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Sir Alex Ferguson: Jose Mourinho and Chelsea will be back sooner rather than later

'But I know the guy and I know the work he has done in football and I can't see it lasting long, I can't see it'

Monday 07 December 2015 14:57 GMT

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Manchester United great Sir Alex Ferguson has had his say on Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese again finds himself in the spotlight after the Blues lost 1-0 to Premier League newcomers Bournemouth on Saturday, their eighth defeat of the season.

After winning the title just last season, Chelsea are now 14th in the division with just 15 points from 15 games and only three points clear of the relegation zone.

Mourinho is again among the favourites to be the next Premier League manager sacked, although he appears to retain the support of owner Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea support.

Ferguson, who overcame his own early struggles at Old Trafford to become arguably the greatest British manager in history, has full confidence in Mourinho getting Chelsea back to where they expect to be.

"I have been watching Jose recently and spoken to him a couple of times, and this is the first time he has been confronted with non-success," he said at the TechCrunch Disrupt London event.

"If you look at his whole career there has been nothing but a rise all of the time so for the first time in his life he has had to deal with bad publicity, adversity and that is a challenge for him, but there are signs he is getting back to a balanced level although they lost on Saturday.

"I watched the match on Saturday and they could have won by a few goals, but they lost and then he has still has to face that sort of negative publicity and it is never easy for a manager in present-day football because the media attention is huge.

"Football today is such a big financial industry, the television deal is (worth) billions, there is the press involvement, there is pressure from their own fans, it is a very high risk industry today.

"The sort of average time a manager lasts now is a year throughout the whole country and that is not a big time.

Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

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1/12Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Thibaut Courtois - 6 out of 10

For most of the game, he proved just why Mourinho said Chelsea have sorely missed him these last three months. The Belgian returned from injury to make multiple saves and deny Bournemouth as the visitors dominated the play in the first half and looked assured and confident in goal. But he has to take a lot of the blame for Bournemouth's winner after deciding to come out and being left stranded.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Branislav Ivanovic - 5 out of 10

Struggled to deal with the pace of Stanislas on the right flank early on, with the Bournemouth winger nearly scoring twice in the first period. Contained him as the game progressed and then began to push forwards - nearly creating a goal in the process. However, he didn't do enough to stop Cook from crossing in the ball from which Murray scored.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Gary Cahill - 6 out of 10

Was forced to produce some last-ditch defending to deny Bournemouth in the first half, and regularly came out of position to try and clear the danger. But should have done more to follow the run of Murray or at least communicate better with Zouma to ensure he was marked in the build-up to the winner.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Kurt Zouma - 6 out of 10

Didn't have the best of games and failed to mark Murray before he scored although his pace was important in tracking back and defending when the visitors went on the counter.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Bab Rahman - 6 out of 10

Did well, as ever, going forwards and contributing to Chelsea's attacking play but left spaces behind that Smith and Ritchie exploited, particularly in the first half. Will need to work on that area of his game if he wants to cement his spot in Mourinho's team.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Nemanja Matic - 5 out of 10

Really struggled to impose himself in midfield and allowed the likes of Surman, Arter and Gosling to run riot early on. Should have headed in the opener later, but didn't seem ready for Willian's cross and ended up directing the ball high.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Cesc Fabregas - 4 out of 10

Failed to control proceedings in the middle of the park and made a hash of an early chance when he kicked the ball out instead of to one of his teammates in the box. His struggles this season continue.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Willian - 6 out of 10

Started the game on the right flank but was shifted into the hole behind Costa at half time. Proved a threat at times, but didn't have the kind of impact he has had in previous games.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Oscar - 5 out of 10

Endured a largely disappointing 45 minutes after tamely driving Hazard's cross at goal towards Boruc and then seeing his best effort saved by the Bournemouth goalkeeper minutes later. Despite growing into the game as it progressed, he was brought off for Costa at half time.

Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Eden Hazard - 6 out of 10

Worked really hard to get forward and try and create goal-scoring opportunities - coming close to scoring on several occasions - while setting up Hazard for a superb chance. Tracked back and defended too, which earned him a yellow card.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

Eden Hazard - 6 out of 10

Didn't have the same impact up front in the lone striker position as he did against Tottenham. While he certainly tried to score - forcing Boruc into a superb save after he had cut in and driven at goal - he kept dropping onto the flank or deep to collect the ball leaving a gap up front. Saw his effectiveness wane when Costa came on, but Mourinho will be pleased to see the Belgian contributing to Chelsea's defensive play, although he was dispossessed which nearly resulted in Bournemouth scoring.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth

<b>Best off the bench:</b> Diego Costa - 6 out of 10

Was kept on the bench, similar to against Tottenham, but was brought on at half-time to replace the ineffective Oscar. Was denied a penalty when his low shot hit Francis' arm in the area, and then was cautioned seconds later for a pull on Ritchie. Seemed to let his frustration get the better of him although he provided Chelsea with a more attacking threat up front.

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"For Jose, I think all good leaders will eventually find a solution I think he will I think he will find a solution and I think you will get back to normal which is not looking great at the moment.

"But I know the guy and I know the work he has done in football and I can't see it lasting long, I can't see it."

Chelsea travel to Mourinho's former club Porto on Wednesday for their final Champions League Group G tie.

With Dynamo Kiev expected to beat Maccabi Tel Aviv, a win would see Chelsea advance as group winners and a draw in second.

Defeat, though, would see the Blues fall into the Europa League.

Additional reporting from PA

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