Jose Mourinho has disgraced himself as a manager and a man; and Arsenal's strange talent

Paul Parker is disgusted at Jose Mourinho's latest antics - and worries for Arsenal's hopes of keeping a good season going.

Jose Mourinho just can't help himself, can he? Graeme Le Saux makes some valid criticisms of Chelsea after their worst start to a season in 20 years, and Mourinho just has to respond. The fact that he does so with a cheap jibe about Le Saux being fearful of an away match in Israel a decade ago says it all.

It's horrible to see. Mourinho had actually gone out of the spotlight a little bit in the last few weeks, and there was a part of me that wondered if he'd finally realised that silence is golden, and that a manager can act with dignity and respect. Obviously, that was a pipe dream.

But what else would you expect of Mourinho? What else would you expect of a man who stayed safely behind one of his colleagues during a touchline row, but reached around and poked opposition coach Tito Vilanova in the eye... and later tried to justify it? That incident has always summed him up, to me; he's like the kid at school who watches a playground fight from a safe distance, then sidles up quickly to kick one of the fighters in the stomach when he's sprawled on the floor.

Jose Mourinho pokes Tito Vilanova in the eye (Screengrab) - Eurosport

Here he is again with these Le Saux comments, going backwards, digging up nonsense. He's let himself down as a manager, and as a man. Top managers aren't petty, they're magnanimous, and if he ever wants to be regarded as a true giant of the game he needs to change.

Apart from anything else it actually hurts the club. Chelsea fans love them, but they're hated by everyone else - they're never anybody's second team, and that will restrict their growth around the world until things change. And that means until Mourinho changes his ways or leaves.

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That day might not be so far away. Everyone went a bit quiet on Mourinho's possible sacking following his win at the weekend, but if they lose to Maccabi Tel Aviv on Tuesday night and follow it up with another defeat in the derby against Spurs on the weekend, things will start to look very different. All the talk of firing won't be so far away.

It's not even as if Chelsea have to look far to see how things could be. Just look at Claudio Ranieri, a former Blues boss much-loved by everyone. He is magnanimous, humble, endearing, and all the while is doing an absolutely brilliant job at Leicester.

Ranieri has kept Leicester's momentum under Nigel Pearson from the end of last season, but successfully integrated some important new players and his own tactical awareness. In other words, he's kept the good, eradicated the bad, and kept everyone moving forwards. What better definition could you want of great management?

Claudio Ranieri - Leicester City manager - Reuters

No, that's not to say that Leicester will win the league. Every manager in the top flight knows and understands that, though of course they will - rightly - all be respectful enough of each other to keep their mouths shut about it.

All except one of them, that is, who has been crass enough to come out and say it. No surprises that the man in question is Jose Mourinho.

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Arsenal's match tonight is nothing less than crucial - and not just for the Champions League, because they are in desperate need of a match to re-start their season.

It's amazing that just a couple of weeks ago we were marvelling at this side, talking about them as likely Premier League winners. How quickly things have fallen apart.

It all started with that match against Spurs where, frankly, they were very lucky to get away with a point. Since then things have only got worse, and with Saturday was the final straw, particularly with the way the injuries are suddenly piling up.

Losing Francis Coquelin is a massive blow, because Arsenal simply don't have anyone else equipped to play

 that role.

Arsenal's Francis Coquelin and Laurent Koscielny - Reuters

Aaron Ramsey has been mentioned - but just hearing his name in connection with that doesn't give you much hope. Ramsey is a good player, but he's a man who always wants to get forward and score goals, not tackle hard and win balls. Santi Cazorla is not up to it either. He'd try, of course, but he's just not that kind of player: when he's good, he's good, but when he's bad you wouldn't even know he's on the pitch. That just won't do for a the holding midfielder role.

As for Mikel Arteta? Please. I'm still not sure whether he was subbed off on Saturday because of a real injury, or due to sheer embarrassment.

And Mathieu Flamini? He'll start, no doubt, but it's sure to end in disaster. His indiscipline alone would normally be enough to rule him out.

Their problems are not just in midfield, either. Per Mertesacker has become a liability, everybody knows it, yet Wenger just won't drop him. He doesn't win enough balls in the air, and his tracking back is the slowest I've ever seen by a professional footballer.

I'm deadly serious. Any professional, anywhere, ever.

Per Mertesacker - Arsenal - Imago

All this comes back to Wenger's failure to bring in any reinforcements over the summer. Wenger always talks up the club's development of young players, but right now they join the club and seem to disappear without trace. London Colney has become the Bermuda Triangle of promising young footballers.

If they're to stay in the hunt for trophies this season, they must spend in January.

 

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