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There was a debate in 2015 as to whetherJose Mourinho retained the ability to inspire the beleaguered Chelseasquad. In 2016 he proved that hecould.
Unfortunately for him he was sat in the wrong dugout.
In the run-up to his first game back at Stamford Bridge he has promised that he would make no ‘wild celebrations’should his new team, Manchester United, score any goals. He wasn’t given thechance!
On arrival at the stadium in SW6 he was greeted by hundreds of home fans cheering his name, paying tribute the glorious history that he was instrumental in forging.
Mourinho won three Premier League titles,an FA Cup and three League Cups during his two spells at Chelsea. Nobody canargue that he deserved the plaudits.
The Portuguese ‘Special One’ had overseenmore wins against Manchester United than any other manager while Chelsea had not lost to United in any of their last seven Premier League matches.
Conversely, however, Mourinho had returned to the Bridge only once previously when he manufactured a victory for his InterMilan side. Which would prevail?
One of the delights about the Premier League this season is the plethora of world-class managers. It seems strange that, with the world’s most expensive player and hundreds of millions of pounds of talent on the pitch, this game was really about Jose.
His return would be the modern-day equivalent of Sir Alex Ferguson returning with the opposition to face Manchester United or the late, great Bill Shankly returning during his managerial career to face Liverpool.
Of course, the second time that he was dismissed was more acrimonious than the first, partly due to Chelsea’s perilous position one point above the relegation zone but also due to the discrimination claim with their former physio, Eva Carneiro, who incurred Mourinho’s wrath forhaving the audacity to treat Eden Hazard on the pitch.
Chelsea’s current manager, Antonio Conte,warned that the players he inherited still bore the scars from that turbulent time.
Yet while he welcomed the warm embrace afforded to their former manager, it was the Manchester United team that provedthe most generous, with slack defending forcing them to change their game-planwithin the first 30 seconds of the match.
There was little sign of the defensive resolve that had seen the Red Devils claims a scoreless draw at Anfield as United proved ragged at the back and Chelsea were merciless in capitalising on the defensive deficiencies.
The severity of the 4-0 defeat is emphasised by the fact that this was Mourinho’s largest defeat since Real Madrid were humbled by Barcelona in 2010 and United worst Premier League losssince losing 6-1 to Manchester City in 2011.
New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte lapped up the acclaim of a home crowd revelling in their former boss’s misfortune as they taunted him with chants of ‘You’re not special anymore’. Mourinho left accusing the former Italian boss of attempting to humiliate him by whipping up support after the Blues scored their fourth.
Former United players have been forced to leap to the defence of the current boss claiming that it is too early towrite-off Mourinho and his men. In the long-term, if he is given that long, I agree with the sentiments. However, United won’t win the league this season.
After a slow start in which he experimented with different formations, Conte has now found a formula at Chelsea that works and appears to get the best out of his players. Hazard is back to some where near his best while Costa is scoring regularly.
Another side without European distractions this season, Liverpool, have responded well to Jurgen Klopp’s requirements and methodology and will beat anyone on their day.
Yet Mourinho does still not appear to know his best formation and is waiting for his new signings to adapt. Unfortunately, Eric Bailly, who has been a revelation, has now been lost to injury.
It was the perfect weekend for Liverpool who claimed a win while all around them faltered.
While the Spanish La Liga is refreshingly close with five teams separated by three points, the Premier League is closerstill with five teams parted by a single point.
United are not one of them and are already five points adrift of Champions League qualification. Given the form of those sides and the resurgence of others in mid-table, Mourinho will have to find a method that works quickly or risk being the third manager since Ferguson left to fail to meet the minimum standards.
If that is the case, it will be intriguing to see whether the United hierarchy retains faith in the man in whom they have invested hundreds of millions … or start the search again.
