Having engineered Chelsea’s return to the Premier League summit, the path appeared to be clear Jose Mourinho to create the dynasty he desired.

The Portuguese coach has achieved unprecedented success throughout his flourishing managerial career, guiding the likes of Porto and Inter Milan to Champions League success along with bringing the Premier League crown to West London during his first term with the Blues.

Yet the self-proclaimed ‘special one’ is yet to remain with any club for more than three seasons. Instant success in Portugal meant that the highly coveted coach was ascending towards football’s most prestigious managerial roles at a rate of knots.

A trophy-laden route to the Real Madrid hot-seat was followed by a three-year lean spell by Mourinho’s lofty standards. Not able to deliver La Decima that the Bernabau support so desperately craved, combined with a volatile relationship with the Spanish media, meant Mourinho was always working on borrowed time.

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When news filtered through that the Special One was readying himself for a return to Stamford Bridge, English football was embracing the idea of the charismatic coach to grace the Premier League.

Upon his return, Mourinho insisted that this time he was in it for the long haul and referred to his first season back as a transitional season as he reassured supporters that success wasn’t far away.

True to form, Chelsea soon asserted their stranglehold on proceedings as Manchester City relinquished their grip on the Premier League without a whimper as Chelsea surged to the Premier League title in Mourinho’s second season back in the Chelsea dugout.

Despite a disappointing cup upset at home to Bradford City and failure to get beyond the last 16 of the Champions League, Capital One Cup success gave valid reason to believe that Chelsea have regained the status of ‘England’s top club’.

It’s this what makes Chelsea’s alarmingly wretched start to the season all the more difficult to contemplate.

Consecutive victories against Arsenal and Walsall have helped to paper over the cracks within Chelsea's armour, but it is evident that problems still remain.

Regression in form to instrumental players John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Nemanja Matic and the controversial Diego Costa has made the Blues seemingly colossus core look brittle.

Three defeats in their opening five fixtures represents the second worst Premier League title defence since it's inception tells you everything you need to know about Chelsea's trauma on the pitch.

Events off the turf have proved to be equally problematic. Mourinho's well documented fall out with Eva Carneiro, culminating in her departure from the club, has brought unwelcome publicity, with a full FA investigation into the fallout set to ensue.

Costa's latest disciplinary meltdown in the victory over the Gunners is emblematic of the reported discontent within the club dressing room, adding to the reported bust-up between the Spanish striker and club captain Terry.

Having endured such a torrid start to proceedings, it will require all of Mourinho's nous to rectify the club's situation and reassert themselves within the upper echelons of the table, where Manchester City have been given free rein of securing a third Premier League title little over a month into the season.

However, with the quality personnel that Chelsea have in abundance, it is almost inevitable that regulation will be restored in due course.

A televised trip to relegation threatened on Saturday Newcastle provides the Blues with ideal cannon fodder to resurrect their ailing fortunes at present.

Nevertheless, if Mourinho intends to impose his own stay of execution in West London, order needs to be restored rapidly, before Mr Abramovich decides enough is enough and wields his axe at the charismatic coach for a second time.

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