You’d assume no-one could be as confident ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League game at Stamford Bridge as Jose Mourinho but you’d assume wrong because Samuel Eto’o is every bit as certain of a win.

Not only does the Inter striker think the pressure on us will work in their favour but he also sees them winning the Champions League altogether, insisting “Chelsea are the favourites and the pressure is on them. Every minute that passes without a goal on Tuesday will add to that pressure. They will feel the tension. That doesn’t mean we will be defensive. That would be a grave error. We will attack them from the start and if we win this game then I believe we will go on to win the Champions League.”

That’s what he told The Sun anyway and as for what he told Drogba, Eto’o says “I have told Didier Drogba that we will create big problems for Chelsea and that they will have to produce their best performance of the season to beat us. I was annoyed when I saw the draw because I hoped this match would have been the final at the Bernabeu in May, but we don’t fear Chelsea. We need to repeat the level we showed in the San Siro over the 90-minutes. The match is in our hands and if we stick to our usual style we will not be eliminated. I think this is a game where there will be goals - and we are determined to prevail.”

Bring it on.

Jose Mourinho comes back to Stamford Bridge for the first time on Tuesday since he left in September 2007. It goes without saying he’ll come back in a blaze of publicity because let’s face it, that’s Jose Mourinho, but that’s the only similarity between this visit and any other time he’s been inside the ground.

Because this time around he isn’t The Special One, he’s the opposition.

Obviously, he still has plenty of supporters at Chelsea – he made sure of that, not just with the trophies he won but with his many statements of martyrdom since – but Carlo Ancelotti certainly hasn’t got the inferiority complex Mourinho would like him to have right now, stating “It won’t be difficult for the fans. Before the game Mourinho will have a very good reception but after that Chelsea fans are Chelsea fans. I don’t have a problem with Mourinho. I have never had a problem with him. There is no advantage because it’s a game between Chelsea and Inter, not me against Mourinho.”

Personally, I’m dreading hearing his name sung inside Stamford Bridge even if realistically I know it’s inevitable. I got over him a long time ago and whilst there’s plenty of Chelsea supporters I know who’d be gutted at the thought of him returning to the Premier League with another club, the only thing I’d ever be gutted about is losing to him again. I couldn’t honestly care less where Mourinho manages as long as when we do face him our supporters remember he is the opposition.

For this one though, it’s worth remembering the irony that Mourinho seemed to stand between us and the Champions League when he was at Chelsea – let’s not give him the satisfaction of doing it again now!

KTBFFH

When the opposition talk about our dangermen ahead of games, it would usually be all about Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Nicolas Anelka maybe. Whoever it is they think will do the most damage though, it’s fair to say none of them would put Florent Malouda down as much of a worry – and yet, he seems to be emerging as a pretty consistent threat down our left hand side. It’s taken a while, seeing as he signed for us in 2007 and has been a bit hit-and-miss a lot of the time but something just seems to have clicked for the Frenchman lately – and whatever it is, long may it last.

I remember the hype when he first signed for us and to be fair he looked promising enough for even me to get excited about him – but that didn’t last and his performances seemed to blow hot and cold. Managers seem to have pretty much stuck with him though and slowly but surely he’s settled into his game. More so this season, where he’s played more consistently because that’s been reflected with more consistency in his game. But it seems to have crept up on some us more quietly than others. Whilst in previous seasons I might have convinced myself ‘For f*** sake’ was his middle name, I can’t recall the same sort of frustration from his game this season – in fact, yesterday, I went as far as renaming him Florent *f*** me, what a cross* Malouda – such was the accuracy every time he touched the ball.

Of course, as with any of our players we’ve had the obligatory stories in the press of him wanting to leave because of the manager’s lack of faith in him. However, Malouda completely refuted those stories and Ancelotti definitely didn’t sound like a manager lacking belief after yesterday’s performance, stating “He was the best player on the pitch today. He scored a fantastic goal, did a fantastic assist for the first goal and the second goal for Didier.”

And he was right, because Malouda was the best player on the pitch by a mile. After taking the same sort of stick and being written off just like any other player who takes time to settle into the Premier League, Florent Malouda is starting to repay the faith managers clearly have had in him.

And it’s paying dividends.

Well, that was easier than I expected.

We completely dominated this one for the most part and but for a superb equaliser completely against the run of play that made a game of it for a while, we weren’t given too much to worry about.

Ok, so they missed a gift of a chance in the early stages but it was us that went a goal up within 15 minutes. With the visitors making a mess of clearing a Malouda corner, the ball ended up back with him to float in a cross for Alex to head in. And we were pushing for a second, which almost came off Upson’s knee but Green tipped it away with Drogba trying to get on the end of it.

To say West Ham’s equaliser came against the run of play is a major understatement but there was absolutely nothing Turnball (or any other keeper for that matter) could have done to stop Scott Parker’s cracking 25 yarder although to be fair, the defence could’ve done better to start with. But we responded well once jaws were picked up off the pitch and had a few chances before the break.

Second half didn’t start so well, although the players clearly weren’t as frustrated as the crowd and could’ve scored a second in the 53^rd minute if Ballack had got on the end of Malouda’s cross. Not that we had to wait long for the second to come anyway because just two minutes later, John Terry went on a midfielder-style run, drawing attention away from Drogba to lay the ball off for Malouda who, yet again, provided another perfect cross into the box for the Ivorian to head home.

Malouda had a storming game to be fair and was a pain in West Ham’s arse all day. I can’t honestly remember a cross going astray and apart from the scoring opportunities he’d already created, he managed to get the goal he deserved in the 77^th minute from the edge of the area. Lampard missed out on a goal against his former club when his shot come off the post in the 85^th minute but when Green parried another shot from him in the 89^th minute, Didier Drogba was there to tuck away his second and complete the 4-1 scoreline.

Overall then, some standout performances to give us a bit of confidence ahead of the game against Inter. Branislav Ivanovic and Alex again having decent games and I know he’s not in the squad Tuesday but Paulo Ferreira’s worth a mention for the way he seems to have slotted back into the side. Obviously Florent Malouda, who was our best player by a mile, will hope to stay in his rightful position now that Yuri Zhirkov is fit again. And despite my reservations and the fact he didn’t have that much to do, on the odd occasion he was called into action today, Ross Turnball looked confident enough.

So bring on Inter!

TEAMS

CHELSEA: Turnbull; Ivanovic (Zhirkov 79), Alex, Terry, Ferreira; Ballack, Mikel, Lampard; Anelka (J Cole 65), Malouda (Kalou 86); Drogba.

WEST HAM: Green; Spector, Gabbidon, Upson, Deprela; Behrami, Kovac, Parker; Ilan (Diamanti 83), Mido (C Cole 67), Dyer (Stanislas 67).

GOALS

CHELSEA: Alex 15, Drogba 55, 89, Malouda 77

WEST HAM: Parker 30

1-1 Parker

2-1 Drogba

3-1 Malouda

4-1 Drogba

Carlton Cole comes back to Stamford Bridge today a much improved player to the one we sold in 2006. But whilst in footballing terms our former striker has clearly progressed, it seems he might not have moved on quite as far in his head.

With more than a hint of bitterness recalling his own version of how it used to be, Cole says “I had good days at Chelsea but not that many. My future is at West Ham now and I want to put one over Chelsea because this is my club. Everything happens for a reason. I always knew that, once I got games under my belt, I would learn and progress. I’m at a happy place now but when I was there, I wasn’t that happy. I wasn’t maturing there and I was seen as the little boy. It can be hard when you come through the ranks at a club, although JT has handled it all well. He came through the Academy there and has gone on to be a top England defender. For me, it was never as easy and I had to leave, to put down roots somewhere else. I would train well all week and know I wasn’t even going to be on the bench at the weekend. There were so many stars there it was hard for me to make an impact. I was always going out on loan and I didn’t want to do that. When I finally left it was a relief really, a weight off my shoulders, because I could go somewhere else and push on.”

It’s weird he’s forgotten how he couldn’t even turn up for training on time when he was at Chelsea, so maybe the reason he was seen as ‘the little boy’ was because he behaved like a twelve year old. And as for his recollection of John Terry having an easier time of it, I suppose it’s fair to say he arrived shortly after we’d almost sold JT to Huddersfield but even so, if my memory serves me right, after acting the twat himself, Terry got his head down and earnt a place in the first team.

Still, Cole is apparently looking forward to getting one over on challenging the Chelsea captain today, stating “JT is a big, big player for Chelsea but I always look forward to playing up against the best defenders because it gives me the chance to show what I can do. If the truth be known, I’m still coming back from almost two months out injured and I know I’m not as bright yet as I should be but hopefully this game will put me another rung up the ladder towards full fitness and confidence. Playing against the top defenders and doing well against them only helps your confidence and that’s how I see this game.”

Venue: Stamford Bridge

Date: Saturday, 13 March 2010

Kick-off: 1500 GMT

We might have booked ourselves an FA Cup semi-final place in our last game but in the league, things haven’t gone quite so well lately with two defeats in our last three. We now find ourselves two points behind United (albeit with a game in hand) and another defeat today would seriously dent our challenge for the title this season.

Our visitors are only just outside the relegation zone and haven’t won away from home since the opening day of the season, so with that in mind and Arsenal up next, sentiment will no doubt go out the window as Gianfranco Zola goes all out to take 3 points off us.

MANAGERS’ VIEWS

Ahead of this game, Carlo Ancelotti understandably focuses on our current injury woes, stating “We have a problem with the goalkeepers. We don’t know if Hilario or Petr are able to play on Tuesday. But Saturday I want to put the best line-up out because it’s an important game. We need to win and go back to the top of the table, so I want to put the best players out. But we have problems. Essien, Cole, and Bosingwa are out. Also Carvalho and Hilario are not able to play. So, in goal, Turnbull will play. I’m not worried. The performance of the team does not rely upon the goalkeeper. I don’t want to say we can play without a goalkeeper, because that’s an important player for the team, but I have confidence in Turnbull. He has not played a lot of games this season but, with the work with our goalkeeping coach, he has improved very well.”

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola, appears optimistic in spite of a couple of difficult fixtures to cope with, stating “I don’t care if we’re playing Chelsea or Arsenal. They are big, big teams and big games. No-one is expecting anything from us but football is strange. Last year, we got a point in both games so I am not going to go there already beaten because I know football can have surprises.”

SQUAD NEWS

Our injury list seems to grow every week and for this game, Jose Bosingwa (knee), Michael Essien (knee), Ashley Cole (ankle), Ricardo Carvalho (hamstring), Petr Cech (calf) all remain out. Henrique Hilario is our latest casualty with an abductor muscle injury, so Ross Turnball makes his league debut, with Rhys Taylor taking his place on the bench. Yuri Zhirkov should return after a calf strain and both Juliano Belletti and Michael Ballack are available again after serving their bans.

West Ham’s injury list of Mark Noble (arm), Herita Ilunga (tendon), Zavon Hines (knee), Luis Boa Morte (knee) and Calum Davenport (leg) has been added to with Julien Faubert (hamstring). However, Benni McCarthy and Danny Gabbidon return from injuries and Manuel Da Costa returns from suspension.

TEAMS

CHELSEA (from): Turnbull, Taylor, Ivanovic, Kalou, Matic, Alex, Drogba, Malouda, Ferreira, Terry, Borini, Lampard, Obi, Deco, Sturridge, Anelka, Zhirkov, J Cole, Belletti, Ballack, Kakuta

WEST HAM (from): Green, Stech, Kurucz, Daprela, Spector, Gabbidon, Upson, Tomkins, Collison, Kovac, Parker, Behrami, Diamanti, Dyer, Franco, Cole, Mido, McCarthy, Ilan.

LAST MEETING

West Ham 1-1 Chelsea (20 December 2009)

PREDICTION

West Ham have not beaten Chelsea in any of their last 10 meetings in all competitions and have failed to score more than one goal in our last ten Premier League meetings. The Hammers have also failed to win any of their last 8 London derbies in the Premier League and haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since September 2002. Before we get too excited though, it’s worth us bearing in mind City’s poor record when they came to the Bridge last time out – and the fact that if we do concede a goal today, we’ll have shipped more goals already this season than in any full season since 2003-04.

REFEREE

Mark Clattenburg

The official Chelsea site brings us news of a nomination for Alex after his outstanding game against Stoke.

VitalChelsea looks at our fullback conundrum and who might play in our next couple of games.

BridgeViews focuses on what John Obi Mikel can bring to the side.

And sticking with our younger players, CFCnet has another look at Michael Mancienne.

I’ve spent weeks, months even, arguing with myself and anyone else who’d listen – partly because I’m as stubborn as they come but mainly because I didn’t want to concede the possibility but today, TheChelseaBlog has to give in and admit it really is starting to look as if it’s just a matter of time before Joe Cole leaves Chelsea now.

That pains me for two reasons: the first being I’m in for a lot of stick after the verbal fight I’ve put up and the second because we stand to lose a bloody good player and it all feels a bit wrong somehow.

You’ll have to bear with me if I sound like I have a split personality here but it’s a conundrum I’ve yet to get straight in my own head. You see, I’ve spent the last couple of seasons bemoaning the fact that Joe Cole, like no other Chelsea (or England) player, has had to prove himself time and time again – and he’s done it. He’s been a loyal and honest player for us for years and whilst I accept he’s really struggled to come back anywhere near his best since coming back from his cruciate injury, I think he’s being written off too easily.

But here’s the dilemma, because whilst I’ve already said I fully appreciate that what Abramovich wants in terms of wage structure at the club now, surely that should really only apply to the over 30s? At 28, you know Cole’s far from past his best, so if the reported 12-month extension at £36,000 a week is all that’s been put on the table for him, then you’d have to say it’s insulting.

So, I think it’s fair to say Joe Cole will walk away from Chelsea (in the physical sense at least) in the summer, but where will he end up?

Well, if he was a player motivated by money then it’d be a no-brainer because despite City’s deluded supporters previously suggesting Cole ‘isn’t good enough’ for their squad, I suspect Mancini would take him in a heartbeat. Firstly because he’d do a damn sight better than their previous playmaker and wouldn’t sod off to Brazil when he’s bored with Manchester and secondly because Fergie wants him and City seem to bid for just about every player us or United fancy.

But Joe Cole isn’t stupid, neither is he a mercenary and whilst some might argue he’d accept whatever is on offer if he really wants to stay at Chelsea as much as he says he does, the reality is, in being asked to accept less than a third of what some of our ageing players earn when he knows he’s the one having to work his arse off every time a new manager comes in (whilst others’ poor form is often overlooked), suggests the club don’t value him in quite the same way.

That’s why he won’t be going to City. Why on earth would he want to go to another club where the manager is likely to change as frequently as the shirts? Where he’d be surrounded by players competing just as much for salaries as they are places. Besides, Joe Cole needs (and deserves) to be playing at the highest level and that’s unlikely to happen under City next season – it also rules Spurs out fortunately.

Less fortunately though – for us at least – is that Joe Cole will get exactly what he needs at Manchester United. If Joe Cole gets games and has a manager who believes in him, he thrives. Fergie wants him at United and Cole will be in no doubt of that by now. A no-nonsense manager who’ll push Cole to achieve and acknowledge his worth when he does. So if Chelsea are hell-bent on leaving Cole without an alternative, why would he go anywhere else but a club that could offer him everything he wants?

Gutted but resigned.

I was sat watching SkySports News yesterday as the headlines came up about Chester City being wound up in the High Court. Nobody turned up to represent the club and within just 30 seconds, that was it, another club was out of business.

I listened to David Evans of Chester City Fans United with admiration as he vowed “Today is the day to say to everybody that our club will be run in a professional way and be a credit to our city and to football. Our model is AFC Wimbledon or AFC Telford, where a new club has been run on a very prudent basis. We want to atone for the way the club has been run - we see this as our responsibility even though it wasn’t our fault.” And as I recounted this to a friend over the phone later, I was duly reminded “that could have been you once.”

And of course he was right, because we’ve had our share of financial disasters in the past. Notably, Ken Bates acquired us for just one English pound back in 1982 and having spent money we clearly didn’t have on fancy hotels and even fancier players, had us teetering on the edge of bankruptcy before Abramovich stepped in at the final hour to bail us out. Fortunately, he’s been bailing us out ever since so we haven’t gone down the same road as Chester. Instead, it gave us the financial clout we needed to start realistically challenging on all fronts.

So, already established in the Premier League with the money that brings in, add a rich Russian funding whatever players we desired and the future looked secure. But clubs just can’t function like that in the longer-term can they? Well, Man City’s spending could feasibly last a bit longer (as long as their owners don’t bail out) but if these new big money owners are taking the club’s futures seriously – and Roman has made it clear enough often enough that that’s the case where he’s concerned – sooner or later something has to give.

So, with that in mind, I couldn’t quite get my head around the apparent surprised reaction to reports in the press over the performance-related style contracts Chelsea are now proposing. I mean, this isn’t a new idea is it? Back in January 2009 TheChelseaBlog ran an article on exactly the same proposition that was being put to Michael Ballack and it seems the club are simply sticking to it.

The general idea seems to be that Ballack’s earnings would halve to £60,000-a-week, although he could increase that to £80,000 by playing 20 games in a season. Seems more than fair for a player coming towards the end of his career but one who is still ambitious enough to want to see that career out in the Premier League. It also means the club won’t be paying for a service they aren’t necessarily receiving.

However, whilst Ballack seems likely to agree to this sort of deal, what we’re told is neither Nicolas Anelka nor Joe Cole are as amenable to the club’s attempts to address a wage structure that has previously been a bit of a joke. So, it looks as if Chelsea could be in for a difficult time when it comes to convincing these players of the benefits.

Obviously Anelka and Cole could point to players like Lampard, Terry and Drogba when they sit down to negotiate their contracts although neither of them have quite the same standing in the club – besides, if the club do manage to set the precedent with Ballack’s contract, even players like those three will know what to expect in the future.

It’s a brave move by the club and maybe not one all supporters will agree with, but in times where we’re seeing not just lower league clubs going to the wall but even the first Premier League club going into administration, you’d have to say that Abramovich’s stance really is in the best interests of CFC’s future.