Jose Mourinho and Roberto Martinez Feud Reported Amid Diego Costa Rumours

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is showing signs of strain, as he reportedly launched a verbal attack on Everton manager Roberto Martinez in the wake of his side’s 3-1 loss to the Toffees on Saturday.

With the Blues having to travel back to London from Goodison Park, Mourinho was unhappy Martinez was fulfilling press duties before him. Timothy Abraham of the Daily Telegraph outlined how the exchange between the two managers went:

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'Roberto, next time, tell [them to let] me go before you because we have to travel,' he snapped.

Martinez attempted to defuse the situation, replying, 'We don’t control that Jose, I don’t control that.' But that did not pacify the Chelsea manager, who exclaimed 'F--king hell,' before walking away.

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Alex Livesey/Getty Images

According to Greg O’Keeffe of the Liverpool Echo, Martinez kept his cool, saying afterward, “When he beat us 6-3 he was such a nice man. I prefer him like that.” The Everton manager also maintained he’d still welcome the Portuguese for a post-match glass of wine.

Here's the audio of the incident, in which Mourinho's expletive is bleeped out, per HumourSports:

Mourinho was baited regularly by the Everton supporters during the clash at Goodison Park, and having now lost three of their opening five games of the season, Chelsea desperately need a victory to lift the angst that's engulfed the squad.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

It’s the manner in which his teams are losing that is extremely concerning. As BreatheSport noted, it’s hugely uncharacteristic to see a Mourinho side that is so defensively tepid:

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Chelsea 2004/05: Matches Played 38, Conceded 15 Chelsea 2015/16: Matches Played 5, Conceded 11 pic.twitter.com/6eUKw5kcYD

— BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) September 13, 2015"

But it may be the other end of the pitch Chelsea supporters should be concerned about, with Mourinho apparently unhappy with striker Diego Costa.

According to Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail, the Blues boss grew frustrated with the Spain international’s constant hamstring niggles during his maiden campaign in charge; the player himself seems to have done little to placate matters with some of his subsequent behaviour:

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After Chelsea had sewn up the title with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on May 3, Mourinho rewarded his players with four days off to give them time to celebrate.

Costa, who flew to Madrid to party, indulged a little bit too much and took an extra day. Mourinho responded by axing him from the team that drew 1-1 at Anfield on May 10, but by then the problems were beginning to pile up for Costa.

Over a three-week period in the build up to the title triumph there had been numerous complaints about loud noise and parties at chez Costa. By then, the goals had pretty much dried up.

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

In addition, Ashton noted some Chelsea staff members remain “upset” about Mourinho's treatment of doctor Eva Carneiro, whom he banished from the bench earlier in the season. It’s also claimed there are players in the squad—Eden Hazard, Willian and Oscar—who want to move away from the pragmatic principles instilled by Mourinho and play with more freedom.

The reports don’t paint a pretty picture of life at Stamford Bridge. Gary Lineker tried to offer a sliver of positivity to those Blues fans who may have been feeling a little down:

According to Ashton, Mourinho maintains he is the man to turn things around. His managerial record is outstanding, and the Blues will surely scurry back toward the top of the league in good time. But at this juncture, the Blues are a projection of their boss: frustrated, flustered and completely out of ideas.

Mourinho losing his cool at Martinez is just the latest is an expanding list of unfortunate incidents that have blemished Chelsea early on in the campaign. With a clash against bitter rivals Arsenal to come on Saturday, there’s a danger things could well be getting worse before they get better for Mourinho’s men.