Chelsea take on Stoke City this weekend in a crucial game for the Blues who are in a desperate need for points, and will be hoping to follow on from their midweek victory over Dynamo Kiev.
Whilst the performance against Kiev wasn't perfect, the result was exactly what the club needed and more importantly what under pressure boss Jose Mourinho needed, but he still has plenty to do to secure his position at the club.
Stadium Ban
With Mourinho reportedly having two games to save his job this week, he passed the first test midweek, not with flying colours but his side did enough to help their manager.
However this will be an even bigger challenge for the Special One as he will not be present at the game, as he carries out his stadium ban the F.A. revealed this week, meaning Mourinho will not be in the dugout for a game.
Mourinho revealed how he would be "stupid" to contend the decision as it has already been decided upon and that he "decided to give up" and simply accept it and now his focus is on ensuring everything is perfect for the game.
Even though he can't enter the stadium, he told the media that he will "travel with the team" up until they reach the stadium and will wait for his players so they can "come back from Stoke together."
He admitted it would be difficult not being involved in the game, but stated "I don't want to speak a lot about it" to avoid getting into any further trouble with the F.A., who he has made an enemy out of throughout his career.
Despite not wanting to talk about his ban Mourinho did discuss his feelings on managers being banned from stadiums in general and revealed how he thinks "we are going to have lots of managers with stadium bans" in the future.
Mourinho thinks it's down to "our (managers) association" to "question in a serious way" the "rights of the managers" in regards to stadium bans, but for now he has accepted his fate and wants to just "let the game tomorrow finish."
Preparation is key
Due to the fact Mourinho will not be allowed in the stadium or any communications with players or his coaching staff, there will be some added responsibility and pressure on his coaches and therefore preparation ahead of the clash has been paramount.
But even though it will be his assistants that make any crucial decisions, the Chelsea boss insists they are "completely free of pressure" as he doesn't believe that it is their responsibility as it "doesn't belong to their jobs"
Mourinho has prepared his coaching team for "1000 options" as he acknowledged the fact that "the game is unpredictable" but as always he is taking sole responsibility.
Something Mourinho has become known for is his constant ability to relieve pressure from others involved at the club, he told the media that the result was "his responsibility" due to the fact he "chose the team."
The Special One believes he has prepared "players and assistants even better than ever because it is only the way." It is certainly going to be a huge challenge for the defending champions and whilst Mourinho still hasn't decided how he will watch the game, the main aspect he will be interested in is the score.