Jose Mourinho defends Chelsea preparations and downplays knock-on effect
CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho has issued a robust defence of his approach to the FA Cup after his decision to field a much-changed team against Bradford backfired spectacularly on Saturday.
The Blues suffered one of the biggest shocks in the competition’s storied history when they crashed out 4-2 at home to the League One side, despite leading 2-0 – a result Mourinho admitted was “a disgrace”.
“I always said I don’t choose competitions, that we go match after match,” he said.
“The most important competition now is the Capital One Cup, because it’s the next game we have to play. Obviously the Premier League is in front of the cups, but the way we prepare things – in a serious, professional way – I can’t say we don’t care about the FA Cup.”
Mourinho also attempted to allay concerns that the shock fourth-round defeat could undermine his team’s confidence before tomorrow’s Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at home to Liverpool, delicately poised at 1-1.
“Because many of the players were not directly involved in the game, I don’t think these players can be affected,” he added.
“I don’t think [Branislav] Ivanovic, [Nemanja] Matic, Diego [Costa] can be affected by something that is not directly related to them. But it’s our team and we lost at home against a lower division team.”