Jose admits Blues' failings - 20 Mar 2006
The oft-derided Jose Mourinho was a picture of humility after the Chelsea manager admitted his own side's shortcomings in their 1-0 defeat to Fulham.
Luis Boa Morte got the only goal and Mourinho insists his side paid the price for a disjointed opening to the match.
Such was The Blues' incoherence that a frustrated Mourinho made two substitutions before the half-hour mark and he concedes the withdrawn Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips failed to provide much-needed penetration.
"For half of the game or for the first 30 minutes we were very poor in our game," Mourinho told Sky Sports. "Joe and Shaun did not have a happy game, we were not bringing the wings into the attack. Hernan [Crespo] was very lonely and they were in front. "I was watching minute after minute and there was no reaction from the team, at that time we needed a change." Chelsea regained their composure in the second half and Mourinho took heart from the turnaround despite not forcing an equaliser.
"Despite finishing 1-0 there was a big difference between the first 30 minutes and the rest of the game. Especially in the second half there was a big difference," added Mourinho. "In the first 30 minutes we deserved to lose the game but in the second half I can also say that we deserved to win the game."Mourinho had words of praise for The Cottagers and their previously under-pressure manager Chris Coleman.
"Fulham fought very hard, we know for them their goal is to keep in The Premiership and beat Chelsea," added Mourinho. "In the middle of being unhappy I can feel some happiness for Chris, he's a great guy and a great manager." Mourinho admits he did not see the two controversial decisions in the second half.
First Didier Drogba was adjudged to have handballed in the build-up to finding the back of the net.
The decision from Mike Dean was the correct one but, with the officials unsighted, there were suggestions they were swayed by the protestations of Fulham's players, something that Mourinho is adamant about.
"Everybody says he handballed so it's correct but I can promise you the linesman didn't see it," said Mourinho. "He was where I was, I couldn't see, he couldn't see, the flag was down, the goal was allowed. The Fulham players put pressure on the ref, when Chelsea does this we are punished and when opponents do this nothing happens. "The decision is correct but it's not because of what they saw but the pressure of the Fulham players." The Portuguese admits he did not have a clear view of William Gallas's late dismissal for a lunge at Heidar Helguson.
"I didn't see it, it was in the opposite corner, so I can make no comment," said Mourinho.
The oft-derided Jose Mourinho was a picture of humility after the Chelsea manager admitted his own side's shortcomings in their 1-0 defeat to Fulham.
Luis Boa Morte got the only goal and Mourinho insists his side paid the price for a disjointed opening to the match.
Such was The Blues' incoherence that a frustrated Mourinho made two substitutions before the half-hour mark and he concedes the withdrawn Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips failed to provide much-needed penetration.
"For half of the game or for the first 30 minutes we were very poor in our game," Mourinho told Sky Sports. "Joe and Shaun did not have a happy game, we were not bringing the wings into the attack. Hernan [Crespo] was very lonely and they were in front. "I was watching minute after minute and there was no reaction from the team, at that time we needed a change." Chelsea regained their composure in the second half and Mourinho took heart from the turnaround despite not forcing an equaliser.
"Despite finishing 1-0 there was a big difference between the first 30 minutes and the rest of the game. Especially in the second half there was a big difference," added Mourinho. "In the first 30 minutes we deserved to lose the game but in the second half I can also say that we deserved to win the game."Mourinho had words of praise for The Cottagers and their previously under-pressure manager Chris Coleman.
"Fulham fought very hard, we know for them their goal is to keep in The Premiership and beat Chelsea," added Mourinho. "In the middle of being unhappy I can feel some happiness for Chris, he's a great guy and a great manager." Mourinho admits he did not see the two controversial decisions in the second half.
First Didier Drogba was adjudged to have handballed in the build-up to finding the back of the net.
The decision from Mike Dean was the correct one but, with the officials unsighted, there were suggestions they were swayed by the protestations of Fulham's players, something that Mourinho is adamant about.
"Everybody says he handballed so it's correct but I can promise you the linesman didn't see it," said Mourinho. "He was where I was, I couldn't see, he couldn't see, the flag was down, the goal was allowed. The Fulham players put pressure on the ref, when Chelsea does this we are punished and when opponents do this nothing happens. "The decision is correct but it's not because of what they saw but the pressure of the Fulham players." The Portuguese admits he did not have a clear view of William Gallas's late dismissal for a lunge at Heidar Helguson.
"I didn't see it, it was in the opposite corner, so I can make no comment," said Mourinho.
