‘Roman Abramovich believes in Jose Mourinho’

Abu Dhabi: Under-siege Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has found an unlikely ally in former Blues striker Andriy Shevchenko, who insists owner Roman Abramovich will not fire “a great manager” despite a torrid start to the season.

Shevchenko was reported to have had a rocky relationship with Mourinho between 2006 and 2009, when he scored only nine goals in 48 games despite netting 127 times for AC Milan and earning cult-hero status in 208 appearances.

But the former Ukraine striker leapt to the Portuguese’s defence ahead of their crucial home game in the Champions League, which saw Chelsea eke out a crucial 2-1 win over Shevchenko’s old team Dynamo Kiev.

Mourinho has cut an increasingly disgruntled figure in a spectacularly awful campaign for the defending English Premier League champions, which has seen them lose six of their first 11 games of the season. But Shevchenko, 39, is confident over a reversal of these ailing fortunes.

He said: “Honestly, I think when you are losing or you’re winning, it is all part of the game. The situation is unusual for Chelsea, of course, but I’m sure that Jose is a great manager.

“The club is a great club and the football players who play for Chelsea are very professional and great athletes. I’m sure any time they will find a way to go through this difficult moment and finally they get back a result.”

But could history repeat itself and Mourinho part his ways with the Blues, as he did in 2007, or receive the sack from the notoriously ruthless Abramovich, both because of Chelsea’s poor form and Mourinho’s petulance?

The 50-year-old has been at frequent loggerheads with the English Football Association and its referees this season, his latest outburst at West Ham on October 24 earning him a one-match stadium ban and also a £40,000 (Dh227,000) by the FA.

Mourinho was sent to the stands after going to speak to referee Jon Moss in his room at half-time.

He is also to be the subject of individual legal action from former Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro.

Carneiro was dropped from first-team duties after Mourinho said she was “naive” for treating midfielder Eden Hazard during a draw with Swansea in August.

Her lawyers are already suing the club for constructive dismissal.

Shevchenko, who was speaking after becoming a Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Ambassador to help sporting projects for young people globally and who remains an ardent fan of the Blues, said: “Of course, I think Roman, first of all, has been working already with Jose. He still believes in him and still believes in his quality and Jose won [the Premier League] last year and he is a great manager.

“Also, the fans of Chelsea support him a lot and it means a lot for everyone when you have the support from the club and support from the fans. It’s everything for the players and for the manager.”

How does Shevchenko, who retired in 2012 after scoring 219 goals in 446 appearances, assess the merits of one of his other former bosses, Carlo Ancelotti?

Of the out-of-work Italian, who managed Shevchenko at AC Milan and who was sacked by Chelsea in 2011 and suffered a similar fate with Real Madrid last season, he said: “All winning managers are quite similar in one way, but very different. He is a very different personality [to Mourinho].”