Jamie Carragher Says Jose Mourinho Sacking Would Be 'Serious Mistake' by Chelsea

Chelsea would only be making themselves weaker if the club's hierarchy chose to make the "serious mistake" of sacking under-fire manager Jose Mourinho, according to ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.

Writing in his Daily Mail column on Saturday, the former England international came to the defence of the Portuguese tactician ahead of the key clash between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge:

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They would be making a serious mistake. If Chelsea lose and the axe falls on Jose Mourinho, what would they hope to achieve by changing their manager once more?

Less hassle and better results would be the simple answer. Many people are enjoying seeing how Mourinho is embroiled in the worst run of the Roman Abramovich era, and should Liverpool win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday the general feeling away from the King’s Road will be delight if he is sacked.

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Suffering defeat to Jurgen Klopp's side would significantly intensify the pressure on Mourinho as he looks to avoid a ninth loss of the 2015-16 campaign, by some distance his worst start to a season as a manager.

Carragher appeared eager to force home the point that every manager can have a barren spell, and Mourinho has earned his stay of execution thanks to his past work across two spells with the west London outfit:

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It is why the key decision-makers at Stamford Bridge need to take a step back and consider what is at stake. For all the managerial changes they have made in the past 12 years, the only man who has been capable of delivering sustained results in the Barclays Premier League is Mourinho.

Of course, other managers have won trophies in that period but only Carlo Ancelotti, other than Mourinho, has provided Abramovich with the title, so you have to ask whether Mourinho is actually getting the credit he deserves for the work he has done since returning?

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The Blues head into Saturday's showdown having lost five and won just three of their opening 10 Premier League matches this term, currently sitting 15th in the standings and 11 points off leaders Manchester City.

It would be fair to suggest any hopes the club might have of a title defence look futile at this point, and for an outfit of Chelsea's stature, the temptation is to change things up in the hope of swift improvement.

Sergei Chuzavkov/Associated Press

Carragher is right, however, in that there's no guarantee the grass will be greener on the other side. Any new manager would have the same tools to work with that Mourinho does, and some may agree it's Chelsea's under-performing stars who are perhaps deserving of more blame.

Ex-Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand, who encountered Mourinho's Chelsea many times in his career, concurs that Mourinho deserves his shot at turning things around, he told BT Sport's Fletch and Sav show:

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"Stick with him!" @rioferdy5 believes Mourinho has earned the right to reverse @ChelseaFC's fortunes. #FletchAndSav https://t.co/bElXttVZLU

— Fletch And Sav (@FletchAndSav) October 31, 2015"

Mourinho's campaign has also been hit by off-pitch troubles. BBC Sport reported this week that fired team doctor Eva Carneiro intends to sue the club for constructive dismissal, while the Daily Mail's Neil Ashton explained Mourinho's also facing a stadium ban for calling referee Jon Moss "f-----g soft."

Yet, despite all the transgressions and obstacles that would prevent him from turning the team's fortunes around, Mourinho remains defiant in the face of adversity, telling BT Sport it's business as usual for him:

This will undoubtedly go down as the darkest period in Mourinho's career, provided it does in fact reach an end at some point, and Chelsea are enduring blinding misery after years of sustained success and silverware contention.

Mourinho has won two Champions League titles (with Porto and Inter) to go along with domestic trophies in Spain, Italy, Portugal and his three Premier League triumphs with the Blues.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

And while it doesn't seem like it at present, that kind of class doesn't simply leave overnight, with Carragher assured in his stance that Mourinho can conjure up the talents that once made him The Special One.

The manager himself would tell you he's the only man for the job, and Chelsea's ongoing demise now hands Mourinho the chance to prove himself in what's quickly becoming the biggest challenge of his career to date.