The glamorous facade of Jose Mourinho's celebrated return to Chelsea has been shattered by a damning new biography, painting a picture of a manager whose immense ego and deteriorating man-management skills alienated the very stars who once adored him.
'Mourinho: Beyond the Special One', penned by respected football writer Rob Beasley, delivers a forensic and explosive account of the Portuguese manager's second stint in West London. It reveals a story far removed from the 'Happy One' narrative presented at his reintroduction press conference.
A Dressing Room Divided
Beasley's work, based on unparalleled access during Mourinho's first spell, details how the manager's connection with his players had utterly disintegrated by 2015. The biography claims Mourinho grew increasingly distant, isolating himself from the squad and fostering a toxic 'them vs. us' mentality within the Cobham training ground.
Gone was the charismatic leader who would famously defend his players to the hilt. In his place was a figure who would openly criticise and blame his team for failures, creating a palpable rift that ultimately derailed their title defence.
The Hazard Warning Ignored
One of the most revealing anecdotes centres on superstar Eden Hazard. Following a bruising Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid in 2014, a match where Hazard was criticised for not tracking back, Mourinho's reaction was severe and telling.
Rather than a private debrief, Mourinho launched a scathing, public dressing-down of the Belgian winger in front of the entire squad. This incident, according to Beasley's sources, was a pivotal moment in breaking the spirit of one of Chelsea's most talented players and signalled the beginning of the end for Mourinho's tenure.
The Unravelling of a Legacy
The book meticulously charts the 2015/16 season's spectacular collapse. From a poor start to a disastrous mid-season run that saw the champions languish just one point above the relegation zone in December, the wheels had well and truly come off.
Beasley argues that Mourinho's once-vaunted ability to create a unified, siege-mentality squad had vanished. His ego and methods, which once brought unparalleled success, now bred only resentment and poor performance, culminating in his inevitable sacking in December 2015.
This biography doesn't just recount history; it provides a crucial psychological study of a manager whose second act at a beloved club was doomed by the very traits that initially made him great.
