Every club would swap places with Blues!

JOSE MOURINHO claimed he was interested in trophies rather than popularity awards – then insisted every other club in Europe would like to swap places with Chelsea.

The Chelsea boss has the chance to claim his first silverware as Chelsea boss this weekend when his side meet Liverpool in the Carling Cup final.

He is full of confidence, despite defeats against Newcastle and Barcelona and despite taunting Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger that Chelsea are more likely to win the title than Sunday's one-off game.

"If Chelsea win the Premiership, the season will be historic, fantastic and a wonderful step for the future of the club. If you add something extra, like the Carling Cup, it would be magnificent," he declared.

"But in the Carling Cup, we have one game to play and it is 50-50.

"In the Premiership, we have 11 matches to play and have eight points that you can lose (and still win the title)."

While decrying the idea he is a bad loser after his reaction to defeat in Barcelona, Mourinho is clearly not worried about emulating one of his role models, Sir Bobby Robson, in popularity terms.

"Sir Bobby Robson is popular in the world of football, that's fantastic for him, he is a very nice man. But trophies are more important for me," he insisted.

Ferguson and Wenger have both been waiting for Chelsea to finally suffer a 'blip' and Mourinho's setbacks at St James' Park and the Nou Camp have seemingly given his rivals some renewed hope.

After all, Manchester United and Arsenal, who are both playing against struggling teams this weekend could close the gap at the top of the table while Chelsea are in Cardiff.

However, Mourinho insisted: "They can't speak to us about blips because they're not in a better position than us.

"Do they want to change positions with us? We're top by nine points and in the Carling Cup final. The only thing they can say they are in a better position than us is in the FA Cup.

"In the Champions League all three teams can either go through or go out but the one team that is in the best position is still Chelsea.

"In the football world, not just in England, who is in a better position than Chelsea? Nobody. Not Barcelona, not AC Milan."

Not for the first time, it was evident that it takes more than a couple of setbacks to even dent Mourinho's seemingly impenetrable self-confidence.

"If you think that two defeats makes me doubt what we are doing, then no chance.

"Don't try to put pressure on me because I am never under pressure," he said.

"We have lost one important game this week at Newcastle and we're out of the FA Cup but I don't think a defeat in a first-leg tie is a real defeat. We are just 2-1 down at half-time."

Having named Barcelona's side, as well as his own apart from a miraculous recovery from injury by Damien Duff Mourinho initially seemed tempted to repeat the feat ahead of the Carling Cup final.

But while Liverpool's line-up was rather harder to nail down, with a debate over whether Milan Baros would partner Fernando Morientes, he was not keeping too many secrets about his own thoughts.

William Gallas is the main injury doubt, with his only selection dilemma between Eidur Gudjohnsen and Joe Cole, as Duff and Didier Drogba have both been passed fit.

Tiago could be replaced in midfield, but otherwise it will (Gallas' fitness permitting), be the same line-up which lost in midweek at the Nou Camp.