Mourinho criticises Abramovich for failure

Jose Mourinho has blamed Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, for the club's failure to win the European Cup.

One of the reasons for the falling-out between the two was Abramovich's frustration at Chelsea not winning the tournament during Mourinho's tenure as manager – last season they went out against Liverpool in the semi-final in May. However, Mourinho accused Abramovich of not signing the players needed in the mid-winter transfer window.

"Being in the final was a dream for a group of players who worked a lot to achieve it, in a season when we needed help to get a bit further and that help was denied us around December/January time," he said.

Mourinho will miss the verbal sparring. But he was touched by the Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, saying he would not know with whom to share an after-match bottle of wine any more.

Mourinho said: "I tend to say that football without spice isn't fun. Besides, I think Sir Alex Ferguson's message was amusing. That's what I'll miss."