Rumours of a dressing-room revolt against Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho continue to grow, but Ray Wilkins does not believe senior players are against the manager.
The Blues suffered their sixth defeat in 11 Premier League matches against Liverpool on Saturday, increasing the pressure on the
Portuguese.
There have been suggestions that his relationship with some key players is approaching breaking point but Wilkins, who worked on the club’s coaching staff under Luiz Felipe Scolari and Carlo Ancelotti, thinks that is unlikely.
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“I think they’re behind Mourinho – they’re just not performing,” he told the BBC. “That’s one of Jose’s major assets. He has the ability not to control but to actually talk and get all the players on his side.
“I believe Chelsea have some wonderful senior pros in there that will control the dressing room, as they have done for the last ‘x’ amount of years.”
Rumours of unrest in the dressing room heightened yesterday after BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Garry Richardson claimed a member of Chelsea’s first-team squad would “rather lose than win” for Mourinho.
He said: “Let me tell you what I know on the Chelsea story. My information comes from a Chelsea first team player.
“I was told they’re fed up with the way he’s been dealing with some of them. They’re fed up with his outbursts. I was told that his relationship particularly with Eden Hazard was under immense strain.
“Here’s a staggering quote. One player said recently, ‘I’d rather lose than win for him’.
“Now that last quote may well have been said in the heat of the moment, but it perhaps gives an
insight into the mood of some of the players.”
Wilkins, though, believes that any disillusionment was more likely to come from those who were not in favour rather than those involved in Chelsea’s poor run.
Monday’s Daily Mirror back page: ‘I would rather lose than win for Mourinho’ #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/az7kJjcmic
— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) November 1, 2015
“In any dressing room, if a player isn’t selected, a player’s unhappy. You keep 11 and the rest are disgruntled,” he added.
Speculation is rising as to whether owner Roman Abramovich will fire Mourinho for the second time, but a paucity of viable alternatives may be in his favour.
“I think Jose will (still) be in the job,” Wilkins said. “Who can take over? There’s only Carlo Ancelotti out there at the moment that is out of work and can fill the position. I think they’ll continue with Jose.”
