5 Things Jose Mourinho Must Address to Ensure Further Champions League Progress
It's been a strange week for Chelsea.
On Saturday, they were back to winning ways and feeling good once more after a commanding 3-0 victory over West Ham United.
Come Tuesday, though, things were not so positive as they crashed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Basel at St. Jakob-Park.
In rather bizarre circumstances, that defeat meant Chelsea actually qualified for the next round of the Champions League on account of Schalke failing to beat Steaua Bucharest.
With Basel and Schalke facing each other on Matchday 6, only one team can leapfrog the Blues into top spot of Group E should Jose Mourinho's men fail to dispatch Steaua at Stamford Bridge, meaning they are guaranteed at least a second-place finish.
So in the grasp of their despair in Switzerland, there was every reason for Chelsea to feel in a celebratory mood.
Mourinho will be having none of it, however. Tuesday's result meant Basel completed a European double over Chelsea this season, and they have much to address if they are to continue their progress in the Champions League.
I look at six areas Mourinho must target.
Consistency
1 of 5
The Chelsea that faced Basel on Tuesday was unrecognizable from the team that brushed West Ham United aside with ease just a few days earlier.
Chelsea had little cohesion going forward and Basel looked worryingly dangerous on the attack, finding holes in the Blues' back line that they eventually exploited, courtesy of Mohamed Salah in the 86th minute.
It happens to the best of teams, of course. Football players are only human after all, so they're entitled to a bad day at the office.
Only this isn't a one-off where Chelsea are concerned this season. Brilliant one week, they have made a habit of being equally bad the next throughout 2013-14, and they need to address it.
It's clear Jose Mourinho's plans for this team are taking a little longer to come together than we may have first thought, but the Portuguese needs to make sure his players are performing at their best consistently come February when the Champions League knockout stage kicks into action.
If they're not, it could very well be curtains for this season.
Striker
2 of 5
The above image will not make for pleasant viewing where Jose Mourinho and Chelsea are concerned.
Samuel Eto'o was stretchered off on Tuesday evening against Basel, with Fernando Torres forced into an early introduction as his replacement.
It was hardly ideal given that Torres himself is just coming back to full fitness after a period on the sidelines.
We don't know the full extent of Eto'o's injury just yet, but even if the Cameroon striker is out for a short period as a result of his efforts on Tuesday, it's a reminder of how fragile Chelsea are when it comes to their strikers.
With just three front men, they look extremely short of depth. And that two of their strikers appear to be taking turns in getting injured, it means they are going to struggle to build a fluid attacking formula.
Torres, Eto'o and Demba Ba are all strikers of world-class quality, but Chelsea need an extra body—and one eligible for Champions League football—to help take the strain.
Creativity
3 of 5
Is too much being asked of Oscar at the moment?
Jose Mourinho has made no secret that the Brazilian is his preferred choice at No. 10, but with the number of games he is being forced to play, it seems to be impacting his performances.
When Oscar performs, Chelsea play at their peak. When he is off color, as he was on Tuesday, so too are the Blues.
They lacked any sort of creative outlet against Basel at St. Jakob-Park, and it resulted in them not recording a single shot on goal for the entire 90 minutes.
That's an embarrassing statistic for a team of Chelsea's stature and one Mourinho must address urgently.
Chelsea need to be more fluid in attack as, with respect to Basel, if they are struggling to unlock their defence, imagine how difficult they may find it against Europe's big guns.
They need to work on being creative and consistently being a threat.
Juan Mata
4 of 5
When is the Juan Mata situation going to be sorted at Chelsea? Chelsea fans must be hoping it's sooner, rather than later, as it's beginning to hurt the team.
As an extension to Slide 3, the exclusion of Mata is impacting Chelsea's creative side. He was left on the bench for the entire game on Tuesday evening, despite Chelsea's struggles in attack.
The Spaniard has been Chelsea's best player for the two seasons he has spent at Stamford Bridge, and Jose Mourinho needs to tap into his creative influence to make his team dangerous.
He has led the way with assists since 2011-12 and creates so much going forward for his teammates. There's no doubt the opposition would rather see him among the substitutes than in Chelsea's line-up, that's for sure.
Whatever Mourinho's motives or plans, he needs to address this situation—and fast.
Squad Rotation
5 of 5
Chelsea have a big squad, packed full of talent—so use it.
Against Basel, Mourinho made just one change from the team that had played against West Ham United 72 hours earlier, replacing Eden Hazard with Willian.
It stands to reason that he wanted to maintain a winning team, especially given their performance in the 3-0 victory at Upton Park.
However, when Mourinho reflected after the Basel defeat that his players were tired, it shows he is not making full use of his squad.
He has the players to rotate when the games are coming thick and fast—as they will now that we are heading into the traditionally hectic Christmas period—so he must put his faith in them and give others a rest.
If not, results such as that from Tuesday will become a regular occurrence.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2013-14 season. Follow him on Twitter here @garryhayes
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