Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has done something we were all hoping but not expecting - he’s managed to be gracious in defeat, although Chelsea critics and cynics will be trying to nitpick even his most simple of statements.

Talking to News of the World (why do footballers still talk to NOTW after all the crap that’s printed there? food for thought, eh?), Jose Mourinho had this to say:

“After all that has happened this season - and that is a lot - I’ve reached the conclusion that I am a good loser. Losing the title to Ferguson and Manchester didn’t hurt me as much as I thought it would.

After four years in a row of winning the league title at Porto and then with Chelsea, I thought when I didn’t win it would be unbearable. But it is not. I have dealt with it and I am fine.

Our season has been extraordinary. The first season here was incredible because the club won its first title in 50 years, but this year I can almost say I am prouder. My group fought like warriors, they have given everything even when others were saying hope had gone.

We will come again. Chelsea will come again and fight for the title again.”

We can spend days analysing Chelsea’s season and point at situations where things could have gone differently - the Terry injury, the Cech injury, etc etc. But at the end of the day, injuries are part and parcel of the game, and every season there are a few teams who suffer from injuries. Some of those are preventable (like the Cech injury), some are probably not (Terry).

In football, all we can do is try to minimise the preventable injuries and plan and act proactively to those that can’t always be avoided.

Knowing Jose Mourinho, this is still - ‘part of the game’ - and you’d expect him to be a bit blase about losing the title. It hurts when you’ve held it for two years - just ask United fans

By the way, take a look at the Jose Mourinho page - full of JM quotes and all that jazz.