Should fourth-placed Manchester City slip up at Hull City in Saturday’s early kick-off, victory at Villa could even establish a 10-point cushion for Chelsea as second and third placed sides Liverpool and Arsenal are not in action until Sunday.
Not that the Portuguese coach was too interested either way. ‘I keep saying the same, the table is fake,’ Mourinho, whose side have played three more matches than City, told a news conference at Chelsea’s training ground.
‘If you look at the table, before the points column is the number of matches played. We could have 30 more points but have played 10 more so it means nothing.
‘When everyone has the same number of matches, I don’t know when that will be, maybe in the last week, only then is the table real.’
Fake table or not, with 26 points from the last 30 available, it would appear that Mourinho is closing in on a third league title at Stamford Bridge, having won it in 2004-05 and 2005-06 during his first spell in charge.
While admitting he thinks Chelsea are ‘ahead of schedule’, Mourinho said his side deserved to be at the top. ‘I would prefer the destiny in my hands,’ he said. ‘But the position at the top is real. Lots of work, lots of sweat from the players and they deserve the 66 points they have.’
Mourinho will take charge of his 150th Premier League game on Saturday and despite Chelsea having won the last four league clashes with Villa, racking up 16 goals in the process, he said a point ‘would not be too bad’.
‘We have a very difficult match tomorrow,’ he said. ‘After Villa comes Arsenal, we go match by match. I really live day by day and we don’t look at the table because it’s fake.’ Defenders David Luiz and Ashley Cole are both still unavailable.
Van Persie quashes talk of United exit
LONDON: Robin van Persie has slammed speculation that he is unhappy at Manchester United and wants to quit the troubled Premier League champions.
Van Persie was reported to be disgruntled with life at United following Alex Ferguson’s retirement at the end of last season and the Dutch striker’s relatively poor form this term has added to the impression that all is not well.
But van Persie on Thursday hit back at rumours that he wanted to leave in an exclusive interview with United’s match-day programme.
‘I don’t mind if my performances get dissected and people criticise what I’ve done on the pitch. They can talk about my game 24/7 for all I care and a lot of those opinions and criticisms may actually be right. So I don’t mind that,’ van Persie told United Review.
‘What I need to address are the situations when people are taking it upon themselves to think for me, make assumptions, or interpret things as if they are me.
‘Last time I checked my head was still attached to my body, so I’m the only one who knows exactly what I’m feeling and that is not what I or the fans have been reading.’
Not that the Portuguese coach was too interested either way. ‘I keep saying the same, the table is fake,’ Mourinho, whose side have played three more matches than City, told a news conference at Chelsea’s training ground.
‘If you look at the table, before the points column is the number of matches played. We could have 30 more points but have played 10 more so it means nothing.
‘When everyone has the same number of matches, I don’t know when that will be, maybe in the last week, only then is the table real.’
Fake table or not, with 26 points from the last 30 available, it would appear that Mourinho is closing in on a third league title at Stamford Bridge, having won it in 2004-05 and 2005-06 during his first spell in charge.
While admitting he thinks Chelsea are ‘ahead of schedule’, Mourinho said his side deserved to be at the top. ‘I would prefer the destiny in my hands,’ he said. ‘But the position at the top is real. Lots of work, lots of sweat from the players and they deserve the 66 points they have.’
Mourinho will take charge of his 150th Premier League game on Saturday and despite Chelsea having won the last four league clashes with Villa, racking up 16 goals in the process, he said a point ‘would not be too bad’.
‘We have a very difficult match tomorrow,’ he said. ‘After Villa comes Arsenal, we go match by match. I really live day by day and we don’t look at the table because it’s fake.’ Defenders David Luiz and Ashley Cole are both still unavailable.
Van Persie quashes talk of United exit
LONDON: Robin van Persie has slammed speculation that he is unhappy at Manchester United and wants to quit the troubled Premier League champions.
Van Persie was reported to be disgruntled with life at United following Alex Ferguson’s retirement at the end of last season and the Dutch striker’s relatively poor form this term has added to the impression that all is not well.
But van Persie on Thursday hit back at rumours that he wanted to leave in an exclusive interview with United’s match-day programme.
‘I don’t mind if my performances get dissected and people criticise what I’ve done on the pitch. They can talk about my game 24/7 for all I care and a lot of those opinions and criticisms may actually be right. So I don’t mind that,’ van Persie told United Review.
‘What I need to address are the situations when people are taking it upon themselves to think for me, make assumptions, or interpret things as if they are me.
‘Last time I checked my head was still attached to my body, so I’m the only one who knows exactly what I’m feeling and that is not what I or the fans have been reading.’