Chelsea v Inter Milan: Joes Mourinho back in wild west ahead of Champions League showdown

By Henry Winter 733AM GMT fourteen March 2010

Shooting from the hip Jose Mourinho regularly provides a show Photo REUTERS

Shortly prior to 6pm Monday evening, Mourinho will wander in to Stamford Bridge for precision with Inter Milan and for an additional of his all-ticket, all-ears media briefings, personification some-more mind games prior to the genuine diversion of Tuesdays second leg of the Champions League initial impressive person round.

Mourinho competence caring to troubadour just what has changed. Joe Cole is still on the bench. Chelsea sojourn heavily reliant on the spinal column that Mourinho so strengthened, the Cech-Terry-Lampard-Drogba sequence of command.

Chelsea 4 West Ham 1 Premier League list Premier League fixtures Sport on radio Chelsea v Inter Milan Jose Mourinho on his Stamford Bridge lapse

All of those who have followed Mourinho in to the home dug-out, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and right away Ancelotti have tweaked Mourinhos team, not overhauled it, as a quick peek at the story books confirms.

For Mourinhos initial game, the 1-0 win over Manchester United on fifteen Aug 2004, Chelsea lined up Cech; Ferreira, Gallas, Terry, Bridge; Geremi (Carvalho), Makelele, Lampard, Smertin; Drogba (Kezman), Gudjohnsen (Parker). Carvalho, similar to Drogba a key partisan by Mourinho, quickly staid in, pulling Gallas to full-back. Joe Cole additionally proposed nineteen times for Mourinho in 2004-05.

For Mourinhos last diversion at the Bridge, the September 18, 2007 pull with Rosenborg, Chelsea really bad longed for the harmed Lampard and Drogba. That group lined up Cech; Belletti, Terry, Alex, A Cole (Ben-Haim); J Cole (Wright-Phillips), Makelele, Essien, Malouda; Shevchenko, Kalou. After the deleterious draw, Mourinho conspicuous himself "alarmed.

So did Roman Abramovich, who was amongst the insignificant throng of 24,973 in attendance that dispiriting Rosenborg tie. Chelseas champion craved some-more party and, particularly, excellence in the Champions League. So Mourinho was dismissed. The poke for the Holy Grail continued. Although Grant reached the Moscow final, the genuine pushing force seemed the comparison players.

Luiz Felipe Scolari never seemed to have all the comparison players onside and he shortly went.

Hiddink excised all the governing body and noise but was merely flitting through. Ancelotti, a far less confrontational impression than Mourinho, a fire-extinguisher rather than a fire-starter, is right away charged with reprising his success at AC Milan and streamer Chelsea to feat in Europe. The total irony of Mourinho right away hire in Chelseas proceed is quite supreme. No fan of Ancelotti, Mourinho is doubtful to hail his counter in the demeanour of West Hams Gianfranco Zola here at the Bridge yesterday a lick on both cheeks.

Another returning Chelsea legend, Mourinho, competence note with a grade of exasperation that a sure revisionism has appeared over Chelseas personification character underneath him. They were positively a machine, relentless, uber-drilled, and mostly indicted of not in flair. Johan Cruyff criticised Mourinhos "pragmatic approach. "Were not entertaining? came Mourinhos spicy response. "I dont care; we win. On presumption control, Grant even had the benevolence to tag the group he hereditary as carrying a long-ball past.

Mourinhos teams might not be functions of glorious art but they are customarily value watching. Inter might have lost at Catania on Friday but Wesley Sneijder gives genuine qualification to their 4-3-1-2 system. For durations of his initial deteriorate at Chelsea, Mourinho had Arjen Robben and Damien Duff out far-reaching in a 4-3-3 formation, regularly seeking to instil their proceed past hostile defences. In the Champions League that year, the 4-2 feat over Barcelona was spiced with a little of the majority refreshing football ever witnessed at the Bridge.

In that season, a little of Chelseas majority tasteful football came when Drogba was injured. They ripped Charlton apart, degraded Everton, personification with panache. Eidur Gudjohnsen led the line but mostly forsaken deep, shifting passes by for Robben and Duff. Chelseas some-more approach character came when Drogba bullied Bayern Munichs counterclaim in to submission. Broadsword transposed rapier. Mourinho might caring to simulate that Chelseas emplacement with Drogba endures.

A clarity of indomitability suffused Chelsea in those back-to-back title-winning seasons, an complete loyalty to success. Even prior to assembly Mourinho, each player perceived a notation from their new coach. "From here, each practice, each game, each notation of your amicable hold up contingency centre on the target of being champions, Mourinho wrote. "First-teamer will not be a scold word. I need all of you. You need each other. We are a TEAM.

If Mourinho felt "betrayed by sure players towards the end, he primarily built a absolute "all for one collective. He done great players better.

"Who were Lampard, Terry and Drogba dual years ago? reflected Mourinho a hold immodestly after streamer them to unbroken titles. "They were positively not universe stars. Mourinho positively helped them turn tellurian forces.

Chelsea have grown in a little areas over the past 6 years, stalled in others. Goalkeeper is a problem. Cech is not the widespread participation as prior to his 2006 incident with Readings Stephen Hunt. Injuries to Cech and Hilario meant Ross Turnbull proposed opposite West Ham, nonetheless the youngster had no possibility with Scott Parkers first-half thunderbolt.

The right-back on all sides has never been scrupulously filled, Chelsea still ruing Mourinhos unsuccessful office of Dani Alves. Jose Bosingwa and right away Branislav Ivanovic are decent going brazen but not in the same defensive category as Ashley Cole over on the left. Chelsea have been flattering unchanging in the centre, either Terry is partnered by quite Ricardo Carvalho or, as yesterday, Alex.

When Mourinho checks the DVD of this West Ham game, he will see how Chelsea go on to distinction from crosses, Alex and Drogba streamer home balls from the glorious Malouda. Yet Mido uneasy both Terry and Alex. Chelsea have not been at their majority defensively stubborn this season, a point Mourinho will goal to exploit.

The Portuguese took measureless honour in purify sheets. When Arsenal kick Spurs 5-4, Mourinho brimmed with contempt. "That was not a football score, it was a hockey score, he sniffed. "In precision I mostly fool around matches of 3 opposite 3 and when the measure reaches 5-4 I send the players at the back of to the sauce room, since they are not fortifying properly.

Like right-back, Chelseas anchorman purpose has still not been scrupulously addressed. John Obi Mikel shows signs of bargain the purposes demands, winning the round and distributing it shrewdly, but he lacks Makeleles positional nous and was eclipsed by Parker yesterday.

Lampard is Lampard, splendidly consistent, delivering week in, week out, quite right away that Ancelotti allows him to conflict from a deeper station. Although Mourinho brought in Malouda, the manager over shortly after. It was usually this season, underneath Ancelotti, that Malouda has flourished.

Used often in a some-more executive beautiful purpose at the back of Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, Malouda essentially played some-more on the left opposite West Ham, giving Jonathan Spector a pain-filled afternoon. As Malouda has waxed, Joe Coles star has waned. Yet Mourinho would probably grant with Ancelottis sidelining of the fickle Englishman. Some things dont shift at the Bridge.