LONDON: Jose Mourinho has challenged his Chelsea players to prove they have the stamina to cope with a demanding start to the defence of their Premiership title.

Chelsea strolled to a convincing 3-0 win in their season opener against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, but face a testing trip to Middlesbrough on Wednesday before coming up against Blackburn at Ewood Park next weekend.

The champions lost both of the corresponding fixtures last season and Blues manager Mourinho fears his players are not yet in the right physical condition to stand up to what are sure to be two full-blooded encounters.

He believes they are still short of peak fitness after his pre-season training schedule was disrupted by the extra recovery time given to several of his players who featured at the World Cup.

Mourinho has few options to change his team with Petr Cech, Joe Cole, Robert Huth and Geremi all sidelined through injury and Claude Makelele and Michael Ballack doubtful.

He also left unsettled French defender William Gallas out of his squad for the City match.

Mourinho said: "We now have two difficult away matches against teams we lost to last season.

"We will need to be at our best to win them and my doubt is to see if we are fit enough to play three matches in a week. Do we have enough players in the right condition to compete? I dont know.

"I have a hope that (Claude) Makelele and (Michael) Ballack will be back for Wednesday but the rest will not be ready.

"That is why this result was important in motivational terms. Now we will face the next tests and we feel good about ourselves."

Mourinho hopes to have international clearance to play Khalid Boulahrouz at Middlesbrough after the Holland defender moved closer to completing his six million pounds move from Hamburg by passing a medical on Sunday.

The Portuguese coach added: "He is a player who can be used in more than one position. That is important in a country where you play so many matches and can only have 16 players for each game.

"If I have him available on Wednesday there will be cover for all the defensive positions."

Andriy Shevchenko was quiet on his Chelsea debut but Mourinho has no doubts he will prove he is worth his British record 30 million pounds transfer fee.

"Shevchenko must score winning goals when we need them. We just have to let the bird fly, let the bird fly with confidence," said the manager of the former AC Milan star.

Despite a dispiriting start to the domestic campaign, City manager Stuart Pearce believes his side are more capable of competing in the Premiership this year.

The Eastland's outfit have now lost 11 of their last 12 matches going back to last season but Pearce said: "I've changed the squad drastically because we weren't strong enough to sustain a run last season. Now when we get everyone fit we are in better shape.

"Our season wont be dictated by how we do at places like Stamford Bridge. We will stand or fall by how we do against the teams around us."

Pearce insisted referee Steve Bennett should have cautioned Michael Essien for raking his studs down Bernardo Corradis shin before the Italian reacted with a similar foul to earn a second yellow card soon afterwards.

He added: "I could see it coming. He is an aggressive forward who punches his corner and he was frustrated by Essiens challenge."

Chelsea captain John Terry opened the scoring after just 11 minutes with a header from Arjen Robbens free-kick before Frank Lampard added a second 15 minutes later with a shot that deflected in off Richard Dunne.

City's debutant striker Corradi was sent-off after 63 minutes and Didier Drogba put the result beyond any doubt with a diving header from Wayne Bridge's cross in the 79th minute.

Source: China Daily