Chelsea vs. Everton: Jose Mourinho's Key Takeaways from Pre-Match Presser
Jose Mourinho provided another gloomy press conference in the wake of Diego Costa's three-match suspension.
The Portuguese boss—who continues to remain upset that his Spanish striker was retrospectively charged with stamping on Liverpool's Emre Can, per Dominic Fifield of The Guardian—spoke ahead of Chelsea's tie with Everton on Wednesday.
Mourinho suggested his team are missing Costa—who he wouldn't reference by name—but that he still has enough firepower with Loic Remy and Didier Drogba to get the job done, per Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC:
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He is also not quite ready to forget the incident, per Chelsea's official feed:
Mourinho even went as far as suggesting another player should have been suspended during the last round of fixtures, reported by Delaney:
It's likely he was referring to Robin van Persie, who appeared to move his elbow in the direction of West Ham defender James Tomkins during Manchester United's trip to the Boleyn Ground. Tomkins accused RvP after the match, reported by Kevin Palmer of ESPN FC.
Although his comments were unclear, Mourinho certainly didn't miss the opportunity to make his feelings known.
On the pitch, the manager's side weren't at their best during Saturday's trip to Aston Villa, but they can take heart from battling through a difficult test with a 2-1 victory. Branislav Ivanovic's goal proved decisive for the Blues, who have suffered both of their losses on the road this season.
Chelsea are typically a different beast at home, winning 10 of their 11 Stamford Bridge ties this campaign. Only Manchester City have nicked points off the league leaders, grabbing a 1-1 draw during Chelsea's last west London outing.
Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel is the side's only casualty heading into the match, with Cesc Fabregas returning. Delaney and Chelsea's feed reported the fitness updates:
Everton have struggled this season and currently linger in 12th. Chelsea beat them 6-3 at Goodison Park earlier in the season and will be more than confident of putting Roberto Martinez's side to the sword once more.
The Toffees have just one win in their last 10 fixtures across all competitions, against relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers, per WhoScored.com. More prominently, Martinez's men haven't beaten any team ranked higher than them away from home this season.
Even so, Mourinho still expects a tough test, particularly with former player Romelu Lukaku returning to face his old side:
Costa is set to return in time for Chelsea's next Premier League match against Burnley, so it will be interesting to see whether Mourinho can crack a smile when the Feb. 21 fixture arrives. The Blues face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League before then but will sit out of the FA Cup weekend after losing to Bradford.
Mourinho's mind games are certainly ongoing. This is hardly any different from seasons gone by, as the Special One continues to concoct his own methodology of dealing with the English press. As long as Chelsea beat Everton, supporters are unlikely to worry too much about the glumness of the club's leader.
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