
Chelsea
manager Jose Mourinho pulled no punches on a variety of topics during a
surprise interview on
Goals on Sunday.
The Chelsea manager saw his Premier League leaders held 1-1 by
relegation-threatened Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in a match
shrouded in controversy.
Mourinho felt his side deserved to be awarded two penalties and slammed the
decision to send off Nemanja Matic for his reaction to a challenge from
Ashley Barnes, who also appeared to catch Branislav Ivanovic with a
dangerous first-half challenge.
But he also spoke out on a number of topics - from video technology and
refereeing decisions to Louis van Gaal and Arsene Wenger.
Here's what the enigmatic Portuguese, making an impromptu appearance on the
Goals on Sunday sofa, told Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara:
ON BURNLEY DRAW
"What can I say that everybody doesn't know? There are things in matches
where there is space for discussion and different explanations and points of
view. There are actions where there is only one point of view.
"Yesterday I was saying in a press conference that commentators, pundits and
people in the media naturally are a bit disturbed when you have a clear
caller. I can't imagine that the four incidents of this game are open to
interpretation.
"It is what it is. I think if you say it in a way where you go over the line
with your comments, I think it's understandable but if you just say what is
obvious, without attacking the integrity of the people, if you're just
honest and objective in your comments then it shouldn't be a problem.
"At half-time, Burnley should be playing with 10 men and Chelsea should have
two penalties. Normally, we win 3-0 or - let's put in the possibility of
missing one of the penalties - we win 2-0 and play against 10 men. The
reality is that in the end, we play with 10 men and lost two points.
"The arm (Michael Kightly's) stopped the ball from hitting the target. There
is no space for interpretation. He's far away - he's not a metre or a few
inches. The ball is hitting the target. The players are taught to keep their
balance, even in difficult situations in the box. Difficult biomechanical
actions in putting the arms behind the body.
"For me, it's a penalty everywhere.
"The best players in the world can make mistakes. They miss penalties. The
best goalkeepers make mistakes. This gentlemen is one of the top referees in
European football. He can also make mistakes. He made important mistakes
yesterday.
"I know to be a referee is so difficult. Sometimes I referee in the training
session and I ask for assistance. But there are situations that are not open
to interpretation."
ON BARNES' TACKLE ON MATIC
"This could be end of career. Because I can't find another adjective
stronger, I just say this is end of career. Matic is a lucky guy.
"Another club would maybe have the power to appeal and as I was listening
yesterday to people with some good feeling of honesty. It comes from people
without any connection with Chelsea and comes from people with miles and
miles on the pitch at a high level.
"I can't find the word to describe what that player did. I can clearly
understand that football is about emotions and sometimes you lose emotions.
Clearly Matic had a reason to lose his emotions. What could be the
consequence of his push for the other player? Nothing. The consequence for
Matic could be end of career."
ON DIEGO COSTA CRITICISM
"When you say Diego Costa 'crimes' you cannot say a harsh tackle (for
Barnes). You have to say a criminal tackle. When you say Diego's 'crimes'...
did you (Sky) apologise to Chelsea or to Diego or to myself? You didn't.
"When Diego Costa has a three-match ban, probably three matches to Matic...
tell me how many matches this player (Barnes) deserves?
"If Diego gets a three-match ban. How many does this player get?
"I’m sorry because I don’t want to forget. It’s not because I’m in your
house (on Goals on Sunday) that I’m not going to be honest with myself.
"When I finished the game against Liverpool I went to the dressing room and
immediately the first thing I saw - because we have a big screen in the
dressing room for the match analysis at half-time and at the end of the game
it becomes television - I was reading non-stop 'Diego Costa crimes'.
"I don’t like the use of the language and I don’t like the fact that in my
opinion you start in that moment the public judgement of the player.
"You don’t do this with every club, you don’t do this with every player.
Last year, Yaya Toure against Norwich you did not have the same approach.
This season, Robin van Persie against West Ham you didn’t have the same
approach. Yesterday you didn’t have the same approach and I don’t even want
to compare Yaya, with Robin, with Diego and what happened yesterday. What
happened yesterday was similar to what happened to Hazard at Stoke. This one
yesterday is even worse because it can be the end of his career."
ON REFEREE MARTIN ATKINSON
"Yes, I spoke to the referee. Mr Atkinson told me he didn’t have the chance
to see it on TV. He was in the dressing room and didn’t have the chance to
see it. I asked him if he’d had any contact by phone with family, with
friends or with referees to get some feedback and he said: 'No, not at all'.
"And he said any one of the four incidents I spoke about with him he didn’t
see. Or he saw what he decided. So for him there was no reason for a card in
the first action. No reason for a penalty and no reason for a card in the
second moment.”
ON PARIS RACISM INCIDENT
"Our reaction couldn’t be better because Chelsea’s reaction as a club was
absolutely fantastic. Chelsea couldn’t do more than they did. In this moment
we can only repeat everything we were told. Everything Chelsea is doing and
no more than that.
"Again, when I use the word ashamed of, I repeat should I, should I be
ashamed of what two or three people did? Are these people representing my
club? Is Chelsea this? Not at all. Because of that we feel very sorry to be
connected with these people."
ON FIVE-POINT GAP
"If you're asking me about the five points difference I would say, if we're
in a normal situation where mistakes are part of the game at this point, we
are talking about the points at Tottenham, the points at Southampton and we
would be 12 points ahead."
ON TECHNOLOGY
"If the referee can't see a penalty three metres in front of him, an
official in front of a screen can't miss it. If we want to protect the
integrity of the referee and believe that the mistake is the consequence of
misinterpretation or a bad position, I think technology can help."
ON MANCHESTER CITY
"I was expecting them to win. I don’t think Newcastle is the kind of team,
in spite of their victory in the Capital One Cup, to go to the home of a big
team and make it really difficult. I think they feel much more comfortable
when they are playing at home than when they are playing away. Obviously 5-0
is a huge result but I was expecting the three points.
"They have so many good players but obviously David (Silva) is important for
them. He occupies different areas on the pitch. It doesn’t matter where he
plays, on the right or the left or behind the striker, he’s a fantastic
player.”
ON FRANK LAMPARD
"We let him go for different reasons. First of all, I think the motivation
Frank has to have this role at City wouldn't be the same motivation he has
to have the same role at Chelsea.
"Secondly, we open the door for him to choose his future and we thought he'd
go to the States and would come back after a couple of years to do what he
wants. We would have found a new department for him! What he did for Chelsea
for more than one decade was something amazing.
"Yes, of course (he's one of the best players I've managed). A midfielder
player doesn’t score so many goals. It’s as simple as that and I think his
career was based on an unbelievable number of goals he scored from midfield.
That made him a unique player because I had so many good midfield players
but a player to score this number of goals is amazing."
ON RETURNING TO CHELSEA
"I'd won everything in those three countries and then I knew what I wanted.
I could choose where I wanted to go - not in terms of clubs but in terms of
countries. I know where my family likes to be and where they were happier
and Chelsea was my first love outside my country.
"I am enjoying my players. With so many years of football, the best moments,
the best motivation is when you have a special feeling with your players. My
best seasons are exactly in these moments where I feel a real connection
with the players - when I feel a real pleasure to work with them, to be with
them. They are a good group of guys. Some are already in the last phase of
their careers but not many. Most of them have dreams to reach and I’m really
happy to work with them."
ON BEING SPECIAL
"I am a special one, not the special one. Go back and you will see. I am a
special one."
ON LOUIS VAN GAAL
"He's a fantastic coach and a fantastic person. I know him so well. Players
need to adapt and understand to perform at the highest level and it's the
same with us. I think Louis will have his time to make United win titles
again. This season they have a chance in the FA Cup and a chance to finish
in the top four and go back to the Champions League."
ON ARSENE WENGER
"He has a dream job that we'd all love to have. I think every manager in the
world would like the stability by being here year after year after year, to
buy to sell and rebuild and wait and wait for success."
ON ARSENAL
"I don’t understand why they are not where we are with Man City because I
like that team very much. I think they have very good players. Alexis
Sanchez and Danny Welbeck are very important to add to an already very good
squad. I think they are a team with more to give."