Silver linings: Ruben Loftus-Cheek set to take center stage for Chelsea

The night is always darkest before the dawn, right?  It's a good thing we have a hero whom we not only deserve, but also one whom we need.  The Ruben Loftus-Cheek rises.

JM: "I agree totally [players like Loftus-Cheek should play]" @br_uk #CFC

— Garry Hayes (@garryhayes) October 3, 2015

Props to Mr. Bleacher Report for getting that question in and getting a quality response.  Mourinho continued.

"My job is not so simple because I have to measure the situation and ask myself in difficult moments if the best thing is to keep more experienced players. Can they cope better with the pressure of the moment?"

"You do the same. When I don't play Terry to play Zouma you are the first ones to say immediately: "why aren't you playing the captain?" With Ruben, it's exactly the same thing. Ruben, Matic, Ramires, Fabregas - who can cope better with the pressure? I know Fabregas for sure, but maybe the situation is so negative for us a young player feels less pressure than when the team is top of the league fighting for a victory to be champions."

"Clearly it's time - not to play four, five or six kids because some of them are not ready - but I think Ruben is the one who is more ready. If everything goes normally in the next two weeks yes, he is a player to start the next game and have a run of matches to try to get that stability as a first-team choice."

-Jose Mourinho; source: Chelsea FC

Interesting bit about Fabregas in there, too, perhaps explaining why Mourinho seems to be keeping the faith better in the ex-Barcelona man than all the rest of our midfielders.  But the big bombshell is the guarantee that Ruben Loftus-Cheek is about take center stage.  Not just a start, but a run of matches!  Be still, our beating hearts.

Mourinho making bold claims about Loftus-Cheek's future is hardly anything new, but this time, it finally feels like the real deal.  Even before the Porto loss, Mourinho had threatened the established veterans with giving their minutes to youth in they continue to underperform, and, well, underperform is just what they had continued to do.  Especially and even more disappointingly than Branislav Ivanovic, Nemanja Matic.

Ideally, Mourinho's latest promise serves not only to re-motivate Matic, but also truly give a chance to young Loftus-Cheek to become our very own Paul Pogba.  That's shorthand for young and awesome complete central midfielder who's trusted to perform in any and all situations.