Jose Mourinho Explains Decision to Walk Out of Chelsea Press Conference

Jose Mourinho has returned fire on claims he stormed out of Chelsea’s pre-match press conference in the run up to the Blues’ Champions League tie with Steaua Bucharest.

Speaking with typical sarcasm in the build up to Chelsea’s Premier League game with Norwich, Mourinho suggested he was simply returning to more pressing matters, as hinted at by the club’s Twitter feed:

The Portuguese boss has proven anything but the "Happy One" since returning to Stamford Bridge and has been forced to constantly shield pressing questions from the British media.

It remains unclear whether Mourinho did cut the press briefing short or indeed leave abruptly as questions came to an end, but that did not stop the incident blowing up in the media.

Mourinho’s decision to leave in such a manner was brought on by questioning over Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian midfielder has failed to maintain his place in Chelsea’s starting XI this season, and he irked his boss with poor performances in training and the Capital One Cup clash against Swindon, per Sky Sports:

"

He's not selected because I didn't like the match he played against Swindon and I didn't like the way he was training.

But you have this tendency to only ask about the guys that are not selected. See you tomorrow.

"

Probing over De Bruyne follows intense speculation regarding Juan Mata’s future, a situation that appears to have calmed down now Mourinho is giving the Spaniard significant time on the pitch.

Such problems highlight the difficult task Mourinho has when trying to satisfy all of his players. Having sent Victor Moses, Marko Marin and Romelu Lukaku out on loan, the former Real Madrid boss still has an array of classy players vying for a spot in the first team.

Alongside De Bruyne and Mata, Chelsea possess the likes of Eden Hazard, Andre Schurrle, Frank Lampard, Oscar and Ramires. Marco van Ginkel’s recent injury, as reported by BBC Sport, softens the juggling act slightly. However, it’s clear Mourinho will struggle to fulfil all of his players' needs throughout the season.

This task is not helped by the British press, who appear to have turned on the manager since he returned to England.

With Chelsea currently sitting fifth in the Premier League and battling to progress from the Champions League group stage, the under-pressure boss must keep his cool in order to stay in control of his club's fortunes.