HOW DO JOSE’S NEW CHELSEA COMPARE?

THERE’S no doubt Chelsea are deserved champions. They have f antastic individuals in the spine of their side and Jose Mourinho has turned them into a real team.

And you can forget about ‘boring’. The only boring thing about them has been the lack of a challenge. If other teams had stepped up, there might have actually been some pressure on Chelsea. Instead they were able to grind out the results they needed.

But now they have won some trophies, how do they compare to Jose’s first title-winning Chelsea side? It’s 10 years since that season, a campaign when they also got their hands on the League Cup.

But even with victory in their last three g a mes, this year’s vintage cannot match the points tally of Jose’s first team (below). They might score more goals but the defensive record of the 04-05 team was superb.

They were like a machine. Petr Cech, John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, William Gallas, Claude Makelele — a midfield protector so good the role was named after him. The foundations were rock solid.

Then with Damien Duff and Arjen Robben flying forward and Frank Lampard supporting Didier Drogba or Eidur Gudjohnsen they could bulldoze teams.

This group has been sensational at times this season and has so much potential, but right now that 2005 team still edges it for me.