Premiership title is already won, claims Mourinho

Despite losing 3-0 at Middlesbrough last week, the Blues manager declared that the Premiership has already been won by his side. Furthermore, having heard Barcelona's complaints about the state of the Stamford Bridge pitch, he called his Spanish opponents "stupid" for their remarks, upping the ante nicely before their Champions' League encounter next Tuesday.

Not content with that, Mourinho also criticised his own failings in the wake of that Middlesbrough game and with Colchester United their opponents in the FA Cup tomorrow, he believes the Essex team will try to "kill" Chelsea with a physical approach.

That heavy defeat in the North-east clearly riled Mourinho, as he detailed his own and his players' mistakes, but it was not enough to deflect him from the belief that Chelsea are on course for their second successive Premiership title.

With a 12-point lead over their nearest challengers, Manchester United, and 12 games to go, he said: "I think we can win the treble. And I think we can lose two of the three competitions. I don't think we can lose it [the Premiership].

"We can lose the other two competitions because they are knock-out and in knock-out you can win or lose. At this moment there are 15 other teams who can win the FA Cup and 15 other teams who can win the Champions' League. In the Premiership there are not 15 teams who can win it. I don't think anybody can win it except us. They can next season, but this season I don't think so."

And the former Porto coach revealed when he thought his side had clinched the trophy, namely when they beat Liverpool on 5 February. That victory then led directly to Chelsea losing on Teesside last Saturday according to Mourinho.

He explained: "Maybe it was because we all thought the title was over. Maybe if we'd not beaten them, or lost and the gap was down to nine points, we would not have lost the next game. Football is a lot about your head and we were not prepared for that game.

"It was a day where we shouldn't have left the hotel after we woke up. It was a very bad day and we should have stayed in the hotel. It was a game you never think is going to happen but it did. We know that and we've spoken about our mistakes. We lost 3-0 - it was one defeat in 20.

"Everybody was guilty. The manager was guilty because I couldn't prepare the team mentally for the game. We lost the game and we have 12 points more than the second team. It was a game you can lose. You shouldn't, but you can."

Mourinho, who guided his side to victory over Barcelona in the last 16 of last year's Champions' League, claimed he had not started to analyse his Catalan opponents but he has clearly been aware of the comments seeping out of the Nou Camp this week regarding the deteriorating Stamford Bridge pitch.

He said: "Only stupid people can think that a team like Chelsea, with the qualities Chelsea players have, can be happy to have this pitch at this time."

He then turned on the sarcasm in reply to the likes of the Barcelona full-back Silvinho, saying: "Barcelona can think what they want. We can analyse things in a way where we have no technical players, no skilful players. We have just the kind of players that kick the ball and run: Robben, Duff, Wright-Phillips, Lampard. We have no technical players and because of that we need a potato field. We play on a potato field."

He then asked the question of Barcelona as to how good their pitch is, by saying: "We've had no injuries in relation to the pitch at Stamford Bridge. Maybe you have to ask Barcelona why they've had so many knee injuries? I think in the last two or three years it's about 10 knee injuries. Maybe it's because the pitch is too good."

Finally, he turned his attention to Colchester, his opposition in the FA Cup fifth round. The Essex side have made no secret of the extent to which they are savouring this game and are getting ready to try and disturb Chelsea's rhythm.

Contemplating the visit of Phil Parkinson's men, Mourinho said: "If they play like they speak they will be very offensive. Normally there is a relation between the way you speak and act. And if there is no contradiction between their way of speaking and playing I think they come here to kill us." Welcome back, Jose, we've missed you.

'Mistakes? We made a few. In fact we made six...'

It was put to Jose Mourinho that Chelsea lost to Middlesbrough because of their physical approach but he insisted that it was the "six mistakes" that led to Boro's first goal, scored by Fabio Rochemback. This is what he said:

"For me there were six mistakes. In one goal, six mistakes. People think it's because of a physical approach but for me it's six mistakes. I'll try to explain.

[1] The game starts. The ball goes to Eidur Gudjohnsen's feet. He lost the ball. That's one mistake but we got a throw-in.

[2] Then Geremi takes the throw-in in our own half and does it inside the field. That's the second mistake.

[3] Michael Essien accepts Geremi's mistake and dribbles with his back to the opponent and loses the ball.

[4] Ricardo Carvalho, instead of stepping up to press the man with the ball, stays back. Rochemback was there.

[5] John Terry was in a good position but instead of attacking the player he stays in front of him and gives him space to change the ball from foot to foot.

[6] Then Petr Cech is the last mistake.

So, in one goal, we have six mistakes. And people speak about physical. Physical in what? Mistakes are mistakes. People have ideas and I don't know where they come from."