We're not cursed! Mourinho vows to lift Chelsea's November jinx ahead of crucial Schalke clash Jose Mourinho was still damp from the drizzle as he dismissed the theory that the November rain might have some kind of debilitating effect on Chelsea’s players. ‘I won’t go for that, it makes no difference,’ said Mourinho, shaking his head, but aware that Saturday’s defeat at Newcastle has set a few nerves jangling ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League home match with Schalke. ‘If the game at Newcastle was on October 30 rather than November 2, there is no difference,’ he went on. And he’s right, it makes no sense, but this is a month when problems steeple at Stamford Bridge. Last year they won one of seven in this month; the year before they lost three times, as they did the year before that. Three years ago, assistant manager Ray Wilkins was fired in November. Last year, it was manager Roberto Di Matteo heading for the exit and John Terry injured. It might be when fixtures start to take their toll. Ryan Bertrand yesterday became the second player to pick up a knock in training this week when he injured his knee and will miss Wednesday night’s game, as will Fernando Torres, who damaged a thigh on Monday. Mourinho may not be superstitious but he has been in firm mood since Chelsea’s positive run of form came to a halt on Tyneside. He tore into his players at half-time, criticised them afterwards and yesterday was still bemoaning their ‘attitude’ and ‘complacency’. ‘When you win a lot, you cannot forget why you win,’ he said. ‘Maybe the worst thing that happened was the easy start. You go there and see lots of space and they don’t press you. They were a bit scared. We hit the post twice. The game was easy to win, we had lots of space to play in the first half, but we were just playing as if the goal would arrive.’ Defeat at Newcastle followed away victories at Schalke and Arsenal and a late win at home over Manchester City. October saw six straight wins and a solid recovery in the Champions League after losing to Basle. Mourinho added: ‘It was a good reaction to the pressure, to play a difficult match against City and go to Arsenal without many players who normally play. ‘So maybe I was caught by surprise. The only difference is, during the first half, it looked like they were not feeling it. And I was feeling it.’ Afterwards, Mourinho claimed he had made 11 selection mistakes. It hinted at major changes. ‘I was exaggerating,’ he said. ‘It’s not about changing 11 and I don’t want changes I make to be seen as somebody paying for the defeat. We just want to win.’ What he wants is a reaction, something to help him crush this November madness.