Portuguese coach José Mourinho, currently managing Benfica, admitted the difficulty of watching Chelsea’s struggles under the BlueCo ownership group that purchased the club from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2022.

Mourinho’s comments came ahead of his visit to Stamford Bridge, the home of his former team, on Tuesday for the second round of the UEFA Champions League. It was his first time facing his former club since 2020 when he was Tottenham’s manager. Mourinho said: “Chelsea, my Chelsea, Abramovich’s Chelsea. The Chelsea we built to remain winners for many years. I won everything with them. It was a success machine during my era and after me with Ancelotti, Conte, and Tuchel, then came the big change with this crazy investment.”

Mourinho continued: “It seems that in just a few years, the team lost its compass due to too many players, too much money, and a lack of clear philosophy. Everyone who loves Chelsea found it hard to see them decline, but coach Mariska began to restore the winning mentality and imposed his philosophy step by step, first with the Conference League title and then the Club World Cup. He was smart; if you can’t win the Premier League, leave the season with another title, then went to the US and returned with a big golden badge on his chest. That’s why Mariska has a good team now.”

Regarding Cole Palmer’s absence from Tuesday’s match, Mourinho said: “I’m happy he’s absent; he’s a phenomenal player. Despite that, I believe the other players can fill the gap. I’m in big trouble if Sudakov or Pavlidis don’t play, but Chelsea doesn’t care about Palmer’s absence.”

Return to London

On his feelings about returning to London, Mourinho said: “I will see my son because he is in London, and currently, my wife and daughter are in Portugal. So the best thing about the match is that I will see my son and maybe, if possible, recover the points the team lost against Qarabag. But I know Chelsea is a top-class team with amazing players, a good coach, and a world champion. Chelsea also lost its first match in the competition, so they also need the points.

If I get a good reception from the wonderful fans in the stadium, that will be great, and if not, no problem because I am very happy to be back on the pitch.” Meanwhile, the Blues are looking to compensate for their local loss to Brighton on Saturday, where the Italian coach faced wide criticism describing his team as a failure both defensively and offensively.