Home / Sports / Jose Mourinho forced to defend Begovic as Chelsea suffer shock defeat to NY Red Bulls

Jose Mourinho forced to defend Begovic as Chelsea suffer shock defeat to NY Red Bulls

Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho

Premier League champions Chelsea suffered a shock 4-2 defeat at the hands of New York Red Bulls in a pre-season friendly, Thursday.

A string of shocking misses from the Chelsea attack alongside a rare John Terry mistake and a less than convincing performance from new signing Asmir Begovic gave the American side a famous victory.

To add insult to injury, the New York outfit fielded a side made up largely by young developmental players including 16-year-old high school student Tyler Adams who found himself on the scoresheet.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has cited tiredness as a factor in the defeat, believing heavy training sessions and a hectic pre-season tour schedule has impacted the players despite the Red Bulls themselves suffering a competitive quarter-final loss less than 24 hours earlier.

‘First of all I think he was tired, the same as Thibaut Courtois and when goalkeeper are very tired, co-ordination is low, agility doesn’t exist, speed reaction doesn’t exist,’ Mourinho said.

And after conceding four goals on his debut, Chelsea fans were quick to voice their opinions on new signing Asmir Begovic during the game.

But Mourinho, who brought in the goalkeeper to replace Petr Cech as backup to current No 1 Thibaut Courtois, was quick to defend the stopper.

‘Courtois made a mistake in the first half on his feet; Begovic in the second half was not sharp in his reactions. So, for me it is a consequence of that. But he is fantastic goalkeeper, no problem.

‘I’m so happy to have him. Next game against Paris St Germain he will start and play the first-half so no problem. It’s just a process.’

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