No Chelsea Excuses for Champions League Failure to Beat Schalke and Di Matteo
Jose Mourinho enjoys playing a few games with the media, having a chortle along the way.
He was at it again when asked about facing Schalke and in particular their manager, Roberto Di Matteo, in the Champions League this week.
Di Matteo is, of course, the first and only manager to win the competition with Chelsea.
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"I don't play against him, but if I play against him, he wins, because he plays better than me," he joked, answering a journalist's question if it will be strange to come up against the Italian.
"Unless I am fitter than him, which I don't know [if I am]. But normally he wins because he is a much better player than me.
"It's Chelsea against Schalke, not me against Di Matteo."
Interestingly, Mourinho didn't comment further on whether or not he is the better manager.
And he doesn't need to, the facts are clear enough on that front.
Mourinho has a point, though. He's right, it isn't manager against manager, it is two teams of 11 men. It sounds simple enough to describe any game of football that way, but that's the heart of it.
And Chelsea's 11 are better than Schalke's. Much better.
Chelsea demonstrated an exciting brand of football in the opening 45 minutes of Saturday's win over West Bromwich Albionโbuilding on what we have seen from them for much of the campaign. If they come close to replicating that in Gelsenkirchen, there will only be one winner.
Regardless of Saturday's performance and the three points that followed it, Chelsea should be coming out victors over their German opponents.
Schalke aren't a team with expectations of conquering Europe this season. It will take a considerable effortโnot to mention a huge stroke of luck along the wayโif Di Matteo is to replicate his feats of 2012 with his current club.
They have a chance of advancing from their group, but realistically Schalke's journey shouldn't progress much further.
On the other hand, Chelsea's should.
The Blues have been mesmerising at times in the Premier League, and with the talent Mourinho has at his disposal, excuses or reasons that are deemed beyond their control can't cut it at this stage.
Mourinho isn't talking in those terms, and on the brink of qualifying from Group G, he shouldn't be put in a position where has to.
Facing Schalke on Matchday 5, these are the games his team must be winning.
Everything in the Champions League has been filler this season. Now is when the points are most vital and Chelsea need to show they are not only among the favourites for European glory, but also they can live with the weight of expectation that follows them.
Last season, reaching the semi-final was unexpected. Chelsea were still developing, maturing from the very foal their manager often described them as.
With each week that passes in the Premier League, they look more and more like a side capable of achieving greatness, and it starts against Schalke.
Real Madrid have blasted their way out of Group B, as have Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in their respective groups.
Failure to see off Schalke on Tuesday will mean Chelsea will have one more shot against Sporting Lisbon on Matchday 6 to finally finish the job.
If it comes down to that, they would have limped through a comfortable draw.
That wouldn't send the right message.
"The group is easy to analyse," Mourinho continued. "Any one of us can finish first, second or third [...] To finish third and go to the Europa League would be something against the evolution of this team."
Not finishing top would be, also. Not taking the chance to defeat Schalke and finally close out Group G would be an underachievement.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
