Jose Mourinho doesn’t know which Chelsea will turn up to face Stoke
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho admits the Blues have endured a season of ups and downs after back-to-back losses
Jose Mourinho says he doesn’t know “which Chelsea” will turn up against Stoke City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Blues have produced back-to-back uncharacteristically sloppy performances this week, resulting in a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace before a 3-1 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
We have had players who have had ups and down. This is typical of the profile we have in this moment
Jose Mourinho
Chelsea have in fact lost their last three games on the road in all competitions, which has delivered a potentially fatal blow to their prospects in the Champions League and Premier League.
And Mourinho, who has appeared to lay the blame at his misfiring strikers’ feet in recent weeks, openly admitted he isn’t sure what type of Chelsea performance will await their fans on Saturday.
Asked which Chelsea would turn up against Stoke, Mourinho replied: “I don’t know.”
He continued: “I think part of the stability of the top teams [is that] they have people with experience, [and that] is exactly that stability.
“We are in the team during the season that had this [experience] absent. We had players who weren’t capable of keeping a platform of stability with their performances.
“We have had players who have had ups and down. This is typical of the profile we have in this moment.
“To be fair tomorrow, I don’t know if we are going to have a fantastic performance or not.
“What I say is I know that the people will try as always.”
Mourinho isn’t underestimating Mark Hughes’s Stoke side after a shock 3-2 loss at The Britannia earlier this season before narrowly beating the Potters in the FA Cup.
“They are a difficult opponent. We play them in the cup at Stamford Bridge and we won 1-0 but it was not an easy match and open until the end,” Mourinho said.
“It will be difficult. They are fresh, they have no pressure, they will fight for a result and to finish the season in a more beautiful position. So if you can finished seventh, you are not going to finish 11th.”
