Chelsea 0 Inter Milan 1 (1-3 agg)
Chelsea were sent out of the Champions League last night by a familiar face in Jose Mourinho. For what couldn't be described as the most fluid of games of football, it grabbed every bit of attention as both sides battled and scrapped for the elusive goal that would tip the tie towards their team.
Carlo Ancelloti, in charge of Chelsea, will be left to concentrate on domestic competitions after last night's results. The man, who was brought in specifically to win the Champions League, will no doubt come under cristicism from some corners for his failures. But here's the thing, there was nothing he could do. His team weren't good enough and sadly for him, as a manager, neither was he.
Last night showed that money does indeed have a say on football and can create dominating and powerful teams, however the purist will take heart that the most important and decisive factor still is good manangement. Mourinho provided just that. He knew that playing two strikers wide, whose natural instincts would be to cut inside, would pin back Chelsea's full backs Zhirkov and Ivanovic. He knew that Drogba would start alone up front allowing both Lucio and Samuel to give him the full 'attenntion.' However most importantly, he knew that playing Sneijder high against Jon OBi Mikel would be a mismatch allowing the Dutchman to shine. And he did just that. The movement, the control, the touch and the vision displayed by Sneijder was of top class. People hail Messi, Rooney, Ronaldo when Europe's top competition comes around but even they had to be impressed with the Inter no. 10 last night.
Chelsea will look to penalty appeals, two of which they most definitely should have been awarded and say that luck is not on their side and that they are cursed. A given they were harshly treated last year and to an extent this year but great managers set up teams to frustrate and nulify other teams and also to use the misfortune of others to create fortune for themselves. Mourinho did just that.
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