Jose Mourinho and the curious case of third season curse

Following the club's abysmal show in the 2023/24 season, the decision-makers at AS Roma have pulled the plug on manager Jose Mourinho, relieving him of his duties mid-season. Mourinho was under the scanner for a few weeks, and the 3-1 loss at San Siro against AC Milan apparently made matters worse, eventually leading to the sack. Mourinho's post-match comments also did not help his cause.

3 things you need to know

• AS Roma sacks Jose Mourinho
• Mourinho won the UEFA Conference Cup with Roma
• The 3rd season curse continues for Mourinho

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Jose Mourinho's 3rd season Voodoo returns

Jose Mourinho receiving a sack in the third season as a coach has over the years become a fact rather than fiction. From Porto to Manchester United to even his beloved Chelsea, The Special One has struggled to prolong his stay for more than three seasons. Even when he had the chance to make it to the 4th season, he said no to Real Madrid and Florentino Perez.

Leaving Tottenham Hotspur aside, the hoodoo has followed the star coach to AS Roma as well. While departing in the similar manner is already bizarre enough, his three seasons stay at respective clubs showcase a similar trajectory too. He is known to acclimatize with his new club in the first season, and builds a team according to his whims and fancies for the following season. Delivers the best result in the second season, and then the volatility takes over. Leading to a fiasco that is on the display again.

With AS Roman, Mourinho lifted the inaugural UEFA Conference Cup in 2022, he then brought the team to the final of the UEFA Europa League in 2023. The unfortunate loss in the final against Seville eradicated the chance of a UCL berth. AS Roma finished 6th in the league in 2022/23. The matters did not improve in the third season, and following the inability to procure positive results, Jose Mourinho's memorable stint with Roma ended on a sour note.

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Homecoming for the special one?

As he becomes a free agent again, fans have begun to speculate about a potential return of Jose Mourinho to Chelsea. The Blues' fans hold a special place for their special one, and since, the club has struggled to garner consistent results with Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, a change on the control panel could be anticipated. With Chelsea, Mourinho won two Premier League titles and according to many ardent zealots of the club, Chelsea needs Mourinho and Mourinho needs Chelsea, at least for two-and-a-half seasons.