Mourinho hits back at Wenger

Jose Mourinho has retaliated after Arsene Wenger questioned Chelsea's defensive tactics.

Jose Mourinho (l): Hit back at Arsene Wenger's comments

Mourinho's side lead Arsenal by 10 points and could take a significant step to winning the Premier League with victory at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The Blues boss has deployed a "more strategic, less artistic" approach in recent weeks, including in the 1-0 win at QPR when Cesc Fabregas scored with their only shot on target and last weekend's defeat of Manchester United, who dominated possession at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers said defensive coaching was not difficult after Chelsea's snatch-and-grab win at Anfield last season and Wenger, who has yet to beat one of Mourinho's teams in 12 attempts, repeated the barb ahead of this week's contest.

The Arsenal boss said: "It is easy to defend."

Mourinho said: "It's not easy. If it was easy, you wouldn't lose 3-1 at home to Monaco (in the Champions League last 16).

"If he defends well he draws 0-0 against Monaco and wins in Monte Carlo. It's not easy to prepare a team to defend."

Mourinho refused to budge from his view that Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City are in contention for the title until mathematically ruled out.

"I don't care about other things," Mourinho added.

"We are the best team since day one and we want to be the best team until the last day. But, mathematically, they can still be champions."

Mourinho cares little how Chelsea are judged if, or more likely when, they become champions.

"It matters what I feel, not what people feel, think or say," he said.

The change of the free-flowing attacking philosophy which had many observers purring earlier in the season was prompted by injuries and suspensions to key personnel, including Diego Costa, Fabregas and Nemanja Matic.

"We lost progressively the balance of our team," Mourinho added.

"When you lose crucial pieces, the team loses certain qualities.

"It (the switch in style) was just a consequence of things."

Mourinho insists his longer-term plan is to return to the more appealing way.

"I hope to start next season the same way we started this season," he said.

"This is the way we want to play, this is the way we played during the season, and the team we enjoy more.

"But it's (also) very enjoyable to deal with a difficult moment, to deal in a strategic way.

"When you are in the sea and have no boat, you need something to survive. A raft.

"In football, team spirit and team ethics and strategy is this."

Mourinho pointed to Andre Schurrle's goal in the opening game at Burnley as evidence for Chelsea's stylish side.

"We repeated that almost week after week," he said.

"If we manage to win the Premier League, we did everything right.

"Looking at where Chelsea were in the last four or five years, in terms of the Premier League, it means a lot. I think it's a great achievement for us."

Costa has scored 19 Premier League goals this season, including one in the 2-0 win against Arsenal in October.

But Costa has missed the last two matches - wins against QPR and Manchester United - after a recurrence of the hamstring problems which have plagued him.

"He's a very important player for us, but the reality is we are coping with the difficulties of every match without him," Mourinho added.

"We played amazingly well during the most part of the season, scoring a lot of goals and controlling games very well through the quality of our possession.

"In the last period we are more strategic, less artistic, but we are having results. I would love Diego to be back, but I trust the other people."

Eden Hazard was also on target in the autumn home win over Arsenal.

The Belgium playmaker is expected to be crowned PFA Player of the Year on Sunday, but Mourinho insists collective honours are more important for Hazard.

The Blues boss also played down the prospect of Hazard moving to Real Madrid after the 24-year-old's idol Zinedine Zidane, now a coach at Real, lauded him this week.

Mourinho said: "We just signed a new contract with him (until 2021). We didn't put a gun to his head. He had a lot of time to think about it.

"He made a commitment for the future of the team, signing a very good contract. I don't think he's interested in going."

Mourinho recently said every player has a price.

Asked to put a figure on Hazard, he said: "That's a good question. I have my idea about it."

Mourinho has an unbeaten 12-match record against Wenger, but played down a personal rivalry.

"For me, the achievement is to win on Sunday," Mourinho added.

"Matches are isolated events. No relation with the previous one or the next one.

"I respect everyone. He's not my rival."

Mourinho's record against Wenger means to many the title is inevitably heading to Chelsea, but the Blues manager is focused on the mathematics.

"We need eight points," he said, dismissing the alternative two-win scenario.

Despite their commanding lead, Mourinho insists his side have been challenged this season.

Mourinho said: "If we look to the last couple of months, it couldn't have been harder. Everything was difficult."

A long-running rivalry with Wenger turned physical at Stamford Bridge earlier this season when the Frenchman pushed his adversary.

Asked how hard Wenger had pushed him, a laughing Mourinho said: "How hard? Top question. But because I'm always honest in my answers, I cannot answer."