Mourinho finally speaks out on his sacking reports

There is no way Jose Mourinho will ever back down. Ahead of tonight’s decisive Champions League clash against Porto, the Chelsea manager insisted Roman Abramovich still believes in him.

“I don’t think the owner is a person to change with the wind. I know this wind is really strong, because the results in the Premier League are really bad, but I think I have done lots of good things in this club. The owner already showed he believes in me twice, when he brought me back to the club and when he gave me a new contract. He knows who I am. As a manager this period makes me better, because it’s the first time for me, a new experience,” he pointed out.

Indeed, it is a completely new experience for Mourinho. Things have hardly ever been gloomier for him at Stanford Bridge. After last Saturday’s bitter crash against Bournemouth and a disappointing record of 8 losses in 15 league games, the Blues are facing a tough challenge against Porto, where a defeat could mean elimination—a possibility Mourinho refuses to accept.

“There are no ifs. I am an optimistic guy. You are the pessimist. There are no ifs. I know that at this moment winning the Europa League seems as the easiest way to be in the Champions League next season,” he added, “but there is another possibility: to win the Champions League. It’s obviously the harder way, but it’s the competition where we are. We want to play in the Champions League and play the best teams, and for that we need to win tomorrow.”

With 10 points in 5 matches, Porto and Chelsea are lined up at the top of group G, 2 points ahead of Dynamo Kiev. Baring in mind that the Ukrainian side are most likely to be victorious against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Chelsea only need a draw to qualify. Porto, however, have no other options but to win, putting the home team under heavy pressure.

But even if the Blues do qualify for the last 16, tough challenges for Mourinho are yet to come, starting next Monday’s league clash against the current and sensational championship leaders, Leicester City.