Just months after lifting the title, Chelsea find
themselves at the wrong end of the Premier League
table - this defeat leaves them in 15th place with their
next top flight game at home to Liverpool.
After the game Mourinho refused to the speak to the
press and this red card comes just days after he was
given a £50,000 fine and suspended stadium ban by
the FA after he claimed referees were “afraid to give
penalties to Chelsea” following the 3-1 defeat by
Southampton.
This is Chelsea's fifth league defeat of the season and
the pressure appears to be mounting on Mourinho.
The club did release a public vote of confidence in the
Portuguese, but how long will Roman Abramovich's
famously thin patience last if the results don't pick
up? Or could Mourinho himself walk away?
If he does go, we've picked out five contenders who
could replace The Special One.
Pep Guardiola
The Bayern Munich chief is going to be linked with
every big job going, isn't he?
Manchester United made a move before the David
Moyes era, while Guardiola has been tipped to take
over at both Arsenal and Manchester City in the future.
So of course, Chelsea are going to be taking a look.
Guardiola has showcased his abilities in Spain and
now Germany, with similar success and a move to the
Premier League could well appeal to him.
From one serial winner to another, perhaps?
Odds - 5/2
Carlo Ancelotti
The return of the Italian would certainly raise an
eyebrow or too at Stamford Bridge.
Ancelotti guided Chelsea to a Premier League and FA
Cup double in his first spell in charge before being
sacked in the Goodison Park corridor a year later.
He left Real Madrid in the summer and has since taken
a break from football - although he was linked with the
Liverpool hotseat recently.
Ancelotti has indicated he will return to management
next season but a top job is likely to tempt him.
Chelsea have gone back to what they know before, of
course.
Odds - 7/1
Diego Simeone
The Atletico Madrid boss would definitely be in
demand if he decided it was time for a new challenge
after four-and-a-half years in charge at the Vicente
Calderon.
Simeone won the La Liga title in 2014, breaking Real
Madrid and Barcelona's duopoly in Spain.
He reached the Champions League final in the same
season, with only an injury-time Sergio Ramos header
denying his team a famous win.
Atletico didn't win anything last season, but Simeone
kept them relevant, guiding them to third in La Liga
and a respectable quarter-final berth in the Champions
League.
However, with no disrespect to Atletico, it's
reasonable to assume he has aspirations of managing
one of Europe's elite clubs.
Simeone has a no nonsense style and would take no
prisoners at Stamford Bridge.
Odds - 7/1
John Terry
John Terry: Captain, leader, legend... manager?
Cut John Terry open and you'd see pure Chelsea blue
running all the way through him.
The 'captain, leader, legend' is about as much of a
hero as it's possible to be with the fans, and would
certainly unite them if he was given the top job.
Chelsea do have form in converting players into
bosses - Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli both had a go
- and with his playing time ever more limited this
season, is the time right for JT to move into coaching?
Lack of managerial or coaching experience would
obviously count against him - and would Abramovich
really hand the keys to the manager's office over to a
complete novice?
Odds - 14/1
Antonio Conte
Reports surfaced last week linking Italy manager Conte
with Mourinho's job.
Gazzetta dello Sport reckon Chelsea are interested in
handing the Italy manager the reins at Stamford
Bridge.
Conte burst onto the management scene in Italy when
he guided Bari to the Serie B title in 2009 and almost
did the same with Siena two years later.
The 46-year-old was appointed as manager of
Juventus in 2011 and led them to three consecutive
Serie A successes before resigning in 2014 and taking
charge of the national team shortly after.
His experience - playing and managing - lies solely in
Italy and he would certainly be a left field choice to
succeed Mourinho should he depart.
Odds - 25/1
Gus Poyet
Poyet was given a taste of Premier League
management with Sunderland in October 2013 but was
sacked earlier this year with the club in a relegation
dogfight.
He kept the club in the top flight in the season he
took over but Black Cats board pounced at the chance
to replace him with Dick Adovcaat when the going got
tough once more.
Granted, Sunderland didn't impress in the lead-up to
his departure, but it's probably unfair to judge his
management credentials from his time at a club which
has finished in the bottom half of the table in every
season bar one since their return to the top flight in
2007.
With the resources available at Chelsea, Poyet could
prove himself to be a decent manager, and he'd benefit
from the fans' support due to the time he spent with
the Blues during his playing career.
His inexperience at the top level will more than likely
cost him a shot, though.
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