Chelsea: Jose Mourinho had forgotten the winning 'feeling'

 

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said he had forgotten the winning "feeling" after they reacted to their worst start to a Premier League season with a 4-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The Blues entered the Champions League opener with one win from five matches.

"I forgot the feeling. For so long we don't win a game, so good, a good feeling," Mourinho said.

"I am a fantastic manager when I win matches and I am a fantastic manager when I lose matches."

Despite an early missed penalty by Eden Hazard, goals from Willian, Oscar, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas ensured Chelsea had no problems in seeing off their Israeli opponents.

"The penalty we missed was a big test for us," Mourinho added. "When you start a game you have to win and after five minutes you miss a penalty, it is an extra negative episode and our reaction was very good."

'I am not in heaven or hell'

Mourinho was the centre of attention building up to the match after his side's worst start to a season since 1986.

'Don't ask me stupid questions'

He was involved in a spiky exchange with a BBC reporter on Tuesday and burst into laughter when asked if his short haircut was to reflect his mood.

"The same way I was not in hell with bad results, I am not in heaven we won a game," he told BT Sport on Wednesday.

The Stamford Bridge crowd still sung Mourinho's name before kick-off and were audible in their support of the Portuguese throughout.

"I prefer that than they say 'Mourinho out' and they boo me and so on," he added.

"It shows they don't read papers or they don't have short memories. If they don't read papers they support me. If they don't have short memories, they support me.

"We won four Premier Leagues, three with him and one with his team. This guy is not bad. Let's support the guy. We have a chance to win the fifth."

'I have a lot of thinking ahead'

Having won only one match so far this season in the Premier League, Chelsea know the importance of returning to winning ways domestically against fourth-placed Arsenal on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners lost their Champions League opener against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday after striker Olivier Giroud was sent off, but are six points ahead of the Blues in the league.

Mourinho's side will have to do without Brazil midfielder Willian, who suffered a hamstring injury on Wednesday, while Spain forward Pedro will still be missing with a muscle injury.

"For all of us to wake up after a defeat, to go to Cobham again, to train again after a defeat, two days before a derby against Arsenal, I could imagine how difficult it would be for everyone," said the 52-year-old manager.

"I have a lot of thinking always. I try to read the game before it starts and I have a lot of thinking before Arsenal."

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin on BBC Radio 5 live
"Have Chelsea drawn a line in the sand and put their troubles behind them? Tel Aviv were not a good enough team to make that kind of decision about them.
"I would say 4-0 was the absolute minimum of winning this game by. You could see seeds coming through but is it all fixed? No, not yet."

Bad news for English football

Despite all Chelsea's domestic troubles, they were the only English team to begin the Champions League with a win after Arsenal joined Manchester United and Manchester City in making a losing start.

"It's bad news for English football," the Portuguese said.

"I'm not happy with that. I want Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal to lose in the Premier League - not in the Champions League."