Jose Mourinho is paying the price for his failure to build an empire at Chelsea without the aid of a cheque book, according to RTÉ soccer analyst Eamon Dunphy.
Mourinho is under intense pressure after a nightmare run of results and a string of controversies that have seen him fall out with players, club staff and officials.
The 3-1 defeat against Liverpool on Saturday was compounded by the news that he has been made the subject of an individual legal claim by former Chelsea club doctor Eva Carneiro arising from an incident on the opening day of the season, and has been given a one-match stadium ban and a £40,000 fine by the Football Association over his behaviour in last month's defeat at West Ham.
It's all culminated in Mourinho's position at Stamford Bridge now being under serious threat, and Dunphy believes Roman Abramovich is ready to pull the trigger.
Speaking to RTÉ 2fm's Game On, Dunphy said: "I think Abramovich has always wanted to stop signing big cheques and create a club where players were coming through the youth system and the academy into the first team. And I think Mourinho said, ‘yeah’.
"They have over 30 young players out on loan. This is Abramovich’s case: ‘You came back, you said you’d give me a stream of young players ... and we’d build a club. You haven’t done that. Now you want the cheque book. You’re not getting the cheque book.' And that’s the big story behind all the tantrums.
"Nothing excuses his treatment ofEva Carneiro. Nothing excuses his treatment of players and referees. The histrionics are unforgivable. There is a back story, and the back story I think is about Abramovich and him."
Chelsea won the title at a canter last season, but Dunphy feels the warning signs were there even as the Portuguese manager strolled to another trophy.
“They won the championship but it was very unconvincing," Dunphy said. "He used only about 14 or 15 players in the whole season. Matic, Hazard, Fabregas played every game.
"They were tired. He realised that Costra was a nuisance. They had a game against PSG in the Champions League, got a draw in Paris, came back to the Bridge and blew it.
"They couldn’t beat PSG, who were down to ten men for over an hour. That night Costa was a disgrace. But what that showed was this was not a top team.
"I think he’s out, it’s been obvious for some time. Now he’s lashing out at everyone around him. But it’s over for him and it’s over for Chelsea.
"They’re going to lose John Terry. John is not the player he was 12 months ago. Costa is a total and utter waste of space, a nuisance. Ivanovic appears to have lost the plot altogether. So where do they go? Nowhere."
If Mourinho is shown the exit door Chelsea will not have an expansive list of candidates to replace him.
Abramovich has seen nine managers come and go during his Chelsea tenure, with Mourinho in his second spell at the club.
"He sacked Ancelotti after he won the double," Dunphy added.
"If you look down the list of people who've been there - Hiddink, Ranieri, Scolari - they don't last long. He wanted something like Barcelona. This is Mourinho's second spell. When he came back he said: 'That's it, this is my club, this is where my heart is. I'm going to build a club here.' He has not been able to do that."
