Chelsea must overcome teams that park the bus, says Jose
CHELSEA boss Jose Mourinho has urged his side to be more streetwise and find a way to unlock opponents intent on defending in numbers ahead of their Premier League opener with top-flight new boys Burnley at Turf Moor tonight.
The Blues dropped crucial points at home last season after failing to overcome teams deploying a rigid defensive structure, most notably the goalless draw with West Ham and the 2-1 defeat to Sunderland.
And with Mourinho finishing empty-handed in his first season back in the Stamford Bridge dugout, the Portuguese has identified the need for title favourites Chelsea to be a sharper attacking force.
“When you have matches with space and time it’s much easier to play football,” said Mourinho. “And when you don’t have space and time, you need more quality.
“We’ve worked on that in training, expecting a team to be defensive and close every road to goal.”
New recruits Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis are all available to make their debuts although the returning Didier Drogba is a doubt with a knee injury picked up during pre-season.
Although Mourinho faces a challenge to keep established No1 Petr Cech and rising star Thibaut Courtois happy in the goalkeeping department, the former Real Madrid manager does not foresee a similar problem elsewhere on the pitch.
“Nobody will feel they are first or second choice,” added Mourinho.
“We play 60 matches and everyone will play, everyone will feel useful and important. On the field we have a very good balance.”