Mourinho: Playing with pride

   

Jose Mourinho has indicated either Didier Drogba or Loic Remy will be chosen to lead the line when we begin our FA Cup campaign against Championship side Watford at Stamford Bridge later today.

Speaking ahead of the game against a team managed by former Chelsea midfielder Slavisa Jokanovic, the Blues boss addressed the issue of his attacking options for the third-round tie.

‘I have Remy and Drogba and maybe I put Diego on the bench and I play Didier or Remy,’ Mourinho said.

The game, our third in the space of eight days, sees us take on a side who have been performing well of late, and Mourinho believes the fact Watford weren’t in action on New Year’s Day makes them even more dangerous.

‘The Championship clubs will be in a better condition than the Premier League clubs,’ explained the Portuguese. ‘At the same time, normally the Premier League clubs have more potential, more quality. One team has more quality but another team is fresh and ready for the game. So maybe matches between Premier League teams and Championship teams, this is a good way to level things.

‘I watched a couple of Watford matches on TV and I have studied them. It looks to me as though they are a good team.

‘It's difficult for the players [the schedule], but it's not difficult for my players, it's difficult for every player. So, my respect to every player of every club; it's hard to do it, it's the only country where they do it and they do it with lots of pride.

‘We don't have to analyse if it's fair or not fair. It's the reality. In relation to fixtures and accumulation of matches and fatigue – these kind of things – it is the way it is. We have to accept that.'

Our recent record in the FA Cup is very impressive, with the Blues having won the competition four times since 2007, most recently in 2012 when we beat Liverpool 2-1 in the final at Wembley.

‘We try,’ said Mourinho. ‘In every game and every competition, we try. So the next game is FA Cup, let's respect the competition, which is a beautiful one, and try to go all the way.’

Mourinho is expected to make some changes to the side from the one beaten at Tottenham on Thursday. Whether or not Eden Hazard is involved remains to be seen, and the manager praised the recent performances of the Belgian, despite the attempts of opposition defenders to limit his impact.

‘The first free-kick of every game is somebody kicking him,’ said the Portuguese. ‘He has fouls and fouls and fouls. I don't see many yellow cards. Sometimes a yellow card is a consequence of violent conduct, but I also think that accumulation of small fouls is also violent conduct.

‘The kid is suffering the consequences of that, but playing amazingly well. Against Tottenham he was amazing. Even in the second half, with a difficult result to face, he had the determination to keep believing till the end. He was fantastic.’