Or perhaps a case of needs must after a poor Premier League campaign.
Just a year after Chelsea pulled off one of the most remarkable achievements in footballing history, beating Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final and then stunning Europe to beat Bayern Munich, in the final, in their own Bavarian backyard, Chelsea, once again, took to the field in another European Final.
Chelsea, having made a hash of their defence of the Champions League, found themselves in the Europa League Final, in Amsterdam.
A tense game saw Chelsea win the trophy, with a 2-1 win, courtesy of a late, late goal from Branislav Ivanovic. The win, for the second season on the trot, brought European silverware to Stamford Bridge.
Also, in winning the Europa League Chelsea joined a select band of clubs who had won every European trophy on offer:
? The Champions League
? The Europa League
? The Cup Winners Cup
And
? The European Super Cup
A fine achievement and we`re still the only English club to have achieved that feat.
However, someone scoffed at the achievement of winning the Europa League, a certain Jose Mourinho reckoned it was a second-rate competition that he`d want nothing to do with, remarking to the media at the time,
“It is not good for a big club to go there and win it.
“It is better for the evolution of the players and for the evolution of the team to be in the Champions League. Even if you are not successful, even if you do not win it. It is better to be in the Champions League.”
However, it seems that needs must and Mourinho, with his beloved Manchester United struggling to make the top-four in the Premier League, something his predecessor Louis van Gaal was axed for, is looking at focussing all his intentions on winning the Europa League, if his sides form doesn`t see them get the results they require against Sunderland and Everton, something The Guardian confirms.
How times change!
Share this article
