Ruud Gullit: 'Chelsea are the Tiger Woods of the Premier League'

Ruud Gullit has likened Chelsea's collapse under Jose Mourinho to Tiger Woods's decline, insisting that the Premier League champions do not inspire fear any longer.

Mourinho's men lost 1-0 at Stoke City on Saturday for what was their seventh defeat of the league season, leaving them 16th in the table and three points clear of the relegation zone.

Woods has not won a Major title since 2008, having previously won 14 of them, and Gullit believes that his sporting meltdown is comparable to Chelsea's this season.

"It's like Tiger Woods," the Dutchman and former Blues boss told Sky Sports News.

"In the beginning everybody who was standing with Tiger Woods knew already that they had lost the game. Now people see him and Chelsea and think: 'We can beat them.'"

The West Londoners host Norwich City at Stamford Bridge when domestic football resumes in two weeks following the international break.