Jose Mourinho: Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Didier Drogba have given Chelsea the balls to win the Premier League

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Jose Mourinho says that his team finally has the balls to win the title and that the new signings he has brought to the club will add to the character of the team, which was found wanting last season.

Mourinho famously accused his side of lacking the right mentality to win the title when they slipped up losing 1-0 at Crystal Palace in the title run-in last March – refusing to say the words but writing ‘balls’ down on a notepad when asked what his side were missing.

But now with the addition of some key players in Diego Costa, Thibaut Courtois, Cesc Fabregas, Filipe Luis and returnee Didier Drogba, Mourinho says that his team will have the right attitude travelling to venues like Turf Moor on Monday to meet newly-promoted Burnley

Balls: Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa are 'men' says Jose Mourinho, and will help win Chelsea the league

And it is the likes of Costa, who famously squared up to John Terry and then argued with a number of Chelsea players in the Champions League semi-final when playing for Atletico, and Courtois, the goalkeeper whose outstanding display in the same game helped defeat Chelsea, in whom Mourinho seems to place his confidence.

‘I have met so many wonderful characters in football but it is difficult to find one better than Diego Costa,’ said Mourinho. ‘In the group, in the club, he’s so nice, so funny. He’s the kind of guy who at this moment probably knows ten words in English, but he speaks with everybody. I don’t know in which language, I don’t know how, but he understands everybody and everybody understands him.

‘They are laughing all the time and he is an amazing, positive guy in the group. After that, when he goes to the pitch, he wants to win matches and the fact that he played against Chelsea, a club that he was already connected to, as people were having the feeling he could come to us, and play against us and play the way he did for his club shows his character, as well as the goalkeeper (Courtois), who was the Chelsea goalkeeper (on loan to Atletico) and he played against us and he killed us.

Opponent: Diego Costa caused quite a stir when playing for Ateltico against Chelsea lasts season

‘The group is different. Costa is a man, Fabregas is a man. It’s not about individuals, it’s about the team profile. Chelsea last season were closer to winning the title than the season before. Then (2012-13) they finished third but only in the last game of the season. Before that, fifth, 20 points behind.

‘If you generate in the team the feeling that you are not ready to compete for the title, you don’t have that habit of playing every game for every point. You lose qualities. In the last years, Chelsea became a good team in knockouts, in Cup and European competitions and so on. 

In terms of competitive marathons, being strong every week, every game, fighting in every condition, at home, away, in rain, cold, in hot sun, I found a team that lost the ingredients you need to be champions. Last season, step by step, we recovered these. Some boys, like Eden Hazard, Oscar, for them it was something new to go in that direction. This season they are much more prepared.’

Friendly: Diego Costa's lack of English has done nothing to dampen his spirits, says Mourinho

At £32m, Costa is the marquee signing and despite a disappointing World Cup with Spain, the striker, who was born and raised in the remote town of Lagarto in north-east Brazil, remains one of the most exciting additions to the Premier League after his 35 goals at Atletico Madrid last season as they won the league and reached the Champions League final.

Having been part-owned by a business group, the 25-year-old took his time to make it to the top, having been brought to Braga in Portugal in 2006 before joining Atletico but then being loaned to Celta Vigo, Albacete, Real Valladolid and Rayo Vallecano and only becoming a regular at Atletico two seasons ago.

Mourinho believes he is now ready to become one of the dominant stars of the Premier League. ‘He can be. I know he can be,’ said Mourinho. ‘He’s on that level (of the best players I have ever had). He was in Portugal at the age of 18 and I never look at him. So everybody was blind, including me.

Matured: After numerous loan spells Costa finally matured, which led to his Chelsea transfer

‘He went to Atletico and Sergio Aguero was the superstar and he went on loan. After Aguero was gone, they brought Radamel Falcao, who was the superstar and he was on loan. I think he was always behind very important players but at the same time he was developing himself so that when he got the chance to go back to Atletico he was even better than the previous ones.

‘He’s still the guy that comes from a very small village, somewhere over the horizon. It’s the kind of place that is difficult to find. He’s still that guy. The way he behaves, the way he acts, the way he interacts, he’s still that naïve, pure, simple, humble guy. At the same time, he’s such a communicator, such a good group guy, such a happy man. 

He can establish a conversation and interact with somebody and he doesn’t understand anything the other person is saying. But just because of his gestures and body language and his happiness, everybody likes the guy so much.

‘Every time I say to him: “Do you need me to explain something in Portguese?” And he’s just: “No! I understand everything.” And I think in terms of the football, he does. In meetings, and when we watch videos, and my comments, I think the guy goes in the direction I want him to go. He’s a clever guy.’

Change: Mourinho said that his team did not always have the right attitude last season