Andre Schurrle and Chelsea Squad Depth Help Jose Mourinho Crush Sporting CP

Chelsea strolled to another Champions League victory on Wednesday as they won 3-1 over Group G rivals Sporting CP, and it was with typical Jose Mourinho swagger as the manager fielded a much-changed side, with Andre Schurrle particularly outstanding.

Schurrle scored Chelsea's second, after a Cesc Fabregas penalty, and he was a key figure in particular during a rampant first half.

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With the Blues finally falling to Premier League defeat, at the hands of Newcastle United, on the previous Saturday, this win proved the perfect tonic as Mourinho looked to reinstall his side's dominance.

Ideally, the manager was able to do while preserving the energies of several key players, and perhaps will have been given food for thought at Stamford Bridge.

As Schurrle proved, along with his fellow peripheral figures, Chelsea boast a formidable squad depth this season, with their Mourinho's reserve charges more than capable of defeating elite European opposition.

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Rotation

Mourinho has been a vocal advocate of squad rotation so far since his Chelsea return—a quality reminiscent of the unpopular Rafa Benitez's approach to European competition when in charge of the Blues.

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Ahead of his first season back in charge of the club, Mourinho outlined how, per The Telegraph, "I hope to play 60 matches, so where I maybe won’t use different teams, we will use rotation of players that’s for sure."

At the time, Mourinho was particularly lionizing when it came to wide option Victor Moses.

He continued: "Victor is a very good option for us. In Victor’s position we have [Eden] Hazard, [Kevin] De Bruyne, Schurrle—it’s a position where a coach can make a change during a match and give new life and fresh blood to the team."

Flash forward just one season and, due to the ferocious nature of Mourinho's talent recruitment at Chelsea, the likes of Moses and De Bruyne have been replaced.

Mohamed Salah was signed from FC Basel in January, and he now assumes that back-up role once held by Moses.

Moses, with a series of dismal showings at Liverpool last season and a bright contrast on loan with Stoke City this term, perhaps finds his level a little lower than the Champions League.

Mourinho utilised Salah, along with Schurrle and centre-back Kurt Zouma—all players who have made less than five Premier League starts this season—in a move which allowed Hazard, Willian and John Terry a rest.

Praising his squad players in post-match, Mourinho will find heart in the determined performances of the likes of Felipe Luis, Salah, Zouma and, in particular, Schurrle.

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Andre Schurrle

Schurrle, a star in Germany's World Cup-winning squad in the summer, would be forgiven for feeling a sense of unrest this season at Stamford Bridge, as the midfielder has largely warmed the Chelsea substitutes' bench so far in 2014/15.

However, on Wednesday night the 24-year-old grasped his opportunity, particularly in a fine first half capped with a well-taken strike from the edge of the penalty area.

Schurrle, much like Arsenal forward and compatriot Lukas Podolski, has made a name for himself as a prolific impact player, and as such has almost unfairly featured for just 353 league minutes this season.

Unsurprisingly, given his lack of game-time recently, Schurrle was replaced by Ramires late on.

Talking to Sky Sports after the game, Mourinho praised Schurrle, claiming: "He is in my plans...Today he had 75 minutes to improve his form."

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Crucially, however, he added: "He is a player who needs to adapt better to the Premier League but is also a player that in three shots usually scores a goal. That’s an important quality."

Mourinho clearly has plans for Schurrle, and undoubtedly his other fringe players, and has the means to coax their talents. Along with the Champions League and the Premier League, Chelsea are still competing for the FA Cup and the Capital One Cup.

Not content with merely rotating within his starting line-up, Mourinho used this comfortable European victory to, rather importantly, address his vision of Chelsea's future.

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Ruben Loftus-Cheek

This came in the form of 18-year-old midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who replaced an impressive Fabregas in the middle of the park on 83 minutes.

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With the Stamford Bridge crowd behind their latest, homegrown prospect, Loftus-Cheek was full of confidence, involved in some fine build-up play and energetic box-to-box work.

Barney Ronay summarised his qualities enjoyably, writing for The Guardian: "[Loftus-Cheek] seems a natural fit in a position English players have struggled to fill, a shielding, covering, deep-playmaking presence with a calmness in possession and a naturally telescopic reach."

These are obviously early days, but there was no surprise that the manager was effusive in his praise for the midfielder in post-match.

Mourinho has rejoined his most-cherished club with a wider vision, and is truly establishing his credentials as an all-round football manager, as opposed to the promising coach that once so impressed in charge of FC Porto.

There is no surprise Branislav Ivanovic referred to him as "The Perfect One," (h/t the Mirror) this time last year.

This is a club he adores and is truly seeing his efforts rewarded from top to bottom, as evidenced against Sporting on Wednesday night.

The performance of Ruben Loftus-Cheek will encourage Jose Mourinho to continue to experiment with his youth players in the future.

But the more immediate gratification should come from the impressive Andre Schurrle, and a host of other squad players, who could give the manager a selection headache as Chelsea host Hull City in the Premier League on Saturday.

Statistics via WhoScored.com.

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