Mourinho: Chelsea in a Good Situation But Not Invincible

Jose Mourinho is pleased with Chelsea’s start to the season but reckons going 38 matches without losing a game is an “impossible job.”

“We are a happy camp,” the Portuguese remarked after watching his team go 17 games unbeaten in all competitions so far in the 2014-15 season- a new club record sealed with Saturday’s 2-1 win at Liverpool.

“It is a good start and I believe my team can keep this stability. One day we will lose and the next game we will win again. I know the negative moment will arrive and we are prepared for that,” said the 51-year-old.

Emre Can’s long-range strike deflected off Garry Cahill’s shoulder appeared to have pegged the ‘Blues’ back within nine minutes of kickoff, but Liverpool’s joy only lasted for five minutes as Chelsea, this time, befriended the law of karma in a reverse of the disappointing ‘ghost goal’ to the ‘Reds’ in a Champions League game in 2005.

Simon Mignolet parried John Terry’s header after Diego Costa had flicked a corner on to the Chelsea skipper, and as it appeared to the untrained eye that the Liverpool goalkeeper had collected Cahill’s follow-up, goal-line technology confirmed the ball had crossed the line.

Mourinho finds it plausible that- unlike in that semi-final tie almost nine years ago at the same end of Anfield- goal-line technology was there to assist the referee in awarding Cahill’s goal correctly.

Costa dealt Liverpool the killer blow in the second-half with his tenth goal in nine league matches to help Chelsea cap a third successive meeting with the ‘Kops’ with a flourish.

In his post-match spin, Mourinho said he was never edgy during Chelsea’s brief moment on the back foot.

He explained: “Of course we want to go in front but I am not afraid to go behind because the team is very stable, very confident.

“A goal against doesn’t stop the team (from) playing. When Liverpool scored it was not a drama for me or the team and they kept playing well. We had two or three good chances before we scored, and in the second half from minute one until we scored the second goal, it was a fantastic expression of ambition and self-belief.

“My team didn’t accept a point as a good result. Obviously it is three important points and a case of when the best team won. A fantastic performance.”

The manager praised the Chelsea medical team for a job well done last week, at the death of a tight fixture schedule which had the west London club play League Cup, two Premier League and the Champions League games in 11 days. He also revealed he took a gamble playing Cesc Fabregas, who “has a hamstring problem” and Ramires, who “is nursing a groin problem”.

“They (club medics) did fantastic this week with Diego but especially with Fabregas and Ramires, and we believe in everything at the moment,” he said.

“Every player was fantastic and some were absolutely brilliant but Ramires and Fabregas both played injured.

“Maybe the team will lose them for a match or two now but they put themselves there for the team, like I am sure others will in the future because the spirit of the team is fantastic.”

Chelsea have set the pace in the title race for others to trail and they head straight into the international break with a four-point differential separating them from second-placed Southampton; 2-0 winners against Leicester City also on Saturday.

He added: “I think we have a very good chance to win the title but I think we, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Southampton are all still in the race. All we can say is that we are the champions of the autumn.”

“We are in a good situation where we have played two matches in Liverpool and two in Manchester – four very difficult matches away, but it’s the beginning of November and there is a long way to go,” he concluded.