With Champions League exit looming large, Mourinho should learn from di Matteo

Zee Media Bureau/Jayanta Oinam

London: The onset of April is proving not too lucky for Jose Mourinho. Regarded as one of the greatest strategists, the Chelsea manager found himself and his team reeling – after a mid-season promise which saw the London outfit challenging for titles in both domestic and continental fronts. How much hard they tried, their billing got only battered by others` amplitude.

And Tuesday`s Champions League quarter-final return-leg tie at Stamford Bridge against Paris Saint-Germain will once again put the Portuguese in an unfamiliar turf. Any evasive action against the French ensemble – akin to their own set-up thanks to the backing of super rich oligarchs, will prove detrimental in his pursuit for glory. Their lack of attacking flair, as displayed at Parc des Princes, has been the bane in their recent outings.

Chelsea did manage to overturn a 3-1 first leg deficit against the same opponents two seasons ago, but this time, the Blues may well find themselves lacking the means to overhaul such a target. Except their 6-0 win over Arsenal, Chelsea have failed to score in some of their crucial matches, evidently against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in the league. Mourinho has rightly been ruing the lack of a potent strike-force in their ranks, which seems to be compromising their title challenge.

To proceed in the next round of the continental tournament, Mourinho will need to devise a tactical master-plan to beat their guests by at least two goals. But beating Laurent Blanc`s outfit by two goals looks improbable for the fact that the French champions, despite the absence of mercurial Zlatan Ibrahimovic, still pose a threat against the English team. A line-up which has the likes of Thiago Motta, Edison Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi will always be a threat.

Having already pushed down the pecking order in the league, Champions League crash would mean a trophy-less season for Mourinho`s second coming in London. And for inspiration, the Blues can certainly look back and how a certain Roberto di Matteo guided them through a rough patch during 2011-12 season. En route to winning their first Champions League title, Chelsea beat Napoli 4-1 in the second leg after trailing 1-3 of their round of 16 clash. Of course, then the Blues had their own Didier Drogba.