Jose Mourinho to deploy under-21 side against Arsenal in the Capital One Cup ... - The Independent

Chelsea will play Arsenal at the Emirates on 29 October, two days after they face City at home in the Premier League. Arsenal play Crystal Palace a day earlier on 26 October. There are also fourth round games scheduled for the following day, Wednesday, but the Football League have decided that Chelsea must play on the earlier of the two days.

Asked about the timing of the fixture today, Mourinho said: "My thought is that I have to make a decision, and my answer is the under-21 team will have a very good experience in the Capital One Cup. We play Sunday against Manchester City, and Tuesday against Arsenal when the people decide the fixtures.

"The players have ... two days. It's something I have to accept because I have no other option, but I have to prioritise, yes. The league is more important. After that we go to Newcastle, too, and probably it will be a good chance for the kids to play a good match."

Chelsea's Under-21s squad itself has been considerably weakened by the club's policy of loaning out many of its players who are just outside the first team group. Chelsea currently have 26 players out on loan, many of whom would be eligible to play Under-21s football including the likes of Nathaniel Chalobah, Josh McEachran and Lucas Piazon.

The Football League has been put in an impossible position by the schedule. The Arsenal v Chelsea tie, as well as City's Capital Cup tie against Newcastle have both been selected for live broadcast by Sky Sports. As such, one has to be played on Tuesday and one the day later.

In the previous round, City played Wigan in the Capital One Cup two days after beating Manchester United at Old Trafford. It is felt that it would be fair if, this time, City had the extra day's rest.

It has also been noted that Tottenham also played their Capital One Cup tie on Tuesday against Aston Villa two days after their Premier League game against Cardiff City. They too are due an extra day's rest. The Chelsea tie cannot be scheduled on the same say as Spurs play because the Metropolitan police will not permit both north London clubs to play at home on the same evening.

Ahead of tomorrow's Premier League game against Tottenham, Mourinho refused to discuss his opposite number Andre Villas-Boas, who worked with him as an opposition scout at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan. The relationship between the two has gradually deteriorated since Villas-boas left Mourinho during his time in charge of Inter to pursue his own coaching career.

Mourinho said: "I'm not keen to discuss relationships with the media. It's a personal thing, and I'm not here to discuss that. I don't care about what he says. I'm not here to comment on what he says. I'm not interested."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says Tottenham Hotspur are 'big contenders ... - Telegraph.co.uk

Playing down the suggestion that it would "be sweeter to beat'' a Villas-Boas team, Mourinho pointed out he has coached on the greatest club stages against the greatest club coaches. "I played a Champions League final against a club where the manager (Bayern Munich's Louis van Gaal in 2010) was somebody very important in my career, somebody that gave me the chance to grow up and teach me so many things, and I had to play against him in a Champions League final. And I did it in a professional way. He did it in a professional way. That's the way you have to do it."

As to whether Villas-Boas owed him some credit for his progress, Mourinho replied: "I have no idea. Ask him, not me. It's not my problem. I had so many assistants in my career. I was always an open book to all of them. I'm trying to do the same now with Chris Jones, Steve Holland, people who are working with me for the first time. I try to be an open book for the coaches in the academy. I am an open book. If they want to read the book or not, it's their problem, not mine."

He would always accept any post-match hospitality although not on Saturday as Villas-Boas is leaving straight after the game to attend Porto's 120th anniversary dinner. "When people invite me, I always go,'' said Mourinho of managerial post-match etiquette. "I never refused in the Premier League when an opposition manager invited me."

Juan Mata will be involved in the match-day squad against Spurs, having impressed Mourinho with his contribution in the Capital One Cup win over Swindon. Mourinho had called on Mata to contribute more when Chelsea don't have possession. "I liked it,'' said Mourinho. "His attitude was very good. He made a big effort to come in my direction, so the only thing I can do is go in his direction too. He was not selected against Fulham and I can imagine that, from now, if he keeps working that way and adapting to my way of thinking about the football I want him to play, the natural tendency is for him to be in the team."

Marco van Ginkel's surgery on his cruciate injury "went well" according to Mourinho. "The doctor is happy with the way the surgery was made. But now he has to wait, and he has to wait for a long time. It's very sad for a kid who was going into an important season for his development and evolution, but that's football. He's in good hands.''

Mourinho was clearly unimpressed with the decision to stage Chelsea's Capital One Cup fourth-round tie with Arsenal on Tuesday Oct 29 for broadcasting and Met Police reasons - so soon after their Premier League game with Manchester City on Sunday Oct 27. "The under-21 team will have a very good experience in the Capital One Cup,'' said Mourinho. "I have to prioritise. The league is more important.''

Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata insists his self-belief is stronger than ever - Telegraph.co.uk

"I got emotional and all the stands were cheering me," he said. "It is just the beginning right now, we have eight months to go and I believe in myself more than ever.

"I believe in what the season will bring to me. I am very confident of going to the World Cup. I know I am going to be there."

Mata added that there had also been impromptu support both from fans on the street and team-mates in the dressing room.

"It is nice to feel the people are behind you and supporting you," he said. "I feel really loved, by my team-mates, by the club, by the supporters.

"In the dressing room we are friends, all of them they are speaking to me, 'Be patient, be calm, we know how good you are'. That is very important to me."

The only conversation that really counts, of course, is with Mourinho. And there have been plenty of those.

In public, Mourinho has been open in saying that he sees Oscar as his first choice 'No?10' behind the main central striker. He has also made it clear that he expects more from his most skilled players such as Mata, both in terms of creating and scoring goals but also helping the team defensively.

"He just told me to play in between the lines and try to control the midfielders and that's what I try to do," said Mata. "I can play as a No?10 on the wing as I did in first two seasons here. I will play wherever he demands. I want to do the same job as I did in the last two seasons."

Mata stressed that he was happy to be challenged and even criticised. He is also adamant that his dad's recent appearance in the directors' box at Arsenal was simply because he loves watching football matches.

"Nothing else," said Mata. "My dad always said to me, 'If you are left-footed, improve with your right'. I have to improve defensively too.

"To be the perfect player is very very difficult. If you ask me last season if it was the perfect season, it was the best in my career, but I could still have done better.

"I think Jose can help me. I think he's a manager who analyses everything, not just in our team but in the opposition.

"You can see it in the statistics, you can see it how he re-watches games every time. He's a manager who likes intensity, who likes pressure, who likes to be a compact team and I think he had success where he was.

"We have too many young players and we have players who have been signed and are new and need to adapt to what the manager wants, but we also have experienced players."

But, having comfortably been Chelsea's most creative player in recent years, surely it must be difficult to hear Mourinho publicly say that Oscar was his preferred 'No?10'?

"It's an opinion," said Mata. "I can do just what I have in my hands, what I have in my feet, what I have in my body.

"That's what I have to do, run as much as I can, play as much as I can, assist and score as much as I can and that's it. I can be calm with myself.

"We had a conversation in the beginning of the season, we spoke about what he thought and what I thought. I think I am doing what the manager wants me to do.

"That's it. To be honest, for me it's easy to be focusing on what I have to do. I will try to play at my best as I always did and that's my only target."

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Michael Owen: Arsenal do not look top-four side - Telegraph.co.uk

From the back: the goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny is capable but I would have the keeper of all the other top teams ahead of Arsenal's. David de Gea (Manchester United), Joe Hart (Manchester City), Petr Cech (Chelsea), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) and Simon Mignolet (Liverpool) would all get my vote ahead of Szczesny.

In defence, Arsenal are decent, but again none of their back four would make a composite Premier League XI. If I look right the way through the Arsenal team, with a view to picking an all-star side from the top six clubs, I would struggle to nominate one Arsenal player. Mesut Özil is the only one who would have a chance.

Clearly Arsenal have a fabulous manager, a wonderful stadium and a great fan base. You would tend to give Arsène Wenger the benefit of the doubt but the depth of quality is not yet there in this squad. If Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud went back to being the players they were last year Arsenal would start to look fairly average by their standards. Ramsey looks a totally different player this term and will need to sustain that improvement.

Theo Walcott is now missing for a few games, and without that depth of quality I wonder how many players they have who are capable of winning trophies. On the other hand, they have points on the board, started well in the cup competitions and are playing with more fluency and confidence. All that looks rosy, but I would not get carried away by these early signs of promise because they still need to strengthen in one or two positions.

The Özil deal lifted the spirits of Arsenal fans, and kept the critics quiet, but they still need a couple more of that calibre to be considered title contenders. Giroud has made an excellent start to the season, but, again, he would not make the starting XIs of Manchester United or City. If United have an injury to Wayne Rooney or Robin van Persie they can call on Javier Hernandez or Danny Welbeck. City can choose from Alvaro Negredo, Edin Dzeko and Sergio Agüero. Giroud is a very good player, but no Henry, Wright or Van Persie.

I want Arsenal to do well. I love their heritage. As a 13-year-old I was invited there as a potential recruit. Ian Wright looked after me and took me in to see George Graham, the manager. I was starstruck.

The distance from home ruled them out but everything about Arsenal impressed me. They always have their badge to fall back on, and will always be attractive to players, for their history, their stadium and location, in London. But I would need to see more evidence of consistent improvement. They have played one or two teams at the right time, notably Sunderland away. The last days of Paolo Di Canio were a cracking time to catch them. They have not faced many big tests yet, and when they look at their neighbours, Spurs, who have really caught my eye, they see £100million of new investment.

My respect for Wenger stems from the revolutionary effect he has had on the English game. Up until 2004 or so he really made Manchester United stretch. Arsenal were the best team in the country. The Invincibles were sensational. Wenger took sports science and professionalism to a new level, and forced the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson to change their own outlook. That early success still protects Wenger from those who say eight years without a trophy is unacceptable.

That barren run is one of the great anomalies because Arsenal have always been well run and wealthy. The confusion starts with their failure to improve the squad over the past few years. The only explanation I can come up with is Wenger's resistance to inflated transfer fees, which he has always disliked. His calling card was good value signings who turned out to be worth more than they cost. It was as if Wenger could not bring himself to splash out because it was never his way of doing things and he did not agree with it.

If you can't beat them, you just have to join them, even if the prices are inflated. Wenger stood back from that until the Özil transfer, which, I suspect, was to ease the pressure building from Arsenal's fans, who were angry that no marquee signing had been made earlier in the summer. It was too late to bring two or three in, so they went for one superstar, whatever the cost, to keep everyone content.

Özil is a world-class player and has started particularly well. That level of purchase is what the fans want, the club deserve and the team need – and they need to stay at that end of the market if they are to return to the days when Vieira and Petit, Adams and Campbell, made it so hard to keep the ball when all four of them bore down on you.

Aston Villa 1 Newcastle United 2: match report - Telegraph.co.uk

There was no hint of the mutiny as Newcastle's impressive start was rewarded on 18 minutes. Loic Remy, the only senior summer signing, swerved his way into the penalty area to cross and though Papiss Cisse's flick did not initially look damaging, it presented Ben Arfa with a simple finish.

Christian Benteke levelled on 67 minutes with a header, but parity was brief. Lambert's defence inexplicably backed off as Ben Arfa made another menacing advance and though his shot was saved by Brad Guzan, Gouffran swept home.

Newcastle could have added a third but had done enough. Perhaps Kinnear knew what he was doing all along?

Lambert, meanwhile, had to endure boos at the end of each half. He said: "The fans have been fantastic but if you lose games you have to accept that."

Match details

Aston Villa (4-3-3): Guzan; Lowton, Vlaar, Okore (Clark 30), Luna; El Ahmadi (Kozak 67), Westwood, Delph; Agbonlahor, Benteke, Weimann (Tonev 88).
Subs (not used): Steer (gk), Bacuna, Helenius, Sylla.
Booked: Delph.
Newcastle United (4-3-3): Krul; Debuchy, Coloccini, Yanga-Mbiwa, Santon; Anita (Tiote 75), Sissoko, Cabaye (Sammy Ameobi 88); Remy (Gouffran 63), Cisse, Ben Arfa.
Subs (not used): Elliot, Dummett, S.Taylor, Marveaux.
Booked: Yanga-Mbwia, Cabaye, Debuchy, Gouffran.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

Jose Mourinho defiant over Chelsea outcast midfielder Juan Mata, who 'does not ... - Telegraph.co.uk

"I want to play Mata and Oscar, but Juan has to work and adapt to a certain style of play because I'm not ready to change Oscar's position," he said. "Juan has to learn to play the way I want to play, to be more consistent."

Mourinho also took another swipe at the time afforded to managers such as Arsène Wenger.

"I think my career is made of this, other people have and deserve time, other people cannot win one, two, three, four, five years and they keep having a peaceful life and won't get any kind of pressure," he said, neglecting to acknowledge the fact he is employed by a club who do not give managers time.

Mourinho said Mata had reacted well "for the moment" to being dropped and said he and David Luiz – who was also excluded – would start the Capital One Cup tie at Swindon Town on Tuesday.

Chelsea insist they do not want to sell Mata and the player is not pushing to leave. However a host of European clubs, led by Atletico Madrid, Paris St-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur, will test that resolve should he remain a peripheral figure when the January transfer window opens. Mata, 25, also cannot afford to jeopardise his place in Spain's World Cup squad.

Every game a final in Arsenal's Champions League group of death warns ... - Mirror.co.uk

Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda has warned Arsenal their Group of Death will turn every game into a Champions League final.

Arsene Wenger's side will kick off their campaign in Marseille on Wednesday.

The Gunners know that even with £42m new boy Mesut Ozil and in-form Olivier Giroud, they face a tough task advancing from a group also including Napoli and last season's beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund.

France international Mandanda said: "This Champions League group is terrific. For any club to progress, every game must be like a final and you have to win your home games. Unless you do that, you have no chance.

"Giroud is in sensational form. We have to stop them from scoring and creating danger but that will not be easy. They look a very strong team.

"Now Ozil has increased Arsenal's level in attack. His arrival has taken Arsenal to another level and he is perfect for the style of football and play that Wenger likes. I never expected Real Madrid to allow him to leave."

Arsenal are likely to be boosted by the return of defender Per Mertesacker, who missed Saturday's win at Sunderland through illness.

Giroud has also declared himself fit, after picking up a knee injury last weekend.