Given recent results, Jose Mourinho’s sacking shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise.
After nine Premier League defeats already this season, Roman Abramovich has ended Mourinho’s second spell in charge of Chelsea, just months after awarding him a new contract.
Here we look at five things that went wrong for Mourinho…
The deterioration of key players
Diego Costa’s bib-throwing antics may have grabbed the headlines, but he isn’t the only Chelsea star who has failed to replicate his title-winning form.
Cesc Fabregas and PFA Player of the Year Eden Hazard have been noticeably short of form – the Belgian failing to find the net so far in the Premier League – while the performances of Nemanja Matic and Branislav Ivanovic have left much to be desired.
The first challenge faced by Mourinho’s successor will be to address the startling decline in confidence.
The Radamel Falcao gamble
Costa’s goals were a significant factor in Chelsea’s successful league victory last season but their striking options were left desperately thin in the summer with the departure of Didier Drogba.
Despite Falcao enduring a miserable season on loan at Manchester United in 2014/15, Mourinho decided to sign the Colombian in a hopeful bid to bolster Chelsea’s goal threat.
But with no more strikers coming in, Costa’s goalscoring not as prolific as it was a year ago, and Falcao still struggling with injury, the move has backfired spectacularly.
The Eva Carneiro episode
Chelsea’s opening game against Swansea saw Mourinho criticise team doctor Eva Carneiro for rushing on the pitch to treat Eden Hazard when the manager felt it wasn’t necessary.
Accusing his medical staff as being “naive”, the incident attracted plenty of negative headlines and overshadowed the start of Chelsea’s title defence.
Carneiro has since left the club and her dismissal has become a legal matter.
Defensive woes
Many of Chelsea’s defeats have been attributed to poor defending, bringing into focus Mourinho’s failure to strengthen his back line in the summer.
Chelsea’s pursuit of Everton defender John Stones was well documented but when Roberto Martinez stood firm on his decision not to sell, it appeared Mourinho had no plan B.
As a result, there’s been increased pressure on an ageing John Terry and constant shuffling in an unsettled Chelsea defence.
Champions League failing
As Chelsea marched towards the Premier League title last season, many expected them to make a serious push for Champions League glory.
They breezed through the knock-out stages of the competition and into the last 16, but surprisingly exited the tournament at home to 10-man PSG.
With Chelsea having drawn the same opponent this season, perhaps Abramovich didn’t have the confidence in his manager to get the job done on this occasion.
