Jose Mourinho says Chelsea players are giving everything
Tuesday 3 November 2015 23:30, UK
Jose Mourinho has rubbished "a very sad accusation" that some Chelsea players are not trying for him.
Cesc Fabregas on Tuesday responded to suggestions he is at the heart of a revolt against Mourinho, blaming "individuals on the outside trying to destabilise the club".
And on the eve of his side's Champions League game against Dynamo Kiev, the Chelsea manager said his players were "giving their best in every minute of every session" to turn around a run of one win in eight games.
"You are accusing the players of dishonesty," he said, in reference to media reports that an unnamed Chelsea player said he would rather lose than win for Mourinho.
"If I accuse you of being a dishonest journalist I think you'd be very upset and probably you'd take legal action. I think it's a question for the players, not for me.
"[They are] giving their best in every minute of every session, giving solidarity between all of us. [They have] fantastic personal relationships, very good professional relationships, and are training...always with a strong desire to win the next match."
Mourinho refused to say whether he had met Roman Abramovich since a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool on Saturday that left the champions 14 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City after six defeats in 11 games.
Sky sources say the Portuguese's job is not currently under threat, and when he was asked how long he thought he had to improve results Mourinho said, in reference to his contract: "Four years, or three years and seven months."
He also referred to an interview given in the wake of a 2004 Champions League triumph with Porto in which he predicted "one day the bad results will come".
"I resisted well to the nature of my job - 11 years waiting for this. It took time, but came in a moment where I am stable and I am strong to face it."
Asked if he knew the reason for this season's poor results he said: "Yes. I know. It's a combination of factors, some of them I don't want even to touch. Yes, I know."
When John Terry was then asked the same question he laid the blame for results squarely at the feet of the players, including himself.
The captain said: "First and foremost the players will stand up. I've not been good enough and performances haven't either.
"What we've seen in the last two or three days, ridiculous stories about what's happening within the club and the dressing room. I can assure you the players are 100 per cent behind the manager.
"He's under pressure because of the way we're performing. He can do all the work he can in the training field and 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. It's on all of us collectively, not just on him.
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"It's not going to come to [him leaving]. The club have shown faith in the best manager in the history of this football club. He's by far, by a long, long way the very best.
"It's not what ifs. For me we're going to turn this around. I'm adamant we're going to turn this round and he'll be in charge for the rest of the season and long after I've finished playing at this football club."
And on the specific suggestion of a player wanting to lose he said: "In my whole football career I've never heard a player come out with those words. It's ridiculous I even have to sit here and talk about it.
"I've seen the disappointment in players faces after results, us feeling as though we've let the club, manager and fans down. That player wouldn't get out of the dressing room. If players heard that among ourselves it wouldn't go down too well, would it?"
