Perhaps the reason Chelsea are getting stuffed on the pitch is because, as Juan Mata has revealed, they are gorging themselves off it.
The Spain star has told of the squad's preference for eating sausages, bacon and beans for breakfast before lunchtime kick offs.
And the fatty pre-match meal is leaving them with a fat chance of succeeding when they go out to play, according to a nutrition expert.
WHAT CHELSEA ARE EATING:
Sausages (2) = 4g saturated fat (20 per cent of daily allowance), 8g protein
Bacon (2) = 2g saturated fat (10 per cent), 6g protein
Beans (One portion) = 52g carbs (17 per cent), 12g protein
WHAT THE EXPERT RECOMMENDS:
Grilled tomatoes (2) = 10g carbs, 4g protein
Poached eggs (One large) = 2g saturated fat, 6g protein
Wholegrain toast (2 slices) = 26g carbs, 2g protein
Vicky Warr, head of fitness training firm Beez Kneez, said: 'Sausages, bacon and beans? I am surprised. The reason why they're going for that kind of breakfast, I think, is get plenty of protein in.
'They want to build lean muscle tissue and obviously meat is a good source of protein. But with sausages you've got quite a lot of processed meat so plenty of saturated fat.
'That is difficult to digest sometimes and it can lead to issues when they're playing. They may feel a little heavy and it could affect their energy levels.'
Mata reveled: 'I had a lot of trouble with that at the start. I said to myself: "How can we eat stuff like this?" But now I'm used to it... which proves I've adapted perfectly.'
Hopefully, the calorific breakfast is eaten well in advance of playing.
'They'd need to eat a good two or three hours before they go on the pitch,' Ms Warr said.
'They want to be getting up and eating your breakfast straight away, not waiting until 10am, because their blood sugar levels will be really low by that point. So I'm presuming they're eating before that anyway.'
There is one potential plus point from having a Full English though. While the beans provide a form of carbohydrates for energy, they also lead to something else entirely.
'Beans aren't the best carbs,' Ms Warr said. 'I don't want to be rude but they'll probably still have flatulence. They'll be putting the other team off that's for sure. Maybe that's there tactic!'
An healthier alternative is to use a cleaner form of protein, such as eggs, and to eat whole grain toast for carbs.
Ms Warr added: 'If they are having really good, organic, homemade sausages, and if they're grilled rather than fried, that's an okay option. If the bacon was unsmoked and again grilled, and had the fat cut off it, that would be better.
'Because they are burning off a lot of energy, obviously they are not trying to lose weight. But they do still need to stay in really good shape in order to be performing well on the pitch.
'I'd give them smoothies made form bananas, natural yoghurt, water, loads of berries, some ground almonds. Put that in a blender and that would give them loads of vitamins and nutrients in and provide good energy.
'Or they could have grilled tomatoes, eggs – poached, scrambled or boiled – they are really could source of protein, and leaner. A couple of slices of whole grain toast as well for carbohydrates so they can sprint around on the pitch.
'Ideally they want slow releasing carbohydrates for breakfast. But because matches aren't that long, they could have the whiter variety of pasta or bread about and hour before because they're going to burn it off. It will give them that short burst. They're not running a marathon.'
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