José Mourinho to journalists: ‘Google instead of asking stupid questions’

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has taken aim at critics who have claimed he always struggles in his third season at a club.

Loftus-Cheek made his Chelsea debut in the Champions League as a substitute last season and the 19-year-old started Premier League games against Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion. Chelsea suffered their third Premier League loss of the season on Saturday, as Everton recorded a 3-1 win to make it the worst start to a season for the Blues since 1988.

“My third season at Porto”, he questioned. You spoke about the third season, and I’m telling you the question is stupid.

Reporter: But Jose, you know the point of the question? “Go to Google first before you ask stupid questions”, he added. I haven’t done that before.

Maccabi are back in the competition for the first time since 2004-05 after coming through the qualifying rounds, thanks nearly entirely to forward Eran Zahavi who has scored 12 goals in total this season. “It will just be for this game“.

Mourinho: I have nothing to show to anyone.

“It would be easy for me to say that [I prioritise the Champions League] but I cannot tell you something that is not true”.

It is vital in the Champions League to finish top of the group, and home victories over the likes of Maccabi are essential in achieving that. We are in a hard moment, and having four points after five games is not normal for our team.

“Our start has been so bad but nobody can steal what we are, nobody can steal our trophies, nobody can steal our history”. If I leave out Cesar Azpilicueta it’s because I have a problem with him.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is a long-term absentee after undergoing knee surgery and striker Radamel Falcao misses out with a similar problem. I have to be just anxious about my team and players.

“It’s so simple to accept that the results are not good because that’s football”.

He said: “Yes, (Maccabi Tel-Aviv) can beat us, but at the same time we also know we are a better team”. We’re not happy, but we know what we are.

In a testy exchange with BBC Sport’s Ben Smith, Mourinho rejected the idea that performances of the teams he has managed deteriorated in his third season in charge.