Abramovich prepares for life after Chelsea sacked Jose Mourinho-again

Even at Leicester they were chanting his name and their reaction during the Sunderland game will show whether Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s move has the support of the masses. Dismissed on Thursday just days after a 2-1 defeat at Leicester left the Blues languishing one point above the relegation zone, Mourinho had apparently lost the support of a significant section of the Chelsea squad.

The club’s technical director Michael Emenalo spoke on Chelsea TV and said that the club’s interests had to be protected.

“The results are not good, there obviously seemed to be a palpable discord between manager and players and we feel it was time to act”. “That’s what they are were supposed to do and I believe that’s what they’ve been trying to do”. “It’s very easy to make that kind of inference (about the players) but it’s not one that club accepts”, Emenalo said.

That could be an indication that they are prepared to settle the case with her and rebuild bridges after the fall-out with Mourinho.

So as Chelsea sacked Mourinho following a poor season so far, what is your opinion about the decision?

Defender Baba Rahman, only signed in the summer, admits Mourinho’s departure has taken some getting used to by the players but stressed they were trying to remain professional and concentrate on returning to winning ways after back-to-back league defeats against Bournemouth and Leicester.

Until Mourinho became available on Thursday, former Madrid great Zinedine Zidane was being loudly touted as the immediate replacement to Benitez if he was sacked.

“I want to get as much information as possible”, from Chelsea, Hiddink told De Telegraaf.

Chelsea thanked Mourinho for his “immense contribution”, noting he was the most successful manager in the club’s history.

“I always think it’s quite a sad state of affairs when a team actually plays better when their manager has been sacked”.

“This is essentially the same group of players who won the league and the League Cup last season”.

With Chelsea having swept to the title by eight points last season, their collapse has baffled pundits.

Hiddink has managed Chelsea once before, taking the reigns in 2009 when Luiz Felipe Scolari was dismissed. “It’s not because they are top of the league, it’s because they’ve been so competitive in every game”. You want foreign players to be coming into this country and you want the best foreign managers to be coming into this country.

It’s a bad thing for the Premier League.