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I’m staying put: Chelsea boss Mourinho

By AFP
03 November 2015   |   4:16 pm
Jose Mourinho insists he does not fear for his Chelsea future and believes he will be at the club until his current contract runs out in 2019. The manager is under growing pressure after a disastrous run of results and reports of unrest within his playing squad. But speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League game…
Chelsea boss, Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea boss, Jose Mourinho.

Jose Mourinho insists he does not fear for his Chelsea future and believes he will be at the club until his current contract runs out in 2019.

The manager is under growing pressure after a disastrous run of results and reports of unrest within his playing squad.

But speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League game with Dinamo Kiev, Mourinho made it clear he expects to see out the four-year contract he signed in August.

The manager refused to comment on whether he had met club owner Roman Abramovich but when asked how long he thought he had left in the job, he said: “I have four years. In this case, three years and seven months, or something like that.”

Mourinho dimissed suggestions that the experience of handling the worst run of results in his career would make him a better manager, pointing out his continuous run of success.

And he gave the example of a message received from a close friend who reminded him of his reaction to his first Champions League triumph in 2004 to illustrate how long he has been forced to wait before encountering such a dip.

The manager said: “If I’d only become a better coach because of bad results, then I’d be a really bad coach because, in the last 15 years, I’d never have improved.

“But I try and improve every day, analyse every detail of my work every day, preparing sessions, analysing matches, preparing matches. Every day.

“This is new for me. That’s why I’m a good one. I’ve not experienced this before.

– Resisted –
“Yesterday a friend sent me some quotes of my press conference after the Champions League final in May 2004. I’d completely forgotten about it.

“In May 2004 I said that, one day in my career, bad results would come. I said that in 2004 after winning the Champions League final with Porto.

“One day the bad results will come and I’ll face the bad results with all the same honesty and dignity that I’m facing now as a European champions. May 2004.

“So, 11 years later, I resisted well to the nature of my job and the nature of football. Eleven years waiting for this. It took time, but it’s come in a moment when I’m stable and strong to face it.”

Mourinho – who faces a stadium ban for this weekend’s visit to Stoke after being sent to the stands during the defeat at West Ham – dismissed recent claims suggesting a player rebellion, insisting the squad was fully behind him.

He said: “They are giving their best every minute of every training session. Giving solidarity in between all of us. Fantastic personal relationship. Very good professional relationship.

“They are training always in the limits of the quality and the effort. And always with the strong desire to win the next match, which is what we’re going to try and do tomorrow.”

He added: “I know (why results have been poor). No (I can’t tell you) because I’ll be here a long time. It’s a combination of factors. Some of them I can’t, I don’t even want to touch them. And yes I know.”

Asked if they were football-related, he said: “Everything is football-related, right. We don’t want to blame social or political problems in some corner of the globe, you don’t want to blame these aspects or bring these aspects to football problems. So everything is football-related, of course.”

The manager confirmed Radamel Falcao faces an extended spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury in training.

Mourinho said: “Falcao had, today, an important injury. Not so important as the ones he had previously, but an important muscular injury and he will be out for a few weeks, so there’s no point speaking about him. Just to give you this sad news.”

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