I know my Job: Mourinho slams Gullit after former Chelsea boss claims he is 'starting a war he can't win' by axing Mata

Jose Mourinho has brought his brief spell as the ‘Happy One’ to an abrupt end by relegating Juan Mata to his reserve side and lambasting Ruud Gullit for questioning his motives over the shocking snub.
Mata, who Chelsea fans have crowned the Player of the Season for two consecutive campaigns, was forced to train with the second string on Saturday morning, before his side laboured to a 2-0 win over Fulham, and he will now have to face League One Swindon Town on Tuesday in the League Cup.
Mourinho began his barbed post-match analysis with Jamie Redknapp — who made the case for Mata to be included in his starting XI — on Sky TV and carried his criticisms on to his exiled midfielder and anyone who defended his record or questioned the manager’s treatment of the fans’ favourite.

I am not trying to change Mata’s position. People have an opinion, but I am manager not Jamie Redknapp. I want him to be more persistent and be intelligent with the ball.
‘We have had a philosophy that has won titles. I have been in the game a long time. I don’t want to change that too much but you have to because time moves on. The owner knows this.
‘England is full of good pundits, commentators, no problem with me. I respect opinions and I try to do my job. It’s more difficult to be a manager than a commentator.’
Oscar, who opened the scoring last night from close range, is keeping Mata out of the prized No 10 role at Stamford Bridge but the Spanish playmaker will now travel to the County Ground to play in front of a maximum of 14,700 people.

 

Frozen out: Mata has not even made the bench for Chelsea's home match against Fulham
             

Gullit, a pundit in the Sky studio, said he believed the reason for Mourinho’s harsh treatment of the goalscoring midfielder had more sinister undertones and was due to personal issues off the football pitch.
But Mourinho claimed Mata took his removal from the first team in the right manner and stated that the Dutch legend and former Chelsea manager had no right to comment after limited success in his most recent years as a coach.

‘For the moment he took it the way I want,’ said Mourinho. ‘He trained this morning and my assistant that was training with them told me Tuesday, of course he plays from the beginning against Swindon.

 

No holding back: Former Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit has warned Mourinho that he is making a mistake by dropping Mata


The people not playing today they are going to play. Juan, David Luiz, Michael Essien, Cesar Azpilicueta, and I hope he tells me on the pitch, “You are wrong, I’m the best and I have to play every game”. My idea is that. I’m waiting for a professional reaction.
‘The past is the past. You have to be judged for what you do now. I gave Juan the chance to play from the beginning against Aston Villa, from the beginning (Michael) Essien didn’t play one single minute and I left him out of the Champions League list.
‘If he proves that I’m wrong, I will be the Happy One, because I want him to be fantastic.
‘Ruud Gullit is a different pundit because he was also a manager. I think he shouldn’t be a very proud manager for what he did in the last three years.’