring to when he spoke of the “player of the season”, while Cesc Fabregas would only have been fooling himself if he believed that the “world champion” in his manager’s sights was August arrival Pedro rather than himself.

Fabregas at least showed some urgency at Leicester, darting from the changing room to the team bus a little over five minutes after the end of the game, but it was perhaps not the “all for one, one for all” display of commitment that Mourinho would have wanted from his midfielder.

Still, with the Chelsea squad undoubtedly aware that their manager had just told Sky Sports in his post-match interview that his players had “betrayed” him by failing to follow the game-plan against Claudio Ranieri’s team, it is perhaps surprising that many of them did not choose to hail taxis back to London without having to go through the ordeal of sharing the ride home with their coach.

This is the situation Mourinho now finds himself in – a manager sitting in the front seat, knowing that conversations are taking place behind him which will be anything but complimentary.