Jose Mourinho has told his critics to remember he is "a fantastic manager" - even when Chelsea are losing.
The Blues boss admitted he had forgotten what it felt like to win until his side beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 4-0 in their Champions League opener on Wednesday night.
The comprehensive victory was just a second this season for the English champions, who are already 11 points off Manchester City's Premier League pace.
But Mourinho fiercely defended his managerial record in the run-up to the Maccabi game, and afterwards he warned critics against what he claims is kneejerk analysis.
"There are people who are not happy with so many successes," said Mourinho, who again denied any breakdown in his relationship with captain John Terry who was one of several high profile players dropped to the bench for the game.
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"Wayne Rooney was a disaster, then he beats the record with England and he's suddenly the best player in the history of English football. Rooney is a fantastic player when he's not scoring goals or when he is.
"I am a fantastic manager when I'm not winning matches and I'm a fantastic manager when I am.
"You like 'up and down', but it's not like that. The pundits get big money not to say easy things. They have to be geniuses in their analysis or they don't deserve the money they get."
Mourinho welcomed the vocal support of the home fans during the Maccabi game, saying: "It shows that they don't read papers or they don't have short memories: if they don't read papers they'll support me, if they don't have short memories they'll support me.
"There's an easy way for them to think, which is: 'we won four premier Leagues, three with him and one with his team, so this guy is not bad. Let's support him, and we have a chance to win a fifth'."
Next up for Mourinho is a meeting with Arsenal and old adversary Arsene Wenger, who recorded a first win over the Portuguese in last month's Community Shield.
He said: "For all of us to have woken up again after a defeat and two days before a London derby against Arsenal, I could imagine how it would feel."
