José Mourinho has dismissed the possibility of complacency creeping in at Chelsea as the runaway leaders prepare to face the side who inflicted their most recent Premier League defeat.
Chelsea are six points clear at the top after 12 games and unbeaten in 19 matches in all competitions.
Mourinho’s side beat Schalke 5-0 on Tuesday to advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League and now travel to Sunderland seeking to consolidate their position at the top of the standings.
It was Sunderland who ended Mourinho’s 77-game unbeaten home Premier League run in April in a bad-tempered match which remains Chelsea’s most recent domestic defeat.
Some pundits and bookmakers expect Chelsea to romp away with the title, but Mourinho is adamant his squad will not get ahead of themselves.
“Complacency is not a risk we have,” Mourinho said. “It’s not a profile of this group in this moment. We have all the other risks. The risks that belong to football – the risk of a bad period, injuries, unlucky matches, other teams growing up and becoming stronger.
“We were winning 5-0 against Schalke and in minute 88 Eden Hazard made a sprint to defend. There was a clear evolution and I don’t think the group can be complacent.”
Stadium ban
Mourinho denied complacency was a factor in the defeat to Sunderland, which prompted an irate response from him and his assistant Rui Faria, who was issued with a six-match stadium ban for criticising match officials.
He added: “I don’t call that complacency. I call that other things. Lots of water passed under the bridge. That match was impossible to win. But we move on.”
So scintillating have Chelsea been it is difficult for many to see how they can improve. A link with Lionel Messi circulated on social media this week but Mourinho dismissed that possibility.
“In this moment it’s so easy to have non-truths circulating, it’s so easy that some people put news without confirming it,” Mourinho said. “Obviously it’s not true.”
Cesc Fàbregas and Hazard have sparkled and been nominated for Fifa’s team of the year. Mourinho values collective honours over individual awards in a hint at the attitude at Stamford Bridge.
“I think these kind of trophies are not good for football,” Mourinho said. “Sometimes it looks like we’re looking for stars. We’re looking for people more important than other people and this is not the culture we want in this club.
“The mentality here is not to be worried with that. And when I see Fàbregas and Hazard, I think clearly they don’t think about it. Clearly they think about the team.”
