Jose Mourinho's third-season woes resurface at Chelsea
Saturday 19 December 2015 14:02, UK
In September, Jose Mourinho said it was "stupid" to suggest the form of his teams dips during his third seasons in charge. But as he leaves Chelsea one point above the relegation zone just seven months after they lifted the Premier League title, the pattern is impossible to ignore.
Mourinho was sacked on Thursday after a stormy start to the campaign in which Chelsea lost nine times in 16 Premier League games. The 52-year-old became embroiled in a series of off-the-field rows, and technical director Michael Emenalo cited "palpable discord" between the manager and his players as the reason for his departure.
Mourinho spoke of staying at Chelsea for 10 years back in May, but while he only spent two seasons in charge of Porto and Inter Milan, the Blues' recent decline throws up obvious similarities to his first spell at Stamford Bridge and his time at Real Madrid. Here, we look back on how things turned sour…
Chelsea (June 2004-September 2007)
After the unprecedented success of back-to-back Premier League Chelsea titles following the arrival of the self-proclaimed "Special One", the cracks began to appear during the 2006/07 campaign.
There were FA Cup and League Cup successes, but the drop in performances in the Premier League was clear as their win percentage fell from 76.3 per cent to 63.2 per cent and they surrendered their title to Manchester United.
Roman Abramovich's signing of Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan had been met with resistance by Mourinho, and speculation citing a breakdown in his relationship with the Chelsea owner was rife throughout the campaign.
United reclaimed the title by a six-point margin, and while Mourinho lasted until the end of the season, the damage had been done. The arrivals of Steve Sidwell and Tal Ben Haim on free transfers typified a frustrating transfer window, and Mourinho left by "mutual consent" after a 1-1 draw with Rosenborg in the Champions League. The Blues had only won three of their opening six league games.
Real Madrid (May 2010-May 2013)
There were clear parallels at Real Madrid. Mourinho was appointed in the summer of 2010 following his Champions League success at Inter. He won the Copa del Rey in the first season before a record-breaking La Liga triumph the following year, but things began to fall apart in season three despite the signing of a new four-year contract at the Bernabeu.
Madrid's win percentage fell from 84.2 per cent to 68.4 per cent in La Liga as they finished 15 points short of Barcelona, and Mourinho became increasingly combustible. His treatment of club stalwarts Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos caused friction among supporters and players, and there were also feuds with Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe, with the latter publicly backing Casillas.
On top of that, Mourinho went to war with members of the Spanish press, became embroiled in an unseemly touchline brawl against Barcelona, and there was also extraordinary criticism of striker Karim Benzema. When an injury ruled out his preferred striker Gonzalo Higuain, Mourinho said: "If I can't hunt with a dog, I will hunt with a cat."
Mourinho declared that season the "worst of his career" after he was sent to the stands during a stormy Copa del Rey final defeat to bitter rivals Atletico Madrid, and he duly left the Spanish capital under a dark cloud despite having three years left to run on his contract.
Chelsea (June 2013-December 2015)
That leads us back to Chelsea. Mourinho played down the Blues' title chances throughout his first campaign back at the club, but they were in contention until the final weeks of the season, when they eventually finished third. They got as far as the Champions League semi-finals, but a transitional year ended without silverware.
With marquee signings Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas making an instant impact, Chelsea started the 2014/15 season in stunning fashion, and by Christmas they were three points clear of Manchester City having only lost once in 17 games.
Their form dipped in the New Year, but they continued to grind out results domestically and eventually claimed their first title since 2009/10 by a margin of eight points. There were poor defeats to Bradford City and PSG in the FA Cup and Champions League respectively, but the Blues won the Capital One Cup with a 2-0 victory over Tottenham.
This year's summer transfer window brought more frustration for Mourinho but he signed a new four-year contract shortly before the start of the season. Chelsea failed in their lengthy pursuit of Everton's John Stones, and results were dismal from the off, with the Eva Carneiro furore setting the tone for a turbulent campaign off the field.
Mourinho's relationships with key players broke down, and while his departure was again described as a "mutual" decision by Chelsea, there was little doubt that the situation had forced the club's hierarchy to act. Mourinho plans to create a dynasty were in tatters.
