Enzo Maresca said he has been "honest" rather than brutal with Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell as both continue to train away from Chelsea's first-team squad.
The Chelsea manager believes he has been clear with the "more than 15 players" - including forward Sterling and left-back Chilwell - who are being asked to train apart from his main group.
Maresca said Chelsea look like "a mess... from outside" as they attempt to trim a bloated squad but insisted that was far from being the reality.
He also denied there is any further need for "clarity" about Sterling's status, as the 82-cap England international's representatives have claimed.