Jose Mourinho has hit out at some of his Chelsea players' attitudes in an interview with the club's in-house TV station, accusing them of lacking "passion."
Mourinho is under serious pressure at Chelsea following Monday's 2-1 defeat at Leicester, which left the Premier League champions just one point above the relegation zone.
The manager said after that game that he felt his "work was betrayed" after that performance and sources subsequently told ESPN FC that there is concern at board level that players appear to have stopped listening, which was a factor in their discussions over the Portuguese's future this week.
The former Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss has again suggested that his players are at fault, though, and told Chelsea TV: "Some of them need to rethink the way they live Chelsea, they live football, they live their job.
"Chelsea is big. Football is more than a job -- it's a passion. Every match on the pitch you should live with an unbelievable passion.
"How many millions would love to be football players and they can't be? You shouldn't waste any minutes on the pitch, you should enjoy every minute and give absolutely everything.
"Yes, I feel frustrated with some players, and I feel that some others, they give everything and don't deserve to lose."
The Times has reported that Mourinho deliberately used the word "betrayed" after the Leicester defeat because he had been informed by a contact at Porto that a member of the Chelsea squad had leaked team information to the Portuguese side prior to the Blues' 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge last week.
The report said Mourinho had yet to identify the culprit.
It was widely reported on Thursday that Chelsea have begun identifying potential replacements for Mourinho, including options for both caretaker and permanent bosses.
The Sun has said Chelsea have told Pep Guardiola to name his price, with the Catalan now expected to leave Bayern Munich when his contract ends next summer.
The Daily Telegraph said Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is their primary choice next summer, with Guus Hiddink lined up for a second caretaker stint until the end of the season. The Dutchman led Chelsea to the Champions League semifinals as well as winning the FA Cup in 2009.
The Times, meanwhile, said former Sevilla and Tottenham head coach Juande Ramos could take charge until the end of the season but also reported that Hiddink is the preferred caretaker option.
Hiddink, who is out of work after a disappointing second stint in charge of the Dutch national team, suggested in October that he would be open to the Chelsea job, telling Voetbal International: "Top-class football will always be attractive."
Spanish newspaper AS later reported that Ramos' agent, Gines Carvajal, was in London negotiating with Chelsea.
The Times report also said Simeone was the club's first choice as permanent boss, with Carlo Ancelotti, who has been tipped to replace Guardiola at Bayern, said to have no interest in returning to Stamford Bridge.