Chelsea vs. Schalke: Jose Mourinho Talks Eden Hazard, Petr Cech, More in Presser

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho spoke to the media ahead of Wednesday's Champions League opener against Schalke, confirming Eden Hazard is set for a new deal at the club. He also addressed the future of out-of-favour keeper Petr Cech.

The Blues are yet to surrender a point in the Premier League this season and currently lead the standings, but Mourinho insists his team are capable of producing more, per the Mail Online's Sami Mokbel:

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We are far from perfection, we try to improve every day. There's things we do behind the scenes to improve everyday. There's different aspects added to our game all the time. There's been an evolution from last year. We feel he have the conditions to do better than last season.

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A large part of that early success has been the scoring form of new arrival Diego Costa, who has seven goals in four games but could be rested by his manager in favour of Didier Drogba, recently returned to fitness after nursing an ankle knock.

Branislav Ivanovic was present at the media presser and spoke highly of the Ivorian's impact on and off the field, per ESPN FC's Miguel Delaney:

Mourinho confirmed reports that Hazard is close to extending his Stamford Bridge stay and spoke of his admiration for the maestro, who remains among his manager's most prized possessions:

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He (Hazard) means a lot to us and he is a fantastic player. We have big hopes he will become one of the best. He is a player we want to keep and he says he wants to stay. It's a question of time before he gets a new contact.

Hazard was a kid who was always living off his natural talent. Now he's had some tactical education, he's improved a lot. Hazard can be one of the greats of his generation. Chelsea is the perfect environment for him to have that evolution.

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Shifting the attention more toward Wednesday's examination, Mourinho went into detail regarding what the Champions League means to him as a person and a manager.

Delaney provides quotes from the Portuguese, who spoke intimately of his past experiences in the competition:

Mourinho also assured the media that Cech very much remains a part of his plans, but by no means is he planning to dedicate either him or Thibaut Courtois to any one competition.

During his last season at Real Madrid, Mourinho used Iker Casillas in European competition and Diego Lopez in La Liga, but we won't be seeing such a strict method at Stamford Bridge this term:

Having started their domestic campaign in such strong fashion, Chelsea can be hopeful of carrying those standards into Europe on Wednesday, where Schalke will attempt to interrupt the west Londoners' winning run.

All signs prior to the fixture would appear positive for Mourinho. The Cech/Courtois battle sums up a squad that boasts competition for places in every position, while top players like Hazard are seemingly ready to commit to the long-term vision of their manager.