Mourinho promises to go on the offensive

UEFA Champions League Group H: Beauty is proverbially in the eye of the beholder, yet Jose Mourinho's view is distorted by expectation. The requirement for silverware after four barren seasons at Chelsea has understandably caused the Portuguese to consider pragmatism his principal concern. The four clean sheets his side have kept this season are certainly admirable, yet Mourinho considers such a record to be worthy of higher esteem.

"It is important that a team is beautiful from a defensive point view," said Mourinho ahead of tonight's encounter with Paris St Germain. "I can't see it being otherwise. It's about being compact and that can be beautiful. It's important to be strong defensively."

Mourinho has scorned with reason English sides' defensive profligacy in Europe but it is in attack where Chelsea have yet to shine. They have dropped only two points out of 15 in the Premiership but Arsenal have scored more than three times as many goals. "We have played quality attacking football," said Mourinho. "We scored two goals against Crystal Palace away, two at Stamford Bridge against Southampton. Our 0-0 against Aston Villa, normally we would expect to score goals there with attacking players of the quality we have."

Mourinho's words refer to talents such as Didier Drogba (whose yellow card against Villa was rescinded yesterday), the £25.4 million striker who can expect a hostile reception from the Parisian crowd because of his Marseille associations. Yet such distractions should not deter a side so brimming with talent.

Paris have failed to win a single league game this season, lie 14th in the French league and the three points they have achieved all came courtesy of draws with newly promoted sides. Suspension to Mario Yepes, their most accomplished defender, compounds Parisian troubles.

Only those considerations have persuaded Mourinho to alter the safety-first approach. "If you start the group stage at home you have to win. Away, you have to get a point," said Mourinho, before adding a caveat. "If we leave Paris with a point, normally it is good for the next stage. But that is not the way we are thinking. We come here to play with a victory in mind. We are not going to play a defensive game."

Nonetheless, the strategy that paid such unexpected dividends during Porto's run to triumph in the final last season will not be dropped. Mourinho insists that with this new beginning he "wants to forget" that achievement, though the lessons learned will be retained.

And there was a sign yesterday that he was looking to the long term with the news that he had personally selected the head of Reading's academy Brendan Rodgers to oversee Chelsea's youth development. The Ulsterman said: "I've had a fantastic time at Reading but the opportunity to work with a European Cup-winning manager at a club like Chelsea was too good to turn down."

CHELSEA (4-1-2-1-2): Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Bridge; Makelele; Tiago, Lampard; Duff; Gudjohnsen, Drogba.

PSG (4-4-2): Letizi; Mendy, Fanfan, Helder, Armand; Corridon, Mbami, Cisse, Rothen; Reinaldo, Pauleta.

Referee: M Gonzalez (Spain).