Mourinho Out at Chelsea

[IthacaMatt]

I feel terrible about this. Jose is a great coach, without question. One of the all-time greats, and unquestionably the best Chelsea have ever had, winning 3 Premier League titles, 3 League Cups, an FA Cup and a Community Shield.

His ouster comes down to 2 factors - certain key Chelsea players quitting on him, most notably Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, and the fact that his father has been in terminal condition for the past several months, which has made him perhaps a bit more hard-edged with employees and the media that he otherwise might have been.

It's being reported that Gus Hiddink is coming in again as caretaker manager. Chelsea's season is in the toilet, so it doesn't matter. I almost hope that they don't make it back to Europa League qualification, so they can make another title challenge next season without the travel commitment of European football. A one year absence will be a mere blip on the radar.

As of right now, I will never cheer for Eden Hazard again. No goals n 25 games now, no effort, takes himself out of the game vs. Leicester after only 30 minutes, faking a serious injury. Now, supposedly, he is fit to play this weekend against Sunderland! Imagine that! You P.O.S.

Diego Costa plays bully better than he plays football. Perhaps he has a future as a bouncer at a nightclub in Ibiza. Ivanovic needs to be put out to pasture, Terry put into retirement, and Fabregas made into the back-up number 10.

Jose's mistakes were not using the bench last spring as he ground down the starters into husks of the players they used to be at the start of the season. There is so much young talent that has been stockpiled by Chelsea, but none of them ever get a chance in the first team. Whoever they bring in next - you have to rotate the squad and get more of the young guys a chance to grow into first team players.

 

[cusefan88]

What's the point of having 293833 guys on loan if they never play for your first-team.

Chelsea is a mess. Of course I'm sure the players loved lady physio and when she got canned the team got even worse.

We'll see who they get. Pep won't go there.

 

[Alsacs]

I just looked at the EPL table. Chelsea is only 1 point above the relegation zone. I didn't realize it was that bad.

Chelsea should focus on Champions League. They aren't going to get relegated but they got no shot at top 4 finish.

PSG is a tough draw but they can beat them.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I just looked at the EPL table. Chelsea is only 1 point above the relegation zone. I didn't realize it was that bad.

Chelsea should focus on Champions League. They aren't going to get relegated but they got no shot at top 4 finish.

PSG is a tough draw but they can beat them.

I agree they can beat PSG, even with all that's going on. I hope they make that move and swap Hazard for James Rodriguez, who is languishing on the bench at Real Madrid. Get rid of that disloyal, self-absorbed twat.

Sounds like they are bringing in Alex Teixeira from Shaktar and making another run at John Stones in the January window. They need somebody like Higuain, Benzema, Ibrahimovic or Huntelaar to provide a real alternative to Diego Costa up front.

I have also heard that they are looking at Blaise Matuidi of PSG instead of Paul Pogba, who is priced out of the market by his agent. Give Matic some partnership back there - a Ramires with better ball skill and passing ability - and he could get back to his best form.

Mourinho would have hindered the development of a new squad of young players, because he is too pragmatic, and if he has a winning group, he plays his guys over and over. That's what he's done at every job, kind of like JB uses a short rotation, too, and once you get his confidence (with both Mourinho and JB), he gives you a long leash to repay your loyalty, when other managers might replace you more quickly when you are not on your game.

Chelsea has made mistakes since Mourinho is back in getting rid of Mata, DeBruyne, Schurlle, Cuadrado and of course Lukaku. Mourinho didn't want guys who weren't mentally very tough. Young guys who have been pampered and special sometimes want a guarantee that they will play. They don't have the fortitude to still work as hard in practice after you haven't been playing in games. Mourinho has no patience for those guys. He's like a Bill Parcells - a bit of a blowhard with the media, a bit of a tough guy.

But Mourinho wanting only battle hardened guys means he will NEVER be the guy to bring through all this young talent they have stockpiled. What they really need, almost, is a guy like Roberto Martinez who cultivates young talent and gets them to play with some offensive flair. He's never really won anything except that F.A. Cup when Wigan got relegated - but for a team of their "stature", that's pretty remarkable. But it would be the same kind of risk as United took when they hired David Moyes.

I don't like Guardiola's style for England. English teams NEED a number nine, because they play in such crap weather for so much of the year that you just can always play stylish football out of the back. Sometimes you have to just thump it up the pitch and play Route One football.

Conti in the summer could be a very interesting choice. Or Jurgen Klinsmann! LOL

If I'm Chelsea, I try to go back for Lukaku, if you are going to spend silly dollars on someone, not Stones. Stones is good, but not at crazy prices. If you are going to pay crazy prices, go get Rafael Varane, who is a better version of Stones - still young, fast, elegant, great on the ball, solid in the tackle, tall, with some aerial threat to their games.

 

[cmr27]

I agree they can beat PSG, even with all that's going on. I hope they make that move and swap Hazard for James Rodriguez, who is languishing on the bench at Real Madrid. Get rid of that disloyal, self-absorbed twat.

Jose deserved better. If Chelsea wins this weekend, it'll look like the players rolled on Mourinho. If Chelsea loses, it's going to look hopeless. Either way, the players (and transfer policy) were the problem.

Guys who need to go: Hazard, Costa, Fabregas, Baba, Cahill, Terry, Ivan, Obi, Oscar and Falcao.
Guys who need to stay: Kenedy (more please), Willian, Remy, Loftus Cheek, both goal-keepers and Azpullceta
Guys I'm not sure about: Matic, Ramires.

Mouninho's mistakes was giving up on/never using Mata, Schurlle, Lukaku and De Bruyne. Imagine having those guys in the side now.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Jose deserved better. If Chelsea wins this weekend, it'll look like the players rolled on Mourinho. If Chelsea loses, it's going to look hopeless. Either way, the players (and transfer policy) were the problem.

Guys who need to go: Hazard, Costa, Fabregas, Baba, Cahill, Terry, Ivan, Obi, Oscar and Falcao.
Guys who need to stay: Kenedy (more please), Willian, Remy, Loftus Cheek, both goal-keepers and Azpullceta
Guys I'm not sure about: Matic, Ramires.

Mouninho's mistakes was giving up on/never using Mata, Schurlle, Lukaku and De Bruyne. Imagine having those guys in the side now.

I agree, the players sold him out. Don't quite agree with a couple of people on your lists above:

Keep, don't dump - Baba, Cahill and Oscar
More time for: Remy, Loftus Cheek, Izzy Brown, bring back a lot of the talent on loan and let them fight it out. If this year the top 4 is out of reach, this is the year to give experience to many of those young guys.

 

[cmr27]

I agree, the players sold him out. Don't quite agree with a couple of people on your lists above:

Keep, don't dump - Baba, Cahill and Oscar
More time for: Remy, Loftus Cheek, Izzy Brown, bring back a lot of the talent on loan and let them fight it out. If this year the top 4 is out of reach, this is the year to give experience to many of those young guys.

Thought the fan reaction today was great and totally appropriate. Looks like the Shed End thinks the rats are Costa, Fabregas, Ivanovic and Hazard. Oscar got stick too but he was so good today and he's probably the closest one to having a legit beef with Mourinho because I could argue he has been under-utilized. Hazard is lucky he wasn't in the squad today. He's done at Chelsea.

Baba hasn't shown anything yet. Cahill always strikes me as the weakest link in the back and Oscar is very inconsistent. He also doesn't play well in cold weather (it is unseasonably warm in SW10 right now).

 

[IthacaMatt]

Baba hasn't shown anything yet. Cahill always strikes me as the weakest link in the back and Oscar is very inconsistent. He also doesn't play well in cold weather (it is unseasonably warm in SW10 right now).

I agree with most of your post, and thought the fan reaction was great, singing Jose's name throughout. I agree that Baba hasn't shown anything yet, but he led the Bundesliga in tackles last year, so that's a guy I want to keep. Cahill, yes, he's inconsistent, but he's made lots of game saving plays over the years and if Terry is gone after this season, I think you could do worse than him in the back. He still is an England starter, after all.

As for Ivanovic, I don't think he has gone in the tank on Mourinho, I just think he can't defend the wing anymore. Sell him to a team in Germany that wants to play him at centerback - or keep him as a squad player for that purpose, and I don't have a problem with that. Oscar probably got screwed by Mourinho, but Mourinho got screwed by Oscar, too, and getting rid of Mata so Oscar could play the number 10 full time. If he wasn't such a baby about playing in bad weather, then it might have worked out for everyone.

 

[cmr27]

I agree with most of your post, and thought the fan reaction was great, singing Jose's name throughout. I agree that Baba hasn't shown anything yet, but he led the Bundesliga in tackles last year, so that's a guy I want to keep. Cahill, yes, he's inconsistent, but he's made lots of game saving plays over the years and if Terry is gone after this season, I think you could do worse than him in the back. He still is an England starter, after all.

As for Ivanovic, I don't think he has gone in the tank on Mourinho, I just think he can't defend the wing anymore. Sell him to a team in Germany that wants to play him at centerback - or keep him as a squad player for that purpose, and I don't have a problem with that. Oscar probably got screwed by Mourinho, but Mourinho got screwed by Oscar, too, and getting rid of Mata so Oscar could play the number 10 full time. If he wasn't such a baby about playing in bad weather, then it might have worked out for everyone.

Can you imagine Jose at ManU? It's a good fit. The Telegraph had a good article yesterday about how Mourinho has never managed at a place where the manager has absolute control. That's always been a guiding principle at United. Plus, he's close with Sir Alex. As always with Mourinho, the assignment might have a three-year shelf life and he has no commitment to youth (the opposite of ManU) but considering where United is right now... I mean, who cares if Mourinho parks the bus. He's playing the "beautiful game" compared to United right now. They are basically unwatchable.

I like Cahill. Your analysis is spot on. I miss Ricky. He was the best partner for JT.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Rumors are picking up steam that Louis Van Gaal is about to quit Manchester United if they lose to Chelsea this afternoon. If that happens, Jose Mourinho looks to be first choice to replace him. My wife and daughter are already on board the United Bandwagon if Jose switches over to the Red Devils. My head will explode.

They ask me, "How can you still support Chelsea when his team went in the tank on purpose to get him fired?" It's a tough answer. I love Mourinho as a coach. I love his personality. But in fact, he wants proven, battle tested guys in his squad. He is not someone to train up younger players. He's too impatient with them. So hopefully Hindinck will play a bunch of the younger guys, and hopefully they freshen up the squad in the January window.