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| Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho insists nobody is safe from the Stamford Bridge axe |
JOSE MOURINHO has warned his Chelsea players that he does not care about reputations or history - no one is safe from the axe at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho rested four players, including skipper John Terry, for Wednesday's Champions League win over Maccabi Tel Aviv and he promised that he is ready to do the same again for the visit of Arsenal to Stamford Bridge today.
The Chelsea manager lavished praise on out of form Eden Hazard, who he labelled the best player in the Premier League. But with Chelsea today seeking only their second win in six league games and going into the clash with their London rivals just one place above the relegation zone and 11 points behind leaders Manchester City, the implication is that not even Hazard is safe.
Terry, Nemanja Matic, Branislav Ivanovic and Diego Costa, all rested on Wednesday, may well all be back in the side today, but there are no guarantees, according to Mourinho.
The Chelsea manager, who took club captain Terry off at half-time in the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City but has denied there is a rift between them, said: "For John, the situation with me hasn't changed since 2004. It is exactly the same and clear for him.
"I play who I want, I don't care what people say about it. I don't think about the consequences.
"I play the player I think is the best for that game and John has known that since 2004. During John's time with me he has had many examples of big players left out.
"When I do it, I don't look at the passport or the age of the player. I am just looking for a performance level. John knows that very well.
"The way he behaves, the way he is such a top professional with me, I don't think he deserves any kind of doubt. He is a player with my total confidence. I trust him always. He's one of my men. Because he's on the bench one game or I take him off, what's the difference?"
With Willian out with a hamstring injury and Pedro also struggling, Mourinho will have to make changes anyway today and Oscar is likely to return to the side after a fine display against Maccabi, while Ramires could also come in.
As for Hazard, who missed a penalty on Wednesday and is a shadow of the star who was the Footballer of the Year last year, he insisted the Belgian was not one of the men he considered resting.
"I encouraged him," said Mourinho. "I wanted to make him feel the penalty was not a problem. These are the kind of mistakes I never complain about and I always support players.
"He's the best player in England. And will be the best again. Today or next week he will be man of the match.
"The kid misses a penalty. He is not happy but for me it is no problem. I was trying to support him.
"He is not the kind of guy that hides. He's not afraid to make mistakes, not afraid to play. Maybe the dribble does not go well and he loses the ball but the next time he has the ball he dribbles again. Sometimes you see players who don't want the ball. Hazard is not like this. He goes and he goes and he goes.
"Things are not going for him. But it will come."
Petr Cech returns to Chelsea for the first time since his £10million switch to Arsenal in the summer and Mourinho said: "It was not my decision to sell Petr to Arsenal. But I praised the owner and the board for what they did. Some clubs stop their players from being happy. But Chelsea did this with one of the biggest players in their history, so it was a special case."
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