Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho again fired a warning at Michael Ballack that he faces a battle to earn a regular place in his midfield.

With Steven Sidwell arriving to compete for a place in the centre of Chelsea's midfield, Ballack is no longer considered to be one of Mourinho's 'Untouchables'.

The Chelsea boss said: "He is a player I like very much, but his life is not easy. Like the other people, life is not easy.

"We have a lot of good players. I'm not the kind of coach that gives places to people just because they are faces or names. Everybody with me has to fight for his place. But I think they have a difficult task because the squad is really good."