Jose Mourinho wants Chelsea to maintain focus ahead of important run

Jose Mourinho has urged Chelsea to “focus” on maintaining their form ahead of an important spell for Chelsea, starting with their clash against Schalke in the Champions League.

The Blues kick off their European campaign with a home test against the Bundesliga outfit, who the west London side beat 3-0 home and away in this competition last season.

But Mourinho, whose side are top of the Premier League, isn’t taking their great start for granted as the Blues face Schalke before making the trip to English champions Manchester City on Sunday.

“We travel to Manchester City this weekend, so these are an important few days for us. The weeks ahead are extremely busy, with two games each week, and the whole squad will have an important part to play,” Mourinho wrote in Chelsea’s programme.

On Wednesday night’s opponents, Mourinho added: “Our first Champions League group game is a tough one. Schalke have a strong team and they will be fighting to qualify for the next stage of the competition like they did when we met them last season.

“To qualify for the Champions League in Germany, you need to have lot of quality and Schalke finished in very good form. This is not an easy group and it is important we make a good start because three points from the first game will put us in a strong position to go to Lisbon.”