SOCCER/Uefa Champions League: Even when the stakes are fairly small Jose Mourinho is unrelenting in his scheming. In preparation for tonight's Champions League match at the Camp Nou he used the dive with which Eidur Gudjohnsen gained a penalty for Barcelona in La Liga on Saturday to portray his opponents as being steeped in deceitfulness.
His opposite number Frank Rijkaard replied with a contemptuous review of Mourinho's thought processes: "It's a poor man's mind in general."
Mourinho actually had his wits about him, unappealing as the tactic was. He nurses grievances regarding Barcelona and must hope to make the referee Stefano Faria suspicious of events this evening. Gudjohnsen's behaviour led to the opener in a 3-0 win over Recreativo Huelva and Mourinho's insinuation is that the Icelander has only been instructed in these black arts since moving from Chelsea in the summer.
"It's a bit surprising, especially with Eidur," he said. "Eidur played in English football all his life and three months later he gets that penalty." He returned to the topic for his parting words of the press conference when a local journalist asked if this contest might be a piece of great theatre. "Ask Eidur," Mourinho scoffed, with an allusion to play-acting.
It was a harsh way to speak of an ex-employee and the subject grew preposterous when he purported to be extolling the Premiership. "In England players are not allowed to do that," he said. While there may be an occasional hullabaloo over cheating it is nonsensical to speak as if it were taboo. Even if Gudjohnsen was never considered particularly underhand, Chelsea employ other footballers, such as Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben, who have had periods of notoriety.
Mourinho's objective was to freshen up an old conspiracy theory. "I know the number of penalties [ Barcelona] have at home and the number of times they play against 10 players," he said. There was a small homily about the officials needing to be as good a team as those actually playing. "If that happens the game will be fantastic," he promised. "We have a great responsibility. Around the world this is the game they want to see."
Rijkaard would not dissent from that and avoided a prolonged debate over his own side's morals. "We are working hard and we are working honestly," he said. "We don't need [ to cheat]. It's a poor man's mind in general. It's always the losers who are complaining about a result. It's something we have to cope with."
Despite all the synthetic furore, Chelsea need not care too much about the match since they will top Group A irrespective of the result and the manager, for once, was tactful as he spurned any notion of a plot against the holders. Barcelona, with four points so far, are five adrift of the Premiership champions and could be vulnerable if they are beaten tonight.
Werder Bremen, who face Levski Sofia in Bulgaria today, have also garnered four points so far and take on Chelsea in Germany in the next set of fixtures. "Anyone who thinks we will go there to lose is just crazy," said Mourinho.
The temptation would only gather strength if his side won tonight and reached 12 points, virtually ensuring its advance to the knockout phase as group winners.
"I don't have a personal situation with Barcelona," Mourinho said. "Helping Werder Bremen to knock them out is not my fight."
The standard of his team's display, on the other hand, is as significant to him as usual. Andriy Shevchenko may start, despite the fact that his leg injury had been a worry. The Ukrainian completed a training session in the Camp Nou.
Shevchenko may have Drogba as a partner in attack, since he seemed to have recovered from hurting a foot in the win over Sheffield United on Saturday. Mourinho, even so, had floated the notion of Salomon Kalou starting. The 21-year-old has appeared as a substitute in Chelsea's three previous Champions League games.
Kalou represents Mourinho's desire to renew the Chelsea line-up. The manager speaks now of having two groups in the squad, one of which has members aged 27 and upwards who are "adapted to the needs of big matches". The other is made up of "young boys, full of talent, who are working to be part of our future".
The effect has been the emergence of a more flexible Chelsea team that does not need to be wedded solely to 4-3-3. Mourinho also senses that the mature newcomers such as Michael Ballack are now exerting their influence.
Mourinho observes that Manchester United and Arsenal are improving too, while there are six or seven potential winners of the Champions League. Even if the going is getting harder than ever there is an incentive, despite Mourinho's air of indifference, for Chelsea to ensure it is Barcelona who are left in real jeopardy.
Guardian Service
