Mourinho comments ‘tarnish Chelsea’s reputation’

Mark Holmes
Jose Mourinho: Manager had to watch Chelsea lose again

Jose Mourinho: Manager had to watch Chelsea lose again on Saturday

Jose Mourinho’s condemnation of officials this season is more damaging to Chelsea than their results, according to John Cross.

Mourinho refused to answer seven of the nine questions put to him after Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool on Saturday, but the Blues boss dropped a strong hint that he believed the half-time whistle should have been blown before Philippe Coutinho’s equaliser and that Lucas should have been sent off with the score still at 1-1.

However, Cross, the Daily Mirror’s chief football writer, believes Mourinho has done more damage than good with his comments about officials this season.

“I think it’s been embarrassing,” Cross said on Sunday Supplement on Sky Sports. “He has been so condemning of the officials. That for me is more damaging to the football club than some of the results.

“It tarnishes the club’s reputation that Roman Abramovich has been so determined to uphold. It surprises me how Mourinho has weathered that storm as some of paranoia comments are ridiculous and embarrassing.

“These ridiculous and embarrassing outbursts have to be reported [by the press]. Jose is writing his own headlines and writing his own death warrant. That’s the long and short of it.

“This ridiculous campaign he has against the FA, referees and Arsene Wenger, it’s just embarrassing. The sooner he stops wasting energy on believing that everyone is against him, he can use that energy to much more positive use.”

The Daily Telegraph’s Jason Burt agreed, adding: “I think there is real concern that he can’t turn this around.

“Part of the problem at Chelsea is that people are concerned about him and about how he’s coping with this. He’s lashing out left, right and centre. The interviews yesterday were ridiculous.

“Because he has now talked so much about things going wrong, referee decisions, conspiracy theories and the whole world being against them, he’s almost given the players an out.”

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