Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas believes he has a squad good enough to take out this seasons Premier League title.
The Portuguese tactician has not added any big names to the playing group he inherited from Carlo Ancelotti this summer but feels that he has the firepower to get back to the winners list come the end of the campaign.
"It's our challenge to win back the title," said Villas-Boas. "People are entitled to their opinions, and I respect that, but in my opinion these people are still able to compete. That's the end of the story.
"I don't agree that the squad is too old. People are obsessed with age, that here the players are old and the manager is young!
"You have to be, at any age, competent enough to be successful. I think we're competent enough."
And Villas-Boas said that he will continue to work with the players so they can build gradually throughout the season.
"The most important thing is to continue building. We've been doing that since we started in July. The impact of results is decisive, of course," he added.
"If we have a negative result, you have to give a good response straight away after. If you build on solid, week in week out victories, you have to continue to challenge yourself and never relax."
