Jose Mourinho warns his players and insists no one's place is safe

Mourinho’s team has secured only two wins in seven games this season

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has warned his team’s players by insisting that none of them are ‘untouchables’, according to ESPN. The reigning English champions are 15th in the league after two wins in their opening seven games and the boss has told that no-one’s place is safe if the club’s poor start to the season continues.

In his first spell in charge of Chelsea back in 2006, the Portuguese coach has described eight of his first-team players to be untouchables because of their consistency. The names included John Terry, Ashely Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. Mourinho believes his current crop are a bunch of brilliant players who won him the league title last season, but he has insisted that they have been underperforming this term.

"Untouchables in football, only consistency can give you that status," said Mourinho.

"You have to be a fantastic player, but you have to be consistent.”

"In this moment we have fantastic players, the players that gave us the title last season. But football is about today, it's not about yesterday.”

“In football you have to be consistent in your performance, in your emotion.”

"To be a winner you don't need to win all the time, but to be a winner you must have a strong mentality every game, every day.”

“At this moment I don't have untouchables."

Despite their poor form in the domestic league, Chelsea have made a strong start to their Champions League campaign by grabbing a win against Maccabi Tel Aviv two weeks ago. They now travel to Porto to play their second match of the Champions League group stage.

It’s Costa against the world: Mourinho

Diego Costa has been give a three-match ban by FA for improper conduct

The Chelsea manager will be glad his striker Diego Costa will be available in Porto as his three-match ban does not apply to European games. Mourinho lauded Costa’s performance in the win over Arsenal when the Brazilian-born-Spanish striker was involved in a controversial incident. Costa was retrospectively handed a three-match ban for grappling with Arsenal defender Koscielny.

The reporter jokingly asked the 52-year-old whether he needed 11 Costas on the pitch.

"We would lose every game because the desire to suspend him is so big that we wouldn't have players to start the game.” he replied.

"I'm happy to have only one and let him play until they decide to suspend him again."

No love lost between Mourinho and Casillas?

Iker Casillas (L) and Mourinho (R)

The Portuguese tactician was partly to be blamed for Casillas’ dip in form during his charge at Santiago Bernabeu. The Spanish goalkeeper was dropped frequently from Mourinho’s team and ever since then he failed to establish him as Los Blancos’ first choice goalkeeper.

Iker Casillas made a move to Porto this summer and Mourinho was asked about him. He interrupted the first question on the subject in the pre-match news conference.

"If you're going to ask me about Casillas, I'm going to greet him at the beginning and the end. No more questions about it," he said.