Jose Mourinho plots strategy from afar

On Thursday afternoon, a day after Dynamo Kiev had been beaten 2-1 for Chelsea’s first win in five games and all the players had gone home, Jose Mourinho was finally able to corral his coaching staff for an intense session of their own.

He sat with them for hours, going through every single possible situation for today’s trip to Stoke City so there could be no doubt as to what his decisions are.

This is of course because he has to sit out the game due to his stadium ban, and the scene of concentration at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground on Thursday was rather different to the firecracker scenario that prompted the sanction in the first place.