Jose Mourinho gave a seven-minute monologue to Sky Sports after witnessing his Chelsea side lose 3-1 to Southampton at Stamford Bridge this evening.
During the rant, the manager accused referees of being "afraid" to award decisions to his team - now 16th place in the table - and insisted that he would not quit his role.
Read Mourinho's response when asked to rate his team's performance below:
"Look, I think you know me and you know I don't run away from responsibilities. I think first of all, I want to say that because we are in such a bad moment, I think you shouldn't be afraid to be also honest. Because when we are in the top, I understand that there is quite a big pleasure in putting us down. But when you are so down, I think it's time to be a little bit honest and to say clearly the referees are afraid to give decisions for Chelsea. The result at 1-1, it's a huge penalty, and once more, we don't get it. A penalty is a crucial moment in the game with the result 1-1.
"And I repeat, if the FA wants to punish me they can punish me. They don't punish other managers but if they punish me it's not a problem for me. Because I want to repeat that I think my players deserve it, Chelsea fans deserve it. I am a Chelsea fan too. And I want to say it again: referees are afraid to give decisions for Chelsea. Why? Because when they give, there is always a question mark from you. There is always a question, there is a critic, so we are always punished. We are punished because Diego Costa is suspended. With images in other matches we see the same thing and it does not happen. Clear penalties are not given, and with us, it's won and won and won.
"And even in the Champions League, in the match we lose 2-1. Even in the Champions League, it is a game with not three officials but with five, we are not given a penalty in the last minute. This penalty in this game today is even more crucial - do you know why? Because my team in this moment, the first negative thing that happened, the team collapsed. The team mentally, psychologically are down. It looks like good players are bad players. And the first half was a game where we didn't show our quality but we were in control, we were more than in control, and one mistake - a lack of concentration - one goal, and you have a tough time. In normal circumstances you come to the second half and you do your game.
"I told the players at half time 'do not panic, we are not going to lose 4-0, it is 1-1'. The team comes out with a good spirit, we have a penalty, it was a giant penalty, and he is afraid to give. Like everybody else is afraid to give. So no penalty and after that, the team lost even more confidence and you know that their second goal is an individual mistake, their third goal is another individual mistake, and the team mentally, they try they try, but they collapse. They are in such a low moment and they collapse.
"I can also know what you are thinking, what you are saying in the studio, what people are imagining what is going to happen, what is not going to happen. I want to let it be clear - one, I don't run away. Two, if the club wants to sack me they have to sack me. Because I'm not running away from my responsibility for my team, from my conviction - I don't know if that is the right word - but to be champions [again] is obviously very, very difficult, because the distance is considerable. But I am more than convinced that we will finish top four and when the season is so bad, if you finish top four, it is okay. Third even more important than the first and the second.
"I think this is a crucial moment in the history of this club. Do you know why? Because if the club sacks me, they sack the best manager that this club has. And secondly, the message is again the message that if there is bad results, the manager is guilty. This is the message that not just these players, but the ones before, they got during a decade. I think this is a moment for everybody to assume responsibilities. I assume my responsibilities, I think the players should assume their responsibilities. There are other people in the club that should also assume their responsibilities and we should stick together. This is what I want. I want. The players they still have to play until the end of the season with a gold champions thing in their shirts, and I want to work as always.
"I consider myself, you know, that I have a big self-esteem and a big ego. I consider myself the best. Living the worst period of my career, the worst results of my career. Doing that as a professional hurts a lot. Doing that at Chelsea hurts me twice - because it hurts me as a professional and it hurts me because I like this club very, very much and it's because of that I came back. So I want to carry on. I want to carry on, no doubt. No doubt. I assume my responsibilities but I think it's time for everybody to assume their responsibilities because when you go down to so many individual mistakes and fear to play, they have their responsibilities. Our players that are performing really, really bad individually, I cannot come here and say 'you and you and you', it's not my job.
"But I think it's clear we are being punished by too many individual mistakes, and as I was saying, Sadness brings sadness. Bad results, they attract bad results. The first mistake is just the first, because after that comes another one. This team needs to finish the first half winning 2, 3-0, with the fears disappearing, coming into the second half and playing with a free brain, with a free spirit. This is what this team needs and unfortunately for them, this is not happening. Again I want to repeat, because I want to make it clear again, because I don't want to be offensive, I don't want to be impolite, I don't want to put in cause the dignity of the people, but I repeat: the referees, they're afraid to give the decisions. And when you're top, you want to see people come down. And when people is down, give us a break, and be honest with us and be loyal with us, because the team deserves that. The penalty is clear. 2-1 is a complete different story. Okay? Thank you."
Neil Wilkes
