While their Premier League title defence has crumbled away over the last couple of months, they’ve also been dumped out of the Capital One Cup by Stoke. That they didn’t give everything to win the game? It’s sad for the players. “He knows his players very well”.
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But after 10 matches this term, Jose Mourinho’s side are 15th with 11 points, 11 points off joint-leaders, City and Arsenal. “I told TV previous year we won here 2-0”.
Asked if he had had any more reassurances since the weekend about his job, Mourinho said: “I don’t need more”. While we can understand why he’s thrown several Chelsea players into the mix (it’s only diplomatic, after all), there’s one Blue whose inclusion in Fabregas’ squad is pretty questionable – it’s none other than Cesc himself. “I think what a few people write and say is really bad for the players, and because most that do that were players, maybe they think my players are like them when they were players”. I think all the players don’t want that. Lack of confidence, why?
New German coach Juergen Klopp is also on the lookout for his first league win since joining the club three weeks ago. “People were saying there are things more important than results”, he added. “It is a contradiction”.
Stoke took the lead in the 52nd minute through a superb Jonathan Walters strike but saw Chelsea level just as the game seemed safe, with substitute Loic Remy converting an equaliser in stoppage time.
The Staffordshire outfit soaked up plenty of pressure from the visitors – the cup holders – both prior to and after the stoppage-time drama, with Butland making several fine stops before capping his display with the decisive intervention in the shoot-out.
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And Hughes said: “He made any number of saves. Then second half, goal, and they keep going”, he explained.
