Jose Mourinho is open to criticism but insists he will no longer give 'funny headlines'
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has insisted he will no longer give ‘good or funny headlines’ after a difficult week and has welcomed open criticism for his team’s poor performance, as per the reports on Guardian. Mourinho grabbed the headline earlier this week for two incidents on a London street.
The 52-year-old has been in in the middle of many controversies this season, both on and off-field. The recent incident was when he was spotted strolling around the streets of west London. A video emerged of Mourinho reacting to a youngster who was filming him and it went viral in a matter of few hours.
It did not stop there for the Portuguese tactician. His ‘bad week’ continued when Chelsea faced Dynamo Kiev in their Champions League fixture during the mid-week, Mourinho slammed the referee in his post-match interview, labelling him “weak and naive”.
Ahead of Chelsea’s London derby match against West Ham on Saturday, Mourinho has hit back at English media in the press conference for not being treated with ‘respect’, insisting that he will no longer give ‘good or funny headlines’. He also vowed to stay out of the limelight for awhile.
“You don't get from me good and funny headlines.” Mourinho said.
“I'm going to treat your bosses the same way they treat me: no respect, no respect. I'm not talking about football. In football I'm ready to be criticised, even the stupid ones. Private life, stupid things you bring to light, I don't like it. So we go to a different level of professional relations.”
Meanwhile, the Portuguese tactician has praised their opponents West Ham, who have been in superb form right from the start of this season. However, Mourinho has remained positive and he believes his team are improving ahead of the match.
"Look at the table. It's easy. See where they are. See where we are." he added.
"We are not afraid to lose matches in the Premier League. The victory against Aston Villa was a good result, the draw in Dynamo was a good result. (Nemanja) Matic went from being on the bench against Aston Villa, played the second half positively, to being the man of the match for UEFA three days later."
"So just one example. Other players also improved in their performances. A bit better."
Chelsea have made the worst start to their season in 37 years. The reigning English champions have an uphill task in defending their title this term, as they now sit 12th in the league table and are trailing the leaders Manchester City by 10 points. Mourinho and his men will be hoping to register another victory against the Hammers on the weekend, following their dull draw against Dynamo Kiev.