Jose Mourinho's second spell at Chelsea ended prematurely on Thursday with the team in decline only seven months after the Portuguese coach won his third Premier league title with the club.
Although Chelsea is only one point above the relegation zone, the 52-year-old Mourinho had been defiantly insisting he was the right man to oversee the team even as it collapsed on the field with a succession of humiliations.
Mourinho's departure characterized by Chelsea as "mutual" came 2 1/2 years after his return to Stamford Bridge and only four months into a new four-year contract.
The worst-ever start for a defending champion team in the Premier league was compounded on Monday by a 2-1 loss at surprise leader leicester.
After the match, Mourinho said he was "betrayed" by his players.
The personal conduct of the style-styled "Special One" was also proving damaging to Chelsea, with Mourinho engaging in public spats with referees, a television rights holder and even the club's doctor over the last year. Chelsea is engaged in an ongoing legal battle with Dr. Eva Carneiro after she was publicly criticized and then demoted following Mourinho's opening-day outburst.
Now it is Mourinho leaving Chelsea, with Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich preparing for his 10th managerial appointment since buying the team in 2003 and transforming its fortunes with a huge injection of cash.
"Both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways," Chelsea said in a statement.
"The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea. His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge."
There was no immediate announcement about a replacement ahead of Saturday's home match against Sunderland.
"The club's focus is now on ensuring our talented squad reaches its potential," Chelsea said.
First hired by Chelsea in 2004, the Portuguese coach ended a 50-year league title drought and defended the trophy among other successes before losing a power struggle three years later with Abramovich.
HISTORY REPEATED
This time, Mourinho said, it would be different. After 2 ½ years at Porto, three years and three months in his first spell at Chelsea, two years at Inter Milan and three years at Real Madrid, Mourinho came back to Stamford Bridge in June 2013 saying he was ready to start a long reign. But his latest managerial stint has once again been relatively brief, lasting 2 ½ years. Mourinho simply can’t find a way to stay at a club for the long term.
Maybe the intensity in his coaching methods fizzles out. Maybe his abrasive, provocative style that can initially get the best out of players gets tiresome in the end. Players may simply get wary of Mourinho and his ways after two or three seasons.
CARNEIRO ROW
Mourinho caused a stir by criticizing the actions of two members of his medical staff, Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn, when they treated an apparently injured Eden Hazard late in Chelsea’s opening game of the season. Mourinho called the pair “impulsive and naive” and downgraded their duties, which included their removal from the bench on match days. He is known for finding a distraction or a scapegoat to deflect attention from his team’s shortcomings, but this was seen as a step too far and an indication that things weren’t quite right. He may have lost respect in the dressing room, too.
Also apart from right winger Willian, every one of Mourinho’s regular starters have underperformed this season.
Captain John Terry, fullbacks Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta have been exposed time and again. Cesc Fabregas has looked off the pace and been dropped, while Nemanja Matic has lost his edge and drive.
Oscar has been anonymous, Hazard still hasn’t scored this season, and Diego Costa has been more interested in picking a fight than scoring goals.