He was the Special One. The man who could do no wrong at Stamford Bridge last season,
taking Chelsea to the title with three matches to go. And now midway through the current season, Jose Mourinho finds himself out of a job – a fall as dramatic as that of Icarus. He had basically the same team and the same players, but something just did not click this time around. And to make matters worse, the man who was a master motivator and media handler seemed to increasingly lose his golden touch in both departments as the season went on. We take a look at seven incidents that might have contributed to his exit less than a year after taking Chelsea to the target.
taking Chelsea to the title with three matches to go. And now midway through the current season, Jose Mourinho finds himself out of a job – a fall as dramatic as that of Icarus. He had basically the same team and the same players, but something just did not click this time around. And to make matters worse, the man who was a master motivator and media handler seemed to increasingly lose his golden touch in both departments as the season went on. We take a look at seven incidents that might have contributed to his exit less than a year after taking Chelsea to the target.
The light pre season decision
A lot of people were surprised when Chelsea opted for a very light pre-season schedule. Mourinho felt it made sense to give the players a “proper holiday.” And at the time, it seemed a good idea with the players in good humour and even Mourinho playing pranks on his staff. On the pitch, however, the results read – played five, lost three, won nil. And when the team got off to a shaky start in the league, Mourinho conceded that the light pre-season might have left his players a trifle undercooked, but he was confident that they would be all right by about the fourth match of the season. Little did he know…
The Carneiro incident
Can an argument with a doctor undermine an entire team? It did not seem so when Jose Mourinho was seen to be screaming at popular team doctor Eva Carniero after she and her assistant ran on to the pitch to assist Eden Hazard in Chelsea’s opening match against Swansea. Mourinho however went public with his criticism of the duo, calling them “impulsive and naive.” When he took action against the doctor, downgrading her role at the club, she left and there were allegations that Mourinho used abusive language towards her. It was a storm that refuse to die down, and as the FA stepped in, it was a distraction that the Special One and his team did not need.
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