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TSN Soccer Analyst

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Jose Mourinho is in the fast lane. He has his foot on the pedal, he is flat out and he cannot stop.

He is everywhere again. Dashing onto our television screens, into our newspapers and flooding our Twitter timelines.

It is 2015 and never has a football manager been given such a big stage. At the highest level their job is to prepare a club for their game that week, see it through and then spend time afterwards giving the media lots of quotes to run with to use as key ingredients into their final copy. Some add simple spice or sprinkles, others a tasty side dish but Mourinho has become the master at handing the media their main course to chew on, even after they have sat for over 90 minutes watching a game unfold.

Many footballers have little to say of interest and when they are forced to talk to the members of the media much of it might as well be recorded and sent to a sleep clinic it is that dull.

The latest piece of evidence for this was the Manuel Neuer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi press conference prior to the Ballon d'Or spectacle earlier this month. Three of the greatest players in the game saying as little as they can.

All three followed a similar pattern. Question, small pause to get their lines right and then a standard answer which was a polite way of not taking the ignorant route and going all Marshawn Lynch. In effect they were just there because they didn't want to get fined.

Players on a podium are rare. Usually they are thrust into the middle of the 'mixed zone'. An awful world where reporters, trying to do their job, surrounded by fans who want a final glimpse, throw questions at players who either choose to smile or walk on by with headphones the size of basketballs covering their ears.

Thankfully the media has managers to add some needed extra flavor into their copy but, once again, with Mourinho stepping into top gear lately it has started to leave a rather bitter taste that we are all forced to consume.

Mourinho is a charmer. He is a manager who last October was asked what it took to win at Crystal Palace and he took a reporter's notepad and wrote 'big balls' on the front. The media howled from the seats below. 

He holds court in press conferences like no one else. He has people sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what he will say next. In a sport that can produce so man robots giving stoic answers this is a wonderful attribute. He can be witty, smart, and poetic but at the same time he can be ruthless. 

He spent the majority of his first season back at Stamford Bridge away from the grandest stages of statements, so often reserved for him. Sure, there were some real beauties like calling Arsene Wenger 'a specialist in failure' and referring to his team as a little horse in the title race, but for the most part, as Chelsea spent the season getting back on the correct track to prepare them for this campaign, Jose sat in the backseat and enjoyed the ride.

Not anymore. Chelsea are a very, very good footballing side this season that is getting close to being great. They go into Saturday's top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City as favourites and a win will make it very difficult for them to be stopped as Premier League champions this season. They are in the Capital One Cup final after overcoming Liverpool in two highly entertaining and competitive legs and they have a date with Paris Saint Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League.

They have reached the gates of greatness quickly and Mourinho deserves some credit for guiding them this far but much of their progress to this stage, much like their application to pass through them, rests with their players.

English football needs a great team again. A team that can go far in the Champions League and show leagues in Spain and Germany that the cream of the crop in England is at such a level. This Chelsea side looks like it has all the attributes to become that. You could ask many people in the game who is the best player and you'd get many different answers. Thibaut Courtois is a magnificent goalkeeper no one should dispute is now in the top three in the sport. The back four have been sensational and in front Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas have combined to blend all that is needed in an ideal double pivot. Eden Hazard is a wizard and has started every Premier League game for them this season, taking his game to another level, Oscar and Willian have been rare Brazilians that haven't seen their form impacted by the World Cup and up front has been Diego Costa, a controversial striker who has been the perfect vindictive menace that has a wonderful habit of scoring goals in many different ways.

Standing in front of all of them is Corporal Mourinho. The players love the protection. The media love the words. It appears an ideal situation.

For now.

This story has been told before. There is a reason Mourinho will never stay in one place long enough to leave a foundation at a club like Arsene Wenger or Sir Alex Ferguson, for example. He leads from the front in fast forward mode.

Mourinho is the modern day face of Chelsea, once again, despite it having more than enough characters to fill that void. Mourinho is a man who creates attention and revels in it so much that the spotlight stays on him for far too long. He is a wonderful manager whose resume speaks for itself but he is one who can't get past himself, a man who brings success to football clubs wherever he goes but ensures they come at a cost. 

The latest example of this came this week after Diego Costa's behavior in the match against Liverpool. Mourinho is quick to come out and remind everyone who listens about campaigns against his club, recalling moments in matches not involving his team when handball decisions went for a team. Yet when his own player is accused of foul play he again goes on the attack with a tirade against a Sky Sports pundit following a summary of 'Costa Crimes' that were rightfully shown by the host broadcaster. Mourinho showed an ugly, disrespectful side by not naming the man, thought to be Jamie Redknapp, who he tore apart publically but again part of what he wanted worked and many stories were written about his comments, others about Diego Costa's stamps and, thankfully, some on what was a fantastic game of football.

It is coming up to three years since Chelsea won a trophy. That is simply not good enough for owner Roman Abramovich, or the board that has approved the finances he pours into it, so as the club looks to end the slump they are at the moment content to play the role of the evil empire, accepting the exhausting amount of endless stories created by their leader who shows little respect for opponents or referees, no dignity in defeat and acts like he is more important than the club, which is something that won't sit well for too long with rich executives in charge of the club's international brand and image.

All appears well for now. Mourinho has helped carve Chelsea into a very good side, they are winning a lot of games and everyone is smiling but make no mistake the approach to leadership that Mourinho chooses is fragile and has been proven to not lead to long term stability. 

Mourinho is in the fast lane. He has his foot on the pedal and he cannot stop. In a game he doesn't play he is being universally lauded as the man responsible for Chelsea's rise. Those doing so need to remember he will be just as responsible when their relationship eventually ends in an inevitable second divorce.