I saw fights all the time at Chelsea behind the scenes – the manager loved our scraps

Former ChelseamidfielderJohn Obi Mikel has revealed that team-mates engaged in full-blown brawls both during training sessions and within the dressing room throughout Jose Mourinho's reign.

The legendary Portuguese manager never intervened to separate them, and would actually 'enjoy watching them' unfold. He has also spoken how Mourinho crossed the line with players in the past.

Mourinho cultivated a period of success at Stamford Bridge following his arrival in 2004, coinciding withRoman Abramovich'sRussian takeover in west London – a takeover that enabled Mourinho to sign some of the world's top stars.

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The Portuguese icon later returned to the club in 2013 for a two-season period after initially departing in 2007. Whilst Mikel wasn't considered a marquee signing at the time of his arrival, he went on to represent the Blues across 11 season after joining from Norwegian outfit Lyn in 2006.

Mikel, 38, has now revealed to Gary Lineker on The Rest is Football podcast how the fierce rivalry at Chelsea frequently resulted in altercations between squad members, something Mourinho was content to observe and even relish as he sought to extract the maximum from his players, reports the Mirror.

When Lineker enquired whether the training ground disputes ever escalated into physical confrontations, the Nigerian replied: "Of course, in training, in the dressing room. But we never let it come out in the dressing room. Everything that happened stayed there. There's always fights between each other.

"Obviously, we want to win. That's normal in a competitive dressing room. It is in a very competitive dressing room, everybody wants to be there.

"You know, come three o'clock kick-off on Saturday, you want your name to be in the starting XI. And that's what we train for.

"That's why we fight. Players tackling, you know, kicking each other, fighting each other. [Mourinho] Let it happen. Jose absolutely loved that. That's where he sees who's who, you know, if you get into a fight and you back off in that fight. You have to stand up for yourself."

Reflecting on the challenging environment he encountered at Chelsea as a young player, he added: "I remember walking into the football club at the age of 18, you know, I had to step quickly. I had to stand up for myself.

"I remember players were trying to bully me, but I never let it happen. I always stood up for myself, you know. I remember having fights, arguments with Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack."

Mourinho departed Chelsea for the final time in 2015, leaving an unforgettable impression on Mikel, who himself exited two years later.

Expanding on how the former Real Madrid manager would allow his players to duke it out as a means to demonstrate who had the mettle to succeed at Chelsea, he continued: "As you know, back then in Chelsea, at that point it was sort of a gangster sort of football club.

"It was a mafia kind of football club. If you have no strength, if you have no power, if you have no balls like Jose Mourinho says, the cojones he calls it, If you don't have that, you can't stand back then because those guys... those guys will eat your life.

"And of course, Jose Mourinho was the guy who let those things happen. He let those things play out. He doesn't stop it because that's how we had to win. If we're going through a patch where we're not winning games, that's where everybody starts getting upset. People are getting angry.

"He's like, I like this. I want to see. This is what I want to see. I want to see that you guys are upset. You're upset with the situation we find ourselves. We have to switch. We have to switch back on. We have to start winning again. And then we go. That's how we go on this run and start winning games and just win."

Mikel secured two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the League Cup whilst playing under Mourinho. The former midfielder also explained how Mourinho's managerial philosophy could prepare any player for whatever challenges lay ahead.

"It's just the man management," he added. "He comes to you, you know, you can feel the passion. You know, sometimes managers have a conversation with you. You don't feel that. But when Jose comes to you and has a conversation with you, it's about, 'Are you ready to go to war with me? Are you ready to play for this club, this badge'?

"You want to win trophies. And if he finds a little bit of a hint that you're not ready, he doesn't take you with him. He always wants people to do that, 'I want that passion. Show me that passion and believe that we can go and beat anybody. We can beat anybody.'"