The Chelsea now is very different to the one which Jose Mourinho was in charge of, however the former Blues manager has given his thoughts on the current regime of the club.
Mourinho is back in West London as part of a Benfica side looking to pile misery on the Blues in the midst of a poor run of form.
The pressure is on Enzo Maresca to deliver a strong performance and result off the back of consecutive Premier League defeats to Manchester United and Brighton.
A loss in the first Champions League game to Bayern Munich has made a result imperative for the Italian, who already has people calling for him to be replaced in his role.
Jose Mourinho gives honest thoughts on Todd Boehly at Chelsea
It has been reported that Todd Boehly is backing Maresca though, showing some loyalty to the coach who brought two trophies to Stamford Bridge last season.
Mourinho has praised how the American has put trust in Maresca to deliver at the top level, and he believes Chelsea are now ‘back on track’ as a result.
He said: “Even from the outside, myself I wondered about Chelsea’s identity as a club but the last season put things back on track. They gave trust in Enzo, he brought his ideas, he fit the philosophy of the club. The Conference League is an easy club for a big club to win – I did it with Roma – it is quite easy for a big club.
“The Club World Cup, I also say the Champions League is much more important, but the badge means a lot. It means a lot to be the first club to win that Club World Cup. It gives them a base of trust and confidence.
“I feel it at the supporters level. I live five minutes from here and we know the Chelsea population. It was a period of doubt but now it is a period of happiness and trust. I think Chelsea is back on track.”
Mourinho’s record vs Chelsea
On a week where a result is so important for Chelsea in order to not fall behind in the Champions League group stages, they can take solace in the fact they tend to have the upper hand in this matchup.
Mourinho’s record against Chelsea is poor. He has not tasted victory since an EFL Cup tie where the Blues lost on penalties to Tottenham.
The three-time Premier League winner is made for the big occasion though, and it comes no bigger than his first Champions League game in charge of his new club.
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