Chelsea manager frustrated as side conced late equaliser and says ability to
kill off games is the mssing ingredient
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.
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