Jose Mourinho, the most successful manager in Chelsea’s history has been sacked by the club. The club had been underperforming for a long time now and average less than a point a game in the league with them perilously hanging just a point over the relegation zone. So what went so terribly wrong for the champions who were widely expected to win if not challenge for the title again?

1. Pre-season was a mess

Chelsea had set a couple of post season matches in Bangkok and Sydney for the team almost immediately after the season in which they performed miserably and were then given a long break halfway into the International Champions Cup. Again, Chelsea lost only one match against the NYRB second team but won against Barca and PSG on penalties but it was abundantly clear that Chelsea were underperforming with players looking sloppy in possession and heavy in general, with their movement lacking pace and the burst of power as usually expected from these players.

It was expected that this sluggishness would soon be wiped away as the season progressed but it was only a precursor to the real storm which was about to break out. Chelsea failed to turn up in any of their further matches against Fiorentina and co and Mourinho also famously lost his first match to Wenger in the Communitlrformance over the summer considering the utter farcical transfer window endured by the club.

3. The Carneiro row

In the very first match of the season, Mourinho picked up a fight with Eva Carneiro and this completely rocked the dressing room as it was widely believed that she was actually performing her duties just as she should. It got even more intense after Mourinho refused to apologise and further relegated Carneiro to the backroom duties. Facing such a precedent and utter humiliation, Eva resigned and has lodged a CAS case against Chelsea and the ex-manager for mistreatment which is due for hearing the next year.

4. Cech sale and Courtois injury

In one of the most sensational transfers of all times Chelsea legend Petr Cech moved to the Emirates, a move which was against Mourinho’s wishes but was given the green light by Roman Abramovic. Chelsea in exchange bought Asmir Begovic who was a great goalkeeper in his own right but was not anywhere near the class of Courtois and Cech, especially while collecting crosses and as soon as Courtois received a red and sustained an injury later, it was clear that to hurt Chelsea, teams need to take advantage of the absence of Courtois. Crosses after crosses were drilled into the Chelsea box and with no leadership and communication at the back, it Jose Mourinho, the most successful manager in Chelsea’s history has been sacked by the club. The club had been underperforming for a long time now and average less than a point a game in the league with them perilously hanging just a point over the relegation zone. So what went so terribly wrong for the champions who were widely expected to win if not challenge for the title again?

1. Pre-season was a mess

Chelsea had set a couple of post season matches in Bangkok and Sydney for the team almost immediately after the season in which they performed miserably and were then given a long break halfway into the International Champions Cup. Again, Chelsea lost only one match against the NYRB second team but won against Barca and PSG on penalties but it was abundantly clear that Chelsea were underperforming with players looking sloppy in possession and heavy in general, with their movement lacking pace and the burst of power as usually expected from these players.

It was expected that this sluggishness would soon be wiped away as the season progressed but it was only a precursor to the real storm which was about to break out. Chelsea failed to turn up in any of their further matches against Fiorentina and co and Mourinho also famously lost his first match to Wenger in the Community Shield.

2. Disappointing Transfer Window

The alarm signs were there in the back end of the previous season as Chelsea struggled but huffed and puffed their way to the title solely on the brilliance of Eden Hazard. The board should’ve stood up and taken notice at the obvious lack of form of many players along with the ages of squad members and should’ve made smart decisions instead of picking up liabilities like Radamel Falcao, Papy Djilobodji and missing out on key targets like John Stones. A key area for improvement was the midfield where Chelsea were missing any sort of quality replacements for Fabregas, Matic and Ramires.

The striking position was also in dire need of refurbishment considering Diego Costa had been out of form for quite a long stretch. The most disappointing failure was to buy a right back considering Ivanovic was nearing the end of his time with Chelsea, if not retiring and except him there was only Cesar Azpilicueta who could play there. Azpi himself was the first choice left back and Baba Rahman came in as backup but 3 players for two positions was desperately understrength for an aging defence. The Stones acquisition would have been ideal but a proper replacement should have been kept in mind instead of failing as spectacularly as Chelsea did. Questions must be raised about Emenalo and co.’s performance over the summer considering the utter farcical transfer window endured by the club.

3. The Carneiro row

In the very first match of the season, Mourinho picked up a fight with Eva Carneiro and this completely rocked the dressing room as it was widely believed that she was actually performing her duties just as she should. It got even more intense after Mourinho refused to apologise and further relegated Carneiro to the backroom duties. Facing such a precedent and utter humiliation, Eva resigned and has lodged a CAS case against Chelsea and the ex-manager for mistreatment which is due for hearing the next year.

4. Cech sale and Courtois injury

In one of the most sensational transfers of all times Chelsea legend Petr Cech moved to the Emirates, a move which was against Mourinho’s wishes but was given the green light by Roman Abramovic. Chelsea in exchange bought Asmir Begovic who was a great goalkeeper in his own right but was not anywhere near the class of Courtois and Cech, especially while collecting crosses and as soon as Courtois received a red and sustained an injury later, it was clear that to hurt Chelsea, teams need to take advantage of the absence of Courtois. Crosses after crosses were drilled into the Chelsea box and with no leadership and communication at the back, it Jose Mourinho, the most successful manager in Chelsea’s history has been sacked by the club. The club had been underperforming for a long time now and average less than a point a game in the league with them perilously hanging just a point over the relegation zone. So what went so terribly wrong for the champions who were widely expected to win if not challenge for the title again?

1. Pre-season was a mess

Chelsea had set a couple of post season matches in Bangkok and Sydney for the team almost immediately after the season in which they performed miserably and were then given a long break halfway into the International Champions Cup. Again, Chelsea lost only one match against the NYRB second team but won against Barca and PSG on penalties but it was abundantly clear that Chelsea were underperforming with players looking sloppy in possession and heavy in general, with their movement lacking pace and the burst of power as usually expected from these players.

It was expected that this sluggishness would soon be wiped away as the season progressed but it was only a precursor to the real storm which was about to break out. Chelsea failed to turn up in any of their further matches against Fiorentina and co and Mourinho also famously lost his first match to Wenger in the Community Shield.

2. Disappointing Transfer Window

The alarm signs were there in the back end of the previous season as Chelsea struggled but huffed and puffed their way to the title solely on the brilliance of Eden Hazard. The board should’ve stood up and taken notice at the obvious lack of form of many players along with the ages of squad members and should’ve made smart decisions instead of picking up liabilities like Radamel Falcao, Papy Djilobodji and missing out on key targets like John Stones. A key area for improvement was the midfield where Chelsea were missing any sort of quality replacements for Fabregas, Matic and Ramires.

The striking position was also in dire need of refurbishment considering Diego Costa had been out of form for quite a long stretch. The most disappointing failure was to buy a right back considering Ivanovic was nearing the end of his time with Chelsea, if not retiring and except him there was only Cesar Azpilicueta who could play there. Azpi himself was the first choice left back and Baba Rahman came in as backup but 3 players for two positions was desperately understrength for an aging defence. The Stones acquisition would have been ideal but a proper replacement should have been kept in mind instead of failing as spectacularly as Chelsea did. Questions must be raised about Emenalo and co.’s performance over the summer considering the utter farcical transfer window endured by the club.