John Terry jumps to Mourinho defence and insists Chelsea will respond

John Terry has offered a strident defence of Jose Mourinho amidst the worst spell of the Chelsea manager’s career, saying under-performing players had to take responsibility for a dismal season.

Both captain and coach also re-asserted the Portuguese would not be sacked, with Terry insisting the team would turn it around.

“First and foremost, the players will stand up and say — and I will personally — that we’ve not been good enough,” Terry admitted on the eve of the club’s Champions League match with Dynamo Kiev.

“We’ve not played well enough, and we take that on the shoulders. We know where we are in the league and the Champions League group, and we know what we need to do to get out of it. That relies on us.

“I go back to that: He’s under pressure because of the way we’re performing. He can do all the work on the training field and in team meetings, but once we step over the white line it’s on us.

“We know we need to be better, collectively, for this club and for him. He will take a lot of the responsibility on his shoulders, and that’s unfair.”

Asked whether it could lead to Mourinho’s sacking, Terry said: “It’s not going to come to that. The club have shown faith in the best manager with the best history at this club.

“We are going to turn it around. No ifs, no buts. I’m sure we’ll turn this around and he’ll be in charge for the rest of the season and long after I’ve finished playing for this club.”

When it was put to Terry that one player had supposedly said they would “rather lose than win” for Mourinho, the defender responded: “The player wouldn’t be let out of the dressing room.”