Chelsea sack Jose Mourinho

After a disappointing start to the season and numerous poor performances, the Chelsea board decided it was time to relieve Jose Mourinho of his managerial duties.

The sacking comes just seven months after he guided Chelsea to the Premier League title but after plummeting to 16^th in the table and one point above the bottom three, Mourinho was on borrowed time.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Portuguese manager so far this season, from an outburst at the team doctor Eva Carneiro to refusing to speak to the media after a defeat.

It’s been difficult to see what has gone so horribly wrong at Chelsea with a lot of speculation that Mourinho had lost the dressing room. The players no longer appeared to be playing for the manager and there looked to be a divide in the team.

When a manager is under pressure the star players of the team usually step up to make a case for him on the pitch, but this was not the case at Chelsea. Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa are just a few of the players who have under performed in this campaign, which is staggering considering they were unstoppable last season.

Mourinho’s departure came after Monday’s 2-1 defeat at Leicester City; the Foxes’ last two victories have now cost two managers their jobs, with Garry Monk being relieved by Swansea City in the previous week.

The timing of the sacking is strange to say the least, especially with the January transfer window just around the corner. Chelsea were surely going to revive their season at some point and getting rid of possibly the best manager in the club’s history seems to be a step backwards.

During his two spells at the club, Mourinho won three league titles, an FA Cup, a Community Shield and three League Cups.

Mourinho has made hard work for himself this season with the controversy, but his players weren’t helping the situation as this isn’t the Chelsea side known to the Premier League.

There have been a number of names linked with the vacant job already as Roman Abramovich searches for yet another manager; Pep Guardiola, Guus Hiddink and Juande Ramos have been mentioned. Brendan Rodgers has also been thrown into the mix, which would make sense given his Premier League experience.

As for Mourinho it wouldn’t take him long at all to find another job, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take some time out.