"Fernando is the opposite situation. Physically he is in a very good moment, he is very strong, sharp and fast. I don't think he's short on confidence. The way here is more ball at his feet and technically with small spaces to play. Fernando is not naturally a skilful creative player so there can be some contradictions in this. But he is a good player, a good professional and it was a good surprise for me the way he works. He works very hard and I believe in Fernando."
After defeats against Bayern Munich, Everton and Basle, Mourinho also accepted that it had been a game when the result actually mattered more than the performance.
"There is more confidence," he said. "To win is the real doping. The fair doping is a victory. The day after you wake up early and it's very, very easy to go to training. We needed a victory to relax a little bit."
For Fulham, it was a missed opportunity. Chelsea were below par, created little and yet still ran out 2-0 winners. Martin Jol has assembled a team packed with Premier League experience but, collectively and individually, there is the clear sense that they have seen better days.
Darren Bent missed a wonderful chance to put Fulham into the lead and Chelsea under serious pressure but shot tamely at Petr Cech
"They were worried but we couldn't exploit that," Jol said. Swindon now have that opportunity on Tuesday in the Capital One Cup when Mata and Luiz will return to the team. The message from Mourinho is clear. "I want them to speak on the pitch – I want them to tell the manager he was wrong," he said. "That is what I expect from them."
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