The pattern is set, the trend well established. The world, in the complex mind of Jose Mourinho, has turned against Chelsea’s manager and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Why would he, when this was the plan all along? Just as winning has been a theme of his career, so has the carefully-crafted tantrum. He will moan, defend the indefensible and attack the likes of Sportsmail columnist Jamie Redknapp who, in the case of Diego Costa this week, say what the rest are thinking. Some will call it a character flaw; others will recognise that it is a staple of his management. A master tactician he may be, but he is also a master of manipulation, of finding a way into the minds of his players and giving them extra incentives to fight. In football, siege mentality is the cliche that best sums it up.
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Chelsea axed Jose Mourinho's pre-match Manchester City media session
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Blues boss is incensed after Diego Costa was banned for three games
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Mourinho is creating siege mentality at Chelsea but we've been here before
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It it something that has recurred throughout his career during spells with Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and, of course, in both spells with Chelsea
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As a man whose side face @placeholder in a huge game this weekend, he will also not be blind to the benefits of a dressing room that feels it’s ‘us against the world’.