Champions League News
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MOURINHO - QUALIFYING IS ALL
Jose Mourinho no longer believes it is a prerequisite of success in the Champions League to finish top of your group.
Mourinho has always insisted that nine points will guarantee a place in the knockout stages and while he set his sights on finishing top of the group in last year's competition, the reward was a controversial tie with Spanish giants Barcelona.
Chelsea currently sit level on points with Barclays Premiership rivals Liverpool and victory over Real Betis at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night will put them within two points of his target.
Mourinho knows his side cannot afford to be off their game against the Spaniards but his task of getting a positive result may well be affected by the loss of winger Damien Duff.
He will miss out on the game after undergoing cartilage surgery which will sideline him for between four and five weeks.
But Mourinho is focused on reaching the next stage as quickly as possible and he is no longer concerned with the importance of finishing in pole position.
"First of all it is important to qualify - being first or second in the group, last season proved that means nothing," he said.
"We were champions in our group and got Barcelona, maybe the best team in Europe at that time. Unless you are very lucky to get an easy team because you are first in the group, normally it means nothing.
"We have to qualify, and to qualify soon is better than late, but is soon one game before the end of the group? I don't know.
"The important thing is that we have what is good - a victory at home and a draw away. We are in a good way. But we cannot allow ourselves to sleep."
The Portuguese coach who took Chelsea to the semi-finals last season after winning the trophy with Porto the previous year, still believes more luck is needed to win the competition than the Premiership.
Chelsea currently have a hefty lead over the rest of the chasing pack as they look to retain the title they won for the first time in 50 years last season.
"You need a little bit of luck to win the Champions League," he admitted.
"The Premiership is different. If you finish top you are the best team but the best teams don't always win the Champions League."
Duff's absence will allow Mourinho to stick with his 4-3-3 formation by playing Shaun Wright-Phillips alongside Dutchman Arjen Robben and Didier Drogba in attack.
- credit: Sporting Life -
Originally posted by miss_soojung:
gogogo,the team is on a high..may our good run continue..
[b]MOURINHO - QUALIFYING IS ALL
Jose Mourinho no longer believes it is a prerequisite of success in the Champions League to finish top of your group.
Mourinho has always insisted that nine points will guarantee a place in the knockout stages and while he set his sights on finishing top of the group in last year's competition, the reward was a controversial tie with Spanish giants Barcelona.
Chelsea currently sit level on points with Barclays Premiership rivals Liverpool and victory over Real Betis at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night will put them within two points of his target.
Mourinho knows his side cannot afford to be off their game against the Spaniards but his task of getting a positive result may well be affected by the loss of winger Damien Duff.
He will miss out on the game after undergoing cartilage surgery which will sideline him for between four and five weeks.
But Mourinho is focused on reaching the next stage as quickly as possible and he is no longer concerned with the importance of finishing in pole position.
"First of all it is important to qualify - being first or second in the group, last season proved that means nothing," he said.
"We were champions in our group and got Barcelona, maybe the best team in Europe at that time. Unless you are very lucky to get an easy team because you are first in the group, normally it means nothing.
"We have to qualify, and to qualify soon is better than late, but is soon one game before the end of the group? I don't know.
"The important thing is that we have what is good - a victory at home and a draw away. We are in a good way. But we cannot allow ourselves to sleep."
The Portuguese coach who took Chelsea to the semi-finals last season after winning the trophy with Porto the previous year, still believes more luck is needed to win the competition than the Premiership.
Chelsea currently have a hefty lead over the rest of the chasing pack as they look to retain the title they won for the first time in 50 years last season.
"You need a little bit of luck to win the Champions League," he admitted.
"The Premiership is different. If you finish top you are the best team but the best teams don't always win the Champions League."
Duff's absence will allow Mourinho to stick with his 4-3-3 formation by playing Shaun Wright-Phillips alongside Dutchman Arjen Robben and Didier Drogba in attack.
- credit: Sporting Life[/b]
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strangely, odds on that they're beaten by Everton next week!
that'll be a laugh and a half -
sh|t happens..but please don't let the god of football sh|t on that match..Btw did you know that even at halftime 1-0 down to bolton,bookmakers were still offering odds on 11-1 for a bolton win??Originally posted by the Bear:strangely, odds on that they're beaten by Everton next week!
that'll be a laugh and a half -
Touch wood!!!Originally posted by the Bear:strangely, odds on that they're beaten by Everton next week!
that'll be a laugh and a half
How'd your Paulaner outing go? Lots of good food & drinks? -
MOURINHO WORRIED BY BETIS ATTACK
Jose Mourinho expects Real Betis to go for victory in Wednesday's Champions League tie at Stamford Bridge.
"The group is dangerous not because of Liverpool but because of Betis," said the Chelsea boss, whose side lead Group G on goal difference from the Reds.
"They know if they come to defend it will be very difficult. They also know Chelsea have not lost this season. That will be a big motivation for them.
"I like them. I like the way they play. They have a lot of quality in attack."
Liverpool have already beaten Betis but the Spaniards had a fine win over Anderlecht in Belgium.
Chelsea have taken three points off Anderlecht and drawn with Liverpool.
"Everything in the group is open and it will be open until the end," Mourinho said.
He has already warned hs players against complacency.
"First of all it is important to qualify - being first or second in the group, last season proved that means nothing," he said.
"We have to qualify, and to qualify soon is better than late.
"The important thing is that we have what is good - a victory at home and a draw away. We are in a good way. But we cannot allow ourselves to sleep."
Betis winger Joaquin was linked with a move to Chelsea in the past but believes his side have a chance of creating an upset.
"I don't believe that they are invincible," he said.
"They have a great team and right now it's almost impossible to beat them. It's obvious that it's going to be complicated, but anything can happen in 90 minutes.
"It's motivating to play against the best of England and Europe. For us it's an historical match and we hope that we will find the way through, take away the three points and continue our march forward."
- credit: BBC Sport -
Chelsea is a punter's nightmare. Bet them to win but don't get much returns....
Bet against them, most likely you will lose.
Heard that betting with Arsenal and Liverpool more interesting....They are so unpredictable....
Arsenal - odds lowered with Henry plays
Liverpool - depend whether the players quarrel with their wives/girlfriends the night before.
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CHELSEA 4
REAL BETIS 0
What more can I say. -
BETIS BATTERED BY BRILLIANT BLUES
Chelsea's passage into the knockout phase of the Champions League now looks assured after a magnificent victory over Real Betis at Stamford Bridge.
Jose Mourinho had pinpointed two wins against the Spaniards as pivotal to their progress in the competition and the first half of the job was carried out with competent ease in London as Chelsea took their tally to 13 goals in their last three games.
The win puts the Blues top of Group G and with Mourinho believing nine points will be enough to ensure qualification to the next stage, the English champions can achieve their ambitions with a similarly classy performance in sun-kissed Seville in a fortnight.
Prior to kick-off Betis were just a point behind the Londoners and quietly believed they possessed the necessary firepower to inflict the first defeat of the season on the runaway Barclays Premiership leaders.
But they were taken apart by a Chelsea side who have yet to meet their match either domestically or in Europe this season and who, on this kind of form, look more than capable of going one step further than the semi-final stage they reached last season.
The Spaniards, currently languishing in mid-table in La Liga with just two wins to their name this season, are not particularly noted for their attacking ambitions.
However, coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer had the good sense to understand that trying to defend against Mourinho's men is a futile tactic which merely invites Chelsea to inflict maximum damage on their opponents. Sadly for the Betis chief, it made no difference.
They briefly threatened to shock Chelsea and Joaquin's fourth minute free-kick would have caused Carlo Cudicini problems had Frank Lampard not protected his goalkeeper with a timely intervention.
Sixty seconds later it was Claude Makelele's turn to rescue the Londoners when he cleared a header from Gutierrez Juanito off the goal-line.
At this juncture, the Spaniards looked lively, full of invention and goalscoring intent - a refreshing change from the lifeless performance Anderlecht produced against the Blues in the first game of this season's competition.
It wasn't long though before the Chelsea machine inevitably began to crank itself into a momentum which, as most teams have discovered this season, is difficult to halt once it reaches a certain gear.
The hands of Betis goalkeeper Antonio Doblas had already been stung by a vicious 20-yard drive from Joe Cole and when Shaun Wright-Phillips evaded his marker and delivered a measured cross into the six-yard box, Didier Drogba was inches away from applying the finishing touch.
The Ivory coast hitman, enjoying a rich vein of form after bagging a brace in their 5-1 Barclays Premiership demolition of Bolton on Saturday, soon made amends - making Betis pay dearly for giving the ball away cheaply in midfield.
The guilty party, Fernando Varela, presented the ball to Michael Essien in the centre circle and the Ghanaian international burst forward unchallenged as the Betis defence opted for a policy of containment rather than confrontation.
However, Essien proved far to clever for the Spaniards and, after fooling the retreating defenders by feigning to shoot, he supplied the perfect pass into the penalty area for the lurking Drogba to thread the ball under the body of the advancing Doblas in the 24th minute.
A minute before the interval and Real's hopes evaporated completely thanks to another present - this time courtesy of 'keeper Doblas.
He kindly dropped Frank Lampard's free-kick at the feet of Ricardo Carvalho on his own goal line and the Portuguese defender gleefully smashed the ball home.
Not even the loss of Drogba at half-time could upset Chelsea's evening although it may have imminent repercussions in terms of the Premiership this weekend.
He felt the full force of a David Rivas tackle just before the break and was replaced at half-time by Hernan Crespo.
In the 59th minute, Chelsea put the game beyond the reach of their opponents with a splendid move that had Mourinho out of his seat and celebrating along the touchline in a rare display of Portuguese pleasure.
The prime mover was the impressive Essien who delivered the perfect ball into the path of England midfielder Cole.
The youngster, showing yet more evidence of his growing maturity and stature, waited for the right moment to despatch a right-foot shot into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of penalty area.
But the best was yet to come. It arrived five minutes later courtesy of a stunning three man move. Lampard's superb 30-yard pass over the top of Melli's head was met by Wright-Phillips who volleyed the ball, first-time, back into the six-yard box for Crespo to head home from point blank range.
It was a move of sheer quality and class and put the gloss on another scintillating performance from Chelsea.
- credit: Sporting Life -
Make them sound so unprofessionalOriginally posted by eemtij:Liverpool - depend whether the players quarrel with their wives/girlfriends the night before.
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MOURINHO HAILS ESSIEN EFFECT
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho hailed record buy Michael Essien's stunning performance in a 4-0 Champions League hammering of Real Betis tonight as his best for the club.
Essien, who cost the Blues £24.4 m, ran the game from start to finish for the Barclays Premiership champions, who now top Group G thanks to their rout of the Spaniards at Stamford Bridge.
Goals from Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho gave Chelsea a priceless advantage at the interval and they completed the demolition job with further strikes from Joe Cole and substitute Hernan Crespo.
Cole dedicated his strike to his father George who is in hospital after suffering a minor heart attack a few days before the game.
Underpinning Chelsea's victory though was the tireless work of the Ghana international Essien, who was instrumental in the build-up to their first and third goals.
"He was the best player on the pitch," enthused a delighted Mourinho.
"He won every challenge in midfield and gave a different pace to the game.
"He was too strong for Betis and recovered a high percentage of balls.
"He was crucial in the build-up to the first and third goals. He was too powerful for them.
"I think it was his best game - a more complete one than he has played. Overall I think his performance was amazing."
Mourinho's side are now just one win away from qualification for the next phase of the competition and have yet to concede a goal in Europe this season.
To a man, Chelsea were significantly better than Betis, but Mourinho was still unhappy with the way his side failed to cope with Spaniards in the air during the early stages.
"If they had scored first we would have seen a totally different game," he conceded.
"We played against Liverpool and against Bolton with players 1.85, 1.90, 1.95 and Peter Crouch 2.0 metres, and we had no problems with set-pieces.
"Against Betis with only one player over 1.85 metres, it is unacceptable the problems we had from set-pieces in the first 15 minutes.
"The result was a consequence of 2-0 in front at half-time.
"In the second half they tried but they gave us a lot of space and we scored two more goals. We could have scored four or five more.
"They started well and maybe better than us but in football the first goal is always important because it gives more confidence. They played good football and were always dangerous until we scored the third goal - it killed the game. I know in 15 days' time we will have a difficult game in Betis."
But the Portuguese coach refused to get carried away with a result that will undoubtedly send a warning to the rest of Europe whether Mourinho likes it or not.
Chelsea are nine points clear at the top of the Premiership with nine straight wins and have hit 13 goals in the last three games.
"We don't want to send messages," he said. "We just want to achieve our targets and they are to win the Premier League and, for a start, be in the next stage of the Champions League.
"At this moment we have seven points and it is a good situation for us."
Betis coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer insists they had much to learn from the lesson Chelsea handed out to them and conceded the Blues' second goal just seconds before the interval was the killer blow.
"We were playing against a great side," admitted Ferrer.
"We had a good lesson out there. Chelsea competed better, fought harder for the 50-50 balls all over the field.
"The second goal on the stroke of half-time really affected us. We went into the dressing room a little bit down.
"I think we can take stuff from this defeat. It is all about learning - both for me and the players.
"We will take a look at things calmly in order to learn and improve for the next game."
- credit: Sporting Life -
Boo Fifa!! Essein should be suspended
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I fully agree with you that Essien must be suspended for dangerous play. But then, there are rules to follow.Originally posted by The man who was death:Boo Fifa!! Essein should be suspended -
WE ARE THROUGH TO THE NEXT ROUND
Anderlecht 0-2 Chelsea
Chelsea sealed their passage into the Champions League knockout phase with a comfortable win against Anderlecht.
Hernan Crespo's crisp volley put Chelsea on their way after only eight minutes as Jose Mourinho's side swiftly established control.
And Ricardo Carvalho's far-post finish seven minutes later clinched their first Champions League win on foreign soil for 12 months.
Frank Lampard struck the post late on as Chelsea cruised to victory.
Crespo was given the nod ahead of Didier Drogba - and wasted no time in rewarding boss Mourinho for his selection.
Mbo Mpenza steered a close-range effort narrowly wide after eight minutes, and his miss was punished within seconds as Chelsea swept to the other end to score.
Lampard's cross was inviting, but Crespo showed magnificent technique and composure to steer an airborne finish beyond Silvio Proto.
And Chelsea built on the lead as Carvalho added a second after 15 minutes.
Crespo turned creator to head on Joe Cole's corner, and Carvalho showed a striker's touch to deliver a powerful finish at the far post.
The Argentine striker's pedigree was clear to see, and he almost added his second with an instinctive volley from Vincent Kompany's poor clearance, which flew narrowly over.
Anderlecht were spirited, but lacked real quality, and they rarely looked like scoring their first goal of the Champions League campaign in the opening 45 minutes.
Bart Goor's deflected shot was easily saved by Petr Cech, while the Chelsea keeper needed to be alert to halt Mpenza.
Chelsea continued to look dangerous, and Damien Duff's shot was turned away by a desperate block following a rampaging run from Carvalho.
Mourinho, attempting to clinch a crucial win, sent on Lassana Diarra for Cole after 62 minutes.
Chelsea cruised comfortably through the second half, and almost added a third with eight minutes left, when Proto turned Lampard's shot on to the upright.
- credit: BBC Sport -
Liverpool & Chelsea reach last 16
Liverpool and Chelsea can ease off the gas in the final round of Champions League group games after securing their places in the knockout stage.
European champions Liverpool drew 0-0 with Real Betis at Anfield as they held on to top spot in Group G.
Meanwhile, Hernan Crespo and Ricardo Carvalho handed Chelsea a 2-0 victory at the expense of hosts Anderlecht.
The final game between the two English sides, at Stamford Bridge in December, will decide who wins the group.
Rangers, Porto and Artmedia Bratislava all still have a chance of joining Group H winners Inter Milan in the knockout stage.
Rangers claimed a valuable point at Porto thanks to a late equaliser from substitute Ross McCormack after Lisandro Lopez's opener.
Brazil's Leite Adriano scored a hat-trick to help Inter Milan to a 4-0 win over Artmedia and qualification.
Luis Figo set the Italian giants on their way to their fourth group win.
AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven and Schalke 04 can all still qualify from Group E.
Andriy Shevchenko scored four as Milan beat Fenerbahce 4-0, while Levan Kobiashvili also scored three to help Schalke to a 3-0 win over PSV.
Lyon's John Carew and and Real Madrid's Guti scored as Group F's two qualifiers played out a 1-1 draw.
Rosenborg's Thorstein Helstad scored a late equaliser to deny Olympiacos after Rivaldo's first-half strike.
Teams that have qualified for Champions League knockout stage:
Ajax
Arsenal
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Chelsea
Inter Milan
Juventus
Liverpool
Lyon
Real Madrid
-credit: BBC Sport -
pix from SportingLife
Mourinho cool on Liverpool clash
Jose Mourinho insists he will not be concerned if Chelsea finish second behind Liverpool in their Champions League group.
Chelsea and Liverpool have qualified for the knockout stage, and meet at Stamford Bridge in the final game.
Mourinho said after the 2-0 win against Anderlecht: "We want to win and finish top, but it won't make a big difference because all top teams are there.
"You may get Real Madrid or Lyon, or Juventus or Bayern Munich - we'll see."
In the knockout stages, group winners play runners-up.
Mourinho said: "We want to beat Liverpool and they want to beat us. Everyone wants to win and we cannot play for nothing at Chelsea.
"We want to finish first, but as far the consequence of finishing first or second goes, I don't see a big difference.
"There are a lot of good teams going into the second stage. What's the difference to play Juventus or play Bayern Munich?
"Last season we finished first and we played against Barcelona in the next stage."
Mourinho was satisfied with his side's victory, the first on their travels in the Champions League for 12 months.
He said: "We started very well and the first half was strong, not just because of the goals but the quality of our play.
"The second half was not so good, but we controlled the game and the team was comfortable - it was just a question of controlling the game.
"I would prefer to have played in the second half as we did in the first, but it was our second clean sheet and very, very comfortable."
Chelsea captain John Terry said: "It was not as comfortable as we would have liked, but we started well which we haven't done in previous games. We have gone 2-0 up and kept the ball brilliantly after that.
"They had a couple of half-chances playing the counter-attack but we've got a clean sheet and we are pleased with that.
"It's pleasing to come here and get a win, it's a tough place to come but we've done it."
And Terry insists the hard work is not over as the Blues look to pip domestic rivals Liverpool to top spot to secure a supposedly easier draw in the next round.
"It's very important for the knock-out stages, it's important to come top psychologically and to win the group would be a great achievement."
- credit: BBC Sport -
Champion's League draw (ties to be played 21/22 Feb & 7/8 Mar) :
CHELSEA v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Arsenal
Werder Bremen v Juventus
Bayern Munich v AC Milan
PSV Eindhoven v Lyon
Ajax v Inter Milan
Benfica v Liverpool
Rangers v Villarreal
Barca again ?!?!?
Other interesting big clashes will be the Real v Arsenal and Bayern v AC ones