Will Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich stick by Jose Mourinho or sack him again?

ROMAN ABRAMOVICH must decide if he’s going to stick or twist over the next few days.

The immediate future of his club rests on whether he keeps faith with Jose Mourinho or sacks him for the second time in eight years.

The Russian billionaire is a secretive sort of chap so it’s mostly guesswork and speculation.

There was a vote of confidence the other week but the bottom line is that nobody really knows what Abramovich is thinking.

The axe might fall today, tomorrow or not at all.

If history is any indicator, Mourinho will not be Chelsea manager when they resume after the international break.

All the bosses Abramovich has sacked Claudio Ranieri, Luis Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo and Mourinho first time round were all getting better results than The Special One is now.

Factor in the off-field issues the club doctor’s legal action, the rows with referees, his sending-off, the conspiracy theories, the stadium ban and it’s a surprise that Abramovich’s patience has stretched this far.But Mourinho made Chelsea what they are today and perhaps the owner now appreciates that.

The money helped, of course, but it was Mourinho’s tactical nous and single-minded focus on winning that turned the club from a celebrity hang-out into a trophy factory.

The Russian made a mistake when he got rid in 2007, firing Mourinho after a home Champions League draw against Rosenberg.

With Abramovich, Europe always takes priority over domestic football.

Scolari, Di Matteo and Villas-Boas also lost their jobs because they failed in the competition.

The fact that Chelsea are still on course to qualify from their group may be a decisive factor.

Mourinho has won eight league titles in four different countries, two Champions Leagues and seven domestic cups.

It’s a portfolio that you wouldn’t readily dispense with.

What Abramovich has to decide is whether Mourinho is the problem or the solution.Should Chelsea say goodbye to Jose? Yes NoMourinho has seemed in meltdown almost since the first day of pre-season.

When Abramovich considers whether to use these 13 days without a fixture to find a new manager he must work out whether Mourinho’s mood has made his players play badly or if the players’ performances have caused Mourinho’s mood.

The first reaction when results are poor is to blame the manager.

And Mourinho’s increasingly bizarre behaviour could be the core of the problem.

But he’s always behaved eccentrically. When he’s winning, he’s viewed as entertaining, a character, a player of clever mind games.

When his teams lose, he’s annoying, disrespectful, boorish.

The most damaging allegation is that he’s lost the dressing-room. There’s even been a suggestion that his players are actively working against him.

John Terry stepped up this week to dismiss such talk as nonsense.

But the fall-off in performance levels right through the team does suggest that at the very least Chelsea’s players have an attitude problem.

How else can Eden Hazard’s form be explained? How can a player be the best player in the country in May and barely worth a place a few months later?

Nemanja Matic’s powerful ball-winning meant that Chelsea dominated almost every game when they became Champions. He’s hardly put a tackle in since summer.

Branislav Ivanovic was a warrior. Now average wingers take him to the cleaners.

Cesc Fabregas was brilliant. Now his form has been so bad he had to deny he was the one who would rather lose than win under Mourinho.

Diego Costa scored goals as well as roughing up defenders. Now he just roughs up defenders and gets suspended.

As a group, they look like they’re laurel-sitting with the medals in the cabinet. Mourinho’s playing style requires energy and hunger and that seems too much like hard work.Alan Brazil: Chelsea sacking Jose Mourinho would be mad… he can turn it around – click here to read moreMourinho always had his lieutenants in the dressing-room to prevent any fall-off in desire.

But he lost Didier Drogba and Petr Cech in the summer. Frank Lampard went last year. Only Terry remains and while his spirit may be willing, the body is weakening.

Could it be that last season was the blip, not this? That the players were nothing like as good as Mourinho made them appear? That winning the title with that squad was perhaps the greatest achievement of his career?

Of course, the club have every right to expect their manager to do better. The slump is far too dramatic for Mourinho to escape criticism.

He has seriously under-performed and allowed too many fringe issues to distract him.

But he’s the one with the long history of winning trophies. Chelsea won’t find a better manager this side of Pep Guardiola.

The question is, does Abramovich agree?