Chelsea 'Beautiful' but Unique, Says Mourinho
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes it is too early to compare his current side with his title-winning teams of the past despite a record-breaking start to the Premier League campaign.
Saturday's comfortable 2-0 victory at home to 10-man West Bromwich Albion extended the London club's lead at the head of the table to seven points.
A return of 32 points from the opening 12 games marks the club's best ever start to a season, surpassing the previous mark of 31 set by the 2005-06 title-winners during Mourinho's first stint at the club.
Chelsea's present-day vintage are already being tipped to be crowned champions in May and the manager described his side's first-half performance at Stamford Bridge as "beautiful".
But the Portuguese argued that this team cannot be regarded as the best he has coached in his two spells at the club until they have won some silverware.
"I cannot compare teams," Mourinho said. "You cannot compare teams that have won everything with teams that have won nothing. And this team has won nothing. This is a new team.
"The other team finished a couple of years ago. We have now John Terry and Didier Drogba, and no-one else left. These guys have to win if they want to be seen as a great team. They have to win.
"It's not just about playing beautiful football or being autumn champions. They have to win titles. And when they win titles, we can compare them to other teams.
"But obviously, when I use 'beautiful' in relation to the football in the first half, I am sure we all agree. Because the football they played was brilliant."
Mourinho believes his players are gelling quickly, with new signings Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas immediately settling in. But he is adamant it is too early to dub them champions-elect.
He said: "I feel they are enjoying it. I feel pleasure in what they do. They are happy to play the way they do.
"They like to play together and if you ask individually, Fabregas would like to play with (Eden) Hazard and Oscar and so on. This empathy on the pitch is easy to understand.
"But I repeat, we have matches to play -- 26 more in the league. So it's nothing."
Costa and Eden Hazard gave Chelsea a two-goal advantage inside 25 minutes and their task was made easier when West Brom midfielder Claudio Yacob was sent off for a two-footed challenge on Costa in the 29th minute.
It was Chelsea's first game at Stamford Bridge since Mourinho criticized the lack of atmosphere generated by the home supporters during the recent win against Queens Park Rangers.
And he said: "The atmosphere improved a lot. There was no comparison.
"I don't want to speak about it because they pay me to coach, not to be critical of the crowd, so I feel sorry for my comments a couple of weeks ago. But the difference was amazing."
West Brom manager Alan Irvine admitted his side were fortunate to avoid a more comprehensive defeat after Chelsea eased up in the second period.
But while he accepted that Yacob was rightly dismissed, he felt that referee Lee Mason should have disallowed Costa's 11th-minute opener for offside.
"Our defenders have done what they are supposed to do," Irvine said. "As the ball is shifted back onto the right foot of the crosser, they have stepped up and done what they are supposed to so.
"It was a great finish, but I'm not going to blame our players for what was an incorrect decision."
He added: "There has been an 8-0 in the Premier League this season and when you are two down with 10 men at Stamford Bridge, you fear the worst.
"The players felt aggrieved at half-time, but it was important to get them focused and make sure we didn't end up on the wrong end of a high score."