As Chelsea flounders, Jose Mourinho is running out of people to blame

Jose Mourinho has cut an increasingly frenzied personality in recent weeks. He has little explanation for Chelsea's remarkable slump that sees them tucked in alongside Bournemouth in the current Premier League standings, one point below Norwich and Watford. That’s hardly the start many expected of the reigning champions.

There is a lot wrong at Stamford Bridge and Mourinho is under fire. For him, this is all a little strange. He certainly isn't used to such pressure and criticism from the English media. Sure, in Spain, there was constant bombardment from the Madrid press who grew weary and frustrated by what they perceived as his relentless self-promotion. Memorably, when Real were knocked out of the 2013 Champions League at the semifinal stage, the focus straight after the final whistle was Mourinho's future with the Portuguese teasing an imminent return to England. Influential Madrid newspaper MARCA said at the time, “The elimination of Real Madrid at the hands of Borussia went into the background. The news was Mourinho wanting to leave.’’

He didn't just leave Madrid, of course. That's not really his style. He stormed out, angered by the persistent questioning. For someone so enamoured of the spotlight, Mourinho didn't enjoy it being shone directly in his eyes. It was an intimidating interrogation so he took his leave and set off for the comforting charms of the English Premier League, where the masses had so longed for his return.

In Spain, his win-at-all-costs mentality played non-too-kindly against the beauty of Barcelona. As Mourinho looked perpetually to the dark arts as the best way to beat Madrid's most bitter of rivals, such an unholy and cynical style was demonized by both the local media and the players. This wasn't the real Madrid, they argued. They could do better. They wanted to do better. Mourinho disagreed and the pragmatism continued until his exit. In England, such an approach went against nothing. At Chelsea, Mourinho was their history. At Chelsea, Mourinho was their success. At Chelsea, Mourinho was all that mattered.

But in this, his third season back, there's a crisis and Mourinho is running out of people to blame.

His usual strategy is to constantly push the notion of a scapegoat. Referees, opposing managers, opposing players, entire soccer associations – they've all been ripe for a Mourinho conspiracy theory or two down through the years. In recent weeks however, it's the Chelsea players that have been at the receiving end of his finger pointing. And, much like what happened in Madrid, they don't seem very happy about it.

In Spain, Mourinho's paranoia regarding the press fueled his belief that one of his players was leaking information. In his autobiography, former Real goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek recalled an incredible blow-up that occurred in the aftermath of a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in 2011. Mourinho raged at his team in the dressing room, rounding on players in an attempt to weed out the “rat’’.

“I heard from them (the media) that you do not want the meetings before the games, that we practise set pieces the wrong way and our tactical training is not good enough. I turn on my TV four hours before the game and what the (expletive) do I see? That the journo is giving away our squad.

“How could we ever surprise them if one of you is a rat!!! Yes, yes a rat! Somebody released the info about the starting XI before the game. They knew everything about us. We trained all week. We wanted to surprise them.

“How can you destroy what we’ve been working for for all week? You screwed me over. But you screwed yourselves, too. Your families and friends. I will get to the (expletive) source."

Fast forward four years to Mourinho's press conference prior to Chelsea's clash with Southampton last weekend, when the issue of “rats’’ cropped up again.

“I don't tell you the team,” Mourinho said. “Maybe you have some sources who can give you some tips. We trained tactically yesterday and today so I'm sure you have some rats who can tell you what is going on.”

With Chelsea struggling, so is Mourinho. Where as before, he conjured defence mechanisms to protect his team from scrutiny – usually scapegoating the officiating post-game to deflect from a poor performance, he's now trying only to protect himself. He's criticized the performances of a litany of his players and, reportedly alienated the dressing room as a result. He has dropped the captain and long-term leader John Terry but retained a struggling right-back in Branislav Ivanovic. Before a Champions League game last week, Brazilian Oscar was left in London, along with Loic Remy and Falcao. They weren't injured.

Mourinho maintained the trio weren't being punished for below-par performances. That was hard to accept, as it was when Nemanja Matic – a standout performer for Chelsea last term – was introduced as a substitute against Southampton last Saturday evening only to be replaced 27 minutes after coming on the pitch It was humiliating for the Serbian midfielder, who has suffered with a loss of form this season. Afterwards, Mourinho shrugged off the incident, saying it was tactical. Many, again, felt it was an example of the manager making a high-profile point and admonishing his players. Many, again, and just like in Madrid, whispered it had to always be about Mourinho.

Of course, there has also been the Eva Carneiro situation hovering overhead for two months now. Mourinho's behavior, admonishing the then-team doctor for running onto the pitch to tend to an injured player during a league game with Swansea, was disgusting and unacceptable and was an early indicator that something was afoot at the club. The fact Carneiro was subsequently demoted and has since been forced to walk away from her job has ensured Chelsea, and Mourinho in particular, have found themselves at the centre of a barrage of various criticisms.

After the Southampton defeat – Chelsea's fourth from their first eight league games – Mourinho challenged the club to dare and sack him.

“Chelsea cannot have a better manager than me,” he proclaimed. “There are many managers in the world that belong to my level, but they are not better. Not better. So no chance I run away.”

There's always something to admire in his stubbornness and arrogance. But so far this season, it hasn't worked. Despite the Chelsea board publicly backing him, many are intrigued by what his next move will be. The pressure in on, the criticism continues. And he never expected that in England.