BURNLEY, Aug 17 (AFP): Jose Mourinho's belief that Chelsea are better equipped to challenge for the Premier League title faces an immediate test when his side travel to Burnley in their season opener Monday.
Last season Blues boss Mourinho maintained Chelsea were not ready to launch a sustained title bid and he was proved right when his players faltered in the final stages and eventually finished third.
Key to Chelsea's failure was their inability to overcome teams from the bottom half of the table, with away defeats at Aston Villa and Crystal Palace proving particularly costly.
The visit to Burnley will present a similar challenge as Sean Dyche's fired-up side are determined to start the new campaign in a positive manner after unexpectedly securing automatic promotion from the Championship last season.
Mourinho last year accused some of his players of lacking character when confronted by the kind of test Burnley will present.
But with his squad strengthened by arrival of Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Filipe Luis and the return of Didier Drogba, the manager is confident Chelsea will prove more resilient this time around.
"My squad is very good, not perfect, but it's very good," Mourinho said.
"The squad has experience, it has characters and personalities, it has people with ambition. We covered many positions. I'm very happy with the squad."
Costa will make his competitive debut at the head of Chelsea's attack following his £32 million arrival from Atletico Madrid, while former Arsenal midfielder Fabregas-back in England after a spell at Barcelona-will slot into the midfield and be expected to replace the attacking threat of the now departed Frank Lampard.
Mourinho eyes strong start from improved Chelsea
FE Team | Published: August 18, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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