Confrontation comes with judgement

Weave to Tell

By this time last season, Chelsea were five points clear and they never looked back. Today, they are 10 points behind leaders Manchester City, and are starting to look and smell like a crisis. Naturally this has the English media in a twist.
Stories of Chelsea’s apparent demise are so hedonistic they can best be described by a word I can’t use here.
This obviously has Jose Mourinho in a fit, taking on about everything that moves, from the FA, referees, Arsene Wenger, to his own staff. He has become Jose ‘confrontation’ Mourinho.

At times like these he appears to pick fights to win, like they are some form of re-assurance of his superiority. Sometimes I wonder whether this just isn’t a disguised persecution complex, a world which was harshly described by Johan Cryuff as one belonging to a man who had never been cheered or jeered by 100,000 people.
We can speculate all we want about the cause of this nastiness and the unfairness of those quick to judge him, but after all is said, Chelsea’s swagger seems to have followed the path of Nemanja Matics’ form.

And this state of affairs always brings out the worst in Jose Mourinho. People as successful as he is can’t stand failure, and I doubt that he would sack Eva Carnerio, or rant for minutes about phantom penalties, if he was winning. Instead his team continues to under-perform and this must drive him nuts.
Are we then witnessing the reactions of a man who likes to close his ranks when the going gets tough or one who is beginning to have doubts about his ability to sustain a challenge? Is he shaken by the thought that what stands in front of him now is a challenge he is incapable of overcoming?

Yes, the season maybe only eight games old but the time to put together an unbelievable run, necessary to close a 10 point gap on Manchester city, their inconsistencies notwithstanding, is fast running out. It must be a scary thought to harbour.
The injuries and form dips that have taken their toll on his team could yet affect other challengers and Jose has the experience to ensure when that happens his team must to be ready to snap up the opportunity. Confrontation though will not be what ensures readiness.
The dilemma then for Mourinho is if eight weeks have brought out the worst in him, what should we expect over the next 30-something weeks?

Meanwhile England, his prodigal home, continues to throw up weekly evidence that suggests it could be the grave where his reputation is laid to rest.
And his nomadic reputation already has tongues wagging and odds on him staying being slashed by many betting houses.
He has promised to stay the fight, even though it must be hard to admit imperfection for a man who once said he comes after God. I for one hopes he stays and accepts that the setting of high standards comes with unfair judgement.

HITTING BACK Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has hit back at criticism levelled by Fabio Capello and said he is determined to lift the Blues out of the rut that has seen them slump to the lower reaches of the Premier League. Chelsea are currently two places above the relegation zone after losing four and winning only two of their first eight league games. Their worst start to a season in 37 years has prompted criticism of Mourinho’s methods, with Capello notably claiming the Portuguese coach “burns out his players” after two seasons. Mourinho, speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday, admitted he “can’t hide the reality” of Chelsea’s dire straits but took exception to Capello’s assessment of his leadership methods. “I read what Capello said,” Mourinho told the Italian sports daily on Thursday.
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