Dynamo Kiev vs Chelsea: Jose Mourinho aims to raise confidence but avoids pledge on Eden Hazard

Chelsea’s long road back to form takes them to Kiev this evening, with manager Jose Mourinho still hoping for the upturn in the results, performances and confidence that has evaded them so far this season.

Even though Mourinho said before tonight’s game against Dynamo Kiev that Chelsea can, in theory, win all four trophies they are competing for, the club’s immediate priority boils down simply to what he called “a change in results”.

Although Chelsea did in fact win their last game – beating Aston Villa 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday – they were so unconvincing that it did little to restore faith they can retain their Premier League title.

What it did do was prompt more questions about Eden Hazard, who started on the bench against Villa, questions which were not resolved here last night.

Mourinho was asked on Saturday night if results had got so bad that Chelsea might make the league less important to maximise their chances in Europe, but he said it was not so simple. “When you prioritise in this league you have a big risk, which is the risk of not winning the Champions League and [not] finishing top four, and not playing Champions League the next season,” Mourinho said. “So we cannot prioritise in this league. We have to go all the way and make sure we finish top four.”

While the Chelsea manager would love a victory this evening, especially after defeat in their last group game in Porto, he was talking yesterday like someone preparing for the worst. “You know we need to keep the tactical awareness, the tactical discipline,” he said. “The spirit. The effort. The concentration, because concentration is fundamental. And step by step with good results the confidence levels go up. And confidence levels are coming with results.”

Mourinho also bemoaned the scheduling of the game. “We are losing 24 hours [Dynamo played on Friday],” he added. “We are not losing 1-0 or 2-0, but we are losing 24 hours, like we did in Porto and 24 hours is a lot. Twenty-four hours in football is a lot, especially with a Tuesday match.”

This is likely to mean a less energetic and more conservative plan tonight. “We have to compensate that with a tactical understanding of what we have to do, have a real tactical plan to compensate that,” he said. “Even if we lose this match, we still have nine points to play for and to make a possible 12. In these two matches against Dynamo if we can have four points, the situation is much more comfortable.”

Mourinho was asked how Hazard had reacted in training to being dropped and whether he will start this evening. “If he plays tomorrow, I don’t tell you,” he responded. “The players don’t know. How did he train? He trained like Eden.”

Mourinho also reacted to reports that striker Radamel Falcao could be on his way out of the club, despite only joining on loan from Monaco during the summer. “I don’t know if it’s true because to me he says absolutely nothing in relation to that, and I speak with him every day. It’s strange that the media knows something I don’t know. He has to give us more than Diego [Costa], we play with one striker and I always go for the performance level. It’s a direct competition. The best one plays.”

Loïc Rémy and Pedro did not travel for tonight’s game owing to minor injuries.