The Portuguese tactician attended a press conference ahead of Chelsea‘s UEFA Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday, and the journalists couldn’t wait to get a few answers on a few recent events.
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It is suggested the Ligue 1 club offered to buy out Mourinho’s contract at Stamford Bridge, which doesn’t expire until 2019.
The BBC claimed this week that it had information of a Chelsea first-team player who would “rather lose than win” for the manager and, on Tuesday, a football blog named Fabregas as the player leading a revolt against Mourinho. The club have shown faith in the best manager with the best history at this club.
“It’s not what ifs”.
“I am completely convinced we are going to qualify and I think [in] first [place]”.
“I know [why]”, Mourinho said.
After 11 Premier League matches, last year’s champion has managed to win only three times against six losses and finds itself in the unfamiliar position of No. 15 (out of 20) in the English standings.
Lampard, who left Chelsea for New York City FC, and spent last season on loan with Manchester City, believes Mourinho is still the man to lead Chelsea out of their current malaise.
“Four years. No, three years seven months, something like that”, he said, referring to the new four-year contract he signed after winning the league in May.
There have even been suggestions that an increasingly rattled Mourinho has lost the support of the dressing room, but Lampard says that should never be the case.
“So, 11 years later, I resisted well to the nature of my job and the nature of football. It took time but now we are in that time and I am stable and strong to face it”. It’s a question for the player, not for me. I’ve taken that on the chin: Rio (Ferdinand), Carra (Jamie Carragher), (Gary) Neville, the very best I’ve come up against in the game.
But Terry says the Blues have no wish to be unpopular. Collectively we will bounce back from this and climb up the table. We know we need to be better, collectively, for this club and for him…
The former Tottenham and West Ham striker, who enjoyed a fine strike partnership with ex-Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko during the pair’s playing days, is looking to add to Mourinho’s woes. “It’s ridiculous. I’ve seen the disappointment in players’ faces after results. I always did and I am not going to change”, Mourinho added.
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Chelsea are awaiting the written reasons to determine whether or not to appeal.
