Record-breaker Jose Mourinho is the king of clean sheets

Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over West Ham United marked Jose Mourinho’s 100th clean sheet as the Blues boss. He becomes the quickest manager to reach the feat in Premier League history.

The Portuguese is most famous for his mind games off the pitch, however in his time at Stamford Bridge he has proved how successful you can be if you master the basics.

Mourinho’s first clean sheet came against Manchester United back in 2004 and since then, his attention to the less attractive side of the sport has enabled him to boast the best defensive record out of any manager in the Premier League era.

The closest to Jose’s record is the great Sir Alex Ferguson, who managed the 100 mark in 29 more games than the Chelsea boss. Following closely behind are Rafa Benitez and the ever-present Arsene Wenger, along with another Gunner George Graham.

One astonishing fact from Opta is that Chelsea keep a clean sheet more often than not under the ‘special one,’ with a 54% record. Next in line is Rafael Benitez, who had a clean sheet figure of 45% during his time at Liverpool.

In his first season in charge at the Bridge, his well-drilled defense only let in a staggering 15 goals on the way to the league title – the first record gained under his leadership.

This term Chelsea have shown minor frailties at the back letting in 0.85 goals on average, however Mourinho still has the best goals per game ratio with 0.63; nearly 20% better than Benitez, Mancini and Ancelotti who average no better than 0.82.

Mourinho has built his team from the reliable back five. Chelsea have kept their solid defensive structure from last season and acquired an attacking force that would scare any defence in world soccer.

Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp have repeatedly emphasized Chelsea’s signings in the Mail online, admitting that the Blues ‘won’ both transfer windows, adding more ammunition to the frontline.

The signings of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas have got the Blues looking increasingly dangerous. The Spanish duo provide a cutting edge that was non-existent in the last campaign and have both played vital roles in the club being the second highest scorers in the league with 57 – two goals behind Manchester City.

Chelsea’s next fixture is against the current meanest defence in the league Southampton, who have shipped just 20 goals prior to the weekends Stamford Bridge showdown.