Chelsea’s Mourinho wants more from Costa

He said: “It was hard for him because he was very upset and didn’t speak. I’m not hiding. Today he didn’t train, but we have a little hope that it’s possible”. “I can not say how much easier those conditions are”, Mourinho said.

Ramires and John Terry picked up injuries during Chelsea’s win against Maccabi and will miss the London derby game so Kurt Zouma and Gary Cahill are expected to start at their respective center back positions.

Chelsea full-back Cesar Azpilicueta is ready to perform any role he is offered in order to help his team win matches.

“Chelsea were very impressive that day because I think we were the better side, but they just knew how to win”, said Dier.

Jose Mourinho insists he does not have an issue with Diego Costa, despite leaving the striker on the bench as Chelsea drew 0-0 with Tottenham on Sunday.

“If they say they are fighting for the title, I would not laugh”. The gulf between the clubs really grew when Roman Abramovich began pouring his billions into Chelsea in 2003, a fact made all the more painful for Tottenham fans because the Russian oligarch had also expressed an interest in buying their club. “That Champions League semi-final was at the end of the season when legs are a bit heavier than in November”.

“It was not a problem for us, it’s not a problem for Tottenham”.

“This story is a story that doesn’t convince me and it’s a story that we have a solution for everyone or we don’t have a solution for anyone”.

Mourinho pointed to his second job in management back in Portugal, at Uniao de Leiria, when he was 38 years old, as an example of what can be achieved by a talented young manager at a smaller club freed from the weight of expectation. You play Tuesday in the Champions League knockout, you play Friday in your league. The manager played that down yesterday… only to then continue his criticism of Costa. There are rules for everyone.

The Barclays Premier League champions travel across the capital 10 points and 10 places worse off than their fifth-placed rivals, who last won the title in 1961 and whose most recent trophy was the 2008 League Cup.

“When I was in a team whose objectives were not to be relegated (Portugal’s União de Leiria in 2001), in December, we were third and it was fantastic”.

The suspicion lingers that Spurs are hostages to fortune considering their lack of authentic striking options if Harry Kane gets injured. “These stories start on 1 September when the market closed, and will be more and more ahead of the opening of the market in January”.

“We’re very stable and when you look at a top player like Harry, he wants to learn and get better”, Mason told the Evening Standard.