Chelsea vs. Porto: Jose Mourinho's Key Comments from Pre-Match Press Conference

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has insisted he still has the full backing of Blues owner Roman Abramovich despite some terrible recent showings.  

A loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Dec. 5 was the latest disappointing result in a season punctured by low points for the champions. But as Mourinho addressed the press ahead of Chelsea’s critical Champions League clash with his former club Porto on Tuesday, he made it clear he feels his position is secure, per Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC:

There have been some rumours suggesting Mourinho could lose his job, with Mark Ogden of the Independent writing Italy manager Antonio Conte has been isolated as a possible replacement.

However, when quizzed on the prospect of the sack, the Chelsea manager insisted he is remaining upbeat and confident the Blues could still win something this term:

He also still seems eager to prove himself with the Blues, as it was revealed he has been working one-on-one with striker Diego Costa in training, giving him a "tactics tutorial" in a desperate attempt to end his scoring slump, per the Daily Telegraph's Matt Law.

Mourinho was also armed with a host of statistics that suggested despite the disappointing spell of form, things are improving at Stamford Bridge:

One figure who has backed Mourinho is former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. The former Red Devils man, whose team long dominated the Premier League, said it would be a “foolish” decision to cut ties with the Portuguese, branding him as “one of the best coaches of all time,” per BBC Sport.

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Mourinho was evidently thankful for the support from his former foe and a man he now considers to be a friend, per the Chelsea Twitter feed:

It’s been easy to forget there is a subsequent match during the Chelsea manager’s press conferences this season, and eventually, talk did turn to the vital game they have at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening against Porto.

The Blues only need a draw to book their place in the last 16 of the competition, but the visitors did outplay Chelsea in the return fixture, securing a 2-1 win. A loss for the Premier League side in this one and a win for Dynamo Kiev in their match against pointless Maccabi tel Aviv would see the Blues eliminated.

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Mourinho insisted his team will do all they can to book a place in the knockout stage and, despite the quality Porto possess, is very much focused on his own side’s qualities:

He also provided an update on the fitness of some of the Blues’ key men, revealing that club captain John Terry could return to the first XI after sitting out the defeat to Bournemouth:

One decision which could be crucial to Chelsea’s chances is whether or not Mourinho looks to utilise Costa.

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After a tough start to the campaign, the Spanish international has been benched for the last two games, with Eden Hazard starting at the point of the attacking instead. But while the Belgian has done pretty well in that position, Chelsea failed to find the back of the net in their last two matches; Mourinho doesn’t think goals are too far off, though:

While Mourinho has earned himself enough credit to warrant patience, the performance levels of Chelsea no longer represent a blip in form. The home defeat to the Cherries saw some longstanding issues resurface, and if the Blues were to drop out of the Champions League this week, you wonder whether enough would be enough.

Despite the Portuguese’s claims, Abramovich has a history of axing managers after poor beginnings to the campaign. Against Porto, the team which Mourinho initially joined the Blues from back in 2004, a victory would be cathartic for the Blues boss, but it’s going to take a massive jump in performance levels if they’re to take a positive result.