Jose Mourinho: ‘I am not the Godfather’

Jose Mourinho had seemingly heard enough, even though he hadn’t come anywhere close to saying enough.

About four minutes into the daily newspaper section of his Friday press conference ahead of Sunday’s game against Manchester City, and after unsuccessfully attempting to kill discussion of the Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn story by insisting he would take no questions after what was a rather fudged general statement on the matter, the Chelsea manager became so irritated with repeated pressing on the issue that he got up and went to walk out of the room.

Mourinho was talked into sitting back down by the club’s Head of Communications, but he still wasn’t standing up to questions well. This was actually a rarely-seen Mourinho. Normally so comfortable at controlling such stories, he was this time struggling to stay coherent as he scrabbled for responses.

The exchange went as follows, as journalists ignored the club’s stance that they would not be further discussing Mourinho’s criticism and apparent demotion of Carneiro and Fearn for running on to the pitch at the end of the 2-2 draw with Swansea City to treat Eden Hazard.

Question: Jose, quite an important issue has been raised this week, especially following the Fabrice Muamba incident. Who is ultimately in charge?

“I don’t answer.”

Q: It is a serious issue.

“I don’t answer.”

Q: But you’ve brought it into the spotlight?

“I don’t answer.”

Q: Have you spoken to the players in terms of their role in injury management?

“That’s my problem.”

Q: There are very serious issues around the professional responsibilities of a doctor. The General Medical Council have been involved?

“I am not going to discuss it.”

Q: But you have raised the whole issue by your actions?

“You can make the questions and we don’t stop you making the questions, but you cannot make me answer you. I don’t answer.

“You shouldn’t ask. It is my opinion and your opinion. I don’t answer you.”

So much for “we don’t stop you making the questions”. When another two were asked, Mourinho tried to avoid them altogether.

“Don’t make me [answer] another question, or I go. I go. Think twice before you ask the question. Think twice.” The question was asked.

“Now, I go. Have a good weekend.”

Having been talked around, Mourinho reiterated the warning. “Okay, we have Man City. Let’s talk about that, or I go.” There was, however, another curiosity to all of this. In so consciously trying to control the story about the physios, it was almost as if the Portuguese let his guard down enough elsewhere to more expansively discuss what might be other reasons for his conspicuous crabbiness so far this season.

A forthright Mourinho admitted a certain frustration at not yet bringing in players of the required quality, and that his side were not yet “at the top of our game”.

“It’s not because we don’t want to,” the Chelsea manager said of transfer activity. “It’s because it’s not possible. The club tried as it always tried. It’s not possible, we have to adapt to it, so in this moment we are a bit limited, but a couple of weeks more to go. I have no doubts that the club will give the squad a couple more players.”

They are expected to acquire a left-back in Augsburg’s Baba Rahman, and a centre-half, with John Stones of Everton the most discussed. It is known that Mourinho did want another fast attacking option behind the striker, though, and that hasn’t yet been delivered. It means that one of last season’s problems hasn’t yet been fixed, and there’s still a danger they will be too predictable in games they aren’t winning.

Mourinho also admitted that attempts to fix another of last season’s problems — the tiredness they showed late on — had a side-effect now: a slower start.

“We made a decision that we think is the right decision. We chose to give the players a proper holiday and to give the players one month’s holiday. At that moment, we know that the start is not going to be the same kind of start that we had last year.

“The team had problems [at the end of last season], the team was tired. This season we tried to go in another direction. We went to a slower start, a short pre-season, only three matches before the Charity Shield and only four matches before the beginning of the season. Clearly we know what we are doing. Clearly some bodies didn’t react as well as we expected.

“In the end of the fourth match in the Premier League, we are going to be in a good situation… But yes, we are not at the top of our game. The normal tendency is week after week to improve.”

At the very end, Mourinho was again asked about the physio story, and whether he realises how much power he has through his comments and position.

“Power, oh my word. Power? Jesus Christ! Power of what? The only power I have is to chose the team that plays Sunday, to chose who goes on the bench, to chose what we do in the week, which exercises we do, which direction we try to take our game plan. It is the power I have and that is not power... I have power for nothing.”

So, he doesn’t see himself as a “Godfather” of the Premier League — as he put it back in 2013?

“I am not the Godfather.” He certainly didn’t have the control over this story he would have liked.