Chelsea’s English defender Gary Cahill (top) vies for the ball against Manchester City’s Belgian defender Vincent Kompany (below) during an English Premier League football match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Monday night.
London: Jose Mourinho proved why he is one of the most revered coaches in the world as he masterminded a 1-0 win that ended Manchester City’s 100 percent home Premier League record this season.
Chelsea have now picked up 10 points from a possible 12 against the other top four teams this term as they joined the hosts on 53 points, two behind leaders Arsenal.
“We played fantastic. Against a fantastic club, to play the way we did I think is amazing for the boys,” Mourinho told Sky Sports after his team had also hit the woodwork three times.
“In the process of building the team, to prepare the team to be favourites, to be one of the favourites next season, I think it is an important step.”
Mourinho had said Chelsea would not be “parking the bus” and while they certainly snuffed out City’s array of attacking talent, his side also looked dangerous every time they broke and should have added to Branislav Ivanovic’s first-half strike against Manuel Pellegrini side.
“They had couple chances but we had better chances to kill the game,” Mourinho added. “The players when we didn’t have the ball were humble and all ready to defend. When we had the ball they were trying to play and we played really well.”
Despite the win secured by fullback Branislav Ivanovic’s precise left-foot strike in the first half, Mourinho played down the notion that Chelsea were now favourites to win the title and instead talked about their potential next season.
“It’s not our responsibility or our objective to say that (we are favourites). We must complete the puzzle and formation. Some managers it’s in their DNA to say we need two, three, four, five years to build.
“The next pre-season, me and my players will say openly that we are mature, solid from day one and are candidates for the league. This season is about evolution.
“We can (win the title) if they (City) lose it. Arsenal are working for many, many years for the evolution of their team.”
Reuters
