HAS MOURINHO FINALLY RUN OUT OF LIVES AT CHELSEA?

The Portuguese coach saw his side slump to
another defeat as the club crashed out of the
League Cup at Stoke City on Tuesday night,
and time is running out for the boss.
The League Cup has usually served as the start
of something for Jose Mourinho and Chelsea
but this time, following the defeat to Stoke City
on penalties, it could be closing in on the end.
There cannot be many more chances left for
the Portuguese manager at Stamford Bridge.
As Goal revealed on Monday, Chelsea owner
Roman Abramovich plans to review the former
Real Madrid coach’s position at the club during
the international break in two weeks time, and
while patience is running thin after two defeats
in the space of four days, it is unlikely that the
club will move before mid-November.
The 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Saturday
demonstrated the air of desperation permeating
the club, as Nemanja Matic was sent off, acting
as the catalyst for a complete emotional
collapse, with Cesc Fabregas and John Terry
booked for dissent and Mourinho ultimately
sent to the stands for an incident at half-time.
Tuesday night’s defeat, in the difficult
conditions of Stoke’s Britannia Stadium, was
less despondent and more controlled. There
were few histrionics, few outbursts at the
referee or stinging challenges, but the club still
ultimately sunk to another defeat as Eden
Hazard, usually reliable from the penalty spot,
missed the final spot-kick of the shoot-out.
Chelsea appear broken and Mourinho doesn’t
seem to know how to fix it.
Sitting 11 points behind Premier League
leaders Manchester City, it looks an almost
impossible challenge for Chelsea to retain their
Premier League crown but now, following
Hazard’s missed penalty, the Blues have also
failed to regain the League Cup trophy, won
against city rivals Tottenham last season.
That trophy was the 21st of Mourinho’s career,
adding his 22nd with the Premier League title,
but the Portuguese boss has never looked
further from adding to his tally. After that win,
captain John Terry, who scored in the final,
said: "It is the start of something. We've got a
great squad, with some great young players,
and hungry and experienced players too. It's a
great mix.”
Now, with the league almost a distant memory
and the League Cup gone for the season, the
perception is that the squad is ageing and
imbalanced and there should have been more
additions in the summer. What worked last
season is now failing and Mourinho is at the
centre of that. It is perhaps ironic that Hazard,
the player that failed to convert the decisive
spot-kick, has seen a usually good relationship
with the Portuguese manager fracture over
recent weeks, with the Belgian left out of the
2-0 win over Aston Villa and criticised for his
defensive efforts.
As well as playing host to some sort of bust-up,
Mourinho’s sides have been known for
beginning a winning cycle with the League Cup,
as they did in 2004-05 and 2014-15, but they
have also been known for grinding out dogged
results in robust fixtures at challenging away
grounds. The cliche in English football suggests
that a wet weekday away to Stoke can be one
of the biggest tests of an aspirational side,
with Chelsea usually rising to that challenge.
But, despite an improved performance since the
weekend, this season is different for Chelsea
and Mourinho may be quickly running out of
time as the defeats begin add up
Source (Goal. Com)