Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has warned his players not to bury their heads in the sand like ostriches do.
The Blues started their season in the worst possible manner and it got worse in the midweek with a defeat against Jose’s former club Porto in Champions League.
The Blues, last season’s champions are now fifteenth in the table and eight points behind league leaders Manchester United already after seven games.
With only two wins in seven league matches this season, Chelsea need a result against Southampton on Saturday and Mourinho has called on his players to stand up and be counted.
He said, per Matt McGeehan of the Press Association (h/t the Daily Mail):
“There is an animal that puts its head in the ground…an ostrich.”
“In the bad moments, you cannot do that and just wait for a better moment to come, or for the problems to be resolved by themselves.”
“Or waiting for the moon to change and give you better vibrations. You make mistakes, you are in a bad moment, no ostrich (behaviour), (lift your) head up, face the problems, speak, work. For me, this is the way.”
Former Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson famously branded a journalist an ostrich last season after a question he wasn’t impressed with. He later apologised.