How will the rest of the season play out for Chelsea?

[Elcapitan10]

There is an international break in place, so probably this is a good time for this question!

My goal here is not to search for reasons post-fact for Chelsea's situation but to have a perception on what people think will happen from now on. In other words, if Mourinho will be able to turn it around.

So, I will kick off by saying I didn't predict this to happen at all, in fact I thought they were not in big trouble until the CL defeat against FC Porto. As I know the Portuguese team pretty well and know they are a lot weaker this season, this defeat had the alarms ringing for me.

To answer the question I posed, my opinion is that there will be no middle-term: whether Mourinho will turn this totally around and manage to put Chelsea in top 2 or he'll be fired before the end of the season. Honestly, I can't decide between these two scenarios but if pressed I'd say I believe a little bit more on the turn around. Of course, I don't have the most important piece of information to answer the question: "how damaged is Mourinho relationship with the players?".

What do you think?

[giulio2010]

In my opinion Mourinho is one of the greatest strategic manager of the game but somehow his players between 1.5 up 2 years are totally burned out and unable to carry on and performing well....Chelsea has 3 teams around europe maybe for a reason. The Club will probably decide to keep Mourinho until the end of the season and accept the current form and replace the underperforming players at the end of the season and some during the transfer window in January...However if the club will decide to fire Mourinho, Chelsea 1st option will be C.Ancellotti until the end of the season.
However both of them still capable to turn things around if you considered the underperformance of the rest of premier league top clubs

[LeTiss]

Roman is not known for his patience, and Mourinho's interview after the Saints match was hilarious - he was talking absolute shit

I think the Dr Eva situation has discredited him. He publicly humiliated her, and because he's such an arrogant twat, he couldn't bring himself to apologise. She was popular, she was part of the team - she was part of the guard of honour on the Stamford Bridge pitch last year, she was on the pitch being embraced by the players after the Europa League win.

I can imagine her treatment was poorly received, as they look like they are not playing for Jose at present

[Euler]

I was pretty confident they would regress to mean and return to a top four place, but that Saints match and the interview afterwards really got me thinking about what is really going on there at the moment.

[Elcapitan10]

Thank you for the great answers which touch on a lot of key points. I truly believe Mourinho was always like this, except he usually wins or at least is up there when the season reaches the final stage, which gives a different perspective on his speech and actions.

Probably I should have put the question in another way, with multiple choice options:

a) top 2 finish
b) CL qualification
c) EL qualification
d) out of Europe
e) Mourinho fired before the end of season

My curiosity on your predictions arrives because these are unavigated waters from what I can remember football-wise. I also don't have a great deal of confidence to answer this question, but like I told you: for me it will be between a) and e) as I don't believe Mourinho will survive a mediocre season.

I reckon "I don't know" would be the most wise answer though!

[Groovyelms]

Because of Mourinhos astonishing level of arrogance as the self proclaimed "Special One"
there is only one way he can go.....down
Groovy

[giulio2010]

a) top 2 finish
b) CL qualification
c) EL qualification
d) out of Europe
e) Mourinho fired before the end of season

In my Opinion
A) 5%
B) 25%
C) 45%
D) 10%
E) 15%


Betfair based on separate markets
A) from 14% on
B) from 56% on
C) from 84% on
D) from 16% on
E) Not betfair source ( before the starting of the premier league 3% ish ) now around 33%.

[Elcapitan10]

Thanks giulio!

Are your numbers changed by Jurgen Klopp arrival? Chelsea is dealing with themselves at the moment but still this arrival doesn't help, I'm marginally more pessimist on their chances.

[giulio2010]

A) top two finish 13% or less
B) CL qualification 56.8%
C) EL qualification 83.33%
D ) out of Europe 16.67%
E) sources outside betfair..Mourihno next manager to be sacked it goes from 33% up to 40%

Betfair based on separate markets
A) from 14% on
B) from 56% on
C) from 84% on
D) from 16% on
E) Not betfair source ( before the starting of the premier league 3% ish ) now around 33%.

Nothing changed..the minimal difference is because I have used the calculator this time

[Rinoa]

Clever post match remarks by Mourinho tonight. Called referee 'weak and naive' for not giving Chelsea a penalty.

[giulio2010]

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34670192
that 33% was, overall, a good bet!! and laying all the rests also

A) top two finish 13% or less
B) CL qualification 56.8%
C) EL qualification 83.33%
D ) out of Europe 16.67%
E) sources outside betfair..Mourihno next manager to be sacked it goes from 33% up to 40%

[LeTiss]

I had a £5 bet on Brendan Rodgers at 50/1 after Mourinho's sacking - I think he may be in with a real chance, as Chelsea are suggesting a manager will be in place by Saturday

He started his coaching career at Chelsea, in fact he was reserve team manger when he left for the Watford manager job. He's very highly thought of at Chelsea, and members of staff were always keen to say hello to him when Liverpool were at the bridge

I noticed 2 weeks ago, Rodgers was photographed in a couple of tabloids looking very dapper in a suit, in London, and they were suggesting he'd been for an interview

2+2 = ?

[Dallas]

£250 ??

[LeTiss]

£250 ??

Yes, I'm not overly confident, so I was just dipping my toe in the water

I'm not greedy Dallas - I'll be happy with £250 from a speculative outside punt

[Kai]

It's incredible how fast things can change in football. Just 6 months ago he won the title with ease after he built what looked like a super team that was ready to dominate the league for years.

Brendan has ties to Chelsea so it's probably worth a punt but I think he would be the wrong choice for them, unless he would be an interim manager until the summer. I think someone like Simeone would be a more natural fit, he obviously knows Costa and Courtois very well. Ancelotti would also probably be interested in managing them again.