Sometimes they say it’s best never to go back. This may just be true in the case of Jose Mourinho, the charismatic Portuguese manager has not enjoyed the best of starts on his return to Stamford Bridge.
After the defeat on Wednesday against FC Basel in the opening round of Champions League fixtures he said his team must gain the personality and maturity to recover from setbacks. Basel let’s not forget are no mugs at this level. Although with the quality of Chelsea’s squad they should be winning these games, especially at home. The defeat makes it two in a row for this new-look Chelsea side after the defeat to Everton at Goodison Park the Saturday before last.
It raises a number of questions such as was it a mistake allowing Romelu Lukaku to go on loan? I think so. It was clear from the out-set that Mourinho did not fancy Fernando Torres or Demba Ba as his main striker going forward. So he decided to bring in 32-year-old Samuel Eto’o, no doubt he still has plenty to offer but he could have been a great mentor and back-up option to Lukaku. I now firmly believe that privately Jose will be kicking himself for sending Lukaku to Everton.
Another question that comes to mind is around the Juan Mata conundrum. Chelsea’s player of the year last season and the best ‘number 10’ at the club, yet he spends most matchdays sitting on the bench. Rumours were rife all summer that Mourinho was looking to offload him, that never materialised. Most of the Chelsea fans would rather have Mata in their side than Andre Schurrle, again no disrespect to Schurrle he is a very good player, Juan Mata however is on a different level to that of the German right now.
Mourinho’s much-heralded return has been a damp squib in the opening months; he seems to have lost the sparkle in his eye following his time in Madrid. Many pundits predicted Chelsea for title glory not because of the quality of players, simply because the ‘Special One’ was returning. That is a silly road to go down.
We should also bear in mind that Chelsea have been successful in Mourinho’s absence, winning the Champions League under Roberto Di Matteo – something Jose could not win in his first stint. Also winning League titles under Carlo Ancelotti and of course, the Europa League with Rafa Benitez. Much like Madrid, he is walking into a dressing room full of winners. Yes, they may conspire with his win at all costs, siege mentality but they also know it’s not the only way to be successful.
Mourinho and Chelsea may go on to have a happy second relationship, maybe it’s just teething problems at the moment. However, with a certain Russian in the background and the history himself and his manager have it is not inconceivable that the second term in charge for the fans’ favourite may be an unhappy one.
