Chelsea Blog: Why Is Mourinho Still Playing Ivanovic?

Chelsea Blog

Another game and yet another loss for Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese can’t seem to get anything right and with his side losing at Porto, the heat is certainly on him. The performances of the team haven’t been up to the mark and some of his decisions in terms of the playing staff have raised a few eyebrows as well.

Oh captain, my captain

John Terry was another player who was kept on the bench in the loss against Porto, the captain of Chelsea seems to be a forgotten man at the club as he has lost his place in the team. Terry just a few months ago was one of the best central defenders in the league and couldn’t be dropped, how times change.

But one player who seems to be a Mourinho favourite at the moment is Branislav Ivanovic, the Serbian, who had a rocky start to the season, is a constant figure in the Chelsea XI and has been named captain in the absence of Terry.

A baffling selection really, Ivanovic has been one of the players who have played way below par this season and has often been the reason why Chelsea have leaked goals. He seems to have lost his pace and ability to defend and most teams have taken advantage of the Serbian’s lack of form down the right of Chelsea’s defence.

A weak link which keeps getting exploited, it is a surprise to see him play day in and day out for a Chelsea team which still can’t seem to get things right on the pitch and off it. Mourinho might believe that he does not have a right back to take over from Ivanovic but the reliable Cesar Azpilicueta can play down the right and their new signing Baba Rahman is a left back who took the Bundesliga by storm last season.

This notion of playing Ivanovic might not have been the reason why Chelsea lost last night but it certainly smacks of desperation from the Blues boss. Jose Mourinho has never had such a horrendous start to a campaign for any team that he has managed and no matter how many times he says that it isn’t affecting him, it probably is eating him on the inside.

Mourinho teaks great pride in the work that he does and the team that he builds. Chelsea, the second time around was seen as his home, somewhere he could actually build a dynasty and rule for years to come but if the season continues going the way it is right now, the walls might start crumbling fast and the castle that Mourinho was thinking of making might just get blown away form the main man, Roman.