Chelsea manager frustrated as side conced late equaliser and says ability to
kill off games is the mssing ingredient
Jose Mourinho said Chelsea's
failure to beat West
Bromwich Albion had confirmed his belief that his team were not
ready to not win the Premier
League this season.
Mourinho departed the Hawthorns frustrated after Victor Anichebe’s late
equaliser prevented Chelsea from building a four-point lead over Arsenal,
and claimed that his team lacked the “personality” to kill off the game.
He was convinced that their inability to secure three points only underlined
why a third Premier League title would be beyond him this season.
“A ready team, a complete team, kills this game 2-0. Goodbye. We didn’t,” he
said. “We have to kill games and, when we don’t kill, we can’t make
defensive mistakes. We made one, or a couple.
“It was not very different against Manchester City because we had lots of
chances to kill the game and never did.
"We went to the last five or 10 minutes and City had a couple of shots and corners, and the game finished with a corner and they could have equalised.
“But in that game, we didn’t make one defensive mistake, even when they put pressure on us.
"Today, it was not for five minutes. It was 20 minutes, and we made a couple of defensive mistakes.
“That’s not our game. It’s not how we feel comfortable. A lack of personality, perhaps. We must have the personality to get out, to not accept that pressure or to play that long in the last third.
“In this moment we have one more point than before.
"If Arsenal and City win they go above us, but that is their job. Every game is difficult and every team needs points.”
Chelsea could be overtaken by both Arsenal and Manchester City if they win on Wednesday night.
Anichebe’s equaliser was only the second goal Mourinho’s side have conceded this year.
John Terry was absent for the second successive league game with a muscle strain, but Mourinho refused to use that as an excuse for the disappointing draw.
He said: “We made mistakes. I don’t speak about names. We, as a team, made mistakes. I don’t like to individualise.
"If John is not here it is not because we do not want [him to play]. It is because we can’t. It’s not an option.
“I would be blaming myself if it was. He is a guy with big personality so it could be different with him, yes.
"But I would prefer to say that we didn’t kill the game.”
Chelsea’s irritation increased steadily in a disappointing second-half performance and Branislav Ivanovic, who had given Chelsea the lead, was involved in one furious confrontation with a linesman after a decision went against the visitors.
Petr Cech, Chelsea’s goalkeeper and captain on the night, rushed out of his penalty area in an attempt to calm the Serbian defender down.
Pepe Mel, West Bromwich Albion’s head coach, is still waiting for his first victory in English football but this deserved point moved his team out of the relegation zone, if only on goal difference.
Albion will now head to a warm-weather training camp in Jerez with their confidence restored and when they return they will have two successive home games against Fulham and Manchester United.
He said: “It wasn’t the most complete 90-minute performance but I’m proud of my players.
"If West Brom scored a goal earlier, we’d have gone on to win the match.
“The players need a win. The players and me, too. But this draw against Chelsea, for us, is good because Chelsea are a big team.
“I think the last match against Crystal Palace for us was very bad, so we needed to work and focus on this match. The next match is very important.
"We went to the last five or 10 minutes and City had a couple of shots and corners, and the game finished with a corner and they could have equalised.
“But in that game, we didn’t make one defensive mistake, even when they put pressure on us.
"Today, it was not for five minutes. It was 20 minutes, and we made a couple of defensive mistakes.
“That’s not our game. It’s not how we feel comfortable. A lack of personality, perhaps. We must have the personality to get out, to not accept that pressure or to play that long in the last third.
“In this moment we have one more point than before.
"If Arsenal and City win they go above us, but that is their job. Every game is difficult and every team needs points.”
Chelsea could be overtaken by both Arsenal and Manchester City if they win on Wednesday night.
Anichebe’s equaliser was only the second goal Mourinho’s side have conceded this year.
John Terry was absent for the second successive league game with a muscle strain, but Mourinho refused to use that as an excuse for the disappointing draw.
He said: “We made mistakes. I don’t speak about names. We, as a team, made mistakes. I don’t like to individualise.
"If John is not here it is not because we do not want [him to play]. It is because we can’t. It’s not an option.
“I would be blaming myself if it was. He is a guy with big personality so it could be different with him, yes.
"But I would prefer to say that we didn’t kill the game.”
Chelsea’s irritation increased steadily in a disappointing second-half performance and Branislav Ivanovic, who had given Chelsea the lead, was involved in one furious confrontation with a linesman after a decision went against the visitors.
Petr Cech, Chelsea’s goalkeeper and captain on the night, rushed out of his penalty area in an attempt to calm the Serbian defender down.
Pepe Mel, West Bromwich Albion’s head coach, is still waiting for his first victory in English football but this deserved point moved his team out of the relegation zone, if only on goal difference.
Albion will now head to a warm-weather training camp in Jerez with their confidence restored and when they return they will have two successive home games against Fulham and Manchester United.
He said: “It wasn’t the most complete 90-minute performance but I’m proud of my players.
"If West Brom scored a goal earlier, we’d have gone on to win the match.
“The players need a win. The players and me, too. But this draw against Chelsea, for us, is good because Chelsea are a big team.
“I think the last match against Crystal Palace for us was very bad, so we needed to work and focus on this match. The next match is very important.
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