Richard Buxton: Mourinho's seven deadly sins
How Mourinho turned from 'untouchable' to untenable
Seven months on from English Premier League glory, Jose Mourinho finds himself out in the cold again at Chelsea. Here are the seven deadly sins which brought an end to his second Stamford Bridge reign.
1 RESULTS
Chelsea's downfall this season was a long time coming - the warning signs were there just five months before they were crowned EPL champions.
A defence boasting Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic and the evergreen John Terry's collective wealth of experience struggled to keep Harry Kane under wraps as Tottenham Hotspur ran out 5-3 winners on Jan 1.
Nemanja Matic was also culpable for being overrun by the Spurs prodigy. Even before winning the title, the only way was down for Jose.
And with the Blues languishing in 16th place after nine losses, including embarrassing defeats by West Ham, Crystal Palace (above), Stoke and Bournemouth, Roman Abramovich had no choice but to get rid of the most successful manager in the club's history.
2 SELLING THE FAMILY SILVER
Mourinho's list of Chelsea cast-offs could fill a starting 11 in its own right.
But it was the trio who left in 2014 that cast doubt on his judgment.
Romelu Lukaku (above) has defied Mourinho's assertion that he was not capable of challenging for a starting place at Stamford Bridge.
In a season where Diego Costa has been far from prolific, Lukaku has been scoring at will for Everton.
Kevin de Bruyne, too, has refuted claims he was not in tune with Chelsea's ultra-competitive nature since his £55 million ($116m) transfer to Manchester City.
Across Manchester, Juan Mata continues to prove a revelation at Old Trafford while former teammate Eden Hazard toils.
Their former manager has been shown just exactly what he was missing.
3 EVA CARNEIRO
Pinpointed as the beginning of the end for the former Special One, Mourinho's ostracising of Carneiro in Chelsea's opening-day draw with Swansea City provided an ugly backdrop to their pitiful EPL title defence.
Mourinho deemed Carneiro (left) and Jon Fearn (right) rushing to treat a Hazard injury as the champions hung on for a draw in stoppage time an act of heresy. Both doctor and physio bore the brunt of his anger and were subsequently banished.
Carneiro left her post in September but, with a constructive dismissal case looming, the fallout from that ugly incident will continue to rumble on in the months ahead.
4 TRANSFER TANTRUMS
Whenever Mourinho is on the warpath, everyone represents potential collateral damage.
John Terry, arguably his most trusted lieutenant, was the designated sacrifice in the pursuit of John Stones (above).
An attempt to emphasise the Everton defender's importance to Chelsea's succession plan - even substituting Terry for the first time in his career during the 3-0 thrashing at Manchester City - backfired on Mourinho.
Chelsea were forced to settle on Papy Djilobodji as Stones' alternative.
Mourinho subsequently took aim at technical director Michael Emenalo's judgment on the Nantes defender, yet to make an EPL appearance and omitted from their Champions League squad, citing his influence in Chelsea's signing of Kurt Zouma.
5 TAKING ON ABRAMOVICH
Already sailing perilously close to the abyss with his attack on Emenalo and a successive run of defeats, Mourinho threw down the gauntlet to his Chelsea pay-masters following a home reversal to Southampton.
The under-fire manager publicly goaded owner Abramovich to sack him rather than walk away from Stamford Bridge.
His belief that there was no better candidate than the Blues' most successful manager was rewarded with a dreaded vote of confidence from the club.
Mourinho, however, remained unerring in the misguided arrogance that he was untouchable. In the end, Abramovich clearly disagreed.
6 FIGHTING THE POWER
Challenging authority remains a constant theme in Mourinho's managerial career. Referees have received his ire more than most.
Lamenting Phil Dowd as "too slow" in January seemed minor in the wake of the broadsides which followed in the current season.
The most notable incident came in October's defeat by West Ham United when he launched a foul-mouthed tirade at Jon Moss (pictured above) after he sent off Matic.
The manager accused Moss of being "weak" before being sent to the stands for the match.
7 LOSING THE DRESSING ROOM
Mourinho turned his Chelsea acolytes into adversaries overnight.
The players who had inspired them to EPL glory just seven months ago were placed firmly in the firing line.
Cesc Fabregas, Costa, Hazard and Matic were all subjected to public attacks by the Portuguese.
One player famously confided that he would have rather lost than won for Mourinho.
His last stand following Monday's defeat by high-flying Leicester City was the tipping point for his relationship with the dressing room as he claimed Chelsea players had "betrayed" his instructions.
WHAT THEY SAY
"It was a big surprise for me, something that I did not expect. He is a fantastic manager with a record that nobody has in this football world, but it is still possible. The main thing is, first, the results and secondly the chemistry between the players, the manager and his staff."
- Man United manager Louis van Gaal
"They needed a change to spark a reaction, but they have sacked the best manager in their history. The players should be held accountable. You cannot sack all the players, so sack the manager - whether right or wrong."
- Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry
"I know that he has lost his dressing room and that some major players in the dressing room have given up on him. And if you fall out with two or three of the main men in the dressing room, that would quickly become all of the dressing room."
- Former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness
"There were cracks appearing when he subbed (Nemanja) Matic and had a dressing down with (Eden) Hazard. He clearly had lost the players earlier in the season. You can't doubt Mourinho's coaching credentials but he has clearly lost the dressing room."
- Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton
"At times, he's hung the players out to dry publicly and he's probably done it privately, too. I'm a massive fan of Jose Mourinho but, with the results, something had to change. The only way you can change it right now is change the manager. You can't change the players. It was the only decision the owner could make really."
- Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher
"Mourinho talked about betrayal on Monday. Go back to October and he was talking about rats within the camp. There have been big problems right from the start of the season. He has lost the players. There is no trust there, respect is gone. Ultimately, it is easier to change a manager than 22 players."
- Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown
Mourinho's terrible season: A timeline
Aug 8: Mourinho slams first-team doctor Eva Carneiro and physiotherapist Jon Fearn for naivety in running on to the field to treat Eden Hazard in the opening-day draw with Swansea.
Aug 16: Chelsea lose 3-0 away to Manchester City, with captain John Terry substituted at half-time.
Aug 29: His 100th Premier League home match results in only a second loss as his side go down 2-1 to Crystal Palace.
Sept 12: The Blues lose again as they are beaten 3-1 at Everton, Steven Naismith scoring a hat-trick.
Sept 29: Chelsea lose 2-1 to Mourinho's old club Porto in the Champions League.
Oct 3: After a fourth league defeat, 3-1 to Southampton, Mourinho receives the first vote of confidence in a manager in the 12 years of Roman Abramovich's ownership. He is fined, though, for comments about referee Robert Madley.
Oct 17: Mourinho drops Hazard to the bench for the 2-0 win over Aston Villa and demands the Belgian improve his defensive work-rate.
Oct 24: Chelsea lose again, 2-1 at West Ham, with Nemanja Matic, assistant first-team coach Silvino Louro and himself sent off. l Oct 27: Holders Chelsea are knocked out of the League Cup by Stoke on penalties.
Oct 31: Chelsea are beaten by Liverpool 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. l Nov 2: Mourinho is given a one-match ban and fined £40,000 after admitting to an FA charge over his antics at West Ham.
Nov 7: With Mourinho banned, Chelsea lose 1-0 at Stoke - the club's seventh league loss.
Nov 29: Costa throws his bib in Mourinho's direction after warming up in the 0-0 draw at Tottenham.
Dec 5: Blues go down 1-0 at home to Bournemouth.
Dec 14: Chelsea beaten 2-1 at Leicester, their worst start to a season since 1978, when they went on to be relegated.
Dec 17: Chelsea announce they have parted company with Mourinho.
- PA Sport.
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