Mutu must pay for his outburst

Mutu has been unable to assert himself this season due to a combination of niggling injuries and Mourinho's preference for other strikers, but with Didier Drogba out for a month with a groin injury and Mateja Kezman struggling for full fitness, a starting place was within his grasp.

Instead, he is licking his wounds. Mutu's knee problem may have been the trigger for his row with Mourinho, but the state of his head is the underlying cause.

He was asked by Mourinho to rest rather than play in Romania's World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic, but promptly flew home, criticised his coach and took his place in the starting line-up. Upon his return he refused to back down and became embroiled in a stand-up row with Mourinho on Monday, leading to his inevitable £120,000 fine.

Not that the stand-off is entirely of his own making, and a more understanding coach than Mourinho may have appreciated the desire of a national icon to lead his country, particularly given his struggle at club level. Mutu's current travails are even more frustrating because of his belief that, in Mourinho, he has found a man he can relate to.

The causes of his decline under the over-indulgent Claudio Ranieri last season were there for all to see, with beautiful women overtaking the beautiful game in his list of priorities, but Mourinho promised him a clean slate.

Mutu vowed to change his ways in the summer and has largely kept his word, curbing the late nights, banishing his friends from Bucharest and moving out of London with his ex-wife Alexandra and son Mario.

He speaks with genuine enthusiasm about Mourinho's ideas and training methods.

The only weakness he has been unable to correct is his inability to handle criticism, a common failing among footballers who are unfamiliar with the word no.

Mutu's mood swings have shocked even his own team-mates, with his beaming smile often replaced with sullen silence in a matter of seconds, and seemed to stem from his own insecurities. Some of his outbursts this season have shown signs of paranoia and he felt so unwanted by Mourinho he tried to engineer a move to Juventus.

Mutu appears to be surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge but, ironically, his injury could be his salvation. The club are adamant that he is not fit to play and are considering surgery to cure what is a long-standing problem, which would make him unattractive to other clubs in the January transfer window.

There could be more to come from the Mystery Man.