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Jose Mourinho will face further questions about his future at Chelsea after last night's English Premiership match against Wigan Athletic, amid increasing signs his time as manager will end this season.
A highly damaging rift has developed between Mourinho and his Portuguese backroom staff and what is being
termed an increasingly influential "Dutch-Russian connection", led by the club's chief scout Frank Arnesen and youth coach Ruud Kaiser at the Premiership champions.
Mourinho's friends believe he has been undermined over transfer dealings, with several intended targets vetoed, and has also been told to make changes to his staff. It is believed Mourinho, who is intensely loyal, was urged to sack his assistant Steve Clarke and replace him with a coach who could work more with Andrei Shevchenko. Mourinho gave the idea short shrift.
The £31 million ($88 million) striker's poor form is central to Mourinho's frustrations. "He has just come on holiday," one source said of the Ukrainian, who is a friend of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich but has apparently not taken to Mourinho's work ethic.
Mourinho is understood to be seriously considering his future at Stamford Bridge, even though he has won two League titles and the club are still in the running for all four major trophies this season.
Mourinho, responding to reports that he is ready to quit, said: "We have to forget the stories, forget what the press is saying and concentrate on our Chelsea because Chelsea belongs to all of us."
In a message to the club's fans, he added: "We all love Chelsea. The fans love Chelsea for a long, long time. I love Chelsea just for two-and-a-half years but I love Chelsea. I want to give my best to Chelsea every day and I want to win always the next game. We have to be together to win that game."
He stopped short of pledging his future to Chelsea but added that it was "easy" for him to deal with the scrutiny he is under. "For me, no problem," he said. "I don't read the stories but I know about them because people tell me. Of course, the echo arrives. But I am cool and I am not important, the club is important. I don't change my mind. I am focused on my job and I try always hard to motivate people around me. I'm self-motivated, always at the top. I want to win and if results are not what we want, that is even a bigger motivation to fight."
Those close to Mourinho said the manager chose his words carefully. "The problem is not with the club," said one source, who stressed Mourinho regarded Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon as an ally but there was tension with Arnesen and some of Abramovich's Russian associates, although not with the billionaire himself.
But sources close to Abramovich said that there was a growing feeling a change of manager might be beneficial. "He acts by intuition," one said of Abramovich. "And he is usually right."
Chelsea representatives may already have sounded out Russian national team coach Guus Hiddink and Juventus coach Didier Deschamps, who was considered before Mourinho's appointment. Both men have resisted the overtures.
Mourinho has grown frustrated at his team's form and the injuries and suspensions his squad have suffered. Added to that is the manager's unhappiness at the sale of William Gallas last summer. He insisted that if the defender was sold, Chelsea should hold on to Robert Huth - but the German also left, joining Middlesbrough.
The counter-argument is that playing Gallas out of position, as Mourinho did, helped make the player leave.
The tipping point for Mourinho appears to have been Chelsea's refusal to sanction a swap deal with Shaun Wright-Phillips moving to Aston Villa in return for Czech striker Milan Baros. Mourinho also moved for Deportivo La Coruna defender Jorge Andrade but that deal was vetoed, as was a move for Standard Liege's Oguchi Onyewu, even though he would have cost just £1 million ($2.8 million).
Instead Arnesen is believed to have tried to foist the PSV Eindhoven defender Alex on Mourinho but that was resisted.
Mourinho has been told to get on with the players he has and that he will not be allowed to bring in anyone during the transfer window. That provoked his outburst after Wednesday's League Cup semifinal draw at Wycombe Wanderers.
Mourinho returned to the theme when he said: "We are not playing especially good. We are getting good enough results to survive. I cannot do miracles. The players do their best in the positions they are playing and in the situations they are involved in at the time."
There has also been talk Mourinho should employ a Russian-speaking motivational coach to work with Shevchenko. Mourinho was happy to have Shevchenko but has become disillusioned with him.
He wanted to increase the European "stature" of his team and that is why Chelsea also signed Michael Ballack to try and win the Champions' League. Ballack still has the manager's backing.
Mourinho's sense of unease has grown in the past two weeks. It led to him meeting his agent, Jorge Mendes, to air his grievances. The agent has been told to tell Mourinho at the end of the season if any job opportunities are available. Inter Milan, who would top his £5.2 million ($14.7 million) annual salary, and Real Madrid head the queue of interested clubs.
It may well be that with some victories, the current crisis will blow over. Chelsea have been here before with Mourinho, who has often felt isolated in the past. But this time matters appear much more serious.
- INDEPENDENT
