Jose Mourinho Criticizes Media, Ex-Players After Stoke City Loss

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho hit back at media criticism of him and his players after the Blues were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Stoke City on penalties. 

Loic Remy's stoppage-time strike cancelled out Jonathan Walters' second-half opener to force extra time at the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday.       

However, Eden Hazard missed the crucial spot-kick to hand the Potters a 5-4 shootout victory and sent the defending champions crashing out of the competition at the fourth-round stage.

Despite the eventual defeat, Mourniho praised his players for a good performance but hit out at recent criticism from the media and former players following Chelsea's awful start to the new season, per BBC Sport's Gary Rose:

"

What the players did tonight is face some people that write and speak, and said: "You are stupid". What some people write and say is really bad for the players. Maybe they think my players are like them when they were players. My players don't do that, they tried everything. If anyone saw the second half the other day, playing with 10 men the way they did [in defeat to West Ham United], it's a lack of respect for the players.

"

The defending Premier League champions currently lie 15th in the English top flight after a disastrous start to the new campaign that has seen them lose five of their opening 10 games.

Tuesday's result only serves to increase the pressure on Mourinho ahead of a crucial Premier League clash on Saturday with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

A recent report in the Express indicated that the Portuguese could face the sack if his side lose another match to the Reds this weekend, per the BBC's Neil Henderson:

Mourinho was in feisty form following the League Cup defeat and accused his critics of double standards in relation to his side's decline in recent months, per Chelsea: "A few months ago I won a few matches and I was champion. People were saying there are things more important than results. Now, people say results are the most important thing. It's a contradiction."

As far as the 52-year-old is concerned, his Chelsea side have deserved more from recent matches, per the club's Twitter feed:

Mourinho is arguably under more pressure than he has ever been in his managerial career.

His star players from last season—Nemanja Matic, Hazard, Cesc Fabregas—have all been far from their best this term, and star striker Diego Costa was forced off in the first half against Stoke with a rib injury, per BBC Sport.

When asked about Costa's injury after the match, Mourinho gave a typically sarcastic response, per BBC Sport's Conor McNamara:

But his side are in a mess, and despite Mourinho's assertions that Chelsea played well against Stoke, their ejection from the Capital One Cup has simply piled more pressure on the west London club and the manager.

Saturday's clash against Liverpool now takes on more significance than ever. Mourinho needs to prompt a good performance from his team, or else he may be taking charge at Chelsea for the last time.