Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho claimed his Premier League rivals are envious of the champions-elect after they moved to within a solitary victory of a title triumph after a convincing 3-1 win at Leicester.
Mourinho's side have come under fire in recent weeks as their storming performances at the start of this season have been replaced by more dogged and less entertaining displays as they have closed in on the title.
Yet a bullish Chelsea manager insisted each of his Premier League opponents will be looking on and wishing they had the qualities that moved his team to the brink of the title, which they can clinch by beating Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
"I don't need other people to recognise what we are because I know exactly what we are. In a very pragmatic way, we are what every team would like to be," Mourinho said after the match.
"My experience in football teaches me about my own feelings, what I think and what I feel. It depends on your opinion. Some people say yes [Chelsea are the perfect team], some people says no.
"It is style to defend when against a team like Leicester. We coped well with it. A little mistake and we concede a goal, but in the second half you could see not just the character of the team, but also the quality.
"I think it is phenomenal what they are doing. To be top of the league since day one is not easy. To play against a team that is having a fantastic run, winning 12 points out of 12, playing at home with lots of confidence, to be losing a half-time and to do it the way my boys did it, I think it was fantastic."
Chelsea turned in an impressive display as they came from a goal behind to beat Nigel Pearson's Foxes, which sets up a game against Palace that could give the Blues their first Premier League title triumph in five years.
"I think that Stamford Bridge, instead of celebrating on Sunday, Stamford Bridge must be ready to push the team," he added. "We don't want Stamford Bridge celebrating the title because we don't have the title. We need Stamford Bridge to push us and push us strong to the three points we need.
"When I arrived two years ago, Chelsea was struggling in the Premier League. Chelsea finished fifth in the year we won the Champions League and finished third in the last match to qualify for Champions League the next year.
"Last season we had an evolution and we finish third. We could have finished second or first and we were fighting for the title until the end.
"This season is absolutely magnificent, with lots of people who are living with difficult emotions to cope with and control. Now we are almost there. We need three more points and the boys need to be very proud of themselves."