After today’s defeat to Southampton Mourinho stressed there was absolutely no chance he would walk away from his position. He added stability at the club he loves was the key to turning things around.

He also explained why Willian and Nemanja Matic were withdrawn in the second half today, before naming one youngster he expects to be given a chance in our next match after the forthcoming international break. First though he clarified his own position…

‘No way I resign,’ Mourinho said. ‘No way.

‘Why? Because Chelsea cannot have a better manager than me. There are many managers in the world that belong to my level, but no better. So no chance I run away.

‘Why? For two reasons. One: because I have my professional pride and I know I’m very good at my job. Secondly because I like this club very much. If that’s not the case it could be different, but in the accumulation of both situations I want the best for my club and the best for my club is for me to stay, so I stay.

‘When we were champions last season I said I was going to stay until the owner and the board wanted me to leave. No club can persuade me to leave; no financial offer can persuade me to leave. I’m going to stay until the day the owner and or the board say: "Jose, it’s enough".

‘I said that when I was a champion and I say that now when I am 16th in the table. No chance I resign. That is completely clear.’

Mourinho expects to guide his team to a top-four finish this season

‘I know that you know the history of this club, and you know every time the results were not good there was a change of manager, but when I was contacted to come back, I was told “we have had so many managers and we know you are the best”.

‘I think it’s time for the club to act in a different way, to mark a position: a position of stability, a position of trust. Three months ago we were all together on the bus with the cups. It’s time for us all to be together now at the bottom of the league.

‘I think in December, January, February, we are top four. To be champion will be very difficult, but top four is completely doable. When you are in such a bad season with such a bad start, if at the end of the season you finish in the top four it’s because you kept the balance in a difficult season.

‘For me everything is clear. I have been in football for a long time and the power is always with the owners and the boards in the end. I was taught that from day one in my life, I was coached to understand and respect that all the time.

‘Do the players trust me and feel I am the man for the job? This week we spoke about it and the answer was undoubtful.

‘When the supporters booed the Willian decision, I would do the same as them if I didn’t know Willian was ill and vomiting at half-time and the doctor said it would be difficult for him to continue. If they have a negative reaction I would do the same because the results are not the results we want.’

Nemanja Matic was taken off having been introduced at half-time

‘It was not humiliating [for him]. I don’t do that to anyone in football or in life. It’s something if I do, I do without any intention. I like the players, I trust them and I know they are good players but some of them are in a difficult moment, and Matic is one of them. He is not playing well, he is not sharp, defensively he is making mistakes.

‘I played him because Ramires was doing a great job on Mane, but with a yellow card and an inexperienced referee I was afraid of a second yellow card, so I changed him for Matic. With the second goal I needed to make a change, play another striker for a player from midfield.

‘I kept Oscar because he creates more, I kept Fabregas because, maybe because of his formation at Barcelona, he copes better with the pressure. Even not playing well his emotional stability is high. I decided to take Matic off, but I like the player very much. I have a fantastic relationship with the boy.’

We were denied a penalty when Falcao was brought down inside the box minutes before Southampton’s second

‘The referees are afraid to give decisions for Chelsea. At 1-1, it is a huge penalty and once again we don't get it. The penalty was a giant penalty and after that the team lost even more confidence.’

Mourinho was asked if he would bring young players into the team when we return to action in a fortnight…

'Yes. My job is not so simple because I have to measure the situation and ask myself in difficult moments if the best thing is to keep more experienced players. Can they cope better with the pressure of the moment?

‘You do the same. When I don’t play Terry to play Zouma you are the first ones to say immediately: “why aren’t you playing the captain?”

‘With Ruben, it’s exactly the same thing. Ruben, Matic, Ramires, Fabregas - who can cope better with the pressure? I know Fabregas for sure, but maybe the situation is so negative for us a young player feels less pressure than when the team is top of the league fighting for a victory to be champions.

‘Clearly it’s time - not to play four, five or six kids because some of them are not ready - but I think Ruben is the one who is more ready. If everything goes normally in the next two weeks yes, he is a player to start the next game and have a run of matches to try to get that stability as a first-team choice.’