Jose Mourinho has thanked Chelsea’s ‘amazing’ fans after his side’s 2-1 win at home to Dynamo Kiev in the Champion’s League on Wednesday night.
The Portuguese manager has come under increasing pressure this term, with his Chelsea side already having lost six of their first eleven Premier League games. They are sit 15th in the league table with a mere eleven points.
Yet Chelsea fans showed their support for the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’, singing his name throughout their midweek game against Kiev at Stamford Bridge, leading Mourinho to say, “I have no other way to thank them than to give everything I have, which I do always. I had the moment when I came back to the club and we played the first match at home to Hull City and the way the stadium welcomed me was amazing – but not comparable with this. It is not comparable with this because it comes in a moment where the results are not good, it comes in a moment where the media are asking for my end. This is my moment because it was amazing. The club has to be very proud of their fans”.
The manager has been under-fire for most of the season, with his comments about the former Chelsea club doctor Eva Carneiro resulting in the manager being the subject of an individual law suit from her lawyers. He has also been given a £40,000 fine and a one match stadium ban for his behaviour during his club’s 2-1 loss to West Ham at The Boleyn Ground, as well as a £50,000 fine and a one match suspended stadium ban for words he said in the aftermath of his side’s 3-1 loss at home to Southampton last month.
Mourinho was pleased with his side’s mentality after they seemed to be heading towards a draw until Willian scored a late winner. He said, “We didn’t need to win to qualify so it was not a drama at 1-1. We knew that with a draw we would finish second in the group if we won our next two matches but from a mental point of view it was important to react to a negative moment. This was perfect because we conceded a goal with 15 minutes or so left and the team emerged. They knew 1-1 would be acceptable but they wanted to win and it will give them confidence”.
Yet it was the fans that Mourinho was thinking about most after the match, particularly the younger ones who have had to endure a difficult time of late, despite seeing their team win the league just six months ago. Mourinho said, “I think it is an amazing feeling for the club to know the fans are in a good moment and to see the streets full of people celebrating with a buzz. It is easy for kids to go to school with a Chelsea shirt when Chelsea are winning every match. With a Chelsea shirt on when Chelsea’s losing matches, they are probably bullied by other kids whose teams are winning”.