Crikey, whatever happened to the normally excitable José Mourinho? Has something been going on? This is the city where the manager first made his mark in English football, after all, running down the Old Trafford touchline like a demented bird in celebration of Porto’s success against Manchester United in 2004. This is not quite the same touchline, but only a few miles away, and all of a sudden the Chelsea manager is a study in detached insouciance, wearing an expression as dark as his suit and resolutely refusing to react to anything. Perhaps he feels people might be watching him.
No one has ever confused Mourinho with a shrinking violet and true to form the Chelsea manager was out on the pitch with his players before kick-off, not hiding but striking a relaxed, contemplative pose with hands in pockets as the touchline snappers trained their telephoto lenses in his direction.
It was all a little bit stagey, like the permitted access the royals grant photographers before they embark on a tour, in the unlikely hope they will not be papped again once the real business starts. There was a warm hello to Brian Kidd of the opposition, then a friendly chat with a couple of assistants as if to show everything was normal within the camp. All under control. Nothing to see here.
At kick-off, too, Mourinho was conspicuously out at the very edge of his technical area, prowling about on his own while Manuel Pellegrini remained seated and serene. Mourinho stepped outside his box in alarm as City ran right through his team in the first minute to present Sergio Agüero with a clear opportunity, though otherwise remained unruffled, even staying calm when Ramires was involved in a penalty appeal at the other end a few minutes later.
It has been suggested there might be an underlying reason for Mourinho’s tetchiness over the past week. Roman Abramovich not sanctioning enough summer spending, perhaps, or concerns over Diego Costa’s robustness at the start of the season. It was possible to see a certain amount of evidence for both of those theories. Chelsea were opened up so often in the first quarter it was no surprise when City took the lead on the half-hour, and during the interval the home side were probably kicking themselves for not accepting more of their chances.
On this evidence Chelsea might need John Stones sooner than they are letting on, though Mourinho watched it all with barely a gesture, just a wry smile. Costa was not having one of his better days, getting booed by the crowd following a foul on Yaya Touré midway through the first half. Mourinho did not even smile at the City player’s Eden Hazard impression, rolling around in supposed agony after a fairly innocuous challenge, though the Chelsea manager is possibly not the best judge of when a player is faking it.
The real comedy came just before half-time, when Gary Cahill picked up a real injury in a collision with Asmir Begovic in attempting to deny Eliaquim Mangala a header on goal. The Chelsea defender stayed down, the medical staff came running on, unrecognisable from the pair that started the season at Stamford Bridge last week, and the City crowd had a field day. First “You’re getting sacked in the morning” rang around the ground, inevitably followed by “You don’t know what you’re doing”, before an impromptu chorus of “We love you Eva” was added for good measure.
Mourinho poured scorn beforehand on suggestions his players might be distracted by the events of the past week, though there must be legitimate concern now about the dimensions of this sorry saga and how it might possibly end. It has assumed a life of its own and is growing uglier by the day, though naturally the City fans enjoyed the sight of Chelsea going down to nine men for a second successive game when Fernandinho elbowed Costa in first-half stoppage time. The striker ended the half with a bandage around his head, and none too happy about it. With Cahill still receiving treatment on the sidelines, Chelsea’s already stretched medical staff did not know which way to run. At least play was stopped this time and the medics could attend to the players without having to worry about understanding the game.
Mourinho’s afternoon did not get any better. He withdrew an uninjured John Terry at the interval, in Premier League terms something akin to clearing the ravens from the Tower of London, yet Chelsea went on to concede two more. Vincent Kompany extended City’s lead 10 minutes from the end and when Fernandinho added a splendid third the home fans began to chant “Easy”. In fairness it was never quite that, but of the two expressionless spectators in suits on the halfway line, Pellegrini must have been much the happier. Two 3-0 wins is an ideal way to begin a season, especially when one is recorded against major rivals, and City’s defending for their second clean sheet was excellent. Mourinho has one point from two games, five goals against and a whole heap of off-field problems to which Costa has now added by losing his temper in the tunnel at half-time. An inauspicious opening, definitely not the one all those who thought Chelsea would be a shoo-in for the title were expecting. “Not a good start,” Mourinho admitted, though he was talking about the game rather than the season. “Ten seconds in and Agüero is behind our back line. Defensively, we were quite fragile.” Not something you hear every week.
