Demba Ba has shed light on the managerial methods that led Chelsea to sack Jose Mourinho, describing the Portuguese's style as "very exhausting" and admitting that he is not a coach who looks to rebuild the confidence of his players.
Chelsea announced on Thursday that they had parted company with Mourinho for the second time "by mutual consent" after a disastrous start to the season, with the club's technical director Michael Emenalo later confirming that "palpable discord" had developed between the manager and his players.
And while Ba -- who scored 14 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea during Mourinho's first season back at Stamford Bridge -- still holds his former boss in high regard, he admits he found him to be a demanding manager who has little time for players who lack confidence.
"We've seen it in the past," Ba told French radio station RMC. "It's very tiring -- very exhausting -- because he demands a huge amount. He wants to try to push his players to their limit to know what they have. That's also one of his methods of working.
"He's not someone who's there to give confidence to the players -- he's there to get what he can out of them. And if a player lacks confidence, it's not him who'll give it back to them. He's going to rely on someone else who is confident. If you don't have confidence all he's going to do is to put you on the bench."
Speculation surrounding Mourinho's future intensified in the wake of Chelsea's defeat to Leicester City on Monday when the Portuguese accused his players of betraying his work on the pitch by not adhering to his tactical instructions.
It was not the first time Mourinho had criticised his players publicly for poor performance this season and Ba admits his former manager is not a person who handles defeat well.
"The only times where it was tense was when we lost, so I think that if in the Chelsea dressing room it's been tense in the past few months it's because they weren't getting results," he added.
"He's someone who loves to win and when he loses, you would say that the sky has fallen in on his head. As long as there isn't another win, it's a bit difficult because he's annoyed ... when he loses, it hurts him.
"He's good, he's proved it, he's won a huge number of trophies. After that you like him or you don't like him -- he doesn't leave you indifferent.
"I'm talking about the manager, not the man."