Mourinho comes out fighting with title in sight

CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho has slammed the critics who rounded on him for saying he would win the Premiership title before the end of the season.

Mourinho, who will seated in Munich’s Olympic stadium for tomorrow night’s Champions League quarter-final return leg, insisted he was happy with life at Chelsea despite speculation he was angry with the club’s decision not to appeal to UEFA over his two-match touchline ban. The Stamford Bridge boss is on the brink of signing a new deal which could bring him, according to sources, around £9 million a year including bonuses.

However he has not forgotten the outcry which accompanied his early-season boast that he wanted to win the Premiership at Stamford Bridge before the end of the campaign.

The Portuguese coach hit back in a typically forthright manner - labelling failed coaches ‘parasites’ for their continued attacks on him.

Mourinho declared: “When I said I wanted to win the league at home, which implied winning it two games before the end of the season, all hell broke loose.

“The headlines of ‘arrogant’ were enormous, the criticisms from top players lasted days. We will see if they are able to be self-critical and make a retraction if we win the title before the end of the season.

“What matters is having the trophy in my hands looking at it and remembering the part taken by a marvellous team. The best profession in the world is being a sacked coach. Their parasitic lives fulfil them professionally and financially. My message is ‘go to work idlers’.”