Jose Mourinho: Costa Was Man Of The Match

Jose Mourinho chose to wade in on the debate over Deigo Costa’s behaviour during Chelsea’s match with Arsenal by claiming there was no controversy and that the Brazilian born Spanish international should have named as Man Of The Match.

Chelsea ran out 2-0 winners over their North London rivals in a match that was filled with moments of controversy, most of which had Costa at the centre of them.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was incensed that Costa managed to stay on the pitch until Mourinho substituted him off to a standing ovation after 82 minutes. Wenger said, “He can do what he wants and he stays on. Everyone else that responds to him has to be sent off. It’s unacceptable. But he always gets away with it. He will do the same again next week, and the week after, and he always gets away with it”.

The flash point in the match came just before the half time whistle when Costa and Laurent Koscielny clashed in the Arsenal penalty area. Costa appeared to grab at Koscielny’s face, elbow him in the nose and swing his arm at him before chest barging the defender to the floor. The referee, Mike Dean, then booked the Spaniard and Gabriel Paulista who had got involved in the confrontation.

It looked as though the match would then peter out into the interval until Costa provoked Gabriel, walking behind him and whispering to him, causing the defender to lash out slightly with his foot. Costa predictably made a meal of it and appealed to the referee who, despite not seeing the incident himself, showed Gabriel a straight red.

Mourinho was typically defiant about the incident after the match saying, “He played like he has to play and that is why you have full stadiums and you sell football to television around the world for millions and millions. Because the game has to be played like that, OK? Man of the match, for me”.

The Portuguese manager may well have been glad to see one of his players show a bit of fight after the defending Premier League champion’s had managed just one win in the five league games they played prior to this match. Wenger, however, was less than impressed by Costa’s tactics and believes the Football Association should do something about it as it is ‘the least they can do’. He said, “To have two sendings-off for us and Diego Costa still on the pitch, it is a shame. In every game there is aggravation from him. If you look at the pictures and what he does to Koscielny, he pushes him down and hits him in the face. He is always provoking and he also uses the naivety of Mike Dean in this game, as well as my players. Gabriel deserves it but I don’t understand how Costa was not sent off”.

Mourinho, however, does not want his striker to curb his more provocative style and responded to Wenger’s suggestion that he breaks the rules of the game by saying, “Which rules? Your rules?… My view is this – and this why I’m proud of my club – I played against Arsenal maybe 12, 15, 18 times and only once he didn’t moan. And that day we lost. We lost the Community Shield, it was not good for us but we behaved in a fantastic way – no excuses, not crying, not moaning. I have to cope with my defeats; tonight he has to cope with his defeat”.

Chelsea v Arsenal Preview (Premier League) – 19th September 2015

Chelsea host rivals Arsenal in the early game on Saturday, with the champions looking to end a horrible start to the season. After the defeat to Everton on Saturday, there are huge questions over the players in this team. Can they turnaround their poor start and get their season up and running? It’s surely going to be a tough match for the Blues.

The Everton defeat means that this is now the Blues’ worst start to a season for 29 years. They currently sit 17th in the table, and they need a quick turnaround if they’re to have any chance of winning the title. Jose Mourinho made a big deal about how his role was to secure a top four place every year when he returned, and the pressure will soon be on him to guarantee that.

This game could be a crucial one for Chelsea in terms of making the top four. There’s few doubting their ability to finish there, but the longer this dire run goes, the more fears there will be about missing out on the Champions League. A loss to Arsenal would see them drop further off the pace, while their rivals move even further clear.

There’s also the early season defeat in the Community Shield to put right. That was the first time Arsene Wenger had ever beaten Mourinho, and the Chelsea boss will be looking to get back to winning ways against his old rival. It’s key that he sorts things out here, and to do that he’s likely to go a little more defensive, to get rid of the problems they’re having at the back.

Either John Obi Mikel or Ramires are likely to play beside Nemanja Matic in midfield, giving the Blues a solid foundation in midfield. Don’t be surprised to see him switch back to a 4-3-3, given how much space the two-man midfield has been conceding so far this term. Eden Hazard and Pedro are likely to start, but with a lot more defensive responsibilities than usual.

This is the kind of game for defensive old heads, so we could see the usual back four from last term in this game. Branislav Ivanovic will probably keep his place, with Cesar Azpilicueta at left back. Kurt Zouma may keep his place, but at home his pace shouldn’t be as important. Mourinho may play him to keep tabs on Theo Walcott, but he could switch back to Gary Cahill and John Terry and play a little deeper.

It’s going to be a tight game here, and it’s one that Mourinho knows his side simply can’t lose. We may see the pragmatist come out in the manager here, as he plays more with one point in mind than three. He’ll set up to counter attack, looking not to concede before all else. We therefore see a draw in this game, which would start easing Chelsea back to form.

LCN Verdict: 0-0 draw

Mourinho Calls BBC Reporter’s Question “Stupid”

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho appears to be struggling to maintain his calm in the fact of Chelsea’s poor form so far this season and has told a BBC reporter his question was ‘stupid’ in his press conference before the defending Premier League champion’s Champion’s League match against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Mourinho has never managed more than three seasons at any club in his career as a top flight boss. He can be excused for leaving Porto after two seasons when Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea came calling and he left the Blues when he disagreed with the Russian oligarch over the use of Andrey Schevchenko and the appointment of Avram Grant as manager.

He led Inter Milan to the Serie A title in his first year there and then continued into a second season despite making non-too subtle overtures to Manchester United about taking over from Alex Ferguson. Inter successfully defended their Serie A title and also won the Champion’s League, leading Real Madrid to take the plunge and offer him the position of manager at the club. Again, Mourinho could be excused for swapping Inter Milan for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

He lasted three seasons at Real Madrid before leaving, despite signing a new contract in between years two and three, to return to Chelsea. An average win ratio of 76.30% dropped to 63.20% in his third year at Chelsea the first time around and it went from 76.30% in year one of Real Madrid to 86.20% in year two before dropping to 68.40% in year three. So far in his third season of his second spell at Chelsea he’s won just one game in the first five fixtures, leading many to believe that he suffers from a third season syndrome.

When asked by the BBC’s Ben Smith if he felt he still has the qualities of a great manager and whether his struggles in his third seasons were problematic the Portuguese manager replied, “Look, my third season – in Porto, I didn’t have a third season. My third season in Inter, I didn’t have a third season. My third season at Chelsea the first time, I won the FA Cup and the Carling Cup, and I played the Champions League semi-finals. My third season in Real Madrid, I won the Super Cup, I lost the cup [Copa del Rey] final, and I went to the Champions League semi-finals. These are my third seasons… So click Google, instead of making stupid questions, click Google and try to find… you spoke about the third season, and I am telling you that the question is stupid, because the third season is what I told you… I know the point, the point is that the question is stupid. I am sorry…”

Given Chelsea’s poor start to the season many will feel the question is far from stupid and that Mourinho will need to see a dramatic improvement in his side’s results if he is to persuade Roman Abramovich to have a bit more patience with him. It will alarm many Chelsea fans that Mourinho’s relationship with the press has seemingly taken a turn for the worse considering it was that that seemed to force him out of the Bernabau towards the end of his time at Real Madrid. Mourinho reportedly said to a journalist from Marca, Real Madrid’s mouthpiece, “In the world of soccer, my people and I are top and in the world of journalism you’re a sh*t”.

Stamford Bridge Revamp Gets Council Go Ahead

Hammersmith and Fulham council have declared that they are “generally happy” about Chelsea’s plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge.

Roman Abramovich has chosen to invest in the redevelopment of Chelsea’s home ground in order to bring the Bridge up to date with the capacity of the Premier League defending champion’s rivals.

Chelsea’s current stadium has been their home since 1905 and has a capacity of 42,000. That is significantly smaller than Manchester United’s 79, 000, Arsenal’s 60,000 and Manchester City’s 55,000. Liverpool are also currently revamping their stadium to take it from 42,500 to a 54,000 capacity stadium.

Abramovich had initially wanted to move away from Stamford Bridge and the Chelsea hierarchy described the likelihood of expanding their current home as “not feasible or viable” in 2012. The club had made an approach to build a new stadium on the grounds of the iconic Battersea Power Station, but that was rejected.

Chelsea are reportedly close to agreeing a deal with Wembley in order to allow them to play their home games at the stadium of the national team having previously been turned down when the made a similar approach to play at the home of England rugby, Twickenham.

Having submitted their preliminary documents to the Hammersmith and Fulham council and received their blessing as long as “certain conditions are met”, Chelsea are now expected to submit their full application. It is hoped that work can begin on the new stadium at the start of next season.

Mourinho Insists: I’m The Right Man For Chelsea

Jose Mourinho has come out swinging in the aftermath of Chelsea’s defeat to Everton, informing his critics that he is the right man to take the club forward regardless of what others might think.

Mourinho has found himself under an unusual amount of pressure after his club’s poor start to the season, with the Blues managing just a single victory since the beginning of the campaign.

A disappointing 2-2 home draw with Gary Monk’s Swansea on the opening day of the new Premier League season was overshadowed by Mourinho’s criticism of his medical team, specifically Eva Carneiro. Carneiro ran on to the pitch after being beckoned twice by the match referee Michael Oliver. She gave treatment to Eden Hazard which meant the forward had to be taken off the pitch, leaving the hosts with nine men after the earlier dismissal of Thibaut Courtois for a foul on Bafetimbi Gomis. Mourinho criticised the doctor and said that even if she was a “secretary on the bench” she should understand the game.

That result was followed by a 3-0 loss away to Manchester City, a 3-2 victory over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns and a 2-1 loss at home to Crystal Palace before the international break. Their defeat to Everton at the weekend left the defending champions 11 points shy of Manchester City who are at the top of the table with a 100% record.

Despite Chelsea enduring their worst start to a top flight campaign in 29 years, however, Mourinho remains convinced that he is the right man to lead Chelsea out of their current crisis. He said, “The results are the worst in my career. They are not adapted to my quality, my status, but I am coping well with the situation. I am not feeling pressure. I am the man for the job. I don’t think there is better man who could come and do my job”.

Mourinho admitted that Chelsea will struggle to defend their Premier League crown after their poor start to the season, but joked that they should at least be able to avoid relegation. He said, “It is out of our control,” he said. “To win the title, it will depend on us to improve the results but also on other clubs who are above us to lose matches. Even if we win every game between now and the end of season, we still depend on other results. Next year people can be sure Chelsea won’t be playing in the Championship”.

Mourinho feels as though his side is currently enduring a run of extremely bad luck and that nothing is going their way. He said, “Today the game was completely under control and every mistake we made we were punished. Every shot is a goal, every mistake is a goal. The moment is so negative that everything goes against us. At the tactical meeting we had this morning, even the computer broke. But of course it was not because of that that we did not win”.

Chelsea have a chance to bounce back from their disappointing league form with a Champion’s League match against Maccabi Tel Aviv this week and Mourinho has told his critics to enjoy their moment in the sun as he plans to bounce back with immediate effect. He told the press, “I know that a lot of people are happy that after so many years to see me in a situation like this. Fair play. Enjoy. But I will enjoy my day tomorrow, again working hard as always thinking that on Wednesday we can win”.

Chelsea Manager In Dispute With Everton Boss Martinez

It has emerged that Jose Mourinho had some choice words to say to Roberto Martinez in the aftermath of Chelsea’s defeat to Everton at Goodison Park over the weekend.

Martinez, the Everton manager, spoke to the press first after the full time whistle was blown and the Toffees had beaten the defending Premier League champions thanks to a Steven Naismith hat trick.

After he left the press room Martinez was being interviewed by a journalist from the local newspaper The Liverpool Daily Echo when Mourinho walked past and said, “Roberto, next time tell me to go before you because we have to travel”. Martinez replied, “I don’t control that, Jose. I don’t control that”. Mourinho then said, “f*cking hell” as he walked away.

Roberto Martinez was unruffled and said to The Liverpool Echo’s reporter, “When he beat us 6-3 last season he was such a nice man. I prefer him like that”.

It was the second time that day that Jose Mourinho had fallen foul of the press as before kick off he walked out of an interview with BT Sport’s Ray Stubbs when the interviewer asked him about the club’s summer long pursuit of Everton’s John Stones. Mourinho said, “Before the game this is too long” prior to storming sway from the journalist.

Despite the attempt from Mourinho to suggest that Martinez had disobeyed managerial etiquette there is no ruling that says the away manager should speak to the media before the home manager. The current rules surrounding post match media obligations only say that there must be a press conference and that both managers must speak, but the order they speak in is not dictated.

Thibaut Courtois Out For Three Months

Chelsea’s season has shown no sign of improving recently, with the defeat to Everton merely the latest chapter in a line of bad news for Jose Mourinho’s club. The Blues’ manager admitted that his first choice goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, will be out for at least three months as he recovers from a knee injury.

Courtois damaged his medial ligaments in a training exercise last weekend and at first it was hoped that the injury wouldn’t be too serious. Yet Mourinho confirmed the Chelsea fans’ worst fears when he said, “It is a big blow, it is not easy to have the best goalkeeper in the world injured”, as he told the press that he would be out until the middle of November.

Mourinho brought in former Stoke ‘keeper Asmir Begovic this summer when Petr Cech was allowed to join Arsenal, and the stopper has already deputised for Courtois after the Belgian was sent off against Swansea. Mourinho said, “I’m very sad for Thibaut and the team but we have a top keeper and Begovic will be in goal”.

The self proclaimed Special One may well be telling the press that he considers Begovic to be a first class goalkeeper but the fact that the Bosnian has now played two and a bit games for Chelsea and has conceded seven goals will not be inspiring confidence in the defending Premier League champion’s defence.

The injury to Courtois means that Chelsea are likely to be without their first choice goalkeeper for big games against Arsenal, Southampton and Liverpool as well as Champion’s League fixtures against Maccabi Tel Aviv, FC Porto and Dynamo Kiev.

Chelsea v Maccabi Tel-Aviv Preview (Champions League) – 16th September 2015

Chelsea kick off their Champions League campaign on Wednesday night, as they host group minnows Maccabi Tel-Aviv at Stamford Bridge. The Premier League winners were seeded in this group, and they’re heavy favourites to make the next round. The draw looked straightforward for them, but that was before they made a horror start to the season. Will things be quite so easy for them now?

The Blues head into this game backed heavily by the bookies, but there can’t be a lot of confidence in this squad. None of them have played well this season, with their performances being either awful or forgettable. The team are far from the side of last season, but they need to get back to that level fast in the league.

For this game, it’s not quite necessary. The Israeli side don’t seem to have that much of a threat about them, so this should be a great chance for Chelsea to get back to winning ways. No matter how much they’re backed to win this group, they simply can’t afford to drop points at home to the lowest seeded team in there.

Jose Mourinho is without Thibaut Courtois for this one, with the Belgian set for a long spell on the sidelines. He could be out until next year after picking up a knee injury in training. Asmir Begovic is set to come in to replace him for the foreseeable future, and the Bosnian should be a strong understudy.

That seems to be the only real injury worry ahead of this one, after Oscar made a return in the defeat at Everton. He should be available to start in this game, and he’s likely to play alongside Eden Hazard and Pedro in an impressive three man attacking midfield. Hopefully they can click together, along with Diego Costa, given that the Blues will see a lot of the ball in this next game.

While there aren’t too many injury problems, there are some below par performers to keep an eye on. Last term, the Chelsea team basically picked itself. Now, certain stars don’t really deserve a starting berth. Will Mourinho ring the changes? He promised to after the Palace game, but he didn’t follow through with that at Everton.

Given that Cesc Fabregas’s match stats from Saturday had about as many zeros as his pay cheque, he’s got to be in danger of losing his place. If Mourinho can play that attacking midfield trio, then he has already replaced the out of form Fabregas. Ramires could come in for him, or he could even give Ruben Loftus-Cheek a run out.

Branislav Ivanovic’s displays of late have been awful, too. He has to be in danger of missing out. Making radical defensive changes before a game like Everton is one thing, but they can afford it in this game. Hopefully changes do help the Blues on to victory, starting off their Champions League campaign better than their domestic one.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-0

Chelsea v Everton Match Preview (Premier League) – 12th September 2015

Chelsea return from the international break this weekend, and as fate would have it, they face Everton. The champions clashed with the Toffees numerous times over the summer during their chase for John Stones, and that’s just added tension to this game. Jose Mourinho knows he needs three points, but have his side got up to speed in the last three weeks?

After just one win from their opening four games, the Blues are far from their best this term. They’ve fallen way off the early pace set by Manchester City, and a disappointing deadline day did little to lift the mood around the club. With no big name arrivals, it looks like Mourinho is going to have to iron out all the problems with his squad himself.

That is what he gets paid to do, of course, and he has a group of players good enough to succeed. The trick is getting them back to the level of last season. Fitness is a worry, after their late pre-season, and having his stars travelling the world over the international break really isn’t going to help them. While the likes of John Terry should be well rested, many of the others will likely be a little jaded.

That’s not the ideal preparation for stepping into Goodison Park, especially to face a club who you’ve spent the summer angering. Instead of lining up for Chelsea, he’ll be siding with the hosts, after playing for England during the break. He’s taken the whole transfer saga in his stride, so what are the odds on him scoring here? (Around 16/1 to score anytime if you’re interested.)

Unless players have picked up knocks during the break, it looks like Oscar is the only doubt for this game. The Brazilian has missed the last three games, but could be in contention to return. Terry is back from suspension, and he’ll replace either Kurt Zouma or Gary Cahill.

Last season Diego Costa hit a hat-trick on this ground in a very entertaining 6-3 win. The way Chelsea have been playing we could see another high scoring affair here. Until the Terry sending off in their last away game, they were going forward with a swagger, and being caught out at the back.

Manchester City came here to Goodison a few weeks ago, and they played well in a 2-0 win. The Toffees put them under pressure, but the leaders outclassed the hosts and took the points. The question is, could Chelsea produce that level of performance to grind out a win if needed? There’s little evidence to back that possibility this season.

In the end, the international break may just cost the Blues, sapping their already off-pace squad. This is going to be a massive test for their side this season, and we can’t see them passing it. While a draw wouldn’t be great, many teams will leave here with less.

LCN Verdict: 1-1 draw

Chelsea Transfer Review (Summer 2015): Which Players Are In, Out & On Loan

Transfer deadline day wasn’t one to remember for Chelsea fans, and many view the summer’s business as mixed at best. The main focus seemed to be on the players who didn’t join, rather than the ones who actually arrived. Big money moves never materialised, and some of the signings were far from the household names that were rumoured early on.

On top of that, there were some high profile exits, and once again a barrage of loan departures. With the current number of Chelsea’s farmed out reserves hitting 30, we felt you may need reminding of just who left the club this summer. Here we have a run-down of all the summer’s transfer activity, plus reaction to all the completed moves, and those which remained uncompleted.

Transfers in

  • Pedro – Barcelona, £21 million
  • Asmir Begovic – Stoke, £8 million
  • Abdul Baba Rahman – Augsberg, £14 million
  • Kenedy – Fluminense, £6 million
  • Papy Djilobodji – Nantes, £2.7 million
  • Michael Hector – Reading, £4 million
  • Total: £55.7 million

Despite signing just one player who is likely to start more matches than not, there’s quite a bit to get through in Chelsea’s incomings this summer. Pedro is the big name, and he looks like a fantastic piece of business. The others, are a mix of squad players, youngsters and complete unknowns. Djilobodji is an odd signing, he was turned down by Sunderland, QPR and Aston Villa before moving to Stamford Bridge. He must have thought the offer was a wind up. Michael Hector seems like an even stranger move, signing the 23-year-old for £4million, before loaning him straight out.

John Stones was the big miss this summer. The club were open about wanting to sign him, but they just could not get Everton to part with the centre-half. They chased him for most of the summer, before turning their attention to Marquinhos of PSG. They had two deadline day bids rejected for him, while they were also rumoured to be after Paul Pogba.

These moves could be setting the table for a massive summer next year, as that’s how modern transfers have moved. Many deals take over a year to complete, very rarely does a big player move in the space of days or weeks. Look at the build up to signing Diego Costa last year, that type of deal takes a while. Maybe it’s better to not waste money this year, to get the likes of Pogba and Stones over the line next summer?

Transfers out

  • Thorgan Hazard – Borussia Monchengladbach, £5.8 million
  • Gael Kakuta – Sevilla, £2.5 million
  • Petr Cech – Arsenal, £10 million
  • Josh McEachran – Brentford, £750,000
  • Didier Drogba – Montreal Impact, free
  • Filipe Luis – Atletico Madrid, £11 million
  • Oriol Romeu – Southampton, £5 million
  • Total: £35 million

Many of these departures were failed young starlets, who recouped the club back some profit while hopefully moving on to play more games. Those can’t really be argued with. Neither can Drogba’s move; he has given the club everything he could since first signing in 2004, and he deserves one final year playing regularly.

The same could be said for Cech, although it is disappointing to see him in an Arsenal shirt. Every Chelsea fan knew the Czech stopper was too good to sit on the bench, but few are happy seeing him at the Emirates. While it doesn’t seem to have helped Arsenal too much so far, it has fixed a position that’s worried Arsene Wenger for years.

Luis didn’t really do much in his year at Chelsea, but his move to Atletico seems like a waste. Given Branislav Ivanovic’s poor early form, it’s likely the Brazilian would have forced himself into contention. Adbul Baba Rahman could prove to be a great replacement, but it does feel like an unnecessary risk.

Chelsea’s Legion of Loaned Players

  • Christian Atsu – Bournemouth
  • Lewis Baker – Vitesse
  • Mario Pasalic – Monaco
  • Andreas Christensen – Borussia Monchengladbach
  • Isaiah Brown –Vitesse
  • Nathan – Vitesse
  • Marco Van Ginkel – Stoke
  • Victorien Angban – Sint-Truiden
  • Tomas Kalas – Middlesbrough
  • Jordan Houghton – Gillingham
  • Kenneth Omeruo – Kasimpasa
  • Patrick Bamford – Crystal Palace
  • Wallace – Capri
  • Danilo Pantic – Vitesse
  • Ulises Davila – Vitoria
  • Dominic Solanke – Vitesse
  • Joao Rodriguez – Sint-Truiden
  • Todd Kane – NEC Nijmegen
  • Mohammed Salah – Roma
  • Matej Delac – Sarajevo
  • Alex Davey –Peterborough United
  • Christian Cuevas – Sint-Truiden
  • Nathan Ake – Watford
  • Juan Cuadrado – Juventus
  • Marko Marin – Trabzonspor
  • Cristian Manea – Royal Mouscron Peruwelz
  • Jeremie Boga – Stade Rennais
  • Lucas Piazon – Reading
  • Victor Moses – West Ham
  • Islam Feruz – Hibernian
  • Michael Hector – Reading
  • Nathaniel Chalobah – Napoli

Even the most ardent Chelsea fan would have trouble keeping track of these players and the feeder clubs they join. Keeping 30 players on your books at other clubs might not be breaking any rules, but it does feel wrong. Does this really benefit any of the players? Will they actually ever get to play for Chelsea? And will this put off the next generation of wonder-kids from coming to the Bridge?

Of this huge number of players we’ve seen go, a few names stand out in particular. You have to wonder if Jose Mourinho would have let Andreas Christensen or Nathan Ake leave if he knew he wouldn’t get Stones. It’s hard to see Djilobodji as that much better than either of those two youngsters. Their progress this season will certainly be worth keeping an eye on.

The same can be said for a few others, including Nathaniel Chalobah. The youngster had a poor spell at Burnley last season, but now he faces a massive step up, as he moves to Napoli and Serie A. Given that they are looking to make the Champions League, this could be the making of the midfielder.

Mario Pasalic is another one to watch out for, after he moved to Monaco. The highly rated Croatian should get some chances there, and hopefully he can return ready for the first team. Izzy Brown is one of the many Blues at Vitesse this season, but keep tabs on his displays this year. He’s a highly rated striker, and you’d hope he will be able to prove himself in Holland.