Jose Mourinho is a runaway train and should admit he has been wrong if he is to turn around Chelsea’s miserable season
They are just four words but, if he is going to resurrect Chelsea’s season and his hopes of staying in charge beyond the next few days, Jose Mourinho may just need to utter them.
“I’ve got it wrong” is where he ought to start, because I think this season’s mess is one of his own making. He needs to eat a large slice of humble pie and put his arm around the players – and it has to happen now.
Let’s get one thing straight: Mourinho has been a great fit for Chelsea. But there is nothing about the current team – the defensive machine; Diego Costa’s cutting edge – that we recognise.
The champions are 15th in the Premier League and third in their Champions League group. It is not where they should be and other teams appear to have lost respect for them. They are a wreck.
Whatever method he is using is not working. He is finding failure at every turn. It’s a new position for him to be in and it must be affecting how the players look at him. The question is: has it gone too far?
It’s not only about results, though; it’s also Mourinho’s behaviour. He’s like a runaway train, and the combination of the two has left his position looking vulnerable.
We’ve all loved Jose and all the positive things he brings to the Premier League, but you can’t take on referees, players and your own staff when you’re losing. You’ve got no argument.
My view is that the trouble started with his public criticism of team doctor Eva Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn following the draw with Swansea on the first weekend of the season.
I don’t know anyone who agrees with the stance that Mourinho adopted. He could have nipped it in the bud by backing down. Instead it appears to have set the tone for the campaign so far.
Then there was the decision to substitute John Terry at half-time of the defeat at Manchester City a week later. I believe that did huge damage to the foundations of that team.
The strength of Mourinho and Terry’s relationships has been a cornerstone of their success. I think that taking him off must have made every single player feel disposable and may have unsettled the dressing room.
Mourinho needs results now like never before, not just tonight against Dynamo Kiev but also in the league, with a trip to Stoke up next, or he could find himself out of a job. Those four words would be a start.