It's time for Mourinho to be sacked

Defending champion Chelsea has been in absolutely miserable form throughout the Premier League campaign thus far. The title defense is at this point a punchline, and currently the Blues are closer to relegation than a top-four finish that would earn them entry into next season’s Champions League. Despite this miraculous turn of events, Chelsea has still managed to dominate the Premier League spotlight, largely because of ongoing discussion about the potential sacking of José Mourinho.

As quickly as early October, stories were surfacing about fans demanding for Mourinho to be fired. To put that into perspective, it was fewer than two months into the EPL season, and barely more than four months after Mourinho helped the Blues lift the league trophy. Yet by that point, Chelsea was already off to a 2-2-4 start in the league, having just dropped a 1-3 match to Southampton at Stamford Bridge in London. It was already a disastrous start, though given the recent success of the team and Mourinho’s history and reputation, it felt a little bit dramatic at the time.

Still, the expectation by many at that early stage was that the Blues would right the ship and Mourinho would be fine. In fact, fast-forward nearly two full months and there was still optimism in the media that Mourinho would turn this team around. A November 29 contest with Tottenham was viewed as a strong opportunity after a dismal stretch. It was said that Mourinho was in need of producing something special, and that Tottenham was the team to do it against. The Spurs are a top-five club against whom Chelsea was clearly superior a season ago, and any cross-London matchup is a chance to make a statement. However, Chelsea only managed a 0-0 draw (incidentally in one of their better performances to date), and the record fell to 4-3-7.

Another week and another loss later—this one an 0-1 defeat to Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge—and enough is enough. Chelsea is utterly uninspired and Mourinho, rather than admitting to struggles and presenting his team with a competitive attitude, has been nothing short of ornery about how everything’s happened. He’s been defiant, rude, and borderline childish with everyone from media members to referees, and the attitude is reflected in a team that appears focused on everything but playing competitive soccer. Following the Bournemouth loss, word is finally surfacing that Mourinho has a week to save his job. A loss in Champions League play to Porto this week, or in the Premier League to Leicester this weekend, could end his career in London.

Given that news, Chelsea fans ought to be rooting for Porto come Wednesday, because it’s past time for Mourinho to be sacked.