Why Jose's Sydney Press Conference Made Global Headlines

HAVING watched countless streams of Jose Mourinho in press conferences across the globe, it was Sydney’s turn to hear the Special One and see him in action.

He delivered upon arriving in Sydney, with his playful display with Sydney boss Graham Arnold, and was effusive – but measured – in his praise of the A-League and his opponents after the 1-0 win at ANZ Stadium on Tuesday night.
But on the other side of the globe, after a friendly win in the final game of an arduous – and successful – season, Mourinho still made headlines.
He used his press conference to put his young players on notice, singling out the highly rated Ruben Loftus-Cheek with a withering assessment of his performance.
Those comments became the focal point of the game across football sites across the globe.
“Ruben said he had a pain in his back but what I was feeling was that he only had the pain when Sydney had the ball,” Mourinho said.
“When Chelsea had the ball he was playing very well, but when Sydney had the ball I think he was more impressed by watching Matic and Mikel work, instead of him working.
“So, with Ruben, it’s one step back in terms of my relationship with him. If he doesn’t know what it is to play for me and Chelsea it’s one step back.
“He has to learn that at 19 you have to run three times more than the others, you have to play to your limits and not play like a superstar with the ball at your feet because this is not Under-18s.
“The Under-18 competition is too easy for him. He’s too good to play in the Under-18s but I don’t accept that when he’s playing in midfield with Mikel and Matic when we don’t have the ball he doesn’t press, doesn’t have intensity and he’s waiting for everybody else to recover the ball. I don’t accept that in the superstars so how can I accept that in a kid? He has to learn what it takes to play for us.”
The 19-year-old was a late scratching from the starting XI, came on for the injured Diego Costa before half-time, before being replaced himself in the 68th minute.
Here’s the rest of what Mourinho had to say after Chelsea wrapped up their Sydney trip.
Addressing rumours Diego Costa wants out: “He’s the guy responsible for everything good we have in the dressing room. He’s so happy, so funny, he enjoys every minute and is the happiest guy in the dressing room. If this is unhappiness I’m happy with that. He was not happy with the news.”
On Costa coming off before half-time: “Diego was another one that respected what we found. We felt it when we arrived, in the hotel and at training. We wanted to try to play our best players. This group of 10 seniors, we played them all. Diego tried, we didn’t want to take any risks. I told him to give the fans at least half an hour and he played until the 40th minute, we felt that was enough.”
On his senior pros making the most of the occasion: “I’m happy with the performance of my senior players because it’s been a long season, in fact very long,’ said the Portuguese. ‘In one week they have to play for their national teams, important matches, and they came to Thailand and Australia and respected the fans and opponents.
“There were some performances from people like Ivanovic, Terry and Mikel where they tried to play football and the result could have been completely different.
“In the last part of the game the younger boys couldn’t cope with the competitiveness of the Sydney players, they felt they had a chance and they pushed a little bit in the last period.”
On the trip: “People were so nice and enthusiastic but every time we put one foot out of the hotel it was difficult to do anything. This morning I went shopping and after five minutes I had to go back.
“I was sorry for that but at the same time happy to feel people like us and like football. I know it’s far but we have a responsibility for the passion for football around the world. It cannot be another 40 years until we come here. If the club ask me for my opinion I would say we have to come back.”