London, Nov 18 (IANS): Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insists his team Chelsea do not have the Premier League title 'in the bag’, as is being widely claimed by experts.
The Belgian said that winning the trophy will be ‘very difficult’ despite the failings this season of defending champions Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United, reports Daily Mail.
Chelsea are four points clear at the top of the table, with only Southampton keeping pace in second. Jose Mourinho’s team has dropped just four points in 11 games and remain unbeaten, moving eight points clear of Manuel Pellegrini’s side in third.
Arsenal are 12 points behind, United 13 back and Liverpool, last season’s runners-up, a sizeable 15 points adrift.
Chelsea’s rapid start mirrors Mourinho’s previous title-winning campaigns, in 2004-05 and 2005-06, but Courtois says it is too early to declare them champions-elect.
"We don’t have the title in the bag. We are working game by game. The Premier League is very difficult," he said.
"We are trying to win with every game that is possible. But there will be a still a long way to win the title. We are working hard. Hopefully that will be enough."
Courtois also said he would not stop giving honest appraisals to teammates, including those at Chelsea, after delivering a strong rebuke to his national colleagues following their frail 3-1 win in a friendly match against Iceland.
He said players, who did not want to run should not play and claimed Wales would crush his side if they will repeat that performance during their Euro 2016 qualifier.
As it was the match on Wednesday night ended 0-0 and the 22-year-old said his words of warning were justified. He did accept that with John Terry and Didier Drogba in the Chelsea dressing room, the elder statesmen would tend to take the lead.
Asked whether he will be as vocal for his club as his nation, he said: "Yes. But there are also other guys who can say something. Just to say some names, Terry or Drogba, they have a lot of experience. I just said it (his Belgium criticism) as I thought that we should be better."