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Mourinho targets Champions League consolation
LONDON (AFP) - Jose Mourinho has urged Chelsea to take out their Premiership title frustrations on Liverpool in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final.
The west Londoners saw their hopes of a third consecutive league crown all but evaporate after they were held to a surprise 2-2 home draw by Bolton on Saturday, leaving them five points adrift of leaders Manchester United.
Mourinho admits that result has dented his side's confidence ahead of the trip to Anfield, where they hope to defend the 1-0 lead secured by last week's first leg.
But the Portuguese insists Chelsea have the necessary mental strength to shrug off their domestic disappointment and book a place in their first ever Champions League final.
He said: "I feel sad at the moment but I also feel that we have a big game on Tuesday and the best thing in our situation is that we won't have much time to be sad.
"I think it is always better to go into a big game after a win because happiness helps your physical condition.
"But this is a completely different situation: for example, when we lost the semi-final two years ago, we beat Bolton and celebrated the title two days before.
"This time, we lose two crucial points against Bolton but maybe now we go there (to Liverpool), win the tie and go to the final."
Mourinho's words may have been bullish, but his mood seemed far from assured. The Blues manager knows he faces a huge challenge in lifting his demoralised players and he must also negotiate a potentially treacherous evening without his totemic centre-half Ricardo Carvalho.
The Portugal international suffered a knee injury after a collision midway through the first half and his absence will force Mourinho into an awkward re-shuffle, with Dutch international Khalid Boulahrouz likely to deputise at centre-half.
Mourinho added: "The injury looks very bad. How big a blow is it? He has been our best defender for the whole season, it's as simple as that.
"We lost in Liverpool in the Premiership without him and now we must go there without him again. In that moment, we had to play with Paolo Ferreira at centre-back but at least now we have better options in that area."
Chelsea might yet mark Mourinho's third, and most tumultuous, season in London with European football's greatest prize, but the Premiership now appears beyond them.
The Blues overturned Lubomir Michalik's opener with Salomon Kalou's strike and Jussi Jaaskelainen's unfortunate own goal, but Kevin Davies levelled early in the second period with a clinical header.
Mourinho admits the title is now United's to lose with just three games remaining, although he has not entirely given up hope of an unlikely come-back.
"It is almost over," he said. "But in football, 'almost' is a big word and it is not completely over. Mathematically there is a chance and for as long as that chance is there, you have to believe and chase the opportunity.
"United will feel very close at this moment and will not feel any pressure. They can come to Stamford Bridge and lose and still be champions. So they are very close to winning it. They have to lose two matches and we must win all three."
Bolton's performance was a credit to their players, who refused to be distracted by speculation over the future of manager Sam Allardyce, who is expected to leave in the summer after eight years in charge.
Allardyce did not appear for his post-match media duties - club officials claimed he was ill - so it was left to his assistant Sammy Lee to field enquiries.
"As far as we're concerned, it's all just speculation at the moment," Lee said. "But this was a fantastic result for us. The players are a great bunch and great characters and we have felt for a long time that there's a misconception about our club.
"People seem to think we don't know what we're doing but we do what we do very well and that's all credit to us."
Info
Goals
0 - 1 |
19' L. Michalik
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S. Kalou 22'
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1 - 1 |
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J. Jääskeläinen (OG) 34'
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2 - 1 |
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2 - 2 |
54' K. Davies
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