Mourinho: 'no problem' dropping Terry, 'business as usual' at Chelsea

Rotation isn't something which most fans associate with Jose Mourinho, as the Chelsea manager is well known for his small squads, and sticking with groups that are winning. The Blues haven't been winning of late, though, and all of a sudden, the Portuguese manager has been making loads of changes.

These changes may have been a (pleasant) surprise to some, but Mourinho doesn't think that they were anything out of the ordinary.

"There are rotations, we always try to do a little bit. Mentally it is important, physically it is important, but there is also a part of the rotation which is because of the instability of the performances."

"You play well for 4 or 5 matches you get stability, you keep the core. It is normal.  It is normal that you always try to find solutions and win the next game."

So what of the trio (Oscar, Loic Remy, and Radamel Falcao) who were left home this past week, while the Blues struggled in a 2-1 loss to Porto?

"I was told by my assistant that stayed in London that on Tuesday that they worked fantastically well. They knew that they could be selected for the next match and worked well. It is not always easy to do that when your team are playing, but they found it - fantastic motivation."

"The last three days? Business as usual."

Hopefully, that motivation shows on the pitch against Southampton, as either Falcao or Remy will be called upon in the absence of Diego Costa, and Oscar should be starting virtually every Chelsea match when healthy. With any luck, both Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic found some 'fantastic motivation' as well, as neither has looked particularly sharp thus far.

Mourinho was also asked if it has been hard to drop John Terry, and whether or not the response of the fans has bothered him at all.

"No. The fans can sing, I am happy that they sing and that they support him. It's more important that they support him now than when he is playing. He is ready every game to play, even the ones I leave him on the bench, he is ready."

If Terry continues to be out of the Chelsea lineup, the only way to silence the match going fans will be to stop conceding so many silly goals. Here's hoping that starts this Saturday, regardless of who Mourinho chooses.