adminLONDON. — Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s future at the club has been discussed at board level following Monday night’s 2-1 defeat at Leicester in the English Premier League. However, no emergency meeting was held yesterday and it is believed the board’s discussions were part of an ongoing process which has continued since a defeat to Southampton earlier this season.
Chelsea lost their ninth English Premier League game of the campaign on Monday and, while board members Bruce Buck, Eugene Tenenbaum, Marina Granovskaia and Michael Emenalo discussed the manager’s future with owner Roman Abramovich after the match, no decision was made.
Sky sources said Mourinho’s future has been discussed by the board on a regular basis since Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Southampton on October 3 — a loss which prompted the club to issue a public statement backing the manager, the first time they have ever done so in the Abramovich era.
Chelsea players were given a day off on Tuesday, but they were at the training ground yesterday, where Mourinho took training.
The mood was said to be “subdued” as the first team squad reflected on a defeat which left them 16th in the English Premier League table, just one point above the drop zone.
Chelsea cruised to a third title success under Mourinho last season, after he twice led them to glory during his first stint at the west London club, but they have struggled so far this term.
However, qualification for the knock-out stages of the Champions League was secured last week and is understood to have relieved a lot of the pressure on Mourinho, although the board remains concerned about the club’s league position.
They have taken positives from some aspects of recent performances, although defeats to Bournemouth and Leicester in consecutive matches have led to serious questions being asked about whether Mourinho can inspire an upturn in form.
The board are said to be cautious about sacking Mourinho for a second time, not wanting to make a hasty decision and remove a manager who they consider to be the best in the world.
Mourinho agreed a new four-year contract at the end of last season, which was publicly announced in August.
And there were conflicting reports yesterday about the financial implications of sacking Mourinho.
Chelsea’s financial statements show they have not made any significant pay-offs for compensation to sacked managers since the departure of Luiz Felipe Scolari in 2009. In recent times, Chelsea have continued to pay their sacked managers during the terms of their contracts until they find further employment elsewhere, at which point payments cease.
The other dilemma is whether to deprive a manager with a proven track record of success the opportunity to turn things around — and the January transfer window may provide that chance.
Mourinho turned on his players after Monday’s defeat at The King Power Stadium, claiming they had “betrayed his work” by conceding goals to Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez after he insisted he had flagged up their specific danger before the game.
In response, midfielder Cesc Fabregas said his team-mates needed to justify their “big wages” and start playing like “big players”. He was one of seven players the Blues manager said had been under-performing at the start of the season.
“We will all have to take responsibility. If you are a big player and paid like a big player, you must play like a big player and behave like a big player,” the 28-year-old said.
“I am not saying you can’t have a bad season and bad games. We all have big players and small players, but the attitude must be spot on. We must always be at the top of our games, even when it’s not and not the behaviour that we are seeing right now from every Chelsea player.”
Fabregas also refused to blame a lack of confidence for Chelsea’s worst start to a season for 37 years and says the squad must respond quickly as they attempt to halt their worrying slide.
“Confidence is important until a certain point. At the end of the day, as a player you have pride. We cannot win the Premier League right now, but we must do better,” the midfielder said.
“Right now is not the time to think of where we might finish, we’ve been saying it almost all season.
“I don’t think about anything apart from wanting to beat Sunderland, play my best and that’s it. Right now, no one is easy as it currently shows. We’ve put ourselves in this position and we must now prove that we can start winning.”
Fabregas was joined by former Arsenal team-mate and Sky Sports pundit Thierry Henry – the pair have more than 15 million combined Facebook fans between them.
And Henry also feels the blame should be directed more at the players rather than Mourinho.
Henry said: “People are having a go at Mourinho, whether you like him or not, that’s a different story. People are saying: ‘Did he lose the dressing room? Did he not? Is it the tactics? Is it the right players? Is it (Kurt) Zouma? Is it (John) Terry? Should he start with this or that?’
“For me, Chelsea having a bad season is finishing fifth. But they have lost nine games so far, nine games. I never thought I would be saying that and we are not even half way through the season. I just don’t get it.
“The doctor situation, Mourinho with the referees, I always try to defend players to an extent, but I am sorry with the quality in that team, whether you play 4-4-2, 4-3-3 or 4-5-1, how can you not beat Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, and it’s no disrespect to any of those teams, at your place at the very least.
“It seems like it’s difficult for them and yes, you can have a go at the boss, but I also think you can have a massive go at the players at the moment.” — Sky Sport.
Online Reporter