Chelsea players relish freedom in absence of Jose Mourinho

The way the London side played against Sunderland - after the Portuguese manager was dismisses - proved they were not willing to give their best so long as he was at the helm, writes Steve Luckings.

Branislav Ivanovic, right, performed brilliantly against Sunderland only a few days after Jose Mourinho was dismissed as Chelsea manager. Matt Dunham / AP Photo

They say a change is as good as a rest. At Chelsea that change is a constant theme.

A change of manager, the 12th either permanent or part-time change under owner Roman Abramovich in 12 years, brought about an immediate change of results at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, where a change of attitude in the Chelsea players was as obvious as Jose Mourinho’s inevitable departure last week.

Although Guus Hiddink will officially take charge of his first game in his second spell in caretaker charge of Chelsea on Boxing Day – Steve Holland was tasked with rallying the troops in the 3-1 win against Sunderland – the emancipation of several players maligned and marginalised under Mourinho was palpable.

Richard Jolly’s Premier League comment this week

The most obvious examples of this could be seen in the three goalscorers, Branislav Ivanovic, Pedro and Oscar.

Ivanovic scored the opener, leaping like a salmon to connect with a trademark header from a corner. Pedro, a £19 million (Dh104.1m) summer signing from Barcelona, who has stagnated since some impressive early displays in his Stamford Bridge career, was on hand for the second, sweeping home a loose ball in the box with predatory instinct following a cross from Ivanovic.

Oscar, the Brazilian playmaker whose performances this season have elicited the ire of Mourinho on more than one occasion, converted the third from the penalty spot.

The players, most notably Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, who were booed throughout with the audible discontent pumped up a few decibels as they left the pitch after being substituted, and Hazard, who missed the match through injury, were the targets of most of the hostility, both verbal and visual, with many supporters holding signs to make clear their support for the sacked Portuguese coach and their angst against those perceived to have railed against him.

Mourinho had continuously spun the line that he had not lost the respect of the dressing room, that the players were with him. This loyalty turned to betrayal after last week’s defeat at Leicester City, with Mourinho accusing his players of not following his instructions on how to thwart Leicester’s potent attack.

This was tantamount to admission that he had indeed “lost” the dressing room. After nine defeats in 16 Premier League games and an obvious discord between manager and squad, the only real surprise is that it took Abramovich until last Thursday to sack him.

From Premier League champions to relegation strugglers in seven months. The fall from grace was spectacular.

Despite Mourinho’s protestations, there is clear disharmony behind the scenes.

All will no doubt become clearer when the finer details of Mourinho’s substantial contract are finalised as part of his compensation package, but one thing is clear: While the players must shoulder their share of the blame for the champions’ mediocre displays this season, the omnipotent Mourinho’s prickly personality had clearly alienated his players to the point where they were no longer willing to run through brick walls for him.

Look no further than the rejuvenation of Ivanovic, Pedro and Oscar on Saturday for proof of that.

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