It’s been a year since legendary Chelsea manager José Mourinho was sacked for the second time, with the club just one point above the relegation zone barely six months after winning a Premier League and League Cup double. Guus Hiddink salvaged the season to a certain degree with a 10th-place finish, but Chelsea’s fortunes did not improve until Antonio Conte took over in the summer.
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho moved to Manchester United, but despite spending big in the summer, he’s yet to really reap the rewards and is languishing many points behind the leaders ... though only four points off the top four thanks to Arsenal’s foibles and United’s own improving fortunes. Despite the better results, Mourinho is keeping expectations in check by talking up Chelsea’s title chances.
"It's very difficult, you have to be honest and say that. Not just the difference in points, but also the Chelsea philosophy of play. They score one goal and they win, they defend a lot, they defend well, they are winning and in the last 20 minutes they bring defenders in, they don't care what people say, what people think, they just want to win."
"And because of that, I don't see them losing many points. It is mathematically possible [for United to win the league], but it is very difficult to happen for us. The difference is considerable."
-José Mourinho; source: Sky Sports
Depending on your predispositions, you can interpret these words as compliments, mind games, digs (at either Chelsea or media bias), or just pure statements of fact (correct or incorrect). To help you decide, you can see Mourinho answer the question about Chelsea at around the 3-minute mark of the video at the top.
We’re choosing to take this as praise. Thank, José! We’ll do you proud.