A fierce work ethic, an astute tactical brain and the ability to forge superb team spirit all combined to make Italian Antonio Conte an acclaimed winner in his own country which is why Chelsea have chosen him to revive their fortunes in England.
Jose Mourinho was purring like a cat that had devoured the leftovers from Christmas dinner but it did not stop him showing his professional claws after his Chelsea side eased past West Ham United 2-0 on Friday.
On the face of it, Jose Mourinho shouldered the blame for the wounding defeat in his first Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Arsenal travel across town to a vengeful Chelsea on Saturday knowing that another depressing defeat at Stamford Bridge would see their Premier League title hopes swept away with the lunchtime leftovers.
Sunderland have the opportunity to end in-form Chelsea's run of 19 undefeated matches in all competitions this season.
Successive home defeats by leaders Leicester City and second placed Tottenham Hotspur have left City six points off the pace with serious doubts about whether their expensively-assembled squad is still playing for the manager.
Antonio Valencia's early thunderbolt put Manchester United en route to a 4-0 Premier League victory over Everton on Sunday, but they needed a flurry of late goals to finally subdue their unfortunate visitors.
Tottenham Hotspur denied Chelsea a record 14th consecutive Premier League win and loosened their grip on the title race as two Dele Alli headers secured a 2-0 victory.
Jose Mourinho made winning titles a habit for Chelsea's players when he first arrived in 2004 and three months into his second stint at Stamford Bridge he is urging them to rediscover it.
In-form striker Romelu Lukaku said he chose to join Everton on loan for the season from Chelsea because he needed to play regularly and not because he was not wanted at Stamford Bridge.
Giorgio Chiellini's assertion that Tottenham Hotspur 'always miss something to arrive at the end' would have chiselled deep into a nerve for fans of the north London club.
Antonio Conte bowed out as Italy coach on Saturday after a Euro 2016 shootout defeat by Germany sounding almost broken-hearted that he was leaving behind a "fantastic" group of players.
Liverpool's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League all but ended.
Spoils were shared in two huge Premier League derbies, Chelsea's cracking start continued with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa and Wayne Rooney produced a Jekyll and Hyde display in a nervy Manchester United victory on Saturday.
Spoils were shared in two huge Premier League derbies, Chelsea's cracking start continued with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa and Wayne Rooney produced a Jekyll and Hyde display in a nervy Manchester United victory on Saturday.
There was no celebratory run down the touchline, no dancing on the pitch, just a sober reflection of a job well done from Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho on Sunday after his side beat Crystal Palace to win the Premier League title.
The self-styled "Special One" faces what he agreed is a special fixture this weekend but Jose Mourinho refused to accept that beating Manchester United to establish a 10-point lead with six games left would mean Chelsea had won the Premier League.
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'So, the Champions League final will be played between two teams who just don't know when they are beaten,' says Suhit K Sen.
A stunning free kick from Willian seven minutes from time gave Chelsea a nervy and hard-fought 2-1 UEFA Champions League Group G win over Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday to lift some of the gloom surrounding Stamford Bridge.
Leicester City failed to grasp their first chance to clinch the Premier League title when they drew 1-1 at Manchester United on Sunday but they moved ever closer to a first English top-flight crown.
The visitors got off to the perfect start when a mix up at the back saw Riyad Mahrez square for Jamie Vardy to tap into an open goal in front of the Kop in the third minute. Liverpool looked for an immediate riposte, but Salah missed two gilt-edged opportunities before Sadio Mane saw an effort disallowed for offside as Juergen Klopp's men grew frustrated.
A stunning strike from Jordan Henderson helped Liverpool secure a comfortable 2-1 win at Chelsea on Friday that ended the London club's unbeaten start to the season and underlined the growing potential of Juergen Klopp's side.
Liverpool and champions Manchester City drew 0-0 at Anfield while Chelsea and Arsenal enjoyed comfortable away wins. City are top on goal difference from Liverpool and Chelsea with Arsenal two points behind.
Winning trophies with his boyhood club and rediscovering his scoring touch is what Fernando Torres really craves after returning home to Atletico Madrid.
The omens are good for a Chelsea side heading into Christmas top of the Premier League tree but manager Jose Mourinho does not want to give title rivals Manchester City any reason to cheer over the festive season. Check out the big games on Boxing Day.
Chelsea begin their Premier League title defence against Swansea City on Saturday in the unusual position of heading into a new season having been significantly outspent by their rivals.
Paris St Germain substitute Edinson Cavani, criticised by French media lacking composure in front of goal, responded in style to earn a 2-1 home win over Chelsea in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
The Community Shield showpiece at Wembley will be the 14th time Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho have locked horns in opposing dugouts and Wenger is still waiting to get one over the Portuguese.
With less than a month of the Premier League season left it remains Chelsea's title to lose but Tottenham Hotspur defiantly stayed in contention by grinding out a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Images from the FA Cup matches played on Saturday
The fixture list suggests that Chelsea should still be able to finish above challengers Tottenham Hotspur. But strange things can happen when the pressure reaches it's greatest intensity and here was certainly something strange about Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The challenge against champions Chlesea on Sunday is for Manchester United to show that they can replicate the confident and businesslike win that City showed a month ago.
Poland midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak has signed a five-year contract with Paris St Germain, the French champions said in a statement on Sunday.
Manchester City suffered their first home Premier League loss in eight months as a shock 3-2 defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday left Pep Guardiola's champions trailing leaders Liverpool by four points.
A trip to Manchester United has in the past struck fear into the heart of many an opposition team, but that will not apply to Chelsea on Sunday because they know history is on their side.
Two months after dropping him following a string of mistakes, ManchesterCity manager Manuel Pellegrini on Friday hailed goalkeeper Joe Hart as "the best in England".
Chelsea brought a whole new dimension to the Premier League title race when they handed Manchester City their first defeat of the season on Saturday to leave Mohamed Salah-inspired Liverpool as the new leaders.
Manchester City stayed ahead of age-old local rivals Manchester United at the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a deserved 1-0 win away to champions Chelsea.
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