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The title is ours, says Mourinho.
Jose Mourinho has made his boldest statement since he arrived at Chelsea last summer by claiming that the club have as good as won the Premiership title.
Confident: Jose Mourinho
Mourinho made the prediction in the knowledge that his side are 10 points clear of the champions Arsenal and a further point above Manchester United.
"There is so much ground for the teams chasing us to make up," he said. "Could you ever imagine that with all the new players and a new coach we could be 10 clear at this stage?
Chelsea's recent run of winning six games in a row has coincided with slips by Arsenal and United, giving Mourinho confidence to say that the club can claim their first league title in 50 years.
"Of course 10 points is 10 points, it is better than seven and it is better than five but if one day we lose a game or two points and the gap goes from 10 to seven or eight, we are ready to accept it as natural and keep going, controlling the distance.
"If it goes from 10 to 12 or 13 points then maybe it will be over."
The last time a side lost a lead similar to Chelsea's was in 1996 when United won 14 of their last 15 matches to wipe out Newcastle's 12-point lead.
Chelsea's solid defence, however, is vastly different to the way Kevin Keegan's open style of play led to Newcastle's implosion.
Led by his centre-half John Terry, Mourinho's defence has conceded only eight goals in 23 Premiership matches, five less than their nearest challengers United and 17 less than Arsenal.
Such strength has allowed them to build a 10-goal advantage over Arsenal in goal difference despite their London rivals scoring seven goals more.
Earlier this month, Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, predicted that Chelsea could slip up as they approach the end of the season.
Ferguson said: "I think it has been proven that teams can lose their way towards the end of the season because it has happened to us. Chelsea know that they'll drop points. It's how they handle it at the time that matters."
However, United have since drawn at home to Tottenham, losing further ground to Mourinho's team.
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