LONDON -- Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has insisted he will continue to attempt to shake hands with opposing managers before the end of the final whistle, even though his unusual practice has attracted some high profile criticism in recent weeks.
Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert suggested Mourinho's attempt to say his farewells while his side were still playing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this month was "disrespectful" while his assistant Roy Keane suggested Mourinho's hasty efforts were "a disgrace" in comments that attracted widespread coverage.
When asked about the storm that had been blown up surrounding a move Mourinho has often made in his career, the Chelsea boss made what appeared to be a confession that he had learned from his etiquette mistake.
"I appreciate the comments," stated Mourinho, seemingly with sincerity. "I think they are both two great examples of polite and very well educated people.
"Because I am a guy who tries to learn every day and with every experience, I appreciate the comments."
It has been suggested that a lack of understanding of English football traditions could have been to blame for Mourinho's hasty handshake offer, yet he does not appear to regret the incident as he was then asked whether he will do it again in the future.
"Yes," he said quickly before being asked whether his actions made him seem arrogant or not entering into the spirit of the game. "No comment," was his stern response.
Mourinho then turned his thoughts to Saturday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace, as he prepares to return to the scene of one of his more costly defeats at the back end of last season.
Palace's 1-0 win against Chelsea last March was a hammer blow to the Blues hopes of lifting the Premier League title, with Mourinho suggesting after the game that his side "lacked balls" to compete with their battling London rivals.
"My lesson from that specific game was not a lesson," he reflected.
"It was one of these games where I lose and I deserve to lose. When I deserve to lose, I know why I lose.
"That doesn't give me a lesson. I accept that in a normal way. It is easy for us to analyse. Last season we lost there because they were better than us in every aspect of the game.
"We have more personality to impose our game now. There is always a bit of strategy in a game and sometimes you want to impose your style and sometime you want to adapt to the opponents style.
"Last season, Palace were better than us. Now we have to play our game and not their game. At their game, they are better than us."
Mourinho then offered his thoughts on the issue of player burn-out, in a week when Liverpool's teenage winger Raheem Sterling hit the headlines for suggesting he was too tired to play in England's Euro 2016 qualifier in Estonia.
"What is burn-out? Is that when you are exposed to the sun?" he said with a smile. "Burn out is to play Man United on Sunday and to play Shrewsbury [in the Capital One Cup] on the next Tuesday. Play Old Trafford, come back to London. Four hours in the bus to go to Shrewsbury. That is burn-out."
Mourinho suggested he has injury doubts over Ramires, Didier Drogba, Diego Costa, Andre Schurrle and Jon Obi Mikel for the trip to Palace, but he did not entirely rule any of the quintet out of the match.