It was unrealistic to expect Chelsea to enjoy a similar ride this season.
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“I know the PSG project well, I know it well because when they start this project with the owner, the president and [then sporting director] Leonardo, I was to be the coach”, he said.
No: Chelsea are not popular in Catalonia. It was hard to find a weakness in the team, and there was talk of Jose Mourinho building a dynasty at Stamford Bridge. Louis Van Gaal is walking on thin ice and could be out at Manchester United before the end of the year. The club’s chaotic structure and a lack of talent count against it, though.
Chelsea fans across Northern Ireland have been reeling at news that the club’s most successful manager has been sacked. There is a worry that an association with one of Europe’s nouveaux riches could affect that.
They criticised the club for a lack of loyalty to a manager who delivered three Premier League titles and numerous other trophies during his two spells in charge.
“Both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways”.
It read: “Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have today parted company by mutual consent”.
Mourinho accepted in the wake of that defeat in the East Midlands that Chelsea could not now challenge for a top-four finish to secure Champions League qualification for next season. Hiddink was previously “caretaker manager” for the club in 2009.
Unlike Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti is not interested in a second spell at the club, not least because of his ambition to move to Bayern as the replacement for Guardiola.
Life looked rosy in August when the title favourites announced Mourinho had signed a four-year deal on the eve of the new campaign.
The Spaniard is linked with the Chelsea job by The Times, and Mourinho is sacked 24 hours later.
Ahead of this weekend’s home clash with Sunderland, Chelsea have managed only 15 points during their worst start to a season since they were relegated from the top flight in 1978-79.
Hiddink rarely stays in one place long, so he’ll likely be gone after this season is finished.
Emenalo’s shortlist also includes Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri and Sevilla’s Unai Emery.
In Mourinho’s final match, that 2-1 loss to Leicester City on Monday, the tension between him and Hazard surfaced again. He also won an FA Cup with the club, but did not come back the next season. Winning that league title appeared to have exhausted his enthusiasm.
“I think you have to hold the players accountable for what’s been happening recently”.
Team doctor Eva Carneiro left the club in September and is now seeking a claim for constructive dismissal.
For so long, the only people safe from Jose Mourinho’s sharp tongue were his Chelsea players.
As for the Chelsea players, they can not and should not escape significant criticism because their performances have fallen below standard by some distance.
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It is understood that Mourinho deliberately used the word “betrayal” in three post-match interviews to convey his feeling of being undermined, as a result of his belief that Porto gained knowledge of his starting line-up before last week’s Champions League tie. Costa has been out of sorts all season and ended up throwing his bib at Mourinho once it became apparent he wasn’t going to be coming off the bench in the 0-0 draw with Tottenham.
