“One possibility is that I did an incredible job and brought the players to a level that is not their level and now they can’t maintain it”. Where they are at the moment is impossible.
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I don’t think it is right I go to the board and say these players are not good and we need to spend 50 or 100 or whatever. No I don’t believe this.
The mood could hardly have been more different in the Leicester camp, who have lost only once in the league since a defeat at home to Chelsea in April.
The Portuguese manager saw his side get beat for the ninth time in the league this season, thanks to goals from Leicester’s Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. His stars are woefully out of form, his team is only one point clear of the relegation zone and in the midst of the biggest-ever collapse in English soccer. ‘They deserved to win because they were better than us during a longer period of time, ‘ he said. “I have to be honest with them and say that every day in training I enjoy to work with them because they want to work”. We prepared for everything related to the opponent, identified the movements where they have scored nearly all their goals from. My best quality is to read the opposition and identify their qualities, so to concede two goals like we did is unacceptable for me. Day by day in training I have no complaints with them.
Asked if Chelsea can still qualify for the Champions League, Mourinho said: “We can’t finish top four, but we can still finish top six because so many teams are dropping points”.
Chelsea finally began to apply sustained pressure around the hour-mark and Leicester defender Danny Simpson had to make a crucial double-block in the goalmouth to deny Diego Costa and Pedro.
With 13 minutes remaining, substitute Loic Remy’s close-range header set up a tense finish but Leicester somehow held on to complete a remarkable victory.
The result has left the champions 14 points outside the Champions League places, and 20 behind Leicester, leaving Mourinho to repeat his view that Chelsea won’t qualify for Europe’s elite club competition via their league placing. “Let me achieve 40 points and then I am thinking of my next goal”.
It was a cagey start, with both teams well aware of the game’s importance – Leicester knowing they could move ahead of Arsenal and Manchester City to return to the summit, while the reigning champions were desperate to make up ground on their rivals.
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Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater hobbled off after just 17 minutes on Monday night but Ranieri hopes he will be fit for the trip to Everton at the weekend.
