Jumpy Mourinho in need of Carling Cup cheer

14 April 2012

Chelsea have the perfect right to make an official complaint to UEFA if they feel the need but critics will conclude that the pressure is beginning to build up on their excitable manager Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho's team, who have now lost two successive matches for the first time since he succeeded Claudio Ranieri in the summer, must regroup quickly before they meet Liverpool in Sunday's Carling Cup Final in Cardiff.

Whether it is another example of Mourinho's mind games remains to be seen and their official complaint to UEFA will no doubt overshadow the build-up to the return leg in two weeks' time.

In the meantime, there will be those on Merseyside who will believe that Chelsea, far from being impregnable, are beginning to look vulnerable.

They will point to a recent series of events which they will see as proof that Mourinho is beginning to take his eye off the ball. It is not the first time, for example, that the Portuguese coach has taken exception to an opposition manager passing the time of day with a referee on the way down the tunnel at half-time.

Mourinho was unhappy when Sir Alex Ferguson did something similar at half-time of the Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester United but that ended happily as Chelsea went on to reach Sunday's final.

Since then, however, Chelsea have continued to make as much news off the pitch, as on it. First there was the alleged 'tapping-up' by the Stamford Bridge club of Arsenal full-back Ashley Cole. Then there were thinly-veiled accusations of fixture bias from Mourinho whose Chelsea side, he alleged, had less recovery time between matches than either of their two main rivals, Arsenal or Manchester United.

Arjen Robben's broken foot was a real blow for Chelsea but then came the departure of respected club doctor Neil Fraser following what seemed to be a disagreement with Mourinho about the Dutchman's treatment.

There was further bad news for Chelsea when they not only crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Newcastle but also lost

England full-back Wayne Bridge with a broken ankle which could keep him out for six to eight months.

Two days later Mourinho was playing mind games with Frank Rijkaard when, more than 24 hours before the Champions League match in Barcelona, he named a Chelsea team which did not include Damien Duff, who was also injured at Newcastle.

In the event Duff started the match and was largely instrumental in Chelsea's 33rd-minute goal, when his cross was turned into his own net by defender Juliano Belletti. It is important now that John Terry and his teammates are not distracted in any way by what did or did not happen in the Nou Camp tunnel.

With the FA Cup now gone, success in the Carling Cup would help ease the pressure. If they fail, United will really believe they can close the gap on the Premiership leaders.

The heat is only going to increase on Mourinho now and United play twice in the league before Chelsea, meaning they could be just three points ahead by the time they return to Premiership action.

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Jumpy Mourinho in need of Carling Cup cheer

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