Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp believes Chelsea players could decide Jose Mourinho’s future at Stamford Bridge.
The defending champions have struggled in the league after having a disappointing start to the new campaign. The Blues suffered another defeat as they plunged into a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Southampton at home.
In the 2015-16 season, Chelsea have won only two Premier League matches, which was against West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea. After the disappointing performance against the Saints, the former Real Madrid manager has urged the west London club’s board to either support him or show him the exit door.
However, Redknapp, who played for both Liverpool and Tottenham believes Mourinho’s future at Chelsea can be rescued by his own players.
“Jose Mourinho is not [just] a good manager, he has been a great manager. But the question mark has always been: has he got longevity at a club? Can he keep recreating teams like, say, [Sir Alex] Ferguson has done over the years?” Redknapp told Sky Sports.
“They’ve got an owner that’s trigger happy and has proved that before. Carlo Ancelotti won the double a few years ago and was sacked a year later.
“Would it be the right decision? No, but the players will decide it. I’ve been inside dressing rooms, modern-day dressing rooms, and I can see sometimes that the players aren’t really at it for their manager. It sounds wrong, but it’s true. I’ve felt it and you can see it.”
“Certain players now will be getting into cliques. You’ve got different languages in the dressing room and one or two will be saying he’s lost the dressing room.
“Nemanja Matic and Branislav Ivanovic together might be saying, ‘Things aren’t working any more are they?’ There will be a lot of people looking for parachutes to jump out the plane. That’s modern-day football. They’ve got to somehow pull it back in. Is Jose capable of doing it?
“I’ll give you an example. John Terry, Taking his captain off at half-time at Man City – that doesn’t help. Subbing Matic when you’re 3-1 down – that doesn’t help. Blaming the players like he is all the time… it’s not what he has done previously.”
The Portuguese tactician has seen his key players under perform and the list includes the likes of star striker Diego Costa, Oscar, Eden Hazard. Mourinho also dropped his captain John Terry from the starting lineup on several occasions.
However, the absence of the former England international on the pitch has left Chelsea with no great characters on the pitch or leaders. It is very important to have a leader, which is what we believe the Blues are lacking this season.
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