Jose
Mourinho believes a willingness to battle and defend as a unit are helping
the team to overcome their early-season jitters.
The Premier League champions have had a miserable start to their domestic
campaign, but head to Leicester for Monday Night Football with their manager
in better spirits.
Four clean sheets in five games - against Norwich, Maccabi Tel Aviv,
Tottenham and FC Porto - have revived Mourinho's confidence, with the
Bournemouth loss last weekend considered a blip.
He said: "The tactical adjustments are minimal compared with the global
attitude. I always say the same: you defend with 11 players, you have more
chances to defend well.
"In this moment our team is working well and hard defensively, the attacking
players are doing their job.
"When I say everybody has to defend, I'm not saying my striker has to defend
a cross in the face of my goal.
"I expect my striker to put pressure on the players that are trying to make
the build up. Everyone has a job to do and when everybody does their job,
it's easier."
Mourinho says it is not down to specific personnel, as individuals in the
starting line-up have changed in recent weeks.
"You cannot go to the faces, because the faces change and the performances
are still there," Mourinho added.
"We changed the goalkeeper (to Thibaut Courtois), but (Asmir) Begovic also
had a clean sheet against Tottenham.
"You change (Cesc) Fabregas for Ramires, but with Fabregas we also had a
cleansheet. You change (Gary) Cahill with John (Terry). With Cahill we also
had cleansheets.
"So it's not about the faces. It's about the global attitude.Small tactical
adjustments, but the attitude I think is the most important thing."
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