Chelsea FC vs Tottenham Hotspur preview - Mourinho enjoys getting technical

Posted Saturday, March 08, 2014 by PA

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho thinks it would be wrong of football's authorities to banish managers to the dugout following Newcastle manager Alan Pardew's technical area headbutt on Hull midfielder David Meyler.

Pardew has requested a personal hearing, expected to take place next week, after admitting to a Football Association misconduct charge after last week's incident, which prompted calls for technical areas to be scrapped.

Mourinho, who spoke to Pardew in the immediate aftermath of the incident, is no stranger to technical area fracas and once poked Barcelona assistant boss Tito Vilanova in the eye while manager of Real Madrid.

The Portuguese is animated in instructing his troops from the touchline, sometimes overstepping the white line on to the pitch.

Earlier this season following a last-gasp win over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge he ran behind the away dugout to celebrate with his son. His son's seat has since been moved to behind the home dugout.

Mourinho, whose side host Tottenham in the Premier League, said: "I spoke with Alan a couple of hours after the incident and he knows he made a mistake and he knows he has to pay for the mistake with some punishment.

"The biggest punishment is you to recognise yourself that you made a mistake.

"Alan will have the economical punishment, the suspension from the dugout, plus the self-blame of the mistake he made. I think he has a big punishment with all of these things together.

"I prefer to stay with a good friend and with a great guy, than to stay with a mistake."

Mourinho does not believe the use of technical areas should be reviewed.

"I don't think it's needed and I never had a problem to share a short space with other managers," the Chelsea boss added.

"I think the manager should have that freedom to come out and to speak with the players and to walk in the technical area.

"I think the problem is the human nature and the human nature is open to mistakes.

"I made mistakes in technical areas too. I paid for the mistake, I was suspended for the mistake. And every one of us can make mistakes."

Mourinho is sure to be roving the technical area during Saturday's London derby, where a win would take the Blues seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Arsenal and Manchester City are in FA Cup action this weekend, while second-placed Liverpool play Manchester United next Sunday.

Mourinho does not consider the table to be accurate, as City will have three games in hand come Saturday evening.

He added: "When some teams have more matches than other teams, the situation is not real. I don't look to the table. I just look to the game."

Ashley Cole is unavailable after suffering a knee ligament injury in training on Thursday, a day after playing 45 minutes for England.

Cole has been understudy to Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back this season and faces eight to 10 days out.

David Luiz (groin) is among a number of undisclosed players whose fitness could see them ruled out, too.

Tim Sherwood believes Tottenham's 24-year wait for a win at Chelsea is a help rather than a hindrance as they enter a season-defining few weeks.

March is shaping up to be quite a month for Spurs as they continue their search for a top-four finish and Europa League success.

Chelsea, Arsenal, Southampton and Liverpool all await Sherwood's men in the Premier League, while they also face a two-legged Europa League tie with Benfica.

The first leg of the last-16 clash comes after this weekend's trip to Stamford Bridge - somewhere Spurs have not won since Gary Lineker and David Howells netted in a 2-1 victory in February 1990.

This would certainly be a timely moment for Tottenham to end that hoodoo and Sherwood is quietly confident of upsetting the apple cart on Saturday.

"We're not frightened of this period, we're looking forward to it," he said.

"We're going in with the pressure off us. Obviously what has happened in the past we have to put to the back of our minds.

"We have to go there and impose ourselves and hopefully we can get a positive result, but there is absolutely no pressure on the boys, is there?

"Our record is so bad that we can go there and take the shackles off and enjoy the day. The only people that expect us to win are inside our dressing room."

The long wait for a win in west London is compounded by the fact Jose Mourinho remains unbeaten in 74 league matches at Stamford Bridge.

Sherwood is in awe of that "incredible" record - "I can't understand why Chelsea fans like him so much," he said with a smile - and was quick to praise the job the Portuguese for the job he has done since his return.

Chelsea are four points clear at the top as the season enters the home straight, although the Spurs head coach does expect them to fall short this season.

"I think Man City are still favourites to win the league, even though Chelsea will push them all the way," Sherwood said.

"They have got the games in hand and I just think that the fact they score so many goals gives them the edge."

Kyle Walker, Younes Kaboul and Zeki Fryers will all be assessed ahead of the match - rare good news on the injury front for Spurs.

Christian Eriksen, Danny Rose, Etienne Capoue, Vlad Chiriches and Erik Lamela are all definitely absent, although Sherwood was quick to dismiss speculation that the latter is out for the rest of the campaign.