Jose Mourinho has been charged with misconduct by the FA over the comments he made on Saturday after Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge against Southampton, as stated by this report in the BBC. This loss left the defending champions in 16th place, but the Portuguese manager felt that the referee was to blame.
With the score at 1-1, Radamel Falcao went down under the challenge of Soton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg but rather than awarding a penalty, referee Robert Madley chose to book the Colombian striker for diving. Replays showed that the official’s decision was right.
In an extraordinary rant after the game, Mourinho said, “I think it’s time to be a little bit honest and to say clearly the referees are afraid to give decisions for Chelsea.
“The result was 1-1 when it was a huge penalty, and, once more, we didn’t get one.And the penalty was a crucial moment in the game with the result 1-1.”
“And, I repeat, if the FA wants to punish me, they can punish me. They don’t punish other managers, they punish me, but it’s not a problem for me.”
Punishing him is exactly what the FA has decided to do, stating that his comments implied bias on part of a match official. Mourinho has until Thursday to respond, after which the full implications of his words will surface.
This comes after Chelsea issued a public statement, making it clear that the Special One had the full backing of the club’s hierarchy despite the poor start to the season. There was speculation over a possible departure fuelled by Mourinho himself in that post-match interview, but the Blues have extinguished that fire.
Change in personnel on the way
According to the Daily Mail, Mourinho will give midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek an extended run in the side, as both Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas have suffered stunning losses of form this season.
The 19 year-old Englishman has featured in the Champions League and the League Cup but is yet to start a Premier League game. He will be on the team-sheet though, for Chelsea’s home game against Aston Villa on October 17, after the international break.
Mourinho said after the Southampton game on Saturday, “Clearly it is time. Not to play four, five or six kids – some are not ready – but Ruben is a case where he’s more ready, and if everything goes normal during the next two weeks, he’s a player to start the next game and a run of matches, to try and get that stability as a first-team choice.
It will be interesting to see what system Mourinho plays with Loftus-Cheek in the side. The two-man pivot has looked threadbare, with Fabregas offering nothing going backwards. Switching to a 4-3-3 with both Matic and Loftus-Cheek could be a better option at the moment, as Chelsea look to gain control in midfield and start winning games on a consistent basis.
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