SOCCER-CHAMPIONS/CHELSEA PREPS Chelsea prepare for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Champions League

Record ID: 141126

  • Title: SOCCER-CHAMPIONS/CHELSEA PREPS Chelsea prepare for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Champions League
  • Date: 15th September 2015
  • Summary: COBHAM, NEAR LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (SEPTEMBER 15, 2015) (REUTERS) CHELSEA MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO ON TRAINING PITCH TALKING WITH ASSISTANT COACHES COACHES ON TRAINING PITCH (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, JOSE MOURINHO, SAYING: "Well can you ask me why some managers cant be in difficult situations five, six, seven, 10 years? And I am the current champion of England; why should I be in trouble? Why? I think that's a good question and you do not know how to answer it." MOURINHO KICKING BALL MOURINHO ON PITCH (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, JOSE MOURINHO, SAYING: "Look, my third season in Porto, I didn't have a third season. My third season in Inter, I didn't have a third season. My third season at Chelsea in the first time I won the FA Cup and the Carling Cup and I played the Champions League semi-finals. The third season in Real Madrid I won the Super Cup, I lost the Cup final and I went to the Champions League semi-finals. These are my third seasons, so click Google instead of make stupid questions, click Google and try to find." REPORTER, SAYING: "Jose, you know what I'm getting at don't you? How important it is for you…" "No, you spoke about the third season and I'm telling you that the question is stupid because the third season is what I told you." REPORTER, SAYING: "You know the point of the question?" "I know the point. The point is that the question is stupid. I'm sorry." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, JOSE MOURINHO, SAYING: "I have nothing to show, to anyone." CHELSEA DEFENDER, CESAR AZPILICUETA (LEFT) AND MIDFIELDER, CESC FABREGAS ARRIVING FOR TRAINING (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): STRIKER, LOIC REMY, DEFENDER KURT ZOUMA AND MIDFIELDER NEMANJA MATIC ARRIVING FOR TRAINING / FOLLOWED BY GOALKEEPERS ASMIR BEGOVIC, JAMAL BLACKMAN AND BRADLEY COLLINS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, JOSE MOURINHO, SAYING: "I'm fine, I promise you I'm fine. I'm not happy. I'm not used to lose so many times and I'm not used to. But I'm adapting… I'm not adapting to losing but I'm adapting to the situation, the challenge to have to improve and I'm OK." REPORTER, ASKING: "So its not stress, making your hair fall out?" "No." CHELSEA MIDFIELDER, EDEN HAZARD JOGGING ON TO TRAINING PITCH (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): CHELSEA MIDFIELDER KENEDY, STRIKER DIEGO COSTA, MIDFIELDER WILLIAN, MIDFIELDER OSCAR AND MIDFIELDER, OSCAR ARRIVING FOR TRAINING, FOLLOWED BY DEFENDER BRANISLAV IVANOVIC AND MIDFIELDER JON OBI MIKEL (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, JOSE MOURINHO, SAYING: "If we can win tomorrow well put ourselves in a better position. After this game we go to Porto, we go to Kiev; two difficult matches away so it would be important for us to win tomorrow, that's what we're going to try." DEFENDERS JOHN TERRY AND GARY CAHILL TRAINING WITH FABREGAS AND HAZARD CAHILL, TERRY AND FABREGAS KICKING BALL ABOUT (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, JOSE MOURINHO, TALKING ABOUT TAL BEN HAIM, SAYING: "Good guy. Good guy, good player, competitive. I keep following him. I watch national team match against Wales. He's not a kid anymore but experience, he knows English football, he knows how to compete and the guy that left us, not just in myself but I think in everybody here, left good memories as a good guy." MATIC KICKING BALL COSTA JOKING WITH RAMIRES AND OSCAR / MOURINHO WATCHES ON PLAYERS, INCLUDING BEGOVIC, WARMING UP (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA GOALKEEPER, ASMIR BEGOVIC, SAYING: "Well, I think listen, we're disappointed like I said. The mood wasn't great after the loss on Saturday. We all want to win, we're all winners, you got everyone wants to win football matches so when you lose its disappointing but we have had a couple of days to dust ourselves down, to focus, regroup, to focus on the next game and ultimately we're a very motivated group to really turn things around and push Chelsea and this team where it belongs and that's with the best teams in the world and its at the top of the table as well." VARIOUS OF PLAYERS DOING RUNNING DRILL MOURINHO WATCHING ON CAHILL AT TRAINING SESSION / CAHILL TRAINING WITH TEAM MATES WILLIAN CHASING BALL COSTA AT TRAINING
  • Embargoed: 30th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAEL97T9SNLTBTL0PYE7B96VECR
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Out-of-sorts Chelsea have a golden opportunity to restore battered self-confidence when they face Maccabi Tel Aviv in their opening Champions League Group G match on Wednesday (September 16).
    The Premier League champions slumped to their fourth defeat in six games when they lost 3-1 at Everton on Saturday (September 12).
    At a news conference on Tuesday (September 15), manager Jose Mourinho said he was under no pressure and that he had nothing to prove to anybody, despite the poor start to the season.
    "Well can you ask me why some managers can't be in difficult situations five, six, seven, 10 years? And I am the current champion of England; why should I be in trouble? Why? I think that's a good question and you don't know how to answer it," Mourinho said to a reporter.
    One journalist asked about Mourinho's career record, suggesting the Portuguese does not stay at any club much beyond three seasons. The former Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid coach took exception to the question and went through his record with previous clubs.
    "My third season in Porto, I didn't have a third season. My third season in Inter, I didn't have a third season," Mourinho said. "My third season at Chelsea in the first time I won the FA Cup and the Carling Cup and I played the Champions League semi-finals.
    "The third season in Real Madrid won the Super Cup, I lost the Cup final and I went to the Champions League semi-finals. These are my third seasons, so click Google instead of make stupid questions, click Google and try to find.
    "You spoke about the third season and I'm telling you that the question is stupid because the third season is what I told you.
    "I have nothing to show, to anyone," the Portuguese added although he was styling a new haircut, which led one journalist asking whether the stress was causing Mourinho's hair to fall out.
    "I'm fine, I promise you I'm fine. I'm not happy. I'm not used to lose so many times and I'm not used to. But I'm adapting; I'm not adapting to losing but I'm adapting to the situation, the challenge to have to improve and I'm OK."
    On Saturday, Mourinho admitted the poor run of results were the worst of his career but added he was the man to lead Chelsea out of their hole.
    The Portuguese has also fallen out with club doctor Eva Carneiro and had another public spat with old adversary Arsene Wenger after losing to his Arsenal side in the Community Shield season curtain-raiser at Wembley.
    Chelsea take on the Israeli double winners on Wednesday having lost their last two league matches.
    Mourinho knows the win is crucial in Chelsea's Champions League campaign as after Maccabi they face two tough away matches.
    "If we can win tomorrow well put ourselves in a better position," he said. After this game we go to Porto, we go to Kiev; two difficult matches away so it would be important for us to win tomorrow, that's what we're going to try."
    Mourinho will also face former player Tal Ben Haim, now a defender with Maccabi.
    "(He is a) good guy, good player, competitive. I keep following him. I watch national team match against Wales."
    "He's not a kid anymore but experience, he knows English football, he knows how to compete and the guy that left us, not just in myself but I think in everybody here, left good memories as a good guy."
    The Londoners will again be without injured keeper Thibaut Courtois who was outstanding when they won the Premier League last season.
    His understudy, Asmir Begovic, admitted the team were feeling low after the defeat by Everton but insisted the squad were motivated to return to winning ways.
    "We're disappointed. The mood wasn't great after the loss on Saturday," Begovic said. "We all want to win, we're all winners, you got everyone wants to win football matches so when you lose its disappointing but we have had a couple of days to dust ourselves down, to focus, regroup, to focus on the next game and ultimately we're a very motivated group to really turn things around and push Chelsea and this team where it belongs and that's with the best teams in the world and its at the top of the table as well."
    Maccabi are back in the competition for the first time since 2004-05 after coming through the qualifying rounds, thanks almost entirely to forward Eran Zahavi who has scored 12 goals in total this season.
    Although 2012 European champions Chelsea and Maccabi have never met, visiting coach Slavisa Jokanovic and defender Tal Ben Haim know all about the Stamford Bridge club.
    Jokanovic, who was manager when Watford were promoted to the Premier League last season, had a two-year playing spell at Chelsea.
    He made 53 appearances in midfield, playing in the same side as a young John Terry, while Ben Haim also had a stint at the Bridge, featuring 23 times for the Blues.
    Dynamo Kiev and Porto meet in the other Group G match on Wednesday.
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