A manager who deals with titles, Jose Mourinho is currently thinking how to get his team out of the mid-table mediocrity. He might have done and achieved many things in his trophy-laden career, however, this is a challenge that is new even to the standards of Jose Mourinho. He has won trophies, led his team to European Cups and ended their 50-year long barren trophy spells, however, one thing that Mourinho hasn’t done is getting his team out of the rubble. As the circumstances unfold now, that is exactly what Mourinho needs to do if he wants to be at Chelsea next Season.
Here are five things Jose Mourinho needs to do to avert the crisis at Chelsea.
1. Accept the blame – otherwise Roman Abramovich won’t give him a 2nd chance
Looking at the reign of Roman Abramovich at Chelsea and the one thing that the Russian hasn’t tolerated at all is a failure. Failure for the Russian doesn’t mean a mid-table finish – that would be a disaster, rather it is a trophy-less Season that has been designated as a failure for Chelsea since the Russian took over in the early 2000’s.
His methods of rectifying the failures have always been simple, sack one World class manager and replace him with another. But with World class managers not available mid-season and Chelsea finding themselves on the wrong end of the table, even the gambler’s instinct of the Russian has mellowed.
Thus, if he sacks Mourinho now, Roman Abramovich faces a risk of getting on the wrong side of the fans – one thing he couldn’t afford financially. So with Mourinho getting injury time courtesy of the Chelsea fans – who sang his name vociferously in every game, the Portuguese should make the most of it by accepting the things which he has done wrong in the past few months.
2. Stop blaming the players – otherwise only fans will remain on his side at the end
From his tenure at FC Porto to his 2nd tenure at Chelsea FC, trophies have always been a part and parcel of Jose Mourinho’s teams. However, when it comes to relations with his players, Jose Mourinho might not be the most liked manager in the business.
During his spell at Chelsea, numerous occasions epitomized the lack of Human resourcing of Jose Mourinho. From clashing with Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch to flushing Iker Casillas on the bench against the wishes of the fans, getting fans on his side is not a priority that is high on the “to-do” list of the Portuguese.
But with unprecedented circumstances looking forward to him currently, Jose Mourinho might seem to change a bit if he wants to create a dynasty at Chelsea.
3. Chelsea needs a Constant Starting XI – Mourinho could start doing it from this week
After a morale derailing victory at the hands of Liverpool, one thing that Jose Mourinho needs to understand is that his current starting 11 isn’t the best that Chelsea could land on the pitch. John Obi Mikel and Ramires might be performing better of late. However, their best performances could never be compared with that of Fabregas and Matic.
When Fabregas and Matic were at their best, Chelsea won the title, however, with both Mikel and Ramires performing at their peak, Chelsea couldn’t beat a struggling Liverpool side. The problem is evident, and so is the solution: Mourinho needs to back those players who won him the title last year.
Starting from their game against Stoke this weekend, with fans on his side, Mourinho needs to field a starting 11 with no changes in the next few matches. That decision might not seem so brave. However, it could be the most logical thing that the Portuguese would do this Season.
4. Win the trust of his players
Recently a news was circulating in the British Media that “One Chelsea player would rather lose for Mourinho than to win”. Though the name of that player wasn’t mentioned, it was evident to many that Eden Hazard would be that player looking at his relationship with the Portuguese has deteriorated beyond repair.
Thus, learning from his previous debacle at Real Madrid where a clash with senior players cost him his job, Jose Mourinho needs to get the make sure that there is no bad blood between him and his players.
5. Sign a defensive midfielder in January
When Chelsea won their first Premier League title in 50-years, Jose Mourinho was in charge at Stamford Bridge. Just weeks after winning the title, the Portuguese went on to sign Mikel Essien, and Chelsea retained the trophy next Season. Needless to say, it was the transfer policy of the club that brought them successive titles.
Thus, if Mourinho wants to take a leaf from his history book at Chelsea, he should sign a quality defensive midfielder in January.
