Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas Reportedly Led Charge to Fire Jose Mourinho

Chelsea stars Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas were reportedly two of the driving forces behind the club’s decision to part ways with manager Jose Mourinho on Thursday.  

Joe Prince-Wright of NBC Sports writes a source “who has inside knowledge of the situation” told ProSoccerTalk the two technicians “were leading the charge for Mourinho to be fired.” The piece continues to outline some of the major issues the Portuguese seemed to be facing during a troubled term at Stamford Bridge:

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The source indicates that Fabregas was the main opponent to Mourinho as the Spanish international had seen himself benched repeatedly in the last few months and he had complained to Chelsea’s hierarchy about Mourinho and his antics.

The source also confirmed that Mourinho has been battling against a locker room revolt for several weeks as the defeats continued to pile up and the Portuguese coach continued to shy away from responsibility. The fact that two of the highest earners at Stamford Bridge were leading calls for Mourinho to be fired would have hit home to Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich and the directors.

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Fabregas denied speculation earlier in the season he was leading a revolt against Mourinho. It had also been claimed by Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail that Hazard was willing to leave Chelsea for Real Madrid at the end of this campaign should Mourinho remain in charge.

There was clearly some tension between Mourinho and his former players. After losing to Leicester City on Monday night, the Portuguese said the squad had “betrayed” him. Blues technical director Michael Emenalo also revealed there was “palpable discord” between the former boss and the playing staff in the wake of his dismissal, per Chelsea TV (h/t David Hynter of the Guardian).

If Fabregas was one of the main instigators of Mourinho’s dismissal, it’s certainly at odds with the following post on social media in the hours after the sacking:

The Spaniard excelled under the former Chelsea boss early last season, but throughout the current calendar year, he has struggled to make as many decisive contributions in the final third. Subsequently, Fabregas found himself in and out of the Blues team as they’ve failed to find any sort of impetus.

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Hazard, like Fabregas, has been well below his best this term. Having won the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award last season, it was anticipated the Belgian international would kick on again in 2015-16. However, as we can see, courtesy of Squawka Football, there’s been a drastic deterioration in form for Hazard:

Many have castigated the players since Mourinho’s departure. After all, once they take to the field, there is only so little the manager can control; the performances of the Chelsea stars, who were impeccable for long spells last term, have been far from good enough. If there was such discontent behind the scenes, it’s easy to see why the board acted swiftly.

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Spanish football journalist Rafael Hernandez thinks any players who turned on the manager need to take a look at themselves:

Mourinho certainly isn’t blameless in this furore. Some of his conduct this season has painted Chelsea in a bad light, regardless of the success he has brought to the club with his managerial acumen. If these reports are to be believed, the situation was irresolvable for the Portuguese, and it was the right time for the club to send him packing.