Jose Mourinho reckons Chelsea have got champion qualities as Special One sets his sights on the Premier League title 

• e-mail

Jose Mourinho is rabbiting through reasons why he adores his job when he mentions defeat.

‘I like the reaction after defeat,’ says the Chelsea manager, although he might not feel the same if he were in charge of Leicester or Hull.

Mourinho has endured defeat only once in eight months, and since losing at Newcastle his team have produced four straight wins, 10 goals and top the Barclays Premier League by three points.

Jose Mourinho says his side are showing champion qualities after storming start to the season

Moreover, there is a confident glint in his eye as his new-build team passes its character examinations like Monday’s win at Stoke.

He sounds relaxed. ‘I feel we can do it,’ said Mourinho, in an interview with Clare Balding to be screened on BT Sport on Christmas Day. ‘We are ready to do it. We have prepared ourselves. We really believe that we are going to do it.

‘At the same time, feet on the ground. You have to understand the country where we play. The level of competition makes things more difficult than everywhere else.

Mourinho speaks to Clare Balding in an interview to be screened on BT Sport on Christmas Day 

John Terry helped Chelsea to victory against Stoke City on Monday night

Terry celebrates a fourth win in a row to give them a three-point cushion over their rivals

‘At the same time it’s more beautiful because every point is a point, every game is a game and every weekend is a weekend and emotions from the beginning till the end. We are title contenders. We are one of the best teams. We are the team that plays better football and obviously big opponents, but we are title contenders.’

It is a distinct change of tone from last season when he convinced few people in claiming Chelsea were the ‘little horse’ in a title race with Manchester City and Liverpool. ‘Maybe next year we can win it,’ he said at the time.

Maybe they will. They are in front and his players believe they can do it. Mourinho is not as cocksure as he was on the way to winning his first Premier League title in 2004-05, when he correctly predicted his team would clinch it at Bolton.

Mourinho celebrates Chelsea's championship success with Frank Lampard and John Terry back in 2005

Mourinho takes a swig of a bottle of champagne after Chelsea won the league in 2006

But he knows how to run from the front, even if he aware that City know how to come from behind. It is nine years since Mourinho was top at Christmas in England. Then, Chelsea had 46 points from 17 games and were nine clear of Manchester United. This time, his team has 42, three clear of City.

His last title triumph was in Spain in 2012, when Real Madrid led from the turn and finished with 100 points and a record 121 goals. ‘I know clearly the differences between La Liga and the Premier League,’ said Mourinho.

‘In Spain, everybody knows two teams are top of the world and a third, Atletico, is doing well. After that there’s a huge competitive difference. That’s why the record is 100 points. That’s not the best competition. It can be the best team but not the best competition.’

Mourinho has detected a desire from his players, boosted by the addition of Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic to the camp.

Cesc Fabregas has made a huge impact since his summer switch to Stamford Bridge

Chelsea came off the pitch at Stoke on Monday as they did after a hard-fought win at Blackburn on the way to their first title in 2004-05, which Mourinho admits is his most cherished trophy of those won at Stamford Bridge.

It is why he spoke about a win worth ‘more than three points’ on Monday. Mourinho values these mental qualities highly. Sometimes the most gifted footballers never acquire them.

‘Somebody who thinks about the others, who thinks about the team, who is not selfish, not egocentric,’ said Mourinho, when asked to name a player’s most important asset. ‘When you find these guys now, it is like special birth that you find once in a while. These are the ones that you have to take really good care of.’

Chelsea supporters scramble to grab Mourinho's medal after he tossed it into the crowd in 2006

When he won his last Premier League title, in 2006, Mourinho threw his medal into the crowd. Perhaps he did not expect to wait so long for the next one. ‘I’m not the kind of guy that wants to celebrate a lot the title. I always believe that’s not the last one,’ he said. ‘Football is an industry where people have a short memory, so for me the measure of my success is to win the next match.

‘I have the dream job. I love it. I don’t need motivation. I like to train, I like to study opponents, I like to play, I like to analyse the game, I like the feeling of a victory, I like the reaction after defeat. I like everything.

‘If I finished today, what I’ve done would be enough to be a successful manager but, I prefer to think that the next game is the most important thing, and the next title is the most important thing.”

Jose Mourinho was speaking to Clare Balding as part of a BT Sport Christmas Day double-bill of ‘Clare Balding Meets’ which features exclusive interviews with Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. Watch the full interviews on BT Sport 1 from 3.30pm on Christmas Day.