Why Jose Mourinho Ruined His Legacy at Chelsea

Jose Mourinho returns to Chelsea this weekend. It’s not as a hero; this time, he’s the enemy.

We’ve seen it before, when Mourinho was manager of Inter Milan in the 2009/10 Champions League, but this is different. Mourinho’s Manchester United boss now, and that fact alone damages what he once represented to Chelsea supporters.

Indeed, when he swans into Stamford Bridge, the timing couldn’t be any worse from a Chelsea perspective. Just as Antonio Conte is beginning to change the club and bring about a new era, Mourinho’s presence is a reminder of a sour past 12 months or so.

The landscape has shifted significantly in west London since Mourinho was sacked for a second time as Chelsea boss in December. The club remains fractured, and the process Conte has started in order to piece things back together has been showing signs of light. That all faces a big challenge on Sunday.

By being a part of the conversation with United, Mourinho still has some semblance of power to affect things at Chelsea. If he can bring his side to west London and win, where will it leave the club? Will it mean the Chelsea hierarchy questioning the wisdom in allowing him to leave? Will it dilute the early impression Conte has made? Will the same problems from last season return in some form of extended PTSD for the players?

What’s certain is that Mourinho’s ghost continues to lurk at Stamford Bridge. We see it in the squad Conte inherited from his this summer; we saw it in those defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal only last month.

Mourinho’s influence is the wrong kind these days. In years past, when he took off on his tour of Europe with Inter and Real Madrid, Chelsea fans could accept potentially facing him like they did in 2010, as it was as friendly as a competitive match could get.

Mourinho …

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