Despite their big spending this summer, Chelsea do not have a quality advantage over their rivals to the Premier League title. The edge they do have? Jose Mourinho, but not everything he does this season has been clever or correct, so the Portuguese manager returns to what he thinks he does best – mind games with other managers.
Chelsea didn’t have the greatest of Novembers, dropping points at home against West Brom (getting a lot of help from the referee) and losing at Newcastle 2-0. Still, they’re only four points away from Arsenal, two points ahead of Manchester City, a team they managed to beat in a very even match at Stamford Bridge.
Is Jose Mourinho worried? He certainly isn’t showing any signs of concern of of his confidence in himself eroding. His players? He’s found it easier this season to use the media in order to motivate certain underachievers or those he thinks aren’t quite playing like they should be.
Unlike Roberto Di Matteo last year, who didn’t last through November because of a bad month, Jose Mourinho enjoys a different kind of connection with the owner. A perception that what he’s doing with this Chelsea team is better than what those who came before him managed to do.
When you spin words better than anyone else, results isn’t the only thing that can help you hold on to your job. It’s hard to say if Mourinho has been a success or not during his second tenure at Stamford Bridge – it’s been too short of a time to asses. However, it’s fair to say that he wouldn’t be feeling the need to talk about other clubs if things would have been going better for him.
I keep saying the same: I don’t think we can speak about favorites. We can say that one team is top of the league and some are a little bit far, but I keep thinking that all six teams are title contenders. But I keep saying that the team with more responsibilities to win it because their squad is quite unique is Manchester City.