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”.