Jose Mourinho wishes he could be on the pitch with his Chelsea players to help spark their Premier League season.
The defending champions could be in the bottom three by the time they play Leicester on Monday night and have lost eight of their 15 matches in the top flight this term.
“It has been frustrating [this season], but you have to be stronger than ever,” said Mourinho, who as a midfielder appeared in the Portuguese Second Division.
“I’m so sorry that I can’t play, that I can’t be on the pitch to take some responsibilities. But what is in my hands is to motivate people to work hard, to prepare matches and analyse opponents [and in this] I am doing even better than before.”
Chelsea vs Porto - player ratings
Despite the club’s troubles, the supporters have continued to stand by Mourinho, while owner Roman Abramovich (below) has taken the unusual step of not sacking a coach who is under-performing so badly.
Mourinho told BT Sport: “You need your friends in the bad moments and this season not just Chelsea fans, but also the owner and the board, are showing they are with me in a difficult moment. It’s easy to be loved when things go well, it’s more difficult to be respected when things are going wrong.”
