Jose Mourinho must update his approach

Jose Mourinho might think about just cooling down his tongue next season

Everyone rejoiced at the return of Jose Mourinho last summer but it might be time for him to take stock and adjust the way he manages.

Jose Mourinho's return to English football last summer was met with joy by Chelsea fans and football hacks alike. 

The charismatic Portugese, whose first spell at Stamford Bridge had been characterised by footballing success, big spending and hilarious sound bites, promised to bring entertainment and character back to the ranks of Premier League management. In the aftermath of Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, his return was warmly welcomed.

Now at the end of his first season back in English football, Mourinho must take stock and think through the failings of his only trophy-less full season in charge of a club since taking the reins at Porto in 2002. 

During his first spell at Chelsea there was an air of invincibility about Mourinho and an assured coolness that spread amongst his players and this was enough to win him the Premier League title in both of his first two seasons in charge. Throughout his first spell the Blues remained unbeaten at home in the league, but this run was eventually ended after 77 games by Sunderland in April of this year.

Where Mourinho's press conferences and post-match interviews once appeared funny and honest, they now come across as bitter and lacking in humility. In the aftermath of the Sunderland defeat Mourinho sarcastically praised the performance of referee Mike Dean, who had awarded a late penalty, rather than accepting the fact that his side had been defeated by a better team on the day. 

Similarly, Mourinho accused Sam Allardyce of setting his West Ham United team up to play '19th century football' when they secured a valuable point in a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge in January. 

Had the comment come from Brendan Rodgers, for example, then maybe it would have been accepted as fair criticism but, coming from Mourinho, who has regularly opted to 'park the bus' it came across as gross hypocrisy. 

Mourinho's barbed comments have not been restricted to his opponents, however. Whilst he has rarely been critical of his team as a whole, often insisting that they were building towards next season and were a 'little horse' in the title race, Mourinho has been quick to criticise individuals within his squad. 

The Chelsea strikers, for instance, have been left under no illusions what Mourinho thinks of them after the manager was filmed by a French TV company, claiming that he had a team but 'no strikers' and claiming that he didn't know how old Samuel Eto'o was. The Cameroon international now looks set to leave the club, whilst Fernando Torres's fragile confidence seems unlikely to recover and Demba Ba is potentially looking for regular first team football elsewhere.

One bright spark for Chelsea in front of goal was Eden Hazard, who scored 14 league goals and picked up the PFA Young Player of the Year award, but even the Belgian was not able to avoid Mourinho's wrath. 

Having appeared to criticise Chelsea's tactics following their Champions League semi-final defeat to Atltico Madrid, Hazard was accused by Mourinho of lacking commitment to the cause and being the type of player who does not work hard for his team. He suggested that criticism from Hazard's 'type of player' does not come as any surprise. 

Jose Mourinho has endured a frustrating season back in the Premier League but this does little to justify his outbursts. If next season is to be any different then he will need to get more from his Chelsea team. 

With Manchester City set to improve further, Arsenal looking to invest and Manchester United desperate to return to the Champions League, Mourinho's men will be under even more pressure in 2014/15. 

The Chelsea manager's criticism of opponents, officials and some of his own players is growing tiresome; he must find a new approach if the Blues are to have a hope of keeping up with their rivals.