Jose Mourinho and Chelsea’s nightmare season hit a new low on Monday as the Blues lost for the ninth time in 16 Premier League outings this campaign to leave them one point above the relegation zone.
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After calling Leicester City’s ball boys a “disgrace” in the 2-1 defeat at the King Power Stadium to league-leaders Leicester City, plus claiming he felt “betrayed” by his own players and then throwing Eden Hazard under the bus, Mourinho has come out all guns blazing following the latest defeat in a shambolic title defense from the West London outfit.
Mourinho, 52, still doesn’t think his team are in a relegation battle despite the gap between themselves and the top four now increasing to 14 points, with many Blues fans looking over their shoulders nervously at the likes of Swansea City, Norwich City and Sunderland. Yep, it has got that bad.
[ MORE: Mourinho: Leicester ball boys “disgrace” ]
Expect, Mourinho doesn’t want to believe his team is in a battle against the drop despite breezing into the UEFA Champions League last 16 last week.
“I accept we are in the relegation zone but I don’t accept we are in a relegation battle,” said Mourinho. “You look at the table and we are there but you think you are in a relegation battle if you think you are there for three or four months. I don’t think that.”
Speaking about his own future, Mourinho wants to remain at Chelsea and turn things around but also wants the backing of his boss, Chelsea’s Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.
“The last question is always the same. The only thing I can say is that I want to be the manager,” Mourinho added. “I have no doubts and I think you know me well enough to know that I am not afraid of a big challenge and in this moment it is a really big challenge. I want to stay and I hope Mr Roman Abramovich and the board want me to stay because I want to stay.”
Mourinho was given the vote of confidence by Chelsea following their defeat at home to Southampton in October but since then blow after damaging blow has arrived with back-to-back defeats to Bournemouth and Leicester ending their faint hopes of staging a miraculous comeback to finish in the top four.
“The top four is gone – clearly,” Mourinho said when asked after the game on Monday.
Does that mean he will be gone sooner rather than later too?
