The Sports
Psychology Blog
Today's Sports Psychology blog follows Jose Mourinho's sudden departure from Chelsea.
Football: Chelsea - Life After Jose
So what now for Chelsea after the departure of Jose Mourinho? Two scenarios present themselves. The first is that the club goes from strength to strength. The players, under a new manager, play the brand of stylish Champions League winning football the owner dreams of. The second is that, the players, feeling sorry for themselves, simply fall back into the Premier League pack and the dream fades.
So - which will it be? The answer partly depends on how the players respond to Mourinho's departure. If he has created a culture full of self-leaders, charged with making their own decisions, then his departure simply creates more opportunities for individuals to step forward and assume greater responsibility for the teams success. Their loyalty extending beyond Jose, to each other, the fans and the club.
On the other hand, what if Mourinho has created a culture of Yes Men? Players who have simply followed orders for the last few years in robotic obedience. If so, without their leader, the team may well take his departure personally and fail to respond to their new manager. All out of loyalty to Jose.
Perhaps we will learn more about the leadership style of Jose Mourinho through his absence rather than his presence.
