Mourinho dismisses comparisons

13 December 2013 14:31

Jose Mourinho believes it is not possible to compare Chelsea's much-maligned strikers with Manchester City's Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez of Liverpool.

Samuel Eto'o, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba have scored a combined total of four Premier League goals this season, with Eto'o top scorer among Chelsea's front men with two. In contrast, Suarez has netted 15 times and Aguero 12.

While Mourinho again praised the team credentials of the trio, he could not hide his frustrations.

Mourinho said: "Do I expect them to score a little bit more? Yes. Do we need a little bit more? Yes.

"But we cannot compare players with different qualities. We cannot expect Demba Ba or Fernando to get the ball like Aguero or Suarez, to dribble (past) three or four guys, to hit the shot. They are different players.

"Some strikers they are players with fantastic individual qualities and they can by themselves do what their team is not able to do.

"Our strikers are not individual players, they are not players with this kind of quality, with this kind of potential.

"They are more in the team organisation and in the team dynamic and they do other jobs. That's why I'm not critical of them. They do other things for the team.

"In this moment our strikers, the number of goals is quite frustrating. Not just for me, especially for them. But their contribution is good.

"The other guys they play with their strength and their strength is super individual quality: the dribble, the shot, the sharp movement, the individual action, so by themselves they resolve problems.

"We don't have this kind of striker."

Chelsea pursued Wayne Rooney in the summer, but Mourinho laughed off a renewed bid for the Manchester United striker and insisted only if circumstances dictated it were necessary would his side be active in the winter transfer window next month.

Mourinho added: "The market opens in January, but as I was saying, I don't think we will be there, buying or selling.

"If something happens it will happen (with) one player because the occasion was very good, because something happened that push us in that direction, but we are not smelling the market and waiting desperately for January 1 to do something.

"We always thought to try the best with this team and wait for the right moment to improve the squad and be strong."

Source: PA