Chelsea fans who want Mourinho back: careful what you wish for

José Mourinho's name was sung at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. No, this is not a flashback to 2004 or 2014, during his previous two spells as Chelsea manager, but a snapshot of the here and now of a club in crisis . The reality is that, if Mauricio Pochettino were to pay the price for the team's disastrous season so far, Mourinho would be available.

Simply put, it's easy to see why a large proportion of Chelsea supporters chanted Mourinho's name during the 4-2 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, which left the Blues in 11th position in the Premier League, 15 points from the top four and just 12 from the relegation zone.

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Mourinho remains the most successful manager in Chelsea's history. He did not win the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, unlike Roberto Di Matteo and Thomas Tuchel, but he did win seven major trophies, including three Premier League titles during his two spells as manager (2004 -07 and 2013-15.) in his first big team at the club, including Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, formed the basis for successes under the guidance of those who followed Mourinho into the manager's office. But the problem with nostalgia is that we only remember the good times: the trophies, Chelsea's great aura under Mourinho and his declaration that he was “special”.

Mourinho also left in acrimonious circumstances after his previous two spells in charge deteriorated, with his relationship with the team irreparably damaged by too many critical comments. This is usually how it goes with Mourinho, whether with Chelsea or the many other clubs he has managed. Apart from Inter Milan, which he left in 2010 after leading the Italian team to the treble, the story of his last 20 years as coach has been the same: first successes followed by disagreements in the locker room , negative football, clashes with his bosses. on transfers and, ultimately, on failure.

So for Chelsea fans who now want Mourinho to return for a third time as manager, the message is simple: be careful what you wish for.

Chelsea are clearly in trouble at the moment. Pochettino guided the team to the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on February 25 (stream LIVE on ESPN+) and could still save European qualification by beating Jurgen Klopp's team at Wembley. But the former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain coach, in charge since only last summer, is still struggling to put together his best team and the results are proof. In the league, Chelsea have lost more matches (10) than they have won (9). Yet the problems Pochettino is trying to overcome in terms of building a team of young players with potential are something he has at least managed to achieve, having done so with Spurs.

Mourinho has never shown any desire to build a young team. His project has always been to work with players at the peak of their potential, trusting in experience and certainties. And when he has used young players in his team, they have always been surrounded by sitting generals that Mourinho has relied on wherever he has been. So even if Chelsea's owners thought for a moment that Mourinho might be the answer to their problems, they would soon realize that his skillset is completely unsuitable for the problems their manager needs to solve.

Mourinho is yesterday's man. It will be 20 years next month since Mourinho announced himself to the world by sprinting down the touchline at Old Trafford to celebrate Costinha's 90th-minute goal for FC Porto that sealed the club's round of 16 elimination. Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United from the Championship. Champions League. Porto won the competition that season and Mourinho earned his move to Chelsea because of it. He truly was The Special One, the biggest name in football at the time, and his charisma and success seemed to be a recipe for a decade of dominance at the highest level.

But the match continued, Pep Guardiola presented a different image of the perfect coach and Mourinho was left behind. At 61, he can still hit the box office with what he says, but it's been a long time since the same could be said about his teams. His last four jobs – Chelsea (his second term), Manchester United, Spurs and Roma – ended with Mourinho's dismissal and his teams' win rate declined in each of them: 59% at Chelsea, 58% at United, 51% at Spurs and 49% with Roma. So don't expect him to end up at Chelsea anytime soon. Pochettino has reason to worry, but Mourinho won't keep him up at night.

The only one having sleepless nights might be Mourinho, as his options for his next job are limited. Big clubs now want coaches who build exciting, successful teams while working harmoniously within a structure that includes a director of football or sporting director. The coaches being monitored are Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen), Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton & Hove Albion), Thomas Frank (Brentford), Ruben Amorim (Sporting CP) and Míchel (Girona), not Mourinho.

ESPN reported last month that Mourinho had rejected an offer to manage Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League in order to wait for a more attractive challenge, but it is difficult to imagine what that could be. International football perhaps, or maybe a move to MLS – Mourinho was never slow to tell reporters how much he loved Los Angeles during pre-season tours with Chelsea, United and Spurs.

But a big club that aims to win the highest honors? Not now. For Mourinho, that ship sailed a long time ago.