Comment: Special is no longer adequate to describe what José has done

Jose Mourinho, as he used to remind us, is not one out of the bottle; but if anyone could possibly bottle the remarkable essence of success that seeps from his every pore and guided Chelsea to yet another remarkable victory at Stamford Bridge it would surely be worth a fortune not even Roman Abramovich could afford.

How on earth can you explain how Mourinho, despite inheriting a squad beset by problems and a club still recovering from what amounted to almost a civil war in west London last season, can achieve the kind of performances that now leave his side in contention for a Premier League and Champions League double?

Last year, remember, Chelsea weren’t good enough for the Champions League at all; and although they went on to lift the Europa League there looked to be seriously deep problems within the squad — problems that left them some way short of being title contenders and a long way adrift of a trip to Lisbon in May 2014.