The differences between Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho appear to have been patched up for the moment.
An impromptu hug at the end of the FA Cup semifinal win over Blackburn hinted that the troubled relationship between Russian owner and Portuguese manager was on the mend.
A complete reconciliation then appeared to be confirmed at the end of last week when Chelsea’s chief executive, Peter Kenyon, publicly vowed that Mourinho would not be sacked this summer.
But, as in all domestic disputes, the legacy of past acrimony can be hard to escape, as Chelsea may discover when Liverpool visit Stamford Bridge on Wednesday for the first leg of a re-run of the two clubs’ tumultuous 2005 Champions League semifinal.
In the bad old days — i.e. three months ago — when Roman and Jose were not on speaking terms, the most lavishly resourced club on the planet somehow neglected to ensure they had adequate cover at centre back for the remainder of a season in which they remain on track for an unprecedented ”quadruple”.
Bolton’s reported asking price of £3-million for the Israeli international Talal Ben Haim was judged extortionate for a player who will be a free agent come the summer, and Mourinho was ordered to get by with the resources already available to him.
By and large, that has meant regularly deploying Michael Essien as a stop-gap at the heart of the back four. But with Ricardo Carvalho doubtful for Wednesday after missing Sunday’s Premiership draw with Newcastle — albeit with an unspecified injury — suspension means the Essien option is not open to Mourinho.
Instead, barring a last-minute recovery by Carvalho, it seems likely that captain John Terry will be accompanied at the heart of the back four by the significantly less reassuring figure of Khalid Boulharouz.
It is not the only thing Mourinho has to worry about. Germany captain Michael Ballack limped out of Sunday’s goalless draw at Newcastle before half-time and is unlikely to be fully fit while the rigours of quad chasing appear to be taking their toll on the likes of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, who both looked decidedly weary at St James’ Park.
Liverpool, in contrast, have, in Mourinho’s words, been on their holidays of late with the prospect of an appearance in next month’s final in Athens their last remaining opportunity to ensure the season ends with some more silverware to adorn the trophy room at Anfield.
Steve Finnan, the Ireland fullback and one of the veterans of Liverpool’s extraordinary final triumph in Istanbul two years ago, believes history could be about to repeat itself.
”It does remind me of 2005,” Finnan said of Liverpool’s progress to the last four. ”We’ve knocked out Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven and we did well in the group stage, so we deserve to be here.
”It’s our only chance of silverware this season and the lads are buzzing.”
Luis Garcia ensured Liverpool got on the plane to Istanbul with a hugely controversial second-leg winner at Anfield two years ago.
This season the injured Spaniard will be obliged to watch from the stand but he is the only significant absentee from an otherwise full-strength Liverpool squad.
Finnan was certainly talking a good game. ”We knocked them out in the semifinals in 2005, so there’s no reason why we can’t do it again,” he said.
More recent history is also on Liverpool’s side with Rafa Benitez’s side having comprehensively outplayed the Londoners when they visited Anfield in January, a match that finished in a 2-0 defeat but also prompted Chelsea to go on a nine-match run of league victories.
”They had beaten us in the league too many times in recent years so it was nice to get one over them and beat them at Anfield,” said Finnan. ”We played well on the day and that will give us a lot of confidence for this game.
”The first leg is at their place and that is how we like it. A good result in the first leg will set us up nicely to go back to Anfield.” — Sapa-AFP