......is the season starting...............???? 
For the best part of two decades, Tottenham Hotspur have been the team that Chelsea merely had to turn up to beat. Now, however, José Mourinho believes that their rivals from North London may be about to turn the Barclays Premier League’s big four into a big five.
On the day that Mourinho welcomed Claudio Pizarro, the Peru forward, to Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea manager acknowledged that he will need extra firepower if his team are to prevail in what could be the most competitive season since the formation of the Premiership in 1992.
Mourinho predicted a five-strong race for the championship, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham presenting a strong challenge to Manchester United and Chelsea, but he is confident that his team have what it takes to regain the title. He believes he has assembled his strongest squad in four years and is determined to lead from the front after allowing United to surge ahead last season.
When asked who he would make favourites for the league, Mourinho said: “You already know my answer. I believe Chelsea has the best players in the world and that’s the way I work.
“Who should win the Golden Boot this season? Didier Drogba. There will be other players in the frame, like Kaká, [Cristiano] Ronaldo or [Lionel] Messi, but for me it’s Drogba. My players will always be the best players in the world. Who are the candidates to be the best team in the world? Chelsea, always Chelsea. That is my philosophy.”
For all his talk about being more laid-back this season, Mourinho has wasted little time seeking to increase the pressure on Liverpool, reminding their manager, Rafael BenÍtez, of his responsibility to mount a real title challenge. “This season they go on to the pitch with a different outlook,” Mourinho said. “They have high responsibilities and high expectations, whereas in the last three years only Chelsea and Manchester United have won the title between us.
“Liverpool have a new pressure to win the Premiership because at this moment they cannot point at other clubs spending money, whereas years before they could say, ‘Look at those guys – they spend loads of money’. These guys have to win because they spent lots of money.”
Mourinho believes that Arsenal can cope without Thierry Henry, but his most surprising observation concerned Tottenham, whose league victory at White Hart Lane last November was their first over Chelsea since 1990.
“I like Tottenham because they have more players in the England national team than anybody else,” he said. “All of them belong, I’m not saying to the first team, but to the first 25 or 30 England players. [Paul] Robin-son, [Ledley] King, [Michael] Dawson, [Aaron] Lennon, [Jermain] Defoe, [Darren] Bent are a very good group of players.
“They spent money, they kept all the important players, even [Dimitar] Berbatov. Everyone was thinking he was going to leave, so Berbatov staying shows clearly what they want. And again, without pressure, I think Tottenham should be there, creating a difficult situation for us.
“United keep the same team and have two good talents in Nani and Anderson, which gives them more options. If [Carlos] Tévez goes there, it’s one more good player for them to face the season. Arsenal? No Thierry, but last season almost no Thierry, too [because of injury]. And they have very good young players. I think in their minds they think they can do it.”
Pizarro, 28, who joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, will give the side an extra attacking dimension. “We felt during last season that we needed a different striker to what we had, with different qualities,” Mourinho said. “This season in many matches we will play with two pure strikers. He [Pizarro] has South American qualities, but at the same time he has played for eight years in Europe. He knows how to play in a big team, he knows how to play with pressure, he has the feeling of winning trophies.”
Pizarro is under no illusions about the competition for places at Stamford Bridge and consulted Owen Hargreaves, who has left Bayern for Old Trafford and with whom he practised his excellent English, before choosing Chelsea over Juventus and other interested clubs. “I have confidence in what I can do,” Pizarro said. “It’s a big challenge and it will be very difficult, but we have a good team.
“Bayern are a club who have a lot of pressure inside, so I’m used to it. You have to be ready for it and I don’t think it will be a problem here.”
On the day that Mourinho welcomed Claudio Pizarro, the Peru forward, to Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea manager acknowledged that he will need extra firepower if his team are to prevail in what could be the most competitive season since the formation of the Premiership in 1992.
Mourinho predicted a five-strong race for the championship, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham presenting a strong challenge to Manchester United and Chelsea, but he is confident that his team have what it takes to regain the title. He believes he has assembled his strongest squad in four years and is determined to lead from the front after allowing United to surge ahead last season.
When asked who he would make favourites for the league, Mourinho said: “You already know my answer. I believe Chelsea has the best players in the world and that’s the way I work.
“Who should win the Golden Boot this season? Didier Drogba. There will be other players in the frame, like Kaká, [Cristiano] Ronaldo or [Lionel] Messi, but for me it’s Drogba. My players will always be the best players in the world. Who are the candidates to be the best team in the world? Chelsea, always Chelsea. That is my philosophy.”
For all his talk about being more laid-back this season, Mourinho has wasted little time seeking to increase the pressure on Liverpool, reminding their manager, Rafael BenÍtez, of his responsibility to mount a real title challenge. “This season they go on to the pitch with a different outlook,” Mourinho said. “They have high responsibilities and high expectations, whereas in the last three years only Chelsea and Manchester United have won the title between us.
“Liverpool have a new pressure to win the Premiership because at this moment they cannot point at other clubs spending money, whereas years before they could say, ‘Look at those guys – they spend loads of money’. These guys have to win because they spent lots of money.”
Mourinho believes that Arsenal can cope without Thierry Henry, but his most surprising observation concerned Tottenham, whose league victory at White Hart Lane last November was their first over Chelsea since 1990.
“I like Tottenham because they have more players in the England national team than anybody else,” he said. “All of them belong, I’m not saying to the first team, but to the first 25 or 30 England players. [Paul] Robin-son, [Ledley] King, [Michael] Dawson, [Aaron] Lennon, [Jermain] Defoe, [Darren] Bent are a very good group of players.
“They spent money, they kept all the important players, even [Dimitar] Berbatov. Everyone was thinking he was going to leave, so Berbatov staying shows clearly what they want. And again, without pressure, I think Tottenham should be there, creating a difficult situation for us.
“United keep the same team and have two good talents in Nani and Anderson, which gives them more options. If [Carlos] Tévez goes there, it’s one more good player for them to face the season. Arsenal? No Thierry, but last season almost no Thierry, too [because of injury]. And they have very good young players. I think in their minds they think they can do it.”
Pizarro, 28, who joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, will give the side an extra attacking dimension. “We felt during last season that we needed a different striker to what we had, with different qualities,” Mourinho said. “This season in many matches we will play with two pure strikers. He [Pizarro] has South American qualities, but at the same time he has played for eight years in Europe. He knows how to play in a big team, he knows how to play with pressure, he has the feeling of winning trophies.”
Pizarro is under no illusions about the competition for places at Stamford Bridge and consulted Owen Hargreaves, who has left Bayern for Old Trafford and with whom he practised his excellent English, before choosing Chelsea over Juventus and other interested clubs. “I have confidence in what I can do,” Pizarro said. “It’s a big challenge and it will be very difficult, but we have a good team.
“Bayern are a club who have a lot of pressure inside, so I’m used to it. You have to be ready for it and I don’t think it will be a problem here.”
Comment