Jose's five-point preview - Chelsea

It's the big one - Spurs v Chelsea, fifth v fourth, pride at stake and, of course, Jose Mourinho taking on his former club.

Here's what Jose had to say ahead of Sunday's showdown (4.30pm) - Chelsea's first visit to the new stadium...

1 - Toby

First up, Jose's thoughts on Toby Alderweireld signing a new deal...

Jose: "When he says ‘I couldn’t be happier’ it’s not just about the Club, the fans, his mates, it’s not just about that, it’s also a statement about what he thinks the future could be. If he doesn’t believe in the project, the vision, the future, if he doesn’t believe he can be happy here then I don’t think he would stay. It’s great, great news for us and I could feel that in his fellow players, the dressing room was happy, was celebrating, was really happy this morning with the news and that is a real image of the fantastic group that they are - they are a fantastic group and I’m happy to be a witness of that every day, because the guys are a really nice group."

2 - This week

In a busy spell of fixtures, Jose pinpointed this clear week as a chance to work with the players at Hotspur Way. How had it gone so far?

Jose: "It’s been very good, a really good week. We could work on what we’ve been working on in the past weeks, but with real intensity, which is something you can only do if you don’t have midweek matches. It was good. I hope we have more weeks like this."

Did Jose prefer work on the training pitch or match after match? "The game is passion but the real work is the coaching during the week, to try to bring to the game a team that is fully prepared and you have the feeling that you’ve given so much because of the week’s work, so it was a fantastic week for me and my coaching staff. It’s also a chance for me to say I’m so happy with the staff, not just my staff, the staff I brought with me, but also the other people who were waiting for us and have given everything. It’s been phenomenal, a great family. I go a little more than great Club, great structure, I go in the direction of a great family we have here, and this is a good opportunity for me to thank them for what they have given me."

3 - Narratives

Sunday's game against Chelsea is full of narratives - Jose and Spurs, Jose and Chelsea, Jose and Frank Lampard - we could go on. So a simple question, how does Jose feel going into this game?

Jose: “I feel great. I don’t care about the narratives. There are things you cannot deny, you cannot delete, and I wouldn’t deny and wouldn’t delete because it was an amazing period in my career. This is not about what I gave to my previous club, this is about what I can give to my club. So, for me, there is only one club. My club. Tottenham. For me to play against Chelsea, to play against Arsenal, it’s the same thing.” And pointing to the badge on his training shirt, Jose added: “The only thing that matters is the cockerel here."

Asked in his pre-match press conference if he could get away from the fact that it's Jose Mourinho against his former club, Jose replied: "Yes, of course. I can, maybe others cannot. I can. For me, it's a game. I am 100% Tottenham, I am 100% my club, always. All my career, 100% my club, no space at all for my previous clubs. I gave everything to all of my previous clubs. Everything. I kept nothing from them. I gave everything, but they are my previous clubs. I give everything I have to my club - and my club is Tottenham. For me, it's so easy for me to play this game. Difficult because of the quality of Chelsea, but not difficult from an emotional point of view, not difficult at all. Easy."

4 - Expectations

What is Jose expecting from the game on Sunday?

Jose: "I expect to win... a very difficult game. That’s what I expect. That’s what I wish, with all the respect for their potential, with all respect for their ambitions, with all respect for what a football game is, that unpredictability and that old, pragmatic thing that there are three possible results, we know that is true in every match and when you play against a very good team, even more. So, I am not saying we are going to win, I’m saying that our ambition is to win."

5 - Time flies...

Finally, as we spoke on Friday, Jose had been in charge for one month, having been appointed Head Coach on 20 November. How did he feel the month had gone?

Jose: "One month already? Time flies and when time flies, it’s because you are enjoying it... and time flies."