Dean Smith plays down pressure surrounding opponent Jose Mourinho
Walsall chief Dean Smith believes it is only a matter of time before Jose Mourinho takes Chelsea back to the top.
The Saddlers boss expects the Stamford Bridge club to recover from their false start even as he plots an upset in the Capital One Cup.
Holders Chelsea visit the Banks's Stadium on Wednesday after Saturday's 2-0 win over Arsenal revived their flagging start in the Barclays Premier League.
And Smith said: "I think this time last year it was all guns pointing towards Manuel Pellegrini and he is now sat top of the league (with Manchester City) with a 100 per cent record.
"It doesn't take an awful lot for top coaches with top players to get them back on track again.
"That (pressure) goes with the job. Jose will know that better than me.
"We were top of the league last week and were still probably being criticised by a few for different systems and different players you chose. That is football, you are never going to please everybody.
"He is in the same job as me, he is a football manager. Our jobs are the same, our job descriptions are the same. My chairman and board of directors and supporters want to win as much as Chelsea's."
Smith is nicknamed the 'Ginger Mourinho' by Walsall fans and said: "He is one of the best-known coaches in the world. Our fans obviously relate that to myself by having ginger hair.
"I don't think their fans will be calling him 'Grey Smith', will they?
Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic is confident the Blues' shaky start to the season is indeed over after back-to-back wins over Maccabi Tel Aviv and Arsenal.
"(Saturday's) game was important to win to get some more confidence - I can say for myself I'm feeling better, when you win the feeling is always better," Matic told chelseafc.com.
"We looked better on the pitch. Maybe mentally we are stronger. We had more pressure than normal before the game because we only had four points.
"We recognised the situation. It was time to win. We played like one on the pitch and we fought for every ball. This is just the beginning."
Diego Costa is set to miss the tie against Walsall after the striker was charged with violent conduct for his altercation with Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny at Stamford Bridge.
Thibaut Courtois remains absent with a knee problem while Willian has a muscle injury and is also out.
For Walsall, midfielder Isaiah Osbourne is a doubt with a knee injury.
Source: PAR
