Former Chelsea forward Eidur Gudjohnsen believes that manager Jose Mourinho may have to drop some of his key players, in order for the club to recapture form.
Chelsea have had a surprisingly poor start to the defence of their Premier League crown, winning just two out of their seven league games so far, a run of form which sees the Blues currently residing in 14th position in the top-flight.
To make matters worse, the West Londoners stumbled to a 2-1 defeat away at Porto on Tuesday evening – a fixture in which Mourinho dropped some of his most senior figures, upon his return to the club where he won the Champions League in 2004.
The trio of Eden Hazard, John Terry and Nemanja Matic all started on the bench in Portugal, and Gudjohnsen, who won the Premier League twice during a six-year spell at Stamford Bridge, feels it could be time for his former manager to drop some of his high-profile names and shake things up, to reignite their season.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the Icelander said: “Sometimes with a little change in the team or giving a few other players a chance you can find the click that is needed.
“When you make changes to a team it might put other players on their toes and start to fear for their place in the team and automatically there is competition for places.”
Mourinho’s men have struggled defensively so far, having already conceded 14 goals this season, a far cry to their record last term, which stood at just 32 goals conceded throughout, in what was the foundation for the title win of 2014/15.
However, despite the current troubles of his former employers, the 37-year-old, who now plays for Chinese side Shijiazhuang Ever Bright, after a brief return to English shores with Championship side Bolton Wanderers, is confident that Mourinho will be able to fix the ongoing problems.
“Too many players have yet to start their season really – important players for Chelsea who haven’t found their form yet,” Gudjohnsen continued.
“The team can handle one or two players losing form but when it is the majority of the squad, it is a problem. But if there is one man I believe can find the answer, it is Jose Mourinho.”
