Chelsea vs. Porto: Jose Mourinho Warns Stars in Pre-Match Press Conference

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed he has no problem turning to the club’s young players after a rough beginning to the season, issuing a warning to the team’s longstanding stars in his press conference ahead of the Blues’ trip to Porto.

Mourinho will be hoping his team can turn in a much improved performance against the Portuguese giants at Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday, and after blasting the efforts of his players following a 2-2 draw with Newcastle United at the weekend, it’ll be intriguing to see which personnel are selected. 

The Chelsea boss insisted some big improvements are needed from his key men, otherwise he’ll opt for youthful exuberance, per Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail:

"

We are in an open situation. It is difficult to win the Premier League and Champions League, but possible. If the season goes in one direction and becomes closed, and we can’t win, I will go just with the kids. I am ruthless.

I have very good players, players I like as players, and I like their human qualities. It is very good group of guys but “untouchables” in football? Only consistency can give you that status.

"

Here's more of what Mourinho had to say, per audioboom.com:

After sauntering to the Premier League title in 2014-15, the tenacity, ingenuity and organisation just hasn’t been there for the Blues up to this point, with only two wins from their opening seven Premier League games.

As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, the defense of this Chelsea team in particular, usually so strong, has been atrocious as of late:

Something needs to jolt these players into life, whether it’s a strong performance from nowhere, some fresh faces or a scrappy 1-0 win. Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville echoed those sentiments on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, blasting a plethora of performances that haven't been up to scratch, per Jack Lang of the Daily Mirror:

"

When I spoke after [the game], I said they needed to give themselves a slap round the face, the players. When you win the league, it's normal to have a dip at the start of the season, but [Jose] Mourinho somehow has to get his message over to the players... or they have to wake up themselves.

It isn't good enough. It's nowhere near good enough. …The performance in that first half was ridiculous. This is not just a blip anymore. It's dragging on.

"

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Going to Porto, a place where Mourinho won the Champions League as manager in 2004, is not likely to make matters much easier. The Portuguese side are a strong outfit who possess quality players and at home, they are a very difficult side to get the better of. Still, the struggles in the Premier League could be forgotten with a positive result at a tough venue.

Mourinho needs to shoulder some of the blame for the poor start made by the team, but he does seem to be making the right calls in matches, as former England international Rodney Marsh noted after the draw against Newcastle:

The manager will be desperate for a response from his players after issuing this warning and it’ll be intriguing to see whether or not they are just hollow words. If the poor form of key men like Branislav Ivanovic, Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard doesn’t undergo an upturn quickly, the manager may have no choice but to take decisive action.

Despite having won their opening group game against Maccabi Tel Aviv in comfortable style a big response is needed from a lot of senior players, otherwise the team for the Blues’ clash with Southampton this weekend could have a much more sprightly feel to it.