Jose Mourinho Slams Andre Schurrle, Mohamed Salah and Chelsea Fringe Players
Jose Mourinho has confirmed he has no selection headaches ahead of Chelsea's Premier League match with Queens Park Rangers after Andre Schurrle, Mohamed Salah and the rest of the Blues' second-string failed to impress during Tuesday's 2-1 Capital One Cup win over Shrewsbury.
The Premier League leaders needed an own goal from Jermaine Grandison to escape Greenhous Meadow with a nervy win. Didier Drogba opened proceedings before Andy Mangan grabbed the equaliser, prior to Chelsea's moment of luck.
Mourinho responded "yes" when asked if he felt let down by Schurrle and Salah, reported by James Nursey of the Mirror:
"I can say yes because if players who played 90 minutes two days ago were fantastic, I expect those who were not playing a lot to raise their level and create me problems. I love problems of choices and it is easy to chose my team for Saturday. They didn’t create me problems.
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Mourinho's line-up also included fringe players such as Petr Cech, Filipe Luis and John Obi Mikel. Regular first-team stars such as Gary Cahill and Oscar started, while Eden Hazard, Willian and Nemanja Matic were brought on as substitutes.
Although a giant-killing wasn't to be, and the League Two side put on a terrific performance against world-class talent.
This was the perfect opportunity for Chelsea's squad members to stamp their authority, but it seems the performance has widened the gap between sitting next to Mourinho on the bench or playing for him on matchday.
The Portuguese manager continues to build an impressive unbeaten run in the Premier League. Chelsea have won seven and drawn two of their first nine matches—dropping points away at both Manchester-based clubs—providing the side with a four-point lead over Southampton.
Manchester City are six points off first place, Arsenal and Liverpool nine, while Manchester United are trailing by 10. Mourinho believes it is "impossible" his side are to become England's third invincible side (after Preston North End and Arsenal), per Sachin Nakrani of The Guardian, but Chelsea's lead is something of a chasm right now.
The west London side will want to sustain a trio of lengthy cup runs, however. Chelsea are top of their Champions League group and should be looking to compete for the FA Cup after Christmas. While the Capital One Cup is perhaps the least significant of their commitments, the competition provides one of a limited number of opportunities Mourinho has to rotate his team.
Bet365 highlighted why the competition will also resonate with Mourinho during such a hectic schedule:
Shrewsbury boss Micky Mellon was "hugely disappointed" after the match, reported by the local Shropshire Star, a true indicator of how flat Chelsea were on the night.
"They are bringing on £300 million of talent but need to run the ball into the corner to try and kill the game," said Mellon. "You have to give my players unbelievable credit for that."
Goalscorer Drogba certainly did, saying, "they played very well," per Nursey's report. Although it's the result that ultimately matters, a stunning performance from a largely Chelsea reserve side could have underlined the squad's credentials for tougher competitions.
Schurrle, Salah and others are names most Premier League teams would start from the off. They are potential match-winners in a squad that is crammed with quality.
Talent simply isn't enough for Mourinho. As we saw with the sale of Juan Mata in January, hard-work and plenty of commitment to the team is also needed to become a mainstay of The Special One's side.
Mourinho was never destined to fiddle with his winning formula, no matter the result against Shrewsbury. Poor individual performances justify this, but they also let individual players know the manager isn't willing to carry passengers as the schedule begins to ramp up.
This isn't a boss who is afraid to sell big names if he can fill the place with someone who fulfils a more complete role for the team. Schurrle, Salah et al should be pushing their colleagues all the way for a spot in the starting XI and are likely to feel their failure for weeks to come.
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