JOSE MOURINHO has sarcastically called Roman Abramovich ‘the almighty’. The self-dubbed Special One clearly does not feel he is the most important man at Chelsea and has revealed the extent of friction at the club. For the first time Mourinho admitted to rows with Academy Director Frank Arnesen and confessed he has become an increasingly lonely figure at the club. The Blues boss also revealed the split Andriy Shevchenko caused in the dressing room. It is his reference to billionaire Chelsea owner Abramovich which could prove the last nail in the coffin of his Stamford Bridge career, however. In his staunchly Catholic native Portugal only God is referred to as ‘almighty’ and Mourinho’s quip was clearly meant to be derisory.When asked about the rows he had over Abramovich’s decision to stop him buying players in the January transfer window, Mourinho replied: “I admit that the period between the end of December and the whole month of January may have caused some tensions. “There were some problems to solve and if you see the money of the club’s owner, you would expect those problems to be solved. “But that didn’t happen and the reason given for the club not to hire new players were the alleged problems between me and Abramovich, who even stopped going to the games, although nobody cared to know why.
“I said, who am I to question the owner of the club, Abramovich is the almighty in Chelsea.” He said: “There was a collective frustration with Sheva due to his great capacity. “When I say frustration I mean my frustration as well as the players’ frustration. That situation spilled over to the transfer ban in January, though Arnesen recommended that Mourinho take PSV Eindhoven defender Alex — who he has helped sign to the Dutch club with the help of Abramovich’s money.
The coach would have none of it, though, since accepting the move would have undermined his authority. He claimed his differences with Arnesen — who is Rom’s advisor — are professional, not personal. Arnesen is not a yes man. He has his own opinion — you can agree or not.
Mourinho clearly feels he and his players have been abandoned by Abramovich — who has not spoken or seen any of the first team or coaching staff for more than two months. As a result, he is a more solitary figure than ever — creating a siege mentality in the club which is very much ‘them and us’.
The manager revealed: “I feel lonelier in the same proportion that I don’t need so much company. “This club is not presidential. I work every day in Cobham, one-and-a-half hours from Chelsea’s heart at Stamford Bridge, and it’s here in Cobham that I focus all my action together with my people.
“These people who are with me daily, of which the players are a critical part, make me feel supported. “The empathy, ambition and friendship in this group is exceptional. We are undoubtedly together.”
