If Liverpool are to beat Norwich today, open up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League and all-but guarantee a first title in 24 years, at least they’ll know who to thank.
Not Luis Suarez or Daniel Sturridge for their goals, Steve Gerrard for his on-field leadership, Coutinho or Raheem Sterling for his artistry or Brendan Rodgers for his tactical mastery and ability to draw the best out of a largely inexperienced squad.
No, it’s referees’ chief Mike Riley. Why? Jose Mourinho says so.
Within minutes of losing his remarkable unbeaten home Premier League record, the Chelsea manager was delivering a sarcastic barb to Mike Dean for his “fantastic performance” at Stamford Bridge and a not-so-subtle dig at Riley.
The inference clearly being Riley has appointed referees to Chelsea matches that will be detrimental to their performance over the season.
Never mind the disrespectful attack on the professional integrity of Riley, Dean and the numerous other officials that have overseen games involving Chelsea, it’s utter nonsense.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who practically wrote the rulebook on intimidating referees, had his individual targets but never went as far as implying a nationwide-conspiracy to thwart Manchester United from winning the title.
But then he isn’t Mourinho, and yesterday’s comments merely highlight why David Moyes was preferred to the Portuguese in succeeding Ferguson last summer.
Was it also Riley’s fault Romelu Lukaku has scored 13 Premier League goals on loan at Everton while Samuel Eto’o, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba have 17 between them?
Was Riley responsible for two-time Player of the Year Juan Mata being turned into a peripheral figure at Stamford Bridge?
And Riley is ultimately to blame for the alarming statistic that Chelsea have won just four of their 11 league matches prior to Champions League ties, losing to Everton, Newcastle, Stoke, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and now Sunderland.
If, and it’s a sizeable ‘if’ given their presence in the Champions League semi-finals, Chelsea are to finish the season trophy-less it will be the first time in Mourinho’s career he has gone two successive seasons without any silverware.
That is a considerable measure of the type of coach he is, but the growing suggestion, prior to his appointment at Chelsea, that he has lost a little of his old magic now looks more than just a few pieces of deliberately contrary opinion.
When Madrid finished 15 points behind Barcelona last season, who were without a manager for significant portions of the campaign, it was because of a player mutiny rather than any mistakes Mourinho may have made.
How Chelsea finish this season remains to be seen, but can anyone truly say Mourinho’s own performance has been fantastic?
