Feel Sorry For Chelsea? Fat Chance!
Redville
It’s seems like the most ridiculous statement to make about a team that has personified haughtiness over the last few years, but even this staunch red felt a little sorry for Chelsea at the weekend.
Not because they had a player unfairly sent off (indeed Cole would have gone if Mikel hadn’t). Not because they looked clueless. Not even because they are now being led by a novice. No, the reason I felt sorry for Chelsea at the weekend is that they had to play without their best performer – Jose Mourinho.
I have been the first to voice my dislike for Jose in the last few years. He is provocatively arrogant and has been partisan to the point of absurdity during his stay at Chelsea. There is no humility about the man and he’s the worst loser in the history of sport.
But Chelsea losing Mourinho, is akin to United losing Cantona in his pomp. It may seem foolish to state that a manager could be regarded as a team’s best player, but in this case, it’s surely fair game.
There are many good players at Chelsea. Terry is a warrior, Cech is the best keeper in The Premiership, and Essien would improve any team in the world, but Mourinho was their star- their ‘talisman’. It’s no coincidence that Lampard looks like a world-beater in blue but lost in white. He’s just one example of Mourinho’s coaching ability. In his time at The Bridge, ‘The Special One’ brought a team together in a way that defied logic. Sure, he had countless millions to spend, but he spent it in a way that most would have not (to Roman’s perennial consternation), and he broke the incredibly strong Arsenal-United duopoly in just a few short months. Jose really did build Rome in a day.
It’s hard to understate the importance of Mourinho to Chelsea and their best eleven was so his that it would be impossible for any other manager to unlock the key to its success. However reviled he was by non-Chelsea supporters, it’s only in his absence that we suddenly realise what a great character and a great coach he was. Within days of his departure, even the broadsheets have changed their tune to an alarming degree. At the start of the season, every pundit backed Chelsea to regain the title, but now the hacks are comparing their status to that of West Ham.
So whilst he had obvious faults, it’s only in his absence that we can see the impact that Jose made on Chelsea. With Liverpool stronger than ever, Arsenal experiencing a very healthy renaissance, and United looking like they will win everything in sight, Chelsea will struggle to bring a trophy of any type home this season.
Mourinho was a class act. He was so good that he made Roman’s billions appear to be the sole reason that Chelsea became so successful. Now we will see how important the Russian riches really are.
And what now for Mourinho? For my money, he will succeed Claudio Ranieri at Juventus within a couple of months and then return to coach United in a few years. But only after sincere warning from the board that United expect winning AND thrilling football.
