Jose Mourinho has claimed the Capital One Cup final is the “most important of his career.”
Chelsea boss Mourinho has gone nearly three years without a trophy, the longest drought of his glittering managerial career.
“This cup final is the most important cup final of my career,” said Mourinho. “More important than the Champions League. More important than the other cups I’ve played before.
“Do I look stupid? It’s because it’s the next one. The next one. I just think about this game. We have a final to win on Sunday and nothing else matters.”
Mourinho insists he does not even know where some of his past medals - including Champions League, Premier League and his last title with Real Madrid in 2012 - are kept.
“My medals are somewhere at home, I don’t know where they are,” said Mourinho. “The most important game of my career is the next one.”
Chelsea v Burnley: Best pictures
Mourinho has also claimed that English football is losing credibility and its reputation is being ruined by the spate of refereeing controversies.
Angry Mourinho is still furious that Burnley’s Ashley Barnes escaped punishment while Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic is suspended after the FA refused to overturn his ban, instead reducing it to two games.
Mourinho made it clear he believes it is wrong Barnes can play this weekend after his X-rated challenge on Matic while Chelsea’s midfielder misses a Wembley cup final.
“I have, for example, a very important newspaper in my country,” said the Portugese.
“After the Burnley game the headline was: ‘We thought this was only possible in Portugal, never in England.’ The depth of this message, you understand? How deep these words can be? This is something English football cannot lose.
“Hopefully the final is a good final. If you do it week after week, I’m not saying ‘losing’ because the affinity English football has took a long time to build and will take a long time to lose that credibility. We must take care of our football.
“For example, you lose credibility when a player like Matic is suspended, and another player (Barnes) that can play this weekend can play this weekend.
“I don’t think you can have any doubt that all around the world people open their mouths with surprise at how this can be possible.”