Mourinho ditched big earners such as Juan Veron and Hernan Crespo during the summer, believing that they weren't fully focussed on the job at hand.

And he now believes that he has a squad of players who are 100% commited to the cause. He told Chelsea TV: "I like to put pressure on myself and I like to put the pressure on the players.

"But I can only do it when I feel what I have in my hands - and in my hands I have a fantastic group of young boys with a lot of ambition. They want to win and they want to be successful.

"Many top players around the world just think about themselves and about the money they are getting and about the beautiful life they have. But some of them are really interested in professional success and every single player at Chelsea at the moment is really committed."

Jose certainly has whipped them into shape. Although we will find out just how commited the players are at Villa Park tomorrow which represents, in my opinion, our biggest test under Mourinho so far.