José Mourinho yesterday praised Chelsea’s players for belatedly showing the tactical discipline required to turn their season around, but The Times has been told that his relationship with some of his squad has been strained since pre-season.

While Mourinho has retained the confidence of the majority of Chelsea’s players, there remain concerns within the dressing room over his perceived draconian methods and harsh treatment of certain individuals, a resentment that has its roots in the manager’s reaction to his side’s first pre-season friendly of last summer, a surprise 4-2 defeat by the New York Red Bulls.

In the immediate aftermath of that match in New Jersey, in July, Mourinho initially ignored his team after watching them concede four second-half goals to a side comprised largely