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Mourinho wrestles with Valencia football Champions League test
LONDON (AFP) - Jose Mourinho believes Chelsea are still on course to reach the Champions League semi-finals despite failing to build an advantage ahead of their testing trip to Valencia.
The last eight tie is finely poised at 1-1 after Didier Drogba's second half equaliser - making him the first Chelsea player since Kerry Dixon over 20 years ago to score 30 goals in a season - cancelled out David Silva's stunning strike in the first leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
While Valencia will be confident of going through in front of their own fans next Tuesday, Mourinho has warned the Spaniards that his side will thrive in the intimidating atmosphere at the Mestalla Stadium.
And even if the English champions don't make it to a semi-final showdown against Liverpool or PSV Eindhoven, Mourinho claimed it wouldn't be the end of the world.
The Blues boss jokingly said he wasn't concerned about the result because he will go to London's Earls Court arena to watch WWE wrestling with his children on the day of the last four first leg if Chelsea aren't involved.
While Mourinho had his tongue firmly in his cheek, he will be well aware that his future at Chelsea could rest on his side's ability to overcome a major hurdle in Spain.
He said: "It is 1-1. It is not 0-3. If you ask Ronald Koeman about PSV I think he will say he does not think he can beat Liverpool at Anfield 4-0.
"But Chelsea can win in Valencia, Chelsea can draw 2-2 or go to extra-time. Of course it is difficult because they have a good team and they play at home.
"It is not my biggest challenge. If we win we go to the semi-final, if we lose I go to Earl Court for the wrestling. It is April 24, the same day as the semi-final. So if I don't go to the semi-final, I go to the wrestling with my kids."
Mourinho hopes Valencia will be overconfident after apparently getting the hard work done in London.
"Chelsea tried to win and Valencia tried to draw," he said.
"They were a bit lucky with an amazing goal because they didn't create a lot. We hit the bar and had chances around their goal, but we have to accept that the result was fair.
"I think in Mestalla everybody is thinking they are one step ahead and maybe everybody is enjoying this result. But if I was in their place I would be very cautious.
"A team that plays at home normally has the advantage and I imagine that the Valencia players feel more comfortable at the Mestalla than here. But if we have a good referee there who is not influenced by the enthusiastic atmosphere why can't we get a result?"
Chelsea had started brightly and Drogba was just unable to reach Ashley Cole's cross before Salomon Kalou rattled the crossbar with a curling shot from the edge of the area.
Silva squandered a glorious chance midway through the half when Joaquin's shot fell to him 10 yards from goal. The Spanish forward had time to pick his spot but scuffed his effort tamely wide.
But he made amends with a brilliant strike after half an hour. Picking the ball up wide on the left, Silva drove forward before unleashing a ferocious 30-yard strike that arrowed into the top corner of Petr Cech's goal.
Valencia had kept Drogba relatively quiet, but an awful piece of defending from Roberto Ayala gifted the Ivory Coast forward a goal in the 53rd minute.
Cole sent a long pass over Ayala and the veteran Argentina centre-back missed his attempted clearance, allowing Drogba to surge past him and loop a header over the out-of-position Santiago Canizares.
Valencia manager Quique Sanchez Flores admitted he was satisfied with the result because it meant the tie would be decided on home turf.
"I think we have got objective one achieved, which is to take the game into the second leg," he said. "The tie will now be settled as the Mestalla which is in our favour.
"We will have a more offensive approach because we will be playing at home and David Villa will have a bigger role to play. At home we will see the attacking side of David and he will be creating chances for himself.
"We are going to set up in the same way we did in the second leg against Inter Milan in the last round. We will try to forget we have scored a goal.
"It would be foolish to try and sit back and defend against a team like Chelsea."
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