News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
He does not fit the bill for a prototype Mourinho midfielder. He lacks defensive attributes because he has no pace, is weak in the air, cannot tackle and is heavily reliant on his left foot.
Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Juventus consolidated their top-flight leads at the weekend while Paris St Germain proved too strong for Ligue 1 leaders Olympique Marseille.
Key moments in Chelsea's Premier League title-winning season.
Headers by Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic earned Manchester United an unconvincing 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion in a low-key FA Cup quarter-final played in freezing conditions on Saturday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Manchester United maintained their push for a Champions League place after a Juan Mata goal on Saturday pushed Norwich City to the brink of relegation.
This and more from the happenings in the world of football
The club anthem Blue is the Colour resounded around a joyful Stamford Bridge and champagne flowed as Chelsea clinched their first Premier League title for five years with a typically stubborn 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Willian's late strike snatched a 1-0 home win for Chelsea over a stubborn Everton side to maintain lead.
IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Tuesday
Chelsea's Jose Mourinho and his old friend Louis van Gaal of Manchester United had different reasons to be satisfied with a point after their teams drew 1-1 in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Juventus progressed to the Champions League last 16 after a Cristiano Ronaldo goal and a late header from substitute Alvaro Morata gave them a comeback 2-1 home win over Hungarians Ferencvaros on Tuesday.
Manchester United are satisfied with their transfer business and under no pressure to sign a fourth player in the current window, manager Jose Mourinho said.
Anthony Martial introduced himself to Manchester United fans with a superb goal to complete a 3-1 win over bitter rivals Liverpool and cap a much-improved performance from Louis van Gaal's side on Saturday.
Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has eased Real Madrid's injury concerns and could be fit to play in their Champions League match at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, coach Zinedine Zidane said.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Veteran Drogba showed that he still has a lot of steam in him as he scored in Chelsea's win over Spurs, while Aguero continued to top the goal-scorers' list this season, finding the net for City. Images from the EPL matches played across England on Wednesday.
He increasingly looks like a manager unable to cope with the modern tactical realities of football. His display of a fear of failure has been appalling to watch. But Mourinho getting the sack at this juncture will hardly solve the problem, says Dhruv Munjal.
In case they needed it, the short trip to Crystal Palace will re-focus Chelsea's globe-trotting players on matters at home as the Premier League slips back into gear this weekend after the second international break of the season.
Second-half goals from Willian and Diego Costa helped Chelsea ease past Hull City 2-0 on Saturday and grab their first win in four Premier League games.
Manchester United are almost certain to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League after they beat Benfica 2-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday to make it a perfect four wins in Group A.
A senseless pitch invasion by Serbian fans in last month's Euro 2016 home qualifier against Albania has cost the Balkan nation dearly and the team fear the ramifications ahead of Friday's match against Denmark, Nemanja Matic said.
Roberto Firmino's goal gave Brazil a 1-0 victory over Chile in a feisty friendly at the Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday, their eighth successive win since last year's disappointing World Cup campaign.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
With mind and body both more willing now, the only way for the World No 3 is up, says Dhruv Munjal.
Manchester United stretched their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions after Daley Blind, in-form striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and substitute Henrik Mkhitaryan gave them a 3-1 home win over Sunderland on Monday. Left back Blind fired United ahead with a crisp 39th-minute shot after Ibrahimovic teed him up perfectly. The towering Swede doubled the lead with a clinical 82nd-minute finish for his 17th goal of the season. Fit-again Mkhitaryan put the icing on the cake with a spectacular backheel effort after a sharp Ibrahimovic cross from the right, although television replays suggested the Armenian was marginally offside. Striker Fabio Borini gave Sunderland fans something to cheer with a dipping late volley.
This and more from the happenings in the world of footbal.
Legendary Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic was articulate and candid while speaking at a conference in Mumbai on Friday. Norma Godinho/Rediff.com listens in as Vidic talks of Sir Alex Ferguson's motivational mind games, the Ronaldo bet and Man Utd under Mourinho...
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi equalled the Champions League scoring record of 71 goals when he struck for the second time in the 76th minute of Wednesday's Group F match at Ajax Amsterdam.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
A round-up of the World Cup qualifying matches played on Friday.
The policy of buying players cheap and selling them for a higher price a few years on is a business model that worked well for clubs like Atletico Madrid and FC Porto. With the transfer window open for the next few weeks, Rediff.com takes a look at clubs that made smart deals over the years.
Barcelona lost ground on La Liga leaders Real Madrid when their 11-match winning streak was snapped by Malaga, while Premier League pacesetters Chelsea dropped points at home to Burnley. Bayern Munich enjoyed a second-successive goalrush in the Bundesliga after routing Paderborn 6-0 while AS Roma lost ground to Serie A leaders Juventus after yet another draw. This and more from the happenings in the world of football over the weekend.
Jose Mourinho suffered a nightmare homecoming as Porto, the club he led to the Champions League title in 2004, inflicted a 2-1 defeat on his woefully out-of-sorts Chelsea side in Group G on Tuesday.
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