Jose Mourinho Comments on Future as Chelsea Manager, Champions League and More

Jose Mourinho has insisted that failing to qualify for the Champions League wouldn’t be enough to see him sacked as Chelsea's manager.

The Portuguese boss has found himself under major scrutiny after the Blues’ dreary beginning to the season, but despite Chelsea going into this weekend’s fixture against Aston Villa 10 points behind league leaders Manchester City, Mourinho remains confident that he has the full backing of the club, per Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph:

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Asked whether he expected to survive with a "mid-table finish", Mourinho boldly replied with an emphatic "yes" ahead of Saturday’s vital Premier League match at home to Aston Villa.

Mourinho stressed that he did not “expect to finish mid-table” but said that “things were different now” and that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was prepared to stick with a manager who has been the most successful in the club’s history.

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Steven Governo/Associated Press

Mourinho’s stature in the game will earn him some time, should things go as pear-shaped as aforementioned. After all, he has delivered three of the five league titles that Chelsea have won in their history, forging teams that attack with power, control matches with swagger and defend with unshakable cohesion—until this season, anyway.

As we can see here, courtesy of OptaJoe, eight matches in, the Blues are looking increasingly like a soft touch:

Indeed, how he handles the situation at Chelsea could define Mourinho’s legacy. After all, never has the manager had to cope with a team so devoid of ingenuity and cohesion. Galvanising this jaded group of players will be an almighty ask, but given that he’s revered as one of the best managers in world football, it's not something that should be beyond a man of Jose’s skill set.

Mourinho’s quips regarding a mid-table finish were likely mentioned in jest. However, BBC Radio 5 Live took no mercy when billing the clash between Chelsea and Villa, who are in 16th and 18th, respectively:

The players available to Mourinho are too good not to eventually click into some sort of rhythm, and that will ensure they do claw their way back to the upper reaches of the Premier League table. But whether he can restore the qualities that saw Chelsea waltz to the title in the 2014-15 season is another matter altogether.

FRANCK FIFE/Getty Images

The supporters at Stamford Bridge remain behind Mourinho, and he seems to have no intentions of throwing in the towel. But owner Roman Abramovich has proved in the past that he’s not scared of wielding the axe when it comes to underperforming managers. 

Behind this public bullishness, Mourinho knows how important it is for the results to turn around quickly if he is to maintain his position as Chelsea's manager for much longer.