Jose Mourinho insists he won't be burying his head in the sand at Chelsea

Jose Mourinho insists Chelsea are working hard to make changes after their poor start to the season

THERE are no ostriches burying their heads in the sand at Chelsea, Jose Mourinho insisted last night, as he admitted he is going through the worst run of his managerial career.

 

Yet he stoutly defended his occasionally abrasive style, insisting he is not afraid to criticise his players in front of their team-mates. “It is called coaching,” he said defiantly.

Chelsea have lost four of their 10 games this season, an unprecedented record for a side which lost only three league matches in the whole of last season.

 

They face Southampton tonight looking to bounce back from yet another setback, the 2-1 Champions League defeat in Porto on Tuesday.

But Mourinho said: "It is an ostrich that puts its head in the ground in the bad moments. You cannot do that, just wait for a better moment to come, for the problems to be resolved by themselves, or for the moon to change and give you better vibrations.

"You make mistakes in a bad moment and there can be no ostrich. You work harder, make the changes, talk.

 

"In here we speak openly. We communicate openly. There are no prima donnas crying. Everyone wants to do well and accepts the criticism, knows the job and knows what let the team down. We speak about it because we try not to make mistakes. You know what I call that? Coaching.

"Sometimes, players are on the pitch but are hiding. They don't want the ball. You lose two or three, and you don't want to be there.

"I have had players like that, even in the big clubs. But we showed when we beat Arsenal that we don't have that profile. I don't think we'll be in trouble with people not having the desire and personality to play."

 

Mourinho has come under fire for playing the woefully out-of-form Branislav Ivanovic in virtually every game this season while leaving out skipper John Terry.

Terry may well return today as the manager tries to steady his ship, but he said: "It is the hardest thing for me, to speak about my players individually in front of everyone. I am criticised because I'm criticising some players internally.

"Ivanovic is a fantastic player. He's not playing well - that's a different point - but he's a fantastic player.

"Of course I criticise players in front of other players. Because I coach. When I criticise my right-back's mistake and a youngster like Ola Aina is present, it's an education for him.

"When I criticise a Gary Cahill mistake and John Terry is there, he knows what I want. If I criticise Willian for his movement, Pedro is learning. Maybe in newspapers they have an office for the one v one talk. Here, we do it here in the same room.

 

"I am the main voice, of course. Do you know any club where the manager is not the main voice? If so, he's not the manager any more."

Mourinho admitted that though he likes communication, not many of his players contradict him: "Not here. But, for sure, in my career. Maybe not saying 'you are wrong', but changing opinions.

"I like them to speak. I stimulate the group to speak. Sometimes when they don't do it enough, I ask questions so there is more communication.

"That is something we want. Communication we need all the time. There are key moments in a game where you need people to speak.

"I define this as the worst period in my career with the worst results in my career, which I see as a fantastic experience. Not one I want to repeat. I want it to finish today, but it's a good experience."