In the first press conference of his second Chelsea reign Jose Mourinho surprisingly listed Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal among the clubs he expects to challenge for the Barclays Premier League title next season.
Mourinho won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 but asked if it will be harder to win the title this time around, Mourinho said: 'Now the picture is different.
'United are the champions. Man City were the champions before – they were not a team able to do that in my time here before. Now you have Arsenal and Tottenham coming up, Liverpool with Brendan (Rodgers) will be there for sure.'
e looks to get under the skin of new rivals in Manchester in the shape of Sir Alex Ferguson's successor at United, David Moyes, and incoming City boss Manuel Pellegrini. Or perhaps he has a point.
Here, Sportsmail assesses Mourinho's self-appointed rivals and asks just how realistic their chances of glory come May 2014 really are...
ARSENAL
v Chelsea's Mourinho (Aug '04 - Sep '07)
Premier League: W0 D4 L2 F4 A7
All competitions: W0 D4 L4 F6 A11
Last season's finish: 4th
Points adrift of 1st place: 16
Manager: Wenger - who has not beaten Mourinho in eight attempts - is the only Premier League manager still at the same club from when the Portuguese left Stamford Bridge in September 2007.
In November 2005, Mourinho called the Frenchman a 'voyeur', and they clashed after the 2007 League Cup final. This was all when Arsenal were perennial title challengers though...
Squad: No-one has been signed yet but Wenger has £70million to spend on a squad which finished last season strongly. Having cleared the decks of fringe players such as Andrey Arshavin, significant investment looks likely. If that money goes on improving Arsenal's spine with some established stars then they could be an outside bet for the title.
Threat rating: 6/10
LIVERPOOL
v Chelsea's Mourinho
Premier League: W1 D1 L5 F4 A10
All competitions: W5 D4 L7 F12 A16
Last season's finish: 7th
Points adrift of 1st place: 28
Manager: Brendan Rodgers is a student of Mourinho having coached at Chelsea in his first stint. That perhaps goes some way to explaining Mourinho's surprise endorsement of Liverpool's title chances. The Ulsterman has made steady progress at Anfield but he has a long way to go it would seem before he can challenge at the top.
Squad: Keeping hold of Luis Suarez is paramount. If the Uruguayan leaves then Liverpool will do well to qualify for Europe. If he stays, and with a few quality additions, they could challenge for a Champions League place. But whichever way you look at it Mourinho's assessment is generous.
Threat rating: 3/10
MANCHESTER CITY
v Chelsea's Mourinho
Premier League: W1 D1 L4 F1 A7
All competitions: W1 D1 L4 F1 A7
Last season's finish: 2nd
Points off 1st place: 11
Manager: Mourinho succeeded Manuel Pellegrini at Real Madrid in 2010. He said in Tuesday's press conference that he prefers to refrain from talking about his predecessors - and did so with Pellegrini in Spain. The pair locked horns on several occasions when Pellegrini was in the hotseat at Malaga, but with little controversy as Mourinho fixed his attentions on Barcelona.
Squad: Jesus Navas and Fernandinho are already in and more additions are expected in midfield and up front. A lack of squad depth and unity were City's were downfall last season, but if Pellegrini can address that then Chelsea will do well to finish above the 2012 champions.
Threat rating: 8/10
MANCHESTER UNITED
v Chelsea's Mourinho
Premier League: W1 D2 L3 F3 A8
All competitions: W1 D3 L4 F4 A10
Last season's finish: 1st
Points clear of 2nd: 11
Manager: David Moyes' Everton never threatened Mourinho's Chelsea so there was little for the pair to bicker about. Even so, Mourinho has expressed nothing but respect for the Scot's work and the early signs are that the pair will enjoy the same friendly rivalry that existed between the Portuguese and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Squad: United won the title at a canter last season and their squad will improve with a midfielder and a striker set to join young winger Wilfried Zaha in Moyes's squad. Wayne Rooney may leave, but if United can replace him with Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski there is no doubt they will be the team to beat once more.
Threat rating: 9/10
TOTTENHAM
v Chelsea's Mourinho
Premier League: W4 D1 L1 F8 A3
All competitions: W5 D2 L1 F13 A7
Last season's finish: 5th
Points off 1st place: 17
Manager: Like Rodgers, Andre Villas-Boas is another one of Mourinho's 'boys' but it is a long time since AVB flew the Mourinho nest. Despite the fact the pair have never faced each other, the rivalry that exists between the two London clubs could see sparks could fly between master and apprentice at White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge next season.
Squad: So much is dependent on Gareth Bale. Spurs rely on the Welshman even more than Liverpool do Suarez. If he is snapped up by Real Madrid then major rebuilding will be required. Should Bale stay then Spurs are only a forward or two away from a Champions League place - but the title is surely well beyond them.
Threat rating: 5/10
P.S. What about Chelsea?
At the time of writing they look a fair way off United in most departments. But they were lagging behind Arsenal's Invincibles in 2004 and Mourinho turned their fortunes around in the space of just one summer. It won't be easy, but Mourinho already has some world-class players at the club and should be able to take advantage of the instability at Man City to finish at least second.
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