In a typically bizarre analogy, Mourinho admits that without his best players, it is like trying to make an omelette without the best eggs money can buy.
Mourinho declared: "The style of how we play is very important. But it is omelettes and eggs. No eggs - no omelettes! It depends on the quality of the eggs.
"In the supermarket you have class one, two or class three eggs and some are more expensive than others and some give you better omelettes.
"So when the class one eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there, you have a problem.
"When you have Drogba, Lampard, Michael Ballack and Ricardo Carvalho injured you are speaking about 40% of the team. You are speaking about the spine of the team - one central defender, two midfield players and one striker.
"After that you go to Claudio Pizarro. He is the second target man on the team and should be the direct replacement for Drogba. He is out too. But Wayne Bridge is also out and so Ashley Cole is the only left-back we have.
"He is playing games, every minute for Chelsea and the national team. The problem is not the number of injuries but which players they are and their importance for the team.
"That is the problem. In this moment when you speak about Lampard and Drogba, you are speaking about more than 50% of the goals the team scores.
"They are important injuries for us. That is the reality. I don't want to cry about it. I want to work with the players I have available, try to play the best and try to get results."