The King Returns

It may have only been six years since José Mourinho stepped away from Stamford Bridge in the aftermath of an uninspiring draw with Rosenborg in the Champions League and a falling out with Roman Abramovich, but in terms of perceived time at Chelsea, it must seem like he departed ages ago. Chelsea fans have perpetually, and rightfully so, exalted his name to the point of him being something like a deity in Chelsea circles, and the constant revolving door of the manager's office has done little to placate fans and their desires to see him on the club's touchline again. Perhaps only Roberto Di Matteo has even approached captivating the Chelsea faithful as Mourinho did, but even his abbreviated yet very successful reign fell victim to Abramovich's whims.

There is a German saying, man sieht sich immer zweimal im Leben, that seems so very apt in the wake of yesterday's news of Mourinho's long awaited return to Chelsea and the Premier League. Even with the rather acrimonious circumstances of his 2007 exit, and even as both Mourinho himself and Chelsea have moved on and won their respective trophies post-separation, it just always seemed, if only rather anecdotally, the spiritual cord between Mourinho and the club had never been entirely severed. Fate just always seemed to suggest that the once happy marriage between the two parties would be renewed again.

In returning to Chelsea, it goes absolutely without saying that Mourinho is stepping into a situation that is ready-made for a continuation, if not a furthering, of the legacy that he has already cemented for himself at Chelsea. Chelsea have pulled off the remarkable Champions League and Europa League double over the last two seasons, and Chelsea is as blessed with attacking talent in the forms of Mata and Hazard, amongst others, as just about any of the big teams in Europe. Couple the aforementioned with the fact that Chelsea's most likely Premier League title rivals, Manchester United and Manchester City, will both be going into next season with  new leadership, and suddenly it seems that Chelsea could very well be prohibitive favorites for the title. Some inspired Mourinho signings this summer may only make English glory that much more of a probability.

However, as belabored as the point is at this juncture in the Abramovich era, the very crux of the second reign of Mourinho will center around just how comfortable Abramovich will be with ceding a bit of control of footballing matters to Mourinho in the months and years to come. If Abramovich has learned his lessons from the last battle with Mourinho, he will do just that, though his track record over the years might leave many feeling rather skeptical about whether he will indeed let Mourinho operate as he so chooses in the long run.

With the chosen one now back in his rightful place, fans will be all but pleading with Roman Abramovich to not duplicate the ego-driven mistakes of the past. He's already lost Mourinho once, and he'd be ill-advised to do it again.