Mourinho defends Essien’s mistake

Chelsea came from behind to win 3-1 against Southampton on Sunday at Stamford Bridge. Michael Essien was given his first league start of the season by manager Jose Mourinho.

The Ghanaian made a mistake with a short back-pass in the first half that gifted Jay Rodriguez Southampton’s goal. Essien replaced by Demba Ba in the second half.

Jose Mourinho said of Essien’s mistake after the game:

“Everybody makes a mistake, strikers miss goals, keepers make mistakes and midfielders lose balls, especially when you try to play. He tried to play, it was a backpass and Rodriguez scored the goal.

“He had a very normal performance, he played the same way Mikel plays, or the same way as David Luiz plays in midfield. He played his part, he played a part in the stability we had in the first half, but being on a yellow card for 45 minutes is a long time and I had to take one player off. It was a very normal decision; he’s my man, he’s a Chelsea man and there’s no problem, everybody makes mistakes.”

On his decision to replace the Ghanaian after the interval, Mourinho further explained:

“I had to take Essien off and play with two strikers as he had a yellow card in a crucial area of the pitch. We went to 4-4-2 and we gave Southampton a different game, a game they didn’t expect and it was difficult for them to cope with the situation.”


Credit: allsports.com.gh/Ghana