JOSE MOURINHO has sarcastically called Roman Abramovich
the almighty. The self-dubbed Special One clearly does not feel
he is the most important man at Chelsea and has revealed the extent
of friction at the club. For the first time Mourinho admitted to
rows with Academy Director Frank Arnesen and confessed he has
become an increasingly lonely figure at the club. The Blues boss
also revealed the split Andriy Shevchenko caused in the dressing
room. It is his reference to billionaire Chelsea owner Abramovich
which could prove the last nail in the coffin of his Stamford
Bridge career, however. In his staunchly Catholic native Portugal
only God is referred to as almighty and Mourinhos quip was
clearly meant to be derisory.
When asked about the rows he had over Abramovichs decision to stop
him buying players in the January transfer window, Mourinho
replied: I admit that the period between the end of December and
the whole month of January may have caused some tensions. There
were some problems to solve and if you see the money of the clubs
owner, you would expect those problems to be solved. But that
didnt happen and the reason given for the club not to hire new
players were the alleged problems between me and Abramovich, who
even stopped going to the games, although nobody cared to know
why.
I said, who am I to question the owner of the club, Abramovich is
the almighty in Chelsea. He said: There was a collective
frustration with Sheva due to his great capacity. When I say
frustration I mean my frustration as well as the players
frustration. That situation spilled over to the transfer ban in
January, though Arnesen recommended that Mourinho take PSV
Eindhoven defender Alex who he has helped sign to the Dutch club
with the help of Abramovichs money.
The coach would have none of it, though, since accepting the move
would have undermined his authority. He claimed his differences
with Arnesen who is Roms advisor are professional, not
personal. Arnesen is not a yes man. He has his own opinion you
can agree or not.
Mourinho clearly feels he and his players have been abandoned by
Abramovich who has not spoken or seen any of the first team or
coaching staff for more than two months. As a result, he is a more
solitary figure than ever creating a siege mentality in the club
which is very much them and us.
The manager revealed: I feel lonelier in the same proportion that
I dont need so much company. This club is not presidential. I
work every day in Cobham, one-and-a-half hours from Chelseas heart
at Stamford Bridge, and its here in Cobham that I focus all my
action together with my people.
These people who are with me daily, of which the players are a
critical part, make me feel supported. The empathy, ambition and
friendship in this group is exceptional. We are undoubtedly
together.
