Mourinho no more: The ego has left the building

Tonight, Jose Mourinho has shocked the footballing world by quitting Chelsea. Certainly, given disappointing early results, rumors of a bust-up with owner Roman Abramovich, and the Special One's increasing frustration with the club, the question of whether this was a resignation or a sacking will be a sure topic for debate.

While one might resent the way Mourinho alternated between self-aggrandizing rhetoric and petulant whining, his on-field successes are unquestioned. Though it might seem easy to put together championship sides with the resources of Abramovich's bottomless wallet, Real Madrid has amply demonstrated that a team of superstars won't necessarily produce silverware.

Chelsea didn't always play beautiful football, but Mourinho brought a tactical awareness, leadership, and vision that generated results.

Nonetheless, it appears Abramovich is doing his best George Steinbrenner, Al Davis, or Jerry Jones impersonation. The Soccernet report and others out of London suggest he resented Mourinho's refusal to fully incorporate Andrei Shevchenko into his plans and desired a more flowing, attacking style than the Portuguese manager delivered.

The net result, I believe, will be that Chelsea will no longer be competitive for Premiership or European honors. Already the Blues have surrendered points to fellow competitors Liverpool . And no matter who Abramovich brings on board, will he have the ego, the sheer force of personality necessary to navigate the billionare in the owner's box and the multi-millionaires in the locker room and steer the Blues to consistent success?

Finally, on a personal note:
Objectivity is difficult for me here, as the decline of the Blues and the ascendancy of an Arsenal side built on very different (and, of course, purer) principles is, quite simply, a sublime convergence of events.

So long as we can avoid the nightmare scenario of Abramovich poaching Arsene Wenger, all will be well.

Given the Frenchman's history of unwavering fidelity to a signed contact, it seems I can sleep well and enjoy the next few days of the British Footballing press whipping themselves into a lather.