• A win would secure Group E and knockout stage for Chelsea • Manager, in his crewcut, could then rest players for busy run José Mourinho has called on Chelsea to secure their passage into the knockout phase of the Champions League with victory at Basel on Tuesday as his players enter a cluttered and pivotal period of the season where only the brave can survive. A victory at St Jakob-Park will claim Group E for the Europa League holders and allow Mourinho to rest key personnel for the final group game against Steaua Bucharest. Chelsea have nine fixtures in all competitions in December with Mourinho, sporting a repeat of his self-styled going to war crewcut from 2006, urging his players to prove their quality and stamp their authority on the campaign. This is a period I like, a period where the squad can play a role, not just the team, the manager said. Its a period where I think only the brave can survive because its so hard. We go into the Christmas period and the accumulation of matches is so high. We dont do it as a normal thing … we do it as a special group with a special mentality, enjoying the situation and forgetting we dont have a Christmas like the Spanish, Italian and German players. But we have the pleasure of playing a period thats only for the brave. I always enjoyed this part of the year when I was in England, and I missed it when I was in Spain and Italy. We need a special mentality to cope with that situation. Nine matches, and one of them is the match against Steaua. Finish the job against Basel and we would ensure that, instead of having nine competitive matches, we only have eight. That would be important. Thats our motivation, to kill the situation in the group stage and give us a bit of space in December. Mourinho, who has Fernando Torres available again after a groin injury but has lost David Luiz to a bruised knee, admitted he had cut his own hair at the training ground last week while all but four of his players were absent on international duty. The savagely cropped style is similar to that sported seven years ago when he had embarked on his third and ultimately tempestuous campaign at the club by declaring: Look at my haircut – I am ready for war. This time the crop may more have reflected the tedium of the international window, even if he had felt compelled to send a selfie to his wife before venturing back home. I did it myself down at the training ground, he said. I asked Fernando to give me his machine [clippers], and I did it myself in front of the mirror. Its nice and cheap. Some people cant do what I did. In a couple of months, Ill have hair again. Some other people wouldnt … I did send a picture of it to my wife before I arrived home to see if Id be allowed in, and yes, there was no problem. The desire to win the group should see Torres restored having missed three club matches with a groin injury sustained in training, though Juan Mata may once again be left stewing on the bench despite his manager praising his professionalism on the fringes. Thats a consequence of the squad we have because Juan deserves to play given the way he works and behaves, he added. Its hard for them when theyre not playing, and its hard for me. I dont have a special pleasure leaving players out. I enjoy playing them and making them happy, but theres nothing I can do. Basel, top of the Swiss league and unbeaten domestically since mid-August, won the groups opening fixture at Stamford Bridge only to struggle in the months since. There was an admission from their midfielder, Fabian Frei, that they would welcome even a point against the Londoners with one eye on securing Europa League qualification. If somebody tomorrow has to feel the pressure, its not us, Mourinho said. Its Basel because they are in a limited situation to qualify for the next round. This is a difficult game, but this Chelsea is better than the Chelsea that played at Stamford Bridge. Hopefully we can continue the good run weve had in the Champions League and finish the job. • Chelsea • José Mourinho • Basel • Champions League Dominic Fifield theguardian © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 02:24:43 +0000
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