Jose Mourinho Comments on Status with Chelsea, Eden Hazard Injury and More

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho turned on his players following the 2-1 loss against Leicester City on Monday night, admitting the Blues can no longer finish in the top four before saying he feels “betrayed” by his squad.

Per the Daily Mirror's James Whaling, he immediately replied to Sky Sports, “Yes, clearly,” when asked whether his team could no longer finish in the top four of the Premier League before he unleashed a scathing attack on his team that was harsh even by his standards. Per the Guardian's Daniel Taylor, he went right at his squad:   

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez gave the Foxes a two-goal lead, and while Loic Remy managed to pull one back late for the Blues, the defending Premier League champions never looked likely to grab a result at the King Power Stadium.

Per Whaling, Mourinho emphasised to Sky Sports he thought Leicester City fully deserved the win, although he also reserved some harsh comments for the Foxes' ballboys, per Oliver Kay of the Times:

But that was nothing compared to what he had to say about his own players. Per the Guardian's Sachin Nakrani, he even went as far as to suggest he won the Blues the Premier League title last season because he got the team to play above their level:

Sports writer Martin Lipton couldn't believe what he was seeing:

The Sunday World's Kevin Palmer is convinced this is the end of Mourinho's time as Chelsea manager:

The Portuguese manager also chimed in on Eden Hazard, who left the pitch with an injury. Per Taylor, he didn't agree with the Belgian's decision not to have a doctor examine him before he left the pitch:

But despite the extraordinary outburst, he remains committed to the Chelsea project:

It's hard to see Mourinho coming back from this, however. While it certainly did look as if the players didn't try their hardest on Monday night, this kind of attack on his squad is unprecedented.

Stars like Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas won't take kindly to the suggestion Mourinho made them play above their level last season, and if Mourinho hadn't lost control of the dressing room yet, this should be the final push.

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