Thursday, April 24, 2025
11:16 PM
Doha,Qatar
RELATED STORIES

I’m staying put, insists Chelsea coach Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho during the press conference on the eve of his team’s Champions League tie against Dynamo Kiev.

AFP/London

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.”

Fixtures
Olympiacos vs Dinamo Zagreb
Roma vs Bayer
M. Tel-Aviv vs Porto
Gent vs Valencia
Lyon vs Zenit
Chelsea vs Dynamo Kyiv
Barcelona vs BATE
Bayern Munich vs Arsenal



Comments
  • There are no comments.

Add Comments

B1Details

Latest News

SPORT

Canada's youngsters set stage for new era

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you are saying farewell to those that have left a positive impression. That was the case earlier this month when Canada hosted Mexico in a friendly at BC Place stadium in Vancouver.

1:43 PM February 26 2017
TECHNOLOGY

A payment plan for universal education

Some 60mn primary-school-age children have no access to formal education

11:46 AM December 14 2016
CULTURE

10-man Lekhwiya leave it late to draw Rayyan 2-2

Lekhwiya’s El Arabi scores the equaliser after Tresor is sent off; Tabata, al-Harazi score for QSL champions

7:10 AM November 26 2016
ARABIA

Yemeni minister hopes 48-hour truce will be maintained

The Yemeni Minister of Tourism, Dr Mohamed Abdul Majid Qubati, yesterday expressed hope that the 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen declared by the Command of Coalition Forces on Saturday will be maintained in order to lift the siege imposed on Taz City and ease the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged

10:30 AM November 27 2016
ARABIA

QM initiative aims to educate society on arts and heritage

Some 200 teachers from schools across the country attended Qatar Museum’s (QM) first ever Teachers Council at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday.

10:55 PM November 27 2016
ARABIA

Qatar, Indonesia to boost judicial ties

The Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) of Qatar and the Indonesian Supreme Court (SCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial co-operation, it was announced yesterday.

10:30 AM November 28 2016
ECONOMY

Sri Lanka eyes Qatar LNG to fuel power plants in ‘clean energy shift’

Sri Lanka is keen on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar as part of government policy to shift to clean energy, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply Rauff Hakeem has said.

10:25 AM November 12 2016
B2Details
C7Details