It almost looked like an impossible task when Chelsea lost
the Champions league first leg match in Paris against Paris St Germain (PSG). The
team had gone down 3-1 and this was not an easy score line to overturn. I was
also harbouring some doubts at the same time believing in Jose Mourinho to
provide a silver lining for the Chelsea funs and that came in the form of a
victory against Europe’s emerging powers - PSG.
PSG who are backed by Qatari investors have
invested heavily in players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic who was missing due to
injury, Ezequiel
Lavezzi,
Edinson Cavani, Thiago Silva, Thiago Motta, Lucas Moura, Javier Pastore and
others. On script this is a great team capable of causing problems to any team
on earth. But Chelsea coach kept his belief in the likes of young Oscar, Eden
Hazard, Willian and the experience of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Petre Chech
and Branislav Ivanovic who did not disappoint on an important night at Stamford
Bridge. They went on to beat their visitors 2-0 for the game to end 3-3 on
aggregate. The Blues qualified on an away goal rule.
The winning goal came through Demba Ba, the man who has not been
used regularly this season. His 87th minute scrambled goal made a difference
after Chelsea had taken an early lead through Andre Schurrle in the first half. The Senegalese big
man who bundled in the ball from a Caesar Azpilicueta cross said afterwards, “I
saw the ball and it was in the goal. I just do what I have to do when I get
chances this season but tonight I took.” The Portuguese’s run along the
touchline evoked memories of his famous Old Trafford celebration when his Porto
side defeated Manchester United in 2004 although this time he was also keen to
whisper in his players’ ears not to take risk.
It was not so much about the players’ profiles but the
managers on the touchline. In Mourinho Chelsea has a coach who has won two
champions league trophies with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010. He has
also never lost a quarter final match in this competition. It is this
experience that the Portuguese was bringing to this clash against his opposite
Laurent Blank. The former Manchester United player has experience of playing in
the English league but no experience of coaching a team at that level. Mourinho
had told his players to “go out and play with smiles on their faces” as they
had nothing to lose after last week’s defeat and indeed his players did just
that.
It is the seventh time in 11 champions league campaigns that
Chelsea have reached the semi finals and Mourinho is on course to become the
first manager to win the European cup with three different clubs. The Chelsea
coach repaid the belief that the Stamford Bridge followers have in him when
they kept singing his return even when the team was winning the Europa league
last year. Someone even wrote “it is in moments like these that Chelsea brought
back Mourinho” refering to the Portuguese’s ability to prepare his players to
overturn the 3-1 loss suffered in Paris.
Everyone can be a coach but what separates good from bad
coaches is the character. Mourinho’s personality is one of wining, winning and
winning. It is this mentality that has seen him not lose at Stamford Bridge and
in 9 UEFA Champions League quarter finals. He is such a great tactician who is never
afraid to make important but sometimes risky decisions. One example was in last
night’s game where by the end of 90 minutes he had three strikers on the field
and it paid off.
Congratulations Chelsea!!!
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