The 3-1 loss against Liverpool capped off a horrible week for the Blues, as their defeat to West Ham United the previous weekend was succeeded by an exit from the Capital One Cup in midweek to Stoke City. But even with Jose Mourinho’s reign at Stamford Bridge looking as uncertain as ever, midfielder John Obi Mikel has backed the Portuguese to lift Chelsea FC from its current plight.
Jose Mourinho signed a new deal deal in August that would keep him on the Chelsea hot-seat until 2019, after he guided the Blues to a domestic double last season. However, with just 11 points in 11 games so far this term, Chelsea are wilting in 15th position as Mourinho’s future at the Bridge remains the talking point.
But although Chelsea are finding it difficult to win a football match, the effort is there for everyone to be seen. And amidst all the ruckus, John Obi Mikel has dismissed reports about any player wanting Mourinho to go.
“The goals and wins are not coming but you can see we are playing for the manager and are right behind him,”, Mikel said, as reported by Sky Sports.
“There is no doubt about it. If anyone can turn this around, I definitely think he is the one.
“If you say to the players that we are not giving 100 percent then there is a doubt – but we are giving 100 percent, we are playing for the manager and we are right behind him.
“Everyone can see how much hard work we are putting in and we are playing well but the results are not coming for us.
“Every shot [against us] is a goal, every deflection a goal. We just need a bit of that luck that we don’t have at the minute. But you can see the team is giving it everything, we’re working very hard.”
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Can Jose pull a rabbit out of the hat?
While being center-stage isn’t always a blessing, Mourinho loves being in the limelight. The Portuguese has played more mind games than football, and they have worked in his favour for most of his professional life.
But losing forces change. As Mourinho himself admitted, he is facing the toughest phase of his career, and at a time like this, he probably needs to focus solely on the football.
His problems are not confined to the pitch, as the entire Eva Carneiro incident seemed to take its toll on Mourinho, while the A?50,000 fine imposed for criticising referees has not helped the cause either.
The Chelsea boss must detach himself from all other issues and spread a winning vibe around Stamford Bridge that saw Chelsea lift the league title last season. It is not the end of the world for Chelsea FC and Mourinho, as they are just 10 points off fourth spot. And if Jose can rejuvenate himself and galvanise the players, we could witness one of the greatest comebacks of all time.
Intriguing times ahead.