Chelsea vs. Liverpool: Jose Mourinho Slammed for 'Pathetic' TV Performance

Under-fire Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been accused of "losing his grip" and delivering a "pathetic" performance on TV by Mirror writer Andy Dunn. He's accused Mourinho of "irrelevant" and "meaningless" excuses for Chelsea's wretched start to the season and suggests the Portuguese gaffer deserves to be held to higher standards than other managers.

In a critique of Mourinho following Chelsea's 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League, per BBC Sport's Phil McNulty, Dunn laid into the two-time UEFA Champions League winner.

One focus of his ire appeared to be Mourinho's post-match interview, given to BT Sport. The station's official Twitter feed carried video of the interview, during which Mourinho refused to comment on the match:

It's safe to say Dunn was less than impressed: "No wonder he went through that ­man-child, monosyllabic charade on television."

Dunn insists Mourinho's ongoing attempts to convince anyone who will listen there is a referees conspiracy against his club is not only far from the truth. Rather, Dunn implies the reasons for Chelsea's downfall lie solely with the manager:

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Not for Chelsea being bereft of premium striking quality – Mourinho signed Radamel Falcao, don't forget. Not for Oscar being turned into a workhorse who has forgotten how to create, not for the selection of Jon Obi Mikel, not for a counter-attacking policy in a big home match. Mourinho, Mourinho, Mourinho.

"

The pressure Mourinho finds himself under is of his own making and thoroughly deserved, according to Dunn. Significantly, he suggests the amount of pressure Mourinho currently faces is fair:

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You can't slaughter officials because you have done it too many times.

You can't win only three out of 11 league matches because it has been unheard of in your stellar career.

You can't blame players whose form has nose-dived on to rocks because you got the credit when they excelled.

You are a special case. But, then again, you pointed that out all those things years ago.

"

Opinion will naturally be divided on this one. Yes, Chelsea's start to the season has been nothing short of a disaster. The Blues have already lost six games in England's top flight. Players such as midfield playmaker Cesc Fabregas and winger Eden Hazard, pivotal in last season's title march, have seen their form dip dramatically.

It's no wonder speculation is mounting Mourinho will soon be shown the door. In fact, Vaishali Bhardwaj of the London Evening Standard believes defeat in the forthcoming Champions League fixture at home to Dynamo Kiev will spell the end for the self-styled "special one."

But others will likely claim such a dismissal would be harsh for the man who brought the Premier League title back to Stamford Bridge last season. It was Chelsea's first league crown since the 2009-10 campaign.

Ironically, that title was delivered by Carlo Ancelotti, the man tipped to replace Mourinho if he's axed soon, according to Ladbrokes, as noted by Daily Express reporter Adam Skinner.

Tom Hevezi/Associated Press

But, fair or not, the issue of Mourinho's future isn't just about results. The growing list of off-field problems, all played out in front of the camera, do neither the beleaguered manager nor the club any favours.

Yet, in typical fashion, Mourinho isn't doing anything to quiet the noise. Just the opposite, in fact. His post-match comments made to BBC Sport contained many not-too-veiled comments suggesting refereeing decisions are still influencing Chelsea's results.

Mourinho's tendency to fight his battles in front of the camera just hasn't worked for Chelsea this season. It hasn't created a siege mentality that's making the players defiant and determined to make opponents pay. Instead, this is a team that seems to have embraced the idea of having been given an excuse to lose.

Mourinho's public war with the FA and referees is not serving to distract from his team's problems on the pitch. Not anymore, at least.

If anything, his antics are giving credence to Dunn's view that he's lost his grip at Stamford Bridge. The rare sight of a member of the press taking him to task so bluntly is merely one more sign of the spectacular fall from grace Mourinho is experiencing in England's top flight.

His position is starting to look untenable.