Luiz Felipe Scolari believes that Chelsea are not ready to win trophies this season and that his side are operating at only 50 per cent of their potential. The manager also conceded that some individuals were producing as little as 35 per cent of their capacity.

In an extraordinary insight into the extent of the problems at Stamford Bridge, Scolari stopped short of naming the worst offenders. Such discretion, though, is unlikely to limit the damage when news of the manager’s searing honesty is digested in an already fragile dressing-room. The Brazilian accepted that he had made his share of mistakes, but it was the strength of his criticism of Chelsea’s players that was most striking.

“I am a good man, but I am not a fool,” Scolari said. “If you ask me if this team are ready to win things then the answer is no. They are not ready to win a trophy and they know this. They might not say things publicly, but they know we’re not ready.

“In our last five games we played at 50 per cent of our potential. Some players have been at 75 to 80 per cent, others have been at 35 to 40 per cent. But the balance for our team in the last five games has been 50 per cent.”

Scolari had been happy to take the blame in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s 3-0 defeat away to Manchester United, reasoning that his decision to bring on Nicolas Anelka, the forward, at half-time had left his side exposed in midfield, but after reviewing the match on video he believes that the blame should be shared.

His patience is wearing thin after standing by his players during a dismal run that has yielded one win in the past six matches and he challenged his team to lift their performance in this evening’s FA Cup third-round replay against Southend United at Roots Hall.

“If Chelsea lose a game it’s not just me, it’s the whole of the team,” Scolari said. “All the players have had their chance. I have given every player at least five or six games to impress. We will start with one team against Southend, and maybe I will start with the same team against Stoke City [at Stamford Bridge on Saturday]. But I need answers from the players.”

Scolari dismissed concerns over his future, insinuating that he would not care if he was sacked at the end of the season. The 60-year-old’s ambivalence is genuine; The Times has learnt that he signed a two-year contract with the option of an additional 12 months at his own request last summer, when Chelsea had been willing to offer him a longer deal.

“If I lose my job I’ll have another job,” he said. “Maybe tomorrow, maybe after one or two years. I’ve worked for 25 years. It’s not my business to say this or think about this. The people, the board, the club, must look at what we do every day and say something.

“I like Chelsea. I like Cobham [the club's training complex in Surrey], where I live, like the school my son is at, like my job here, the people, even the press. I like every day in London, but if I go back to Brazil, I will like Brazil the same. When I was in Kuwait I loved Kuwait. I had three fantastic years in Saudi Arabia. I love life, finish, and I work hard every day. If I lose or don’t lose my job, I will be the same.”