There is still an entire pre-season to get through before the real competition begins, but that has not stopped Andre Villas-Boas assessing our Premier League rivals.
We ended last season adrift of champions Manchester United but with the new man in charge there is renewed optimism of capturing a fourth title in eight years, though he recognises the threat we face.
'There are so many strong teams. You see the way Tottenham is playing, the way Man City is being revolutionised by Mancini and the ambitions and top quality they have,' he began. 'You see Arsenal with that hunger for success year after year and the way last season slipped away from them, so for sure Mr Wenger will again provoke them to respond in every single fixture, and the way Man United are about in their business.
'They are here to be successful, as we are, so the references are pretty clear and it is not impossible that even Liverpool with the arrival of Dalglish, the way he built on them and took them up, just missing out on the Uefa Cup spot, so big challenges are ahead for us and that's what we face.'
Villas-Boas will not be looking to be drawn into personal clashes like certain predecessors as Chelsea manager, instead preferring a team ethic.
'It is not just a question of me taking on Sir Alex or the other Premiership managers, it's a question of a top club like Chelsea challenging for the title again,' he pointed out. 'Last year as was proven we ended up on a very good run to threaten for the title in the last couple of games and I want us to be up there from the beginning.
'It's all part of the empathy I want to create with the players and to challenge them, to challenge their motivations to be successful again, it is not just one man against the other, it is trying to build something again that can make us powerful to threaten for the title as we have been in the past six years
'I have the utmost respect for Sir Alex, [but] I don't know him personally. I am not a confrontational guy. To respond outside the pitch is nothing that interests me as long as we are up there in motivation, ambition and performance on the pitch.'
We ended last season adrift of champions Manchester United but with the new man in charge there is renewed optimism of capturing a fourth title in eight years, though he recognises the threat we face.
'There are so many strong teams. You see the way Tottenham is playing, the way Man City is being revolutionised by Mancini and the ambitions and top quality they have,' he began. 'You see Arsenal with that hunger for success year after year and the way last season slipped away from them, so for sure Mr Wenger will again provoke them to respond in every single fixture, and the way Man United are about in their business.
'They are here to be successful, as we are, so the references are pretty clear and it is not impossible that even Liverpool with the arrival of Dalglish, the way he built on them and took them up, just missing out on the Uefa Cup spot, so big challenges are ahead for us and that's what we face.'
Villas-Boas will not be looking to be drawn into personal clashes like certain predecessors as Chelsea manager, instead preferring a team ethic.
'It is not just a question of me taking on Sir Alex or the other Premiership managers, it's a question of a top club like Chelsea challenging for the title again,' he pointed out. 'Last year as was proven we ended up on a very good run to threaten for the title in the last couple of games and I want us to be up there from the beginning.
'It's all part of the empathy I want to create with the players and to challenge them, to challenge their motivations to be successful again, it is not just one man against the other, it is trying to build something again that can make us powerful to threaten for the title as we have been in the past six years
'I have the utmost respect for Sir Alex, [but] I don't know him personally. I am not a confrontational guy. To respond outside the pitch is nothing that interests me as long as we are up there in motivation, ambition and performance on the pitch.'
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