Is Chelsea's Crisis the Best Thing to Happen to Their Academy?

STAMFORD BRIDGE, London —We expected fireworks in Jose Mourinho's post-Southampton press conference.

Chelsea had just been well beaten 3-1 at home—their second home defeat in four matches this term—adding to the club's on-going woes as their season continues to unravel.

The reigning Premier League champions look anything but deserving of their lofty status right now and Mourinho carries the scowl of a man who is all too aware of it.

We didn't get those fireworks, though. Instead, the Chelsea manager spoke with clarity—a surprise given the circumstances—giving more than a subtle hint for where he plans to take this team as he attempts to reverse their worrying slump.

With so many big names in this team under performing, Bleacher Report put it to Mourinho that some of his younger players should be given a chance to show their worth.

The manager's response was encouraging.

"Yes, I agree. Totally," he said.

It wasn't a half-baked response, either. Mourinho's stance was clear, looking straight down the barrel as if to suggest he had this epiphany while witnessing the capitulation of his team for one time too many this season.

Mourinho has been criticised for showing a reluctance in bringing through Chelsea's next generation, but now the penny seems to have dropped. If he isn't getting what he wants and needs from his senior stars, he has to look elsewhere.

He can't buy his way out of this situation, though. The transfer window is shut and it means one thing—the kids will get their chance to do what their senior teammates haven't, starting with Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Mourinho said:

"

My job is not so simple, because I have to measure the situation and ask myself and try to read the situation in difficult moments, what is the best thing? Is it to keep more experienced players to cope better with the pressure of the moment?

And [the media does] the same, it's not just me. For example, when I don't play John Terry to play [Kurt] Zouma, [the media] are the first ones—and be honest and say that I am right—you are the first ones to ask immediately why I didn't play the captain, that the team needs the captain; the team needs stability, the team needs personality.

[The media] does that, so for example between John and Zouma, you have the tendency to go for John because he is more experienced. With Ruben, it's exactly the same thing. Ruben, Matic, Ramires, Fabregas— who can cope better with the pressure?

I know Fabregas for sure, but maybe the situation is so negative for us that, maybe now a young player doesn't feel the pressure. Maybe now the young player feels less pressure than when the team is top of the league fighting for a victory to be champions, for example.

"

"

@garryhayes Hope so. Might give Musonda a chance eventually too. If kenedy, toure and RLC get more starts I'll be happy. Need a change

— Mark Sweeney (@marks2625) October 4, 2015"

It's a valid point Mourinho makes. When Zouma's recent error against Newcastle United led to Ayoze Perez putting the Magpies in front at St. James' Park, the reaction was immediately to ask why Terry wasn't playing as those mistakes tend not to happen on his watch.

Mourinho's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't in that sense. As the manager of Chelsea, that's the territory he accepts, though. He is paid the millions to make the decisions for which those on the terraces aren't qualified; Indeed, the decisions those sat in the press box equally aren't qualified, too.

Here's the thing, however. Chelsea's season has been that bad, we're heading into matches expecting the worst. This time last year it was far different, the talk being of Mourinho leading the club to sweep the board in all competitions, including the Champions League.

Chelsea were dominating every aspect of their games. They were creatively superior, physically on top and defensively sound.

Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

Now it's the opposite, as Southampton showed on Saturday. Seldom has a Premier League side outplayed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge so clinically as the Saints did. From the back four to Graziano Pelle in attack, they were the superior side, the side which the untrained viewer would have suspected as being the reigning champions of the two teams.

It all means the pressure is off in some regard. Chelsea can forget about defending their title for now, they can forget about chasing down a top-four place. Nothing is expected of them other than failure and when that attitude is adopted, exciting things can happen.

What can Chelsea lose by showing some faith in their talented younger players? Silverware is out of the question already, so the focus shifts. The decision has been made easy for the manager.

"So yes, clearly, I think it's time not to play four, five or six kids because some of them are not ready, but I think Ruben is a case where he's the one that is more ready," Mourinho continued.

"

@garryhayes Start with Ivanovic. Drop Matic for RLC. When was the last time Oscar played as a CM?

— Beyond the Byline (@beyondthebyline) October 4, 2015"

"If everything goes normal during [the international break] he is a player to start the next game and have a run of matches to try to get that stability as a first-team choice."

Chelsea's academy coaches must be relishing the next few weeks at Stamford Bridge. It's taken a farcical situation to bring it about, but now the appetite is there for their own good work in the development teams to see progress where it matters most.

A lot is riding on Loftus-Cheek to succeed, although witnessing his few performances this season, there's no suggestion he will not.

In fact, in the short time he has featured, the 19-year-old has been one of Chelsea's best performers. He was exceptional against Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the Champions League, following that up with another promising display against Walsall in the Capital One Cup.

He's slowly building confidence, leading him to this point where Mourinho says he's ready for being tested consistently in the Premier League:

"

It's not to save the season, I say that it is the profile of the moment. I think it is a good moment to play [Ruben].

[...] Again, and if you're honest and I believe you are, you know that many times your questions are in that direction. If I drop Ivanovic and I play Ola Aina, you tell me Ivanovic he did so much for this club, he's a big personality, he's a strong mentality. If I don't play Fabregas and I play Ruben, you probably say the same.

Even you, when you analyse and ask questions, you have that in mind. And I have that in mind too. [...] One of the changes that I'm going to do, because he's the one that is more ready to, is Ruben and I have to persuade him not to feel the pressure. If anyone has pressure, he is the last.

"

In hindsight, Mourinho must be questioning the decision to allow so many of his young stars to leave on loan this season.

Without Diego Costa, Chelsea lack firepower up front. Perhaps 22-year-old Patrick Bamford, buoyed by his goals for Middlesbrough last season, would have offered something more than Radamel Falcao against Southampton?

With little creativity behind the front man, Izzy Brown, 18, may have offered an alternative to inject some energy into what have been some poor performances.

In this past week, Chelsea have scored four goals, but just one has come from open play. That needs to change just as much as much the defensive errors must be cut out.

Not every young player is prepared, but there are more than Loftus-Cheek who could be offering alternatives to Chelsea in this moment, so seeing them line up is different colours across Europe is regrettable.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

For all this talk, Chelsea fans must be careful what they wish for, though. It's promising that Mourinho is publicly advocating the selection of some young players, but it's no guarantee for success.

They may well comment now that it's better to fail with homegrown players than an expensively assembled squad, but failure is failure, regardless of the circumstances.

If the club comes out of this saga with a fresher-looking team thanks to the injection of some youth, it would have been worth it, but there's no guarantee.

Time will tell if this is the moment the fortunes of the Chelsea academy changed for the better.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes