Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho (R) has
his photograph taken with fans before their English Premier League …
LONDON (Reuters) -
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho stoked up his war of words with Manuel Pellegrini
on Monday, questioning the Manchester City manager's sums and calling on the
Chilean's talismanic midfielder Yaya Toure to be suspended.
Mourinho, who will
have Fernando Torres fit to return at West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday after a
three-week layoff with a knee problem but is again without John Terry due to a
minor injury, took the mind games to a new level on the eve of the Premier
League tussle at The Hawthorns.
Chelsea went to the
top of the table with a 3-0 win over Newcastle United on Saturday, one point
ahead of Arsenal and two in front of City.
Mourinho has said
repeatedly that he views City's expensive squad as the title favourites but
Pellegrini recently pointed out that it is Chelsea who have spent the most
money in the last decade and also in last month's transfer window.
"What I'd like
to say is that the other day Pellegrini made some comments about the money we
have spent," Mourinho told a news conference.
"I think he's a
fantastic coach who I respect a lot and on top of that he's an engineer,"
said the Portuguese, referring to the fact the City manager studied engineering
at university.
"I don't think
an engineer needs a calculator to work out we sold Juan Mata for 37 million
pounds ($60.7 million) last month and Kevin De Bruyne for 18 million.
"That's 55
million pounds, more or less. We bought Nemanja Matic for 21 million and
Mohamed Salah for 11 million. That's 55 million minus 32 million so Chelsea in
this transfer window are at 23 million plus.
"It's easy to
understand that we are working with Financial Fair Play...there are no
arguments against that."
BARBED COMMENTS
Mourinho, who often
provokes and antagonises other managers with barbed comments and memorably said
last week that "everything I say or do is mind games", hinted City
were not operating within the same Financial Fair Play guidelines.
"This is what we
are doing, others aren't doing the same," said the Chelsea manager.
"We are building
a team for the next decade if possible and City have a team to win now because
they don't have a team for 10 years."
Mourinho then turned
his attentions to Ivory Coast international Toure who aimed an off-the-ball
kick at Norwich City striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel in Saturday's 0-0 draw at
Carrow Road.
Asked about
Manchester City's prospects if Toure was cited by the Football Association on
video evidence and subsequently banned, he replied: "I don't understand
why you say 'if'.
"If you say 'if'
and he is not suspended the message is clear for all players.
"It means that
it doesn't matter about the cameras, doesn't matter about the consequences, if
the referee doesn't see it they can do it (but) normally the FA defends
football and fair play."
Mourinho again played
down the idea Chelsea were now the championship favourites.
"The last 13
matches are about 39 points and 39 points is an eternity in the league so
everything is more than open," he said.
Former Real
Madrid boss Mourinho could not resist taking another swipe at
ex-Malaga supremo Pellegrini, a manager he clashed with when both were working
in Spain.
"A few weeks ago
he said he wanted to win four competitions this season and I see no reason for
him to change his speech," said the Portuguese.
"The only thing
that is quite funny is that month after month after month, and this started in
Spain, he keeps saying that I never comment on Mourinho and I never answer to
Mourinho.
"But he
did," added the Portuguese with a glint in his eye.
($1 = 0.6100 British
pounds)
(Editing by Ed
Osmond)
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