Mourinho’s stubbornness in not playing stars such as Mata could cost Chelsea

Leaving the Spaniard and Luiz on the best continually baffles everyone but the manager.

Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday could well be seen as a positive result, but Jose Mourinho’s failure to find a preferred starting XI is worrying for Blues fans.

As yet under the returning Mourinho, the west London club have failed to give a truly dominating performances in the English top tier.
 The 50-year-old’s refusal to not play either David Luiz or Juan Mata – despite the pair being two of the side’s best players last term – is baffling and is clearly not helping the team.

John Terry’s equaliser against Spurs came from a Mata free-kick, after the boss had buckled at half-time and brought the Spain international on.

Mourinho is unconvinced that the 25-year-old’s lack of pace will fit into the new style of play, but this tactic is not working anyway.

Mata may not be the quickest, but with a sharp passing talent the attacking midfielder doesn’t need to run past players – the Spaniard’s creativity allows others to show off theirs.

Eden Hazard is still being played despite obviously being out of sorts and Oscar was exposed as an inadequate No.10 in comparison to Mata against Tottenham.

Similarly the pace of the north London club showed up Terry’s ability – or lack of – to cope with quick players in central defence.

There is no doubting the captain’s commitment but Andros Townsend and Paulinho kept beating the 32-year-old – something Luiz would not have struggled with so badly.

Mourinho’s stubbornness and refusal to compromise is an admirable trait and has contributed to the Portuguese coach’s success in the past – but in this case it could also be the manager’s downfall.