Jose
Mourinho has told his Chelsea players to face their problems head on and not
to hide like ostriches.
Chelsea will bid to improve on their miserable start to the season - four
wins in 11 games in all competitions, including two in seven in the Premier
League - against Southampton on Saturday, live on Sky Sports 1 from 5pm.
Amid talk of a crisis and suggestions of rifts within the squad, Mourinho is
defiant, and he became the second Premier League manager in under a year -
after former Leicester boss Nigel Pearson - to make a reference to a certain
flightless bird.
"There is an animal that puts its head in the ground... an ostrich,"
Mourinho said.
"In the bad moments, you cannot do that and just wait for a better moment to
come, or for the problems to be resolved by themselves.
"Or waiting for the moon to change and give you better vibrations. You make
mistakes, you are in a bad moment, no ostrich [behaviour], head up, face the
problems, speak, work. For me, this is the way."
Pearson was forced to apologise for calling a journalist an ostrich during a
tetchy press conference in April.
Mourinho says players shirking responsibility would be a poor response, but
he believes the 2-0 win over Arsenal showed that is not the case with his
players.
"Sometimes, players are on the pitch and they are hidden," the Portuguese
coach added.
"It's the worst thing, when you don't want to be there. You lose two or
three matches, the next match you play at home and you don't want to be
there.
"I think we showed against Arsenal that we don't have that profile. We came
against Arsenal in a worse run than now, after [defeats by] Crystal Palace
and Everton. I don't think we'll be in trouble not to have the desire and
personality to play against Southampton."
Mourinho defended his methods after suggestions some players were unhappy
with his criticism, insisting it is imperative to rebuke players in front of
their team-mates.
"Of course [I criticise] in front of the other players, because I coach,"
Mourinho said.
"When I criticise the mistake of my right-back and [youth team player] Ola
Aina is present, it's an education for him. When I criticise a mistake of
Gary Cahill and John Terry is in the meeting, if he didn't play he knows
what I want.
"If I criticise Willian for his movement, Pedro is listening and learning."
Even Eden Hazard, Chelsea's standout performer last term, has not been
immune, dropping to the substitutes' bench for Tuesday night's loss at
Porto.
Mourinho had an explanation for Hazard's sub-standard display in last
Saturday's draw at Newcastle - the Belgian had become a father for the third
time the previous evening - and insists the forward remains the Premier
League's best.
"If we arrive in May and Eden Hazard doesn't have a good period, we are in
trouble and he is too because his season was very bad," Mourinho added.
"He played very well against Arsenal. Against Newcastle he was all night
without sleeping because his baby was born that night. He travelled on the
morning of the game and wasn't in the best condition.
"He's in a period where he's not at the top of his game, but he's the best."
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