The manager thinks that, in order for his side to score more goals, they must work on their positioning and ability to retain possession of the ball more

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho has called for his side to improve defensively amid their difficulties in finding the net.

Mourinho’s men have scored the fewest goals of the sides in the Premier League top four and were punished for their profligacy in Tuesday’s 2-1 Capital One Cup defeat to Sunderland.

However, the Chelsea boss stated on Friday that if scoring proved a problem for his side, the best solution was to become better defensively.

“We can improve by having more security when we have possession of the ball,” Mourinho told reporters.

“We are not punishing opponents by scoring goals and killing them when we have everything to do that.

“In every match, we are dominant and in the matches we lost, we had even more ball possession.

“We cannot just let the players hide behind the fact we are not scoring enough goals. This morning, we only worked on defensive aspects of the game.”

Mourinho also confirmed that Cesar Azpilicueta will play in Monday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal, having been taken off in the defeat at the Stadium of Light.

Ashley Cole will be “on the bench or at home”, Mourinho explained, although he refused to be drawn on reports that Cole attended Arsenal’s Christmas party this week.

“I have my opinion but I keep for myself,” he said.

“It was a free day for them. I am not a father; I am a manager. I can control what they do with me but not what they do when not with me.”

“I don’t want to comment. Not even to Ashley have I given my opinion because I don’t have to. I just have my opinion.”

The striker, who has netted 17 goals 11 league games this season, says the “special relationship” he has with club’s fans was key to his decision to sign a long-term contract

Luis Suarez has signed a new “long-term” contract at Liverpool, the club have confirmed.

The Uruguayan has enjoyed a sensational 2013, scoring 27 times in 25 games, while he has netted 17 times in just 11 Premier League matches this season.

Goal reported earlier this week that Liverpool had opened talks with Suarez over a club-record deal thought to eventually be worth up to £200,000 a week, and the 26-year-old has now put pen to paper.

“I am delighted to have agreed a new deal with Liverpool and have my future secured for the long term,” Suarez told the club’s official website.

“We have some great players and the team is growing and improving all the time. I believe I can achieve the ambitions of winning trophies and playing at the very highest level with Liverpool. My aim is to help get us there as quickly as possible.”

Suarez made no secret of his desire to leave the club during the summer, with Arsenal failing with two bids during the transfer window after being led to believe an offer of over £40 million would trigger a release clause.

However, the 26-year-old insists the “special relationship” he has with Liverpool supporters has persuaded him to commit himself to the Anfield outfit.

He continued: “Without doubt the backing I have received from the Liverpool fans has influenced my decision. I am so proud to represent them and go out to do my best for them every time I pull on the shirt.

“We have a special relationship; they have love for me and in return I love them back. I will always do my best for them and hopefully we can achieve success together.”

Manager Brendan Rodgers hailed the new deal and the impact it will have on the players, club and supporters.

“This is fantastic news for everyone associated with the club; the team, the owners and most importantly the supporters,” he said.

“Luis is a world-class talent and securing his services is crucial for what we are trying to achieve here.

“What’s most important and most exciting is that, at just 26 years old, his best years are still ahead of him and we now know we’ll be seeing him reach that potential in a Liverpool shirt.”

Liverpool owner John W. Henry, meanwhile, suggested Suarez’s contract is an indication that the club are moving in the right direction.

He said: “We are committed to working hard to keep our best players and this is an indication that we are moving in the right direction and moving at a pace that impresses one of the best players in world football.”

Liverpool chairman, Tom Werner, added: “This demonstrates our commitment, as an ownership group, to building a team that competes at the highest level both in the Barclays Premier League and in Europe.

“Our primary motive is to do what is best for Liverpool Football Club and today’s news is another significant step forward on this journey.”

The striker has committed his “long-term” future to the club, just months after publicly declaring his desire to leave, with the Reds now able to focus on a title challenge

COMMENT
By James Goldman

Regardless of the intricacies of the deal, the small print or how much faith you place in the platitudes he has offered the club’s fans, Luis Suarez’s decision to sign a new contract confirms Liverpool’s status as an elite Premier League force once again.

Not even the most optimistic of Liverpool fans could have imagined that when Ian Ayre jetted off for talks with the Uruguayan’s agent Pere Guariola earlier this week that such a swift, decisive and uplifting resolution would be reached.

While their rivals down the East Lancs Road struggle to convince their two remaining genuine world class talents, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, that the David Moyes regime is worth committing the remainder of their peak years to, Liverpool have cemented the services of the Premier League’s box office draw without the need for a very public and prolonged game of cat and mouse.

Whether Real Madrid, who had already been readying a weighty offer for the mercurial striker in January, will return after the World Cup with a “too good to turn down” offer of Gareth Bale-esque proportions in the summer matters little at this stage – that is tomorrow’s potential headache.

As of now, Liverpool are two points off the summit and will lead the table at Christmas should results fall their way and they continue to do what they have done for the majority of the season – brush aside the league’s makeweights with the minimum of fuss and no small measure of style.

That the club can now head into the festive period without doubts hovering over their star attraction’s immediate, if not long-term, future represents a victory for Suarez’s team-mates, his manager and the Fenway Sports Group who fought so admirably in the summer to ignore his desire to quit Anfield, burning any bridge that stood in his way .

At the very least, five more months of Suarez will calcify Liverpool’s challenge for what would be a first top four finish in the Premier League since 2009 and the galvanising effect for a club already riding the crest of a wave prompted by their most authoritative away performance in years – the 5-0 win at White Hart Lane last weekend –  could even prompt the most unlikely of title challenges.

Fanciful perhaps, but seasons and indeed titles have been swung on lesser events. Brendan Rodgers’ penchant for self-praise might grate on some, but there is no doubting he deserves immense credit for fielding the various Suarez-induced storms he has dealt with during his relatively short time on Anfield.

Aside from apparently mastering the delicate balancing act that is managing Suarez the person, something that proved so spectacularly beyond Kenny Dalglish’s dwindling powers, Rodgers has overseen the former Ajax star’s development from spellbinding but erratic striker to the most captivating and deadly assassin in the Premier League.

That Liverpool can now boast the considerable talents of Suarez and a manager who has transformed the side from a rag-taggle collection of directionless players into an eminently watchable, cohesive and potent unit, suggests brighter times are on the horizon.

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