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Come Fan with UsTuesday, August 4, 2026

Jose Mourinho says he’ll bench Chelsea’s stars for kids if they keep losing

This should be fun.

Steve Welsh/Getty Images

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“I am ruthless,” said Jose Mourinho on Monday, which even makes perfect sense out of context. The context is that he was at a press conference ahead of his team’s Champions League match against FC Porto, and he said he’d replace all of Chelsea’s stars with kids if he had to.

“If the season goes in one direction, that it becomes closed and we can’t win [trophies], I will go just with the kids,” said Mourinho. “It makes no sense, when you have nothing to win, to play the older players. I’ll play the players we’re waiting for instead. I can arrive in a moment where I will look to the kids and say, ‘Let’s go. Non-stop.’ I am ruthless.”

It seems unlikely that Chelsea drops out of trophy and top four contention anytime soon, but we’re certainly looking forward to seeing a lot more Nathan, Kenedy and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Goal of the day

It’s just a penalty, but this dude drinks a beer after he scores it.

In the news

Surprise! FIFA banned Jack Warner for life. (Telegraph)

Bournemouth star Callum Wilson is out for at least six months. (AFC Bournemouth)

The Volkswagen scandal could seriously cripple Wolfsburg. (BBC)

A Turkish referee made a huge error and then instantly went on live TV to apologize. (Guardian)

Jordi Alba is back in Barcelona’s squad after recovering from an injury. (AS)

Manchester City got a boost too, with three of their stars returning to training. (Mirror)

Giuseppe Rossi has signed a new deal with Fiorentina. (Football Italia)

You should be reading

Mike Goodman on how Barcelona will replace Lionel Messi. (Grantland)

Dominic Fifield on Mandela Egbo, an Englishman at Borussia Mönchengladbach. (Guardian)

Mohamed Mohamed on Lyon’s rebuilding project. (Stats Bomb)

Monday’s games

Romelu Lukaku trucked West Brom. What if Everton got him the ball more?

What to watch on Tuesday (click for listings, all times ET)

Champions League: Eight games (2:45 p.m.) - Porto-Chelsea is the best of the bunch.

Liga MX: Six games (from 6 p.m.) - Rare midweek Mexican league soccer!

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