Just after lunchtime today, done at our Cobham training facility, Jose Mourinho held his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Stoke City this Saturday.
It is, of course, a fixture for which Jose Mourinho is banned from entering the stadium, after the Football Association banned him for his altercation at Upton Park, against West Ham United recently.
The first piece of information that came to light was that Jose had decided not to appeal the ban imposed on Wednesday and would definitely not be in the Chelsea dug-out that many journalists still believe could have ramifications with regards to his future as the Chelsea manager.
Talking about the decision, Jose remarked
“I know the result of the appeal already.
‘I decided to give up.
‘It is stupid to fight a fight you know you are going to lose.’
However, Jose confirmed that he will be travelling up to Stoke on the team coach and also confirmed he will be responsible for the team selection and substitutions further adding,
‘I choose the team, I predict as much as I can the different aspects of the game and I try to prepare them better than ever.”
It also seems that Jose and his team have sat down and worked out all the scenarios for the unusual situation tomorrow, further adding,
‘If we are winning 4-0 at half-time, or losing 4-0 at half-time’
Continuing on the ban theme, Jose gave the following response when asked about the ban and where he will watch the game, commenting,
‘You can imagine that it’s not easy. You can imagine how I feel.
‘I have no plans [to watch]. Maybe I sit in the street corner with my iPad. Maybe I don’t even watch the game. Maybe, live scores? Results.’
As for the squad, Jose confirmed that he is without the injured Falcao and Thibaut Courtois, however Branislav Ivanovic has recovered from his hamstring injury sustained on the last international break and is fit for consideration for selection.
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