Jose Mourinho Reportedly to Axe Chelsea Stars Ahead of Porto Clash

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has hit out at his players after the Blues dropped more points in the Premier League at Newcastle United on Saturday, with some key men apparently set for the axe ahead of the team’s upcoming Champions League clash with Porto.

Despite roaring back from a couple of goals down late on to salvage a draw at St James’ Park, the Portuguese held little back in his assessment of the game afterward, admitting the standard of his team’s performance has cultivated some big worries, per Craig Hope of the MailOnline:

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Yes, I am very concerned. I do not understand it and I do not accept it [a lack of effort]. I would like to have made more changes than I did. There were six players I could have taken off. I wanted to make six substitutions—that is how bad we were. 

I sat there trying to work out what was best for the team and had so many doubts. If we play like we did in the first, we can lose every match. If we play like we did in the second half, we can win every match this season. It is that simple. I have to try to understand why this is happening.

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Now it seems as though enough is enough, with Ian Murtagh of the Daily Star suggesting Mourinho will "wield the axe" for the Blues' forthcoming game against his former club.

The likes of Branislav Ivanovic, Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic and Eden Hazard are all horribly out of form at the moment. The centre-back pairing of Kurt Zouma and Gary Cahill also showcased frailties up in the north east too.

As is evident here, per Squawka, Mourinho has been unable to find an antidote for the defensive woes that have gripped this team during 2015-16:

It seems as though John Terry is one player who could come back in. While the Chelsea skipper hasn’t been in good form himself, the first Newcastle goal, which saw Ayoze Perez have enough time to control a high ball and compose himself to finish in the box, would surely have never occurred if the Englishman was in Zouma’s position.

“I make the decisions,” said Mourinho when quizzed on whether Terry would be in the team for the match against Porto, per Hope. “Will he play on Tuesday night? I don't know. John has to behave like the captain he is and wait for the decision he wants.”

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Mourinho has already juggled personnel this season, and the men who bagged the goals to salvage a point coming off the bench at Newcastle, Willian and Ramires, will surely get a chance to show what they can do when the Blues make the trip to Porto for what will be a testing fixture.

The ChelsTransfer Twitter feed thinks that, ultimately, it’s the players who are to blame for this sluggish beginning to the Premier League season:

The manager must also take his share of the culpability too. While he’s persisted with key players in poor patches in the hope they’ll play their way out of form, there are many Chelsea supporters who have already lost patience with the likes of Ivanovic and Fabregas. It seems the first-half performance against the Magpies could have been the final straw.

Giving players on the fringes of the team a chance will help build a stronger squad dynamic. After all, Willian and Ramires both came off the bench on Saturday and snatched their chances. If others can come into the team in midweek and do the same, then those players who seem guaranteed of their spot in the first XI may be forced to up their standards.