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AFTER a triumphant homecoming as Chelsea manager at the weekend, Jose Mourinho must steel his side for today’s visit of a buoyant Aston Villa in the Premier League.
The Portuguese made his return to the home dug-out at Stamford Bridge on Sunday after six years away and quickly slipped back into the old routine, overseeing a 2-0 defeat of Hull City that extended his run of unbeaten home games in the English top flight to 61.
The game was over once Frank Lampard made it 2-0 with a 30-yard free-kick in the 25th minute, but Mourinho’s men can expect a more searching examination at the hands of Paul Lambert’s Villa.
The Midlands club stunned Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday and with Christian Benteke already in goal-scoring form, they look poised to banish memories of last season’s nervous dalliance with relegation.
Lampard, one of eight survivors in the squad from Mourinho’s first stint, says Chelsea’s aim for this season is to mount a sustained title challenge after finishing third last season and sixth in 2012.
“The Premier League is very difficult these days. The games come thick and fast and consistency is difficult,” said the 35-year-old England midfielder, a two-time title-winner under Mourinho in 2005 and 2006.
“What the manager did last time he was here was to keep us on the ball so we won week in, week out, and that’s what we have to do again.
“What matters now is Aston Villa come on Wednesday (today) after beating Arsenal with a very quick and young team, so we can’t rest on our laurels. We have to keep kicking on.”
With a trip to Manchester United to follow on Monday, Mourinho may elect to rotate his squad for a game that has been brought forward due to Chelsea’s involvement in the Uefa Super Cup in Prague on 30 August.
Juan Mata will hope to feature after remaining on the bench against Hull due to a calf complaint, while either Romelu Lukaku or Demba Ba could be asked to deputise for Fernando Torres in attack.
Recent evidence, however, suggests that Mourinho will look to settle on a first-choice starting XI quickly and then stick by it, as he did in the early months of his tenure at Real Madrid.
The 50-year-old seemed humbled by the wave of emotion that greeted his return on Sunday, but he warned Chelsea’s fans that the players must be the focus of their support in the weeks and months ahead.
“From now on, they have to support the team,” he said.
“We need that every game, especially Wednesday (today), because we have a very difficult opponent.”
Villa’s last visit to Stamford Bridge saw them humbled 8-0, on 23 December last year, and forward Gabriel Agbonlahor says he and his teammates will be desperate to atone when the teams cross swords again.
The 26-year-forward was described as “frightening” and “unplayable” by manager Lambert after winning two penalties against Arsenal and he is eager to carry that momentum into today’s game.
“It will be tough. We have some bad memories from there,” Agbonlahor told the club website, www.avfc.co.uk.
“But we will go with tactics and a game-plan and if we stick to it, anything can happen.
“We need to work hard for each other. It will be hard. We need to forget about Arsenal and go again against Chelsea. The defeat last season will be on our minds. We want to put that right for the fans who went to that game. We will be hoping to do that.”
Lambert’s chief selection issue concerns centre-back Nathan Baker, who had to come off against Arsenal because of an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, Manchester City started their Premier League campaign in scintillating fashion on Monday with a stylish 4-0 win at home to 10-man Newcastle United that will ring alarm bells for the rest of their title rivals.
With City spending around 90 million pounds ($141.03 million) on attacking talent for new manager Manuel Pellegrini, it was notable all the goals came from players in last season’s squad – David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri.
Any sense of dressing room unrest last season under Roberto Mancini had evaporated as Pellegrini’s charges, assisted by new boys Fernandinho and Jesus Navas, showed they had listened to his call for an attractive, attacking style of football.
“The most pleasing aspect is way the team played for 90 minutes,” the Chilean told a news conference.
“We had from the beginning the attitude to play as an aggressive team, offensive team. First, always the most important thing is to win but after is the way we did it today.”
Last season’s runners-up took just six minutes to open the scoring with Silva heading in after Steven Taylor failed to deal with Edin Dzeko’s shot across the goal. They doubled their lead on 22 minutes when a low shot from Aguero, set up by a neat flick from Dzeko, went in off the far post.
City’s job was made even easier just before the stroke of halftime when defender Taylor was sent off after swinging an arm at Aguero and they made the man advantage count five minutes after the break with Toure’s sizzling free kick.
The hosts made it four on 75 minutes when substitute Samir Nasri slotted home and could have had many more if it had not been for some excellent saves by Newcastle keeper Tim Krul as they sent a clear message of intent to their title rivals.
The main victim of Krul’s dives and parries was the outstanding Dzeko, who seemed to have been given a new lease of life after some below-par showings under Mancini and the Bosnian was unlucky not to score from a host of chances he conjured.
“The new manager has come in and given us something different and given me more confidence,” Dzeko, a towering figure in front of the slight and pacy trio of Aguero, Silva and Jesus Navas, told Sky Sports.
Pellegrini reckoned this would be just the start of things for the striker.
“I am sure we are going to see this season the Edin Dzeko that Manchester City bought two seasons ago,” he said. “I think this is a very important player.”
The only blot on the day for City was the sight of captain Vincent Kompany limping off with what looked like a groin problem and Pellegrini said it was too soon to tell how long he could be sidelined. – Sapa/AFP/Reuters
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