Football
Kevin Palmer 9y

Mourinho to Wenger: If defending was easy, you wouldn't lose 3-1 to Monaco

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has hit back at Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and defended his team's tactics ahead of their trip to Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Mourinho and Wenger have been part of a long-running rivalry that has extended over the past 11 years, with sparring between the duo before, during and after matches, capturing headlines along the way.

Now Mourinho has rejected Wenger's claims that Chelsea's defensive style is easier to master than that of Arsenal's more expansive passing game, with the Blues boss offering up this typically devious response.

"It's not easy. If it was easy, you wouldn't lose 3-1 at home to Monaco," he said, referring to Arsenal's surprise defeat against the French side in the Champions League round of 16.

"If he defends well he draws 0-0 against Monaco and wins in Monte Carlo. It's not easy to prepare a team to defend."

Mourinho went on to suggest his team has been unsettled by injuries to key players and dips in form for others. But he stressed he was unconcerned with critiques of Chelsea's lack of fluidity over the latter third of the season as his side near a title triumph.

"If we win the title this season, I don't care where and how," he continued. "I just want to be champions. It matters what I feel, not what people feel, think or say.

"We are the best team since day one, and we want to be the best team until the last day. We are top of the league since day one. We are the second team in terms of goals scored. We are the second best team for goals conceded. The team with fewest defeats.

"We lost progressively the balance of our team in recent weeks. When you lose crucial pieces, the team loses certain qualities. This [change of style] was just a consequence of things."

Chelsea were being praised for their flowing football at the start of this Premier League season, and Mourinho confirmed he intends to rediscover that flair when the next campaign gets underway.

"I hope to start next season the same way we started this season," he added. "This is the way we want to play, this is the way we played during the season, and the team we enjoy more.

"It's also very enjoyable to deal with a difficult moment, to deal in a strategic way," he continued. "When you are in the sea and have no boat, you need something to survive. A raft. In football, team spirit and team ethics and strategy is this."

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