Luiz Felipe Scolari steamed into his Chelsea players at a meeting yesterday. The Daily Mail says that a full-scale slanging match developed between some of the club's star names during the 45-minute meeting after Scolari had asked his squad to air their grievances.

According to sources, "it all went off" as players had a full and frank exchange of opinions in an attempt to rediscover the team spirit at Stamford Bridge that was so successful under Jose Mourinho.

Amid remarkable scenes, there was dressing-room fury with Didier Drogba as well as an inquest into tactics, morale and results.

Scolari passionately stressed the importance of team spirit and he still has the players on his side as he attempts to win the Barclays Premier League and lift the European Cup in his first season in English football.

But key players singled out Drogba after he went public with his criticism of and Scolari's decision to keep him on the bench when the striker returned from his ban for throwing a coin at Burnley fans during the Carling Cup defeat.

Drogba, who is likely to be fined by the club for his latest outburst, claimed Chelsea did nothing for him when his grandmother died in June, but one member of the squad told him he was "talking ********" because Chelsea hired a "private jet to fly him to the Ivory Coast".