The Portuguese has used a summer of stellar
recruitment as the foundation for a spectacular unbeaten start. Goal
assesses the Chelsea manager's performance so far
We are not even a third of the way through the Premier League season and it seems the rest of English football is ready to crown Chelsea with the club's first league title since 2010.
Jose Mourinho has been the architect, building on a peerless summer transfer window with a 17-game unbeaten start in all competitions to put the Blues in prime position to contend at home and abroad.
Goal takes a look at how Mourinho and his men have done it...
| RESULTS |
The obvious flaws of the Premier League's other big boys have clearly helped. Arsenal have eight points fewer than at this stage last season, Liverpool have nine fewer, Manchester United four fewer and Tottenham six. City are actually two points better off but convince no one, having already dropped points against Stoke City, West Ham and QPR.
But the leaders' improvement has been even more marked. Chelsea have garnered 29 points from their opening 11 matches – eight more than they managed last season and a tally only bettered by Mourinho's rampant 2005-06 team (31) that ended up coasting to the Premier League title by eight points, having won an astonishing 18 of 19 home games.
This Chelsea are five from five at Stamford Bridge, with draws in Manchester against City and United the only blemishes on their away record. In both games they led, and those inclined to be hyper-critical might argue that Mourinho's attempts to protect a one-goal lead helped bring about late equalisers each time.
That said, it would be foolish to suggest that five points out of a possible nine from visits to the Etihad, Old Trafford and Anfield is anything other than a highly satisfying return.
Perhaps the biggest compliment to Mourinho and Chelsea's early-season achievement is the defeatist attitude it has provoked among the rest of the Premier League.
"Look at the season and Chelsea are on course for 105 points," Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger told reporters after his side's defeat by Swansea City.
"Look at the number of points they have today and if they keep that up nobody will touch them, that's for sure."
| RECRUITMENT |
The widely held suspicion heading into this season took just four games to become dazzlingly obvious: Chelsea had a blinder of a summer.
In that time Diego Costa, recruited from Atletico Madrid in a €46 million deal, scored seven goals, rocketing to the top of the Premier League's scoring charts and dispelling any notion that he might suffer the same fate as Mateja Kezman, Andriy Shevchenko or Fernando Torres. He has 10 in his first 12 appearances in all competitions since arriving at Stamford Bridge, despite niggling groin and hamstring concerns.
Cesc Fabregas, snapped up for €38m from Barcelona after Arsenal had incredibly decided against exercising their first option, executed a contender for pass of the season to set up Andre Schurrle on the opening day against Burnley and has continued in much the same vein.
The Spaniard has directly laid on 11 goals for Chelsea from the base of midfield in 15 matches, but even more important has been the instant chemistry he has struck up with Costa, Eden Hazard and Oscar, enabling Mourinho to field the most dangerous and fluid attacking unit in the Premier League, boasting 28 goals in 11 games. "The team was waiting for a player of his dimension," the Blues boss said of Fabregas in September.
That the combined €84m outlay on Chelsea's two marquee summer purchases was offset by the €85m received for Romelu Lukaku and David Luiz is even more impressive. It is hard to escape the conclusion that no top English club has adapted to the realities of the Financial Fair Play era better.
Thibaut Courtois returned from a two-year loan spell with Atletico Madrid and instantly, brutally and effortlessly displaced club legend Petr Cech as No.1 goalkeeper. The Belgian has kept just two clean sheets since coming to Stamford Bridge, but the absence of glaring errors suggest that statistic is more the result of a lack of familiarity with his defenders and Chelsea's far more attacking mindset this season.
Filipe Luis followed Costa and Courtois in swapping Madrid for west London, only to fall victim to the enduring excellence of Cesar Azpilicueta on the left of the Chelsea defence. Nevertheless, the Brazilian has shown no obvious signs of discontent and has impressed with every opportunity he has been afforded.
Many interpreted the return of Didier Drogba as little more than a romantic move, but the Ivorian's gradual road back to fitness has thrown up hints that he could yet be an effective alternative to Costa as well as an impact substitute. A trademark header against United came within seconds of giving Chelsea victory at Old Trafford and a talismanic display helped an otherwise inexperienced Blues side avoid a shock League Cup exit against Shrewsbury Town.
Less has been seen of Loic Remy owing to a groin problem, but the Frenchman always appeared good value at €11m and need only produce his Newcastle form (around one goal every two matches) to be considered a success.
| SELECTION AND TACTICS |
Courtois, Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Nemanja Matic, Fabregas and Hazard have started every Premier League game, with Azpilicueta, Costa and Oscar featuring from the beginning in nine of 11 matches.
The 4-2-3-1 formation has also been a constant, with Fabregas given freedom to join Chelsea's creative line from the base of midfield while Matic holds the fort. The consequences have been devastating for opposing teams, though 11 goals conceded in 11 games and just two clean sheets suggests the Blues could be vulnerable against elite opponents in the latter stages of the Champions League.
Signs of Mourinho's 'Plan B' could be seen against City at the Etihad, when Ramires came in for Oscar and Chelsea operated within a more conservative and traditional 4-3-3. The fact that it has only been employed once, however, indicates that the Portuguese believes he has the weaponry to overpower most of the Premier League without significantly altering his team's approach.
The recent revival of Oscar has also made such a tactical switch seem unnecessary. Much has rightly been made of the Brazilian's brilliant goals against Crystal Palace and QPR, but at his best the 22-year-old is also integral to Chelsea's defensive system.
Only Matic and Azpilicueta average more tackles per game in the Chelsea squad, while no one at Stamford Bridge has committed more fouls. The fact that Costa is third in this list highlights how Mourinho has instructed his team to press from the front and employ tactical fouls to snuff out counterattacks at the source.
| PERSONALITY |
Mourinho thrives on conflict and, while satisfaction at Chelsea's serene ascent to the top of the Premier League has dulled some of his more pugnacious impluses, there remains the sense that there will always be a part of the Portuguese capable of starting a fight in an empty room.
Arsenal's visit to Stamford Bridge on October 5 featured a particularly startling touchline confrontation with Wenger. The Frenchman was undoubtedly the instigator, but Mourinho's long list of provocative statements (specialist in failure, anyone?) and utter domination of head-to-head encounters - Wenger has failed to beat him in 12 attempts - almost certainly fed into the visiting manager's anger and frustration.
Another notable battle, not as explosive but far more significant, has arisen between Mourinho and Spain boss Vicente del Bosque over the issue of Costa's fitness. Mourinho was livid when his striker returned from an international double-header against Slovakia and Luxembourg last month with a groin problem - exacerbated by a virus that saw him hospitalised - that forced him to miss four Chelsea games, including the trip to Old Trafford.
Mourinho has been pressuring Del Bosque not to pick Costa ever since, and earlier this week he got his wish. "I think Spain made a fantastic decision not just for us but for them," the Portuguese told reporters when the 26-year-old's omission from Spain's squad to face Belarus and Germany was announced. "He has 15 days to get to the top of his game and when they need him they will get a good Diego not a bad one."
Even the Chelsea supporters have found themselves the subjects of Mourinho's ire. "At this moment it's difficult to play at home because playing here is like playing in an empty stadium," he told reporters after an underwhelming 2-1 win over west London rivals QPR. "When we scored was when I realised 'woah, the stadium is full. Good'."
At a time when Premier League ticket prices have been credited with driving out all but the wealthiest (and least passionate?) fans, most managers would have run a mile before prodding that particular hornet's nest. But Mourinho's legendary status at Stamford Bridge and achievements this season meant the backlash was minimal.
As Chelsea win their battles on the pitch, Mourinho is emerging from his own skirmishes victorious off it. It's an ominous situation for the rest of the Premier League.
| VERDICT |
Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge in June 2013 threw up questions not adequately addressed by an improved but ultimately trophyless campaign.
Last summer changed all that. The acquisition and instant impact of both Costa and Fabregas have utterly transformed Chelsea from dangerous counter-punchers into a slick, powerful machine capable of dominating all types of opposition.
Results have borne out the revolution while performances have highlighted Mourinho's own evolution as a coach. This Chelsea is every bit as intense and disciplined as the back-to-back Premier League champions of 2005 and 2006, but operates on the front foot with more than a dash of artistry to complement the industry.
The rest of English football appears powerless to derail their progress and it is becoming increasingly clear that the Blues alone will carry the Premier League flag deep into the Champions League, where Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will consider them a rival of equal standing. Mourinho has yet to put a foot wrong and has a team capable of winning it all.
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