Chelsea will begin their Champions League campaign as favourites to progress in top spot from a group featuring FC Basel, Schalke and Steaua Bucharest. PHOTO: REUTERS
Jose Mourinho is ready to erase one of the worst memories of his career as the Chelsea manager returns to the Champions League against Swiss champions FC Basel tonight.
Mourinho’s last Champions League match in charge of Chelsea turned out to be the final fixture of his three-year reign in west London as a 1-1 draw against Norwegian minnows Rosenborg proved to be the final straw for owner Roman Abramovich.
A power struggle between Abramovich and Mourinho came to a head following that lacklustre performance at a half-empty Stamford Bridge, and the Portuguese coach was dismissed just 48 hours later.
But, following his return to the club from Real Madrid in pre-season, the 50-year-old has an opportunity to ensure thoughts of Chelsea and Europe conjure up happier memories in future.
To do so, he will have to balance his desire to fight for the Premier League title with the demands of European action.
That means prioritising who should play in each competition, with his three attacking midfield positions especially hard to juggle given he can choose from Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Oscar, Andre Schurrle and Willian.
“I don’t know if I keep them happy,” said Mourinho. “I’m happy because I have so many good players and I’m happy because doing well or not, I do it in an honest way.
“I will judge on the pitch. I will not judge on words or interviews, not on agents or parents or friends or comments or the press or tweets or something like that.
“I will let football speak and I will let football decide.
“So if one guy is the man of the match, he has to play the next match.”
Barca welcome Ajax for historic first clash
For two sides with such a great history in European football, the meeting between Barcelona and Ajax tonight will remarkably be the first ever competitive match between the two clubs.
The feeling that this is a historic occasion is felt even more strongly in the Catalan capital given the huge influence the Ajax model has had on the incredible success Barcelona have enjoyed over the past three decades.
However, Barca have had an uncertain start to the season despite winning all four of their league games and reclaiming the Spanish Super Cup.
The Spanish champions needed an injury time winner from Alexis Sanchez to beat Sevilla 3-2 on Saturday after spurning a two-goal lead in the final 10 minutes.
Winger Cristian Tello believes it is a positive sign that they have continued to win whilst adjusting to new coach Gerardo Martino’s methods.
“It is good to be critical of ourselves and even more so when we have taken 12 points from a possible 12 and won the Super Cup,” he said. “Martino is adding new facets to our game that perhaps we lacked so that we are not predictable.”
Tonight’s fixtures
Chelsea v Basel
Schalke v Bucuresti
Marseille v Arsenal
Napoli v Dortmund
AC Milan v Celtic
Barcelona v Ajax
Atlético v Zenit
Vienna v Porto
Published in The Express Tribune, September 18th, 2013.
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For two sides with such a great history in European football, the meeting between Barcelona and Ajax was an amazing game