The odds were very much against Chelsea going into Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Spanish giant Valencia: the Blues’ first team had scored just one goal in its last four matches and the team still looked to be in disarray following the abrupt departure of former manager Jose Mourinho. Moreover, the club had to go to the Estadio Mestalla, which over the years has proven to be a tough place for English teams to play.
But the Blues rose to the occasion, overcoming an early 1-0 deficit to walk away 2-1 winners. There were a number of positives for Manager Avram Grant to take him with him, including the bright play of Joe Cole and Didier Drogba, both of whom have endured injuries recently; England captain John Terry also made a surprise start after suffering a facial injury against Fulham last weekend.
“We’ve been a bit low recently with the change but…hopefully this is going to give everyone a lift at Chelsea,” captain Terry said after the match, calling it a “great [team] performance.” Terry made no bones about the disappointment the players felt at Mourinho’s sudden departure. “Mourinho was a great friend and a great manager. He moves on, we have to do that us a team as soon as possible; if not we are going to find ourselves dwelling on it and we are going to be the ones to suffer.”