People have spoken about this season being Jose Mourinho's second coming but I don’t think it will be anywhere near as successful as his first stint as boss.
He faces a completely different dynamic now.
This is not a knee-jerk reaction to an indifferent start to the season that is Chelsea’s worst in a decade. In fact, Mourinho was well within his rights to respond with a hint of incredulity when this fact was pressed home by a journalist at a press conference this week.
To be fair, we are four games into the new Premier League season and Chelsea are sat in seventh only three points off Liverpool, who sit top.
However, Mourinho has got a huge job keeping that dressing room happy – it won’t be an easy touch like last time when he inherited a ready-made squad from Claudio Ranieri.
In theory, Ranieri should never have really lost his job. He almost won the league and got them to the Champions League semi-final playing great football.
Mourinho came in and the players bought into his functional style of football that did bear fruit in the shape of a first league title for 50 years but it was a negative brand of football in comparison.
On his appointment, Mourinho said he was now the ‘the Happy One’. Indicating that he has changed, but he hasn’t.
He remains discourteous in defeat. Rather say the best team lost in the defeat at Everton, how about he compliment Gareth Barry on a tremendous goal-saving tackle. This would subtly imply that his side deserved more but also pay credit to what was great piece of play from the England man.
Additionally, he has some wonderful individual players but he doesn’t want to use them; look at the way he is managing Chelsea's double player of the year Juan Mata.
This is a World Cup year, and the importance of that cannot be overstated. Mata has to play – not only because of his quality but he will be desperate to go to Brazil. He isn’t a regular and didn’t even make the last Spain squad.
I would imagine that if he isn’t a regular come January then he will be looking to move. It may be even on loan but he has – and will want - to play.
Literally almost all of his players in the squad are full internationals and it is going to be a problem keeping that harmony in the dressing room.
Compare that with Arsenal, Arsene Wenger hasn’t got anywhere near the same problem as he hasn’t really got a bunch of big name egotistical players.
There has been much made about the signing of Mesut Ozil and, although his supreme class will make a difference, they don’t have the squad to win the league – they have to have their best XI out week in week out.
Top end football is all about balance though and that will be key to whether Mourinho can be a success.
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