THE PRIDE OF MOURINHO
Mourinho is proud of Chelsea’s title triumph but hits out at critics
JOSE MOURINHO watched Chelsea clinch the Barclays Premier League title yesterday — then used an obscure Portuguese proverb to slam his team’s critics.
Eden Hazard set off celebrations at Stamford Bridge with the only goal in a win over Crystal Palace.
Mourinho has now netted eight league titles as manager — three of them at Chelsea — but that hasn’t stopped some critics claiming the London club have stumbled over the finishing line playing defensive football.
Those include Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini, who last night said: ‘Chelsea did what we did last season. We did it by scoring more goals and by playing in a different style.
‘It’s important for the Premier League and the supporters to play attractive football.’
But the Chelsea boss hit back with a cryptic adage from his homeland: ‘Dogs bark, but the caravan keeps on.’
Translated, the adage simply means: Pay no attention to what people say about you.
Mourinho, whose side have led the title race from start to finish, losing just twice continued: ‘ We did everything the team needs to do. That’s why we’re champions. That’s why we deserve it.
‘Everybody knows that. The people who have a big face to say we don’t deserve i t are the ones who, in my country, say the dogs bark and the caravan goes by.
‘It’s easy to be a pundit, where you win every game.
‘It’s a fantastic job, really. Maybe in 10 years, it will be my job. Then I’ll win every game. Now, as a manager, I lose sometimes and it’s a much more difficult job.’
Mourinho flew back to Portugal to be with his sick father immediately after last Monday’s win at Leicester. But his turbulent week didn’t take the gloss off Chelsea’s achievement yesterday.
‘We were convinced for a long time (that we’d win the title),’ he said. ‘My experience, my maturity was always present in the control of the emotions and situation. Champions are champions now.
‘During the season, we had some crucial moments that we coped with in a fantastic way.
‘On January 1, when we were equal on points with Manchester City after a heavy defeat against Spurs, instead of being a turning point, that was our last defeat.
‘From that moment, not one defeat. I think everybody knows that we deserve it. Some don’t say it, but they know.’
Mourinho, whose third title draws him level with Bill Shankly, Arsene Wenger and Stan Cullis, added: ‘For me, maybe this is a special feeling because I’m not the smartest guy to choose countries and clubs.
‘I could choose another club in another country where it’s easier to be champions, but I chose the most difficult league in Europe.
‘In my country, they say don’t go back somewhere you were happy before because you risk that. So I took that risk.
‘I came, we won again with a new team and now I can say I won titles with Chelsea with two different generations, separated by almost a decade.
‘Chelsea had a fantastic generation here — (Frank) Lampard, (Ashley) Cole, (Michael) Essien ( Ricardo) Carvalho, ( Paulo) Ferreira — and they’re not here now.’
Yesterday, Palace made Chelsea sweat for the victory, but Mourinho’s players have been injected with the sort of brutal mentality which is the hallmark of his teams. When not playing fluently, they still find a way to win.
I t has been most evident in the title run-in, when Chelsea’s small squad was hit by injuries, most notably to top scorer Diego Costa.
Oscar missed out yesterday a nd Ramires was t aken ill during the warm- up and sent to hospital, which let in Juan Cuadrado.
The Colombian has not found his stride since arriving f r om Fiorentina in January and he struggled again. He did not make it past half-time. John Mikel Obi replaced him.
By the end, Mourinho had six recognised defenders on the pitch protecting the lead, plus midfield enforcers Mikel and Nemanja Matic.
Palace can be flattered. They had performed well, initially offering stubborn resistance and then threatening on the break until the final seconds.
Goalkeeper Julian Speroni denied Matic and Didier Drogba before Eden Hazard won the penalty, wriggling into the box from wide on the left.
Scotland midfielder James McArthur closed him down and tried to pull out of the tackle but Hazard forced the contact.
At real-speed, it seemed a penalty and referee Kevin Friend gave it in a flash. On the slow-motion replays, it looked more like Hazard had engineered it.
The Belgian’s spot- kick was easily saved by Speroni — the first he has missed i n the Premier League — but this one looped up, straight on to his head. Hazard seized this second chance to score the winner.