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"The extravagant London strategist, Portuguese Jose Mourinho, stated that his players cannot defend themselves without the two team leaders, defender John Terry and goalkeeper Petr Cech, and that he cannot wait for them to return to the field.
"Everyone knows that at the moment Chelsea cannot defend themselves. And I know it best," said the Portuguese after the London derby with Fulham ending in a 2-2 draw. "If opponents see one mistake after another, they see an opportunity and fight to the end. They wait for success and it eventually comes."
Keeper P. Cech has not played since October when he suffered a skull fracture in a match against Reading, while defensive pillar J. Terry has already missed five games due to a back injury.
J. Terry underwent back surgery on Thursday, but he may return to the field in just two weeks. Meanwhile, P. Cech is likely to return to the field sooner, probably within six weeks.
It is not ruled out that J. Mourinho may lose midfielder Joe Cole by the end of the season, who reportedly suffered a broken foot bone.
"I need the best goalkeeper in the world Cech on the field," said the renowned J. Mourinho emphatically. "I need the best center-back in the world Terry on the field. I don't need millions for other players, I need them."
In the last four English Premier League matches, Chelsea conceded eight goals.
When asked if he would like to buy a defender during the winter transfer window, J. Mourinho replied: "If the club is interested in my opinion, I say "yes", but at the same time I have to say "no", because some clubs want unbelievable sums for ordinary players."
J. Mourinho even named several players who, in his opinion, are the weak links of Chelsea.
"What can you do with Michael Ballack, with Paulo Ferreira, with Gerami? Nothing," said J. Mourinho, not holding back in his statements. "Those players simply cannot adapt to the game that opponents play against us."
"We have one forward (Didier Drogba - ed.)," when asked about the team's attack, the Portuguese coach replied. "The others don't play as they could. Sheva (Andriy Shevchenko - ed.), Shaun (Wright-Phillips), and (Salomon) Kalou don't play as they could."
"Maybe we are not as good as we think we are," the strategist asked rhetorically. "Maybe I'm not such a great coach, and maybe the players are not so great."
"The problem with defense is that in the Premier League, center-backs have to be strong fighters for high balls," said J. Mourinho. "In other tournaments, even in the UEFA Champions League, it is not as important. And at the moment, we certainly do not dominate the "second floor.""
At the end of the press conference, when asked why he sold center-backs William Gallas and Robert Huth in the summer, J. Mourinho replied in his usual manner: "That's a very good question, but I can't answer it."
