Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has challenged his players to bounce back from their disappointing Champions League exit by storming to the Premier League title in the closing months of the campaign.
The Blues were edged out by Paris Saint-Germain on away goals at the last-16 stage of European football's showpiece competition following a 3-3 draw on aggregate.
Having claimed their first piece of silverware earlier this month with victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup final, many had backed Chelsea to go on and secure a European and domestic treble.
However, defeat against the Parisians could have inflicted a major blow to the players' confidence, with Mourinho admitting that his side must bounce back immediately if they are to maintain their five-point advantage over Manchester City at the Premier League summit.
"I told the players after the game that it's not the moment to speak with them about it," the Portuguese is quoted as saying by FIFA.com. "I want to know what happened. [On Thursday] we will try to analyse that.
"For me it was a surprise. So I'm disappointed, but I try always to be pragmatic and when the opponent was better than us the first feeling is we deserved to lose. Analyse the situation is the next step.
"We need to react. We have the Premier League to win. There's no time to cry. If we win the Premier League and Capital One Cup, this season is still a fantastic season for us."
Chelsea return to league action on Sunday when they take on top-four chasers Southampton at Stamford Bridge.
Daniel Lewis
