Chelsea sack Jose Mourinho as his third-season meltdown happens yet again

The Special One has managed Porto, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and the Blues twice now and NEVER completed more than three seaso...

The Special One has managed Porto, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and the Blues twice now and NEVER completed more than three seasons in charge of any of them

Mike Hewitt

Time out: Jose Mourinho's second Chelsea exit followed a familiar pattern

Chelsea have sacked Jose Mourinho in the third season of his second spell as manager.
It's far from the first time it's gone wrong for the Special One in that particular year of a job. Sunday Mirror chief sports writer Andy Dunn wrote this back in August...
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In no particular order. Rafa Benitez, Everton, Arsene Wenger, women’s rights groups, Mrs Benitez, the entire medical profession, Roberto Martinez, Kevin de Bruyne, the applecart.
He has had a pop at, or upset, the lot and his team are only one game into the defence of their title.
Yep, welcome to the Jose Mourinho third-season meltdown.
After two years at Real Madrid, Mourinho signed a new four-year deal.
Best coach in the world extends contract with Real Madrid to 2016, declared the club’s website.

 

The third campaign kicked off ... and it all kicked off. Mourinho was gone at the end of it.
Ahead of the third season of his second stint at Chelsea, Mourinho signed a new four-year deal.
And it has all kicked off.
Intriguingly, Mourinho’s ­relationship with the media – cited as one of the reasons why he was looking forward to a return to the Premier League – appeared to hit a low on Friday when he threatened to walk out of a press conference after being repeatedly questioned on the Eva Carneiro situation.

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Ill-fated: Mourinho during his time at Real Madrid

It was Mourinho’s bitter enmity with sections of the influential Madrid media that signalled the path to the Bernabeu exit door.
Just before Christmas in his final season, Mourinho summoned one reporter to a meeting and told him: “In the football world, me and my people are at the top and in the world of journalism, you are a piece of s***.”
The reporter worked for Spanish football’s most influential newspaper, Marca.
As Real trailed badly to Barcelona, Mourinho was on his way out – despite that four-year deal.
He rarely lasts more than three seasons at one club.

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Of course, he was not going to stay at Porto after two-and-a-half seasons when Roman ­Abramovich came knocking with a small fortune on offer.
But, in a precursor of patterns to come, after signing a new contract – following just one season – Mourinho seemed committed to the long haul at Stamford Bridge.
“I cannot imagine another ­situation or another club where I could be happier,” he said. “I am totally behind this project.”
Mourinho won back-to-back titles, but his third season was troubled.

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Trouble: Mourinho and Arsene Wenger arguing last season

On that occasion, it was the owner who appeared to be at the heart of the dissatisfaction.
Abramovich had brought in Andriy Shevchenko and it soon became clear Jose was not the Ukrainian striker’s biggest fan.
Briefings suggested Mourinho was unhappy at not being given enough backing in the January transfer window.
He lasted the third season, but was gone soon after.
Two seasons at Inter Milan were enough to persuade Real Madrid’s board to take the plunge and recruit Mourinho and, despite his fractiousness from the start, two campaigns of relative success followed.

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Italy: Mourinho spent two seasons at inter Milan before moving on

But then came that familiar third-season meltdown.
His fall-out with senior players, such as Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos, became toxic.
At half-time in a match against Deportivo La Coruna – with Real leading 3-1 – Mourinho substituted Mesut Ozil. Ramos took Ozil’s shirt and wore it under his own for the second half.
There was a growing mutiny in the dressing-room – Cristiano Ronaldo talked of being “sad” - Mourinho didn’t like it being reported and fell out with players, press and club officials suspected of leaking information.

Jed Leicester/PA Wire

2015: Is Mourinho's time at Chelsea drawing to a close (again)?

There is no sign of player dissatisfaction at Stamford Bridge just yet, although Mourinho’s ­irritability has been noted at the Cobham training complex.
Carneiro and Jon Fearn are popular figures with the staff and squad.
Mourinho gave the players two days off after the draw with Swansea, but has since worked the squad doubly hard.
Whether his irritability will decrease, should the transfer window close without any additions to his squad, is a moot point.
A victory at the Etihad would lighten the mood at Stamford Bridge, but, for now, Mourinho’s third season at a club has got off to a stormy, moody start.
It is a familiar tale.

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