CHELSEA boss Jose Mourinho issued a veiled swipe at former Blackburn Rovers defender Graeme Le Saux after insisting all of his players were happy to travel to Israel for tonight's Champions League clash with Maccabi Tel Aviv, despite heightened security following the Paris terror attacks.

The Blues boss says there was no repeat of the 2001 trip to Israel, when England left-back Le Saux was one of six players who did not travel for a UEFA Cup game with Hapoel Tel Aviv.

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Le Saux last month criticised Mourinho's "damaging" behaviour after a series of disciplinary run-ins with the Football Association and the Dr Eva Carneiro controversy amid Chelsea's miserable start to the season.

It appeared Mourinho, whose position has been under scrutiny of late, responded in kind when singling out Le Saux, who was joined in not travelling 14 years ago by Marcel Desailly, Emmanuel Petit, William Gallas, Albert Ferrer and Eidur Gudjohnsen.

The Group G game takes place in Haifa's Sammy Ofer Stadium, 60 miles north of Tel Aviv, as the arena is more suitable for European fixtures.

"We can just focus on playing," Mourinho said.

"And (to) leave security questions to people who know more than we do.

"I didn't have one single problem inside of the squad. I didn't have a Graeme Le Saux. I had everybody without fears, just wanting to come.

"I had even a player who maybe tomorrow or after tomorrow, his wife is having a baby and he's here to play, because he knows how important it is for us."