When Jose Mourinho came out after Chelsea's 2-1 loss to Leicester and claimed that he had been betrayed, the touchstone was well and truly lit.
I know one of my best qualities is to read the opponent and these two goals are very difficult to accept. I feel my work was betrayed. All last season I did phenomenal work and I brought them to a level more than they really are.
In a season of incredible stories coming out of Chelsea, the magnitude of that statement has been lost somewhat. Its sheer brashness is almost unbelievable but the 'betrayal' suggestions was particularly notable. Here was one of the world's most accomplished managers throwing his players under the bus like never before.
Many took it as a criticism of John Terry and Kurt Zouma allowing Jamie Vardy to glide in without as much as an attempt at a tackle but it seems the word 'betrayal' may have been an indication of something else within the Chelsea dressing room.
The Times are reporting that Mourinho is of the belief that his team selection for the Champions League clash against Porto last week was leaked by one of his players. The Chelsea boss is very secretive of his tactical decisions and he was thought to be less than pleased to learn from a source in Porto that they already knew he would drop Cesc Fabregas for what turned out to be a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
While a deliberate team leak seems fairly unlikely, Mourinho's reported belief in such a situation is an indication of just how rotten things are starting to become at Chelsea. As if to back up that situation, Mourinho gave an interview to Chelsea TV this week in which he once again pointed the finger at some of his players and particularly their passion, or lack thereof, for the club.
Some of them need to rethink how the way they live Chelsea, they live football, they live their job. Chelsea is big, football is more than a job, it’s a passion. Every match on the pitch you should live with an unbelievable passion.
He went on to state that some of his players give everything they have but the admittance that he feels 'frustrated with some players' would indicate that something has got to give in the near future.
