Chelsea players can have no complaints if Jose Mourinho makes wholesale changes following Blues' defeat in Basel.

That's according to Cesar Azpilicueta, who says that Chelsea's players cannot rely on the excuse of tiredness to explain away their poor performance on Tuesday night.

Asked if players could be aggrieved if dropped following the 1-0 Champions League defeat, Azpilicueta said: “No. The manager is who decides about that (picking the team).

“Sometimes he makes changes, sometimes more, sometimes less, it depends on how he sees us and the way we have performed. He is the manager and will try to do the best for our team.”

Post-match, Mourinho had talked of how tired his side were after the recent international break – insisting this had impacted on a gutless performance which involved not a single shot on goal.

But Azpilicueta declined to use this as an excuse, saying that as professionals he and his team mates-should be about to overcome fatigue.

“(We are) a little bit (tired), but that’s normal,” he said.

“You can’t always play 100 per cent. I feel okay. I finished the game well without any problems.

“It’s normal when you play every three days that the players feel a little more tired. The most important thing is the mental approach, to forget the tiredness of the body.”

Chelsea's preparations for Sunday's Premier League clash with Southampton look likely to be dominated by further speculation over the future of Juan Mata – who Mourinho seemed to suggest, in his pre-match comments, would struggle to find space in his side.

Mata travelled to Basel with Chelsea, where he sat on the bench for 90 minutes – despite a very poor showing from Blues' selected attacking midfield.