Football
Miguel Delaney 9y

Jose Mourinho: Complacency not a risk because of Chelsea's mental strength

Jose Mourinho says there is more to come from Chelsea, as he insisted there has been an "evolution" in the team's mentality.

The Premier League leaders are unbeaten and six points clear of second-placed Southampton, with 10 wins from 12 games. Despite that, Mourinho claimed that the squad's supreme attitude means they can still improve considerably.

The Portuguese cited their age, given that so many key players are in their early or mid-20s, and how they can still mature.

"I'm sure, yes, there is much more to come," he told a news conference. "A young team with lots of young players. I have two more years of contract to work with them. They want to stay in the club, I want to stay in the club.

"We have a lot ahead of us. This team has all the conditions to be better. But, all the other factors that can affect us negatively -- except complacency -- are part of the game. I am so experienced in this life that I'm not over the moon when I win, and I'm not in hell when I lose. Balance. The players follow me in this. We are not jumping every day, or crying every day when things go wrong. We are very stable."

Many have talked of Chelsea repeating Arsenal's unbeaten season of 2003-04, but while Mourinho would not dwell on the record he claimed that his team were fully focused and mentally ready for the tasks ahead.

"We have all the other risks, the risks that belong to football. The risk of a bad period. The risk of injuries. The risk of unlucky matches. The risk of other teams growing up, a great evolution, and becoming stronger during the season," he added. "Complacency is not a risk we have because it's not the profile of this group at this moment.

"We were winning 5-0 against Schalke in the 88th minute and Eden Hazard made a sprint to defend. Winning 5-0 at minute 88. They have changed. There was an evolution in these young people, a clear evolution. I don't think the group, as a group, can be complacent."

Chelsea's boss also hailed the efforts of his squad, whom he said he was 100 percent happy with.

"I don't have one single player in this moment -- from the ones that are not playing a lot, to the ones who don't feel first-choice -- who is not training very hard or behaving very well, or is not part of the group, who is not ready to help to play for one minute, 10 minutes, or to help from the stands," he said.

"Life is easy when you are playing like this, when you are winning and feeling high in self-esteem. It's easy for a player like this. But life is difficult when you are not playing, because players were born to play. All these guys in my squad are absolutely fantastic. I'm so happy with them."

^ Back to Top ^