Source: Daily_Mail
Chelsea can't even scare the Old Lady these days as Blues head for Turin
There was a time when Chelsea would have strolled into a city like Turin with all the cocksure confidence of cockneys in Mini Coopers.
They would have named the team of their hosts - as Jose Mourinho so memorably did in Barcelona - or asked their fitness coach to fill in for the manager by attending the official UEFA press conference, as Mourinho so memorably did in Munich when he ordered Rui Faria to face the media interrogation.
It was a time when Chelsea toured the continent convinced they could execute the perfect smash and grab. A time when it was all part of the game and, for their former manager, part of the fun.
Now, however, Chelsea adopt a much more cautious approach, theirconfidence dented by the fact that they have not won away in Europesince December 2007 and what proved a chastening trip to Rome earlierthis season. The Italian side might not appear to be the force theyonce were but Roma were easy 3-1 winners against a side that, back inNovember, was stuttering under the guidance of Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Under Guus Hiddink things have obviously improved. For a start, theyhave won every one of Hiddink's first five games. But the Dutchmanstruggled to deliver his lines with any great gusto here last night,his thoughts no doubt affected by what turned out to be a difficultsecond half against Juventus last month. The underlying message in justa bout everything he said was the need for a bit of luck.
Michael Ballack endeavoured to appear more positive. He dismissedthe concerns about Chelsea's fitness that were raised by Hiddink afterseeing an ageing Juve side finish the stronger of the teams in thatfirst leg, insisting instead that they are back to their old selves.The 'power and the spirit' had returned, he declared. But, again, itwas not terribly convincing.
Hiddink knows how tough the Old Lady remains, even if this is notthe Juventus side that Alessandro Del Piero enjoyed such success within the mid-to-late 90s. Age has withered the once great Italianstriker, just as it has Pavel Nedved - but not to the extent whereChelsea's 1-0 lead can be considered particularly commanding.
Last night it was Claudio Ranieri who had that quiet air ofconfidence, Ranieri who smiled when told of Ballack's earlier remarksand Ranieri who only just stopped short of naming players he onceguided to a Champions League semi-final. 'I think they will play 4-3-3with either Anelka or Malouda on the left,' said the Italian. 'But itwill be more difficult because they will be tighter on the flanks.Perhaps more like 4-1-4-1.'
Judging by Chelsea's training session at the Stadio Olimpico lastnight, Hiddink might actually opt for a 4-4-2 formation that will see Michael Essien make his first start in six months on the right flank.
But Ballack and Hiddink conceded that the contest would indeed be'tight'. Even tighter if Chelsea decide to take what their German midfielder described as 'a gamble' and simply try and protect thatsingle goal advantage.
'We started well at Stamford Bridge and scored that early goal,'said Ballack. 'But we know we've got another tough 90 minutes ahead of us. You could see their strength after the goal. They have a lot ofvery good players in their team, so we expect another tight game hereas well.
'I don't know whether it's down to fitness but in this part of the season everybody should be fit. Sometimes, especially if you play the first game at home, it's not an easy situation. You never know what result is good for you: 1-0, 2-0, should we go for another goal? The main thing is we didn't concede and now we will see what that was worth.'
Not a lot, according to Hiddink, who insisted on ending last night's session with penalty practice.
'As Michael Ballack said, it's always nice to have a clean sheet,'he said. 'That's very important. But if you just wait in the second legand hope not to concede, you will have a lot of problems. We've not come here just to defend. That would be asking for trouble.
'At this level it's tight. Our game at Stamford Bridge was tight. Tomorrow it will be, too. When you are in this period in Europe, I don't want to talk about luck but you have to force luck a little bit.
'We are good enough to compete but that's not a guarantee. It's a man's game and we need a little bit of fortune also.'
Hiddink also spoke of 'desire rather than obligation', no doubt mindful of the fact that three of his four immediate predecessors -Ranieri included - have reached a Champions League semi-final at thevery least.
Again there was a message, perhaps to Roman Abramovich, that Chelsea should not expect too much after the problems they have endured this season.
Sensing Chelsea were nervous, Ranieri continued to turn the screw. 'We may envy the money of the English,' he said.
'But when it comes to the English, the Italians do not suffer withan inferiority complex.' They will endeavour to demonstrate as much tonight.
