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West Brom logo
Premier League
Aug 23, 2015 at 1.30pm UK
 
Chelsea logo

2-3

Morrison (35', 59')
FT(HT: 1-3)
Pedro (20'), Costa (30'), Azpiliceuta (42')

Live Coverage: Jose Mourinho's weekly Chelsea press conference

Follow Sports Mole's live coverage of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho' press conference ahead of his side's match against West Bromwich Albion.
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Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Thibaut Courtois will return in goal and that John Terry could retain his place in Chelsea's starting lineup for the visit of West Bromwich Albion this weekend.

The manager admitted that he does not know whether new signings Pedro and Baba Rahman will be ready to go though.

The reigning Premier League champions are still looking for their first win of the campaign.

Read what else the manager discussed below.


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Good afternoon! Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is getting ready for his pre-match press conference ahead of the visit of West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. He'll be desperate for the win, with the defending champions securing just one point from a possible six so far.

It's been a difficult couple of weeks for the manager. Having been criticised for his handling of his medical staff in the build up to the match against Manchester City, he's spent this week in the news after substituting John Terry at the Etihad.

The good news for Mourinho is that he has a few new toys to play with this week. As well as capturing Pedro from Barcelona, the club finally announced the arrival of defender Baba Rahman just a few minutes after their defeat to Manchester City.

As well as the new signings, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will be available again this week. The Belgian was sent off in the opening match of the campaign, meaning he was suspended last week. Some had thought that might allow Asmir Begovic, who joined from Stoke in the summer, to stake a claim to replace Courtois as the first-choice stopper, but letting in three goals last week should mean he'll be back on the bench this week.

In other news, Chelsea have revealed what their third kit for the 2015-16 season will look like this morning. The squad looks delighted!


It wouldn't be a surprise if Mourinho was asked about first-team doctor Eva Carneiro again this week. The doctor was dropped from the bench following a disagreement with Mourinho over treating Eden Hazard, but the medical team were stretched at the Etihad, with Diego Costa needing treatment for a head injury and Gary Cahill re-injuring his nose, having already broken it in pre-season. The manager has said she could return later in the season, so it will be interesting to see if she, along with physio Jon Fearn, return this week.

The manager should be ready in a couple of minutes, so there's just time to remind you that we'll have live coverage of this match from an hour before kickoff, as well as team news, manager quotes at full time and player ratings, so make sure you're with us again on Sunday.

The manager has just arrived in the press centre at the club's Cobham training ground, so let's see what's on his mind this week.

Straight in with the team news, Mourinho reveals: "Moses is still injured, Oscar is still injured. And I don't know if anyone of the new players is available for Sunday or not."

Mourinho admits that his players have been working on improving this week: "I think this week we train better than ever. Why? Because we are not happy. The players are not happy with the results, the only way is to work better than ever. The new players are always welcome. I'm happy that both of them, they come to us. I know that the Premier League doesn't start tomorrow. The Premier League started to weeks ago. People used to call it the transfer window, I sometimes call it the opportunity window."

On his new signings, Mourinho says: "This week we got a very good left back with potential that we believe we need and we get one of the best attacking players in the world, with something that I like very, very much - the desire to leave a giant club, the desire to leave a club that normally when you are there you don't want to leave. He wants to leave because he wants something more for his career. It's a magnificent sign of ambition that he wants to play every game."

Pedro was also linked with Man United, but Mourinho insists that he doesn't see this as a win over their rivals: "I only want to beat Man United on the pitch if it's possible. I don't even want to go in that direction. Our job here is not to try to get a player that another club wants, our job is to get players that I think are good for us. Sometimes players are not successful, obviously we are the ones to blame for that, but the market is an opportunity window where you have to be careful not to lose your best players. It's an opportunity window to sometimes get players that you are not expected to get. The point is that Pedro is a player that we like a lot and we are happy to have."

Sticking with Pedro, he adds: "For him to want to leave the club of his dreams, the club of his heart where he won absolutely everything. When I'm told a player wants to leave Barcelona, Real Madrid, I always ask myself why, and normally there are lots of rumours and it's never true. He has amazing respect, he loves Messi, Iniesta and Neymar, but everything he does he was always behind. It is a moment for him to enjoy a different life, leave the comfort zone, come to a new club, new country, new culture."

Mourinho is asked about John Stones, who has been linked with a move from Everton, but he insists: "I don't speak about players from other club's, especially when the championship is on. So, I'm quiet."

Mourinho is asked about the medical team, but he isn't keen to discuss it: "I'm unique in some questions the media put to myself. I'm unique in this moment in being asked in a press conference about my medical staff. I don't answer because I don't think it's important. Since my arrival here the players are always in good hands, so next weekend is not going to be different, they will be in good hands in the hands of the people on the bench and the people who are not going to be on the bench. That's the most important thing, since my first day here, they are in good hands on the pitch and outside the pitch."

Back to Pedro, Mourinho adds: "To be fair, when I see Pedro playing in the European Super Cup, when I see him playing in the Spanish Super Cup, I always thought with that attitude he is going to stay in Barcelona for sure. When we know that he is that kind of professional where he gives everything but knows in his mind that he wants to leave, we decide as a club not to lose, try to get, and then obviously we are happy that the player choose us."

On Terry, Mourinho admits he could start: "Maybe, maybe. Why not? At half time I explain to him what I want. I want the line to press high, I want my fastest defender to be on the pitch. My players they understand explanations, they react positively. I'm not expecting John or any other player I replace to be dancing in the dressing room, but he behaved professionally."

When asked what he learnt from the first two matches, Mourinho replies: "I didn't learn anything special because it's difficult in this moment in my career to have things that I never saw. One of the things clearly is that nothing went in our direction in both matches. We played fantastically well in the first half against Swansea. In the second half we play with 10 men and we concede a penalty. And Man City, in the first half the best team was winning, in the second half the best time couldn't equalise. We miss a goal with an open chance and then we conceded a very stupid goal so nothing went in our direction. We are calm, not happy, but calm."

Mourinho clarifies the keeper situation: "Courtois comes back in goal. I'm so happy, so happy with Begovic's performance, but we go back to Courtois."

Mourinho dismisses a question about Paul Pogba coming to Chelsea: "I can't speak about a Juventus player. I know that Allegri was all summer speaking about Oscar, but I can't do that. Only Allegri can speak about him, not myself."

Mourinho is asked if he wants to beat Tony Pulis, having lost his only two previous meetings with the Welshman: "Obviously I want to win but the point is not to try to beat Tony. I want to win."

Mourinho is asked if Pedro's arrival means someone will be leaving the club, but he admits it's not essential: "Maybe, but it's not a compulsory thing. I can perfectly have one more player than is normal for us, it's not a problem. You have injuries, suspensions, different competitions to play. Hopefully we can progress in the domestic cups too. If we have one more winger in the group, it can be a problem for the winger, but not for me."

That's all from a fairly chatty Jose Mourinho this week. The manager seems very upbeat despite last weekend's result, and clearly is delighted with his new signings.

So, join us again on Sunday to see if Chelsea can secure their first win of the campaign. Until then, thanks for joining me this afternoon. Goodbye.

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Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea and Bryan Oviedo of Everton battle for the ball during the Barclays Premier League match on February 11, 2015
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