Angry Mourinho hints at changes

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho could be set to shuffle the deck after launching a scathing attack on his players following a shocking 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United.

The Chelsea manager left his squad in little doubt about his displeasure after an abject display saw it squander an opportunity to make ground in the Premier League title race.

Chelsea has an immediate chance to atone for a disjointed performance - which Mourinho described as lacking in all departments - when it hosts German side Schalke in the Champions League this week.

Several of the players who failed to impress at St James' Park are unlikely to have an opportunity to restore their reputations immediately, with Mourinho ready to shake things up to avoid a repeat of the 90-minute no-show.

Taking his own share of the blame for a defeat that leaves Chelsea with just five points from five away league games so far this term, the Portuguese said: "I made 11 mistakes with my team selection - 11 mistakes.

"That's the feeling I have when my team plays so badly. We deserved to lose because for 45 minutes we played at the level of a friendly. The result is down to the fact that one team wasn't there.

"There was no aggression there and we lacked intensity. It was a bad performance and it sends me home with a lot to think about because I have to try to understand where a display like this came from. I have to admit I'd be worried if we play like that again."

Mourinho conceded Chelsea's patchy away form is a concern after it succumbed to second-half goals from French duo Yoan Gouffran and Loic Remy.

"We've won just once away in the league this season and that worries me," he said.

"You have to come here to Newcastle with a certain mentality, and we just didn't show that."

(China Daily 11/04/2013 page23)