• Premier League

Parked-bus tactics typical against Chelsea, says Courtois

Thibaut Courtois is confident Chelsea are in good shape ahead of their matches with Tottenham and Newcastle © AP

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Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois believes the point his side collected in their 0-0 draw at Sunderland on Saturday should be viewed in a positive light, even though it allowed Manchester City to trim their lead at the top of the table to six points.

Jose Mourinho vented his frustration after his side battled hard to claim a draw against a spirited Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, but Courtois is convinced they can be satisfied with their form ahead of Wednesday's game against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.

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"Obviously we are disappointed, but if you saw the game you will know it could have gone either way," Courtois told the Chelsea website. "In the end, I wouldn't say we are happy with the point, but one point is better than no points.

"If we find space we are really dangerous, so it is normal for teams to defend against us and I think that will continue. If you score early then you know they have to come at you and there will be more space, but we couldn't do that and it was a difficult match.

"Sunderland were defending with ten players behind the ball and just one striker up front. We couldn't find the spaces in behind and after that it was more shots from distance, but in the end a point isn't bad.

"Now we have an important week with two difficult games; first the derby against Tottenham in front of our own fans and then we go to Newcastle, which will be tough. It's an important month and we will try to win as many games as we can."

Courtois admitted that the prospect of December's heavy schedule will take some getting used to after enjoying La Liga's winter break with Atletico Madrid in recent years.

"I like to play games, but it's a little but weird to play over Christmas," added Courtois, who spent three seasons on loan at the Vicente Calderon. "In Spain, we normally played until December 22nd and then had seven days free, but it's not a big problem."

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