Just When Chelsea delivered their best football of the season in Kiev, just when they played excellently well at Upton Park (even with a man down), the wheels have suddenly fallen off Roman’s chariots again at the bridge! 7 yellow cards, 3 red cards and a £25,000 fine!
Yes, Chelsea are having a bad run with refereeing decisions, yes the players are trying to get back to form, but one thing that definitely must happen is that Jose Mourinho must stop his love/hate romance with the press.
Can the best manager Chelsea ever had just stop talking and concentrate on getting his team back to its best form?
Can the best foreign manager on British soil to date save his energy for the pitch battles instead of the cameras?
Jose is too talented not to be able to turn the fortunes of the team around, but I think he is fighting too many battles off the pitch: referees, press, pundits, and everyone that is not a Chelsea fan really!
The problem with the battles is that they become too many, too demanding and extremely tedious for everyone involved: staff, players, board, fans and even the neutrals.
Jose has to go back to the most important thing: the art of winning games from his corner and by so doing he can shut the naysayers up and beat his chest again as he has always done.
Can Jose get his players on a ‘new mission’ again?
Can Jose be the special one again?
Can Jose silence the critics and get the best out of his players again?
Yes to all of these above would return Chelsea to the apex of EPL again. I hope Jose gets it right because he is a fantastic addition to English football, but it starts tonight at the Britannia Stadium against Stoke.
With Liverpool, Kiev and Stoke looming, whichever way the tide turns tonight, things can only become clearer at the bridge in the coming fortnight.