Chelsea spent three years building a team for Guardiola and then put Mourinho in charge. It's like taking a tank into a Ferrari plant...

Put Jose Mourinho in a scrap-metal yard, and he will build you a tank. Put him in a Ferrari plant ... and he will also build you a tank.

Mourinho builds tanks.

Big powerful armored-vehicle football teams. He likes a back-four that never allows an attacking whim to distract it out of shape.

Plenty to ponder: Jose Mourinho's much-heralded second coming at Chelsea hit the buffers against Basle

He likes to plant two bodyguard midfielders in front of that back four to fill any gaps which should appear.

He likes to have wide forwards whose talents allow them to create and score at one end but whose engines allows them to get back and cover their full-backs at the other end.

He likes a centre-forward who will muscle off two opposing defenders and offer an out-ball to a side under-pressure.

Blow: Samuel Eto'o (left) and Frank Lampard (right) are left dejected after Chelsea's shock defeat to Basle



Perfect timing: The Swiss side recovered from going a goal down to win the Champions League clash

And he will allow himself the luxury of ONE No 10. Not a squad full of them as Chelsea have.

Chelsea have spent the last three years assembling a squad that would convince Pep Guardiola to take over. He turned them down.

They built a team for Pep and then put Jose in charge. What did they expect would happen?

Lightweight defenders, elegant on the ball, and comfortable in attack (Cesar Azpilicueta) and floaty midfielders, soft in the tackle but sensational in their ability to do the unexpected (Juan Mata) would be integral parts of a Guardiola side. For better or worse, Mourinho, is not enamoured.



Gerard Pique spoke after Barcelona beat Ajax 4-1 and the subject of styles came up. No two teams in Europe have such defined ways of playing as the old Dutch masters and their successors Barcelona.

Barca, under new coach Tata Martino, are trying to make certain style changes this season and there is some friction between the new coach and his players. But it is minimal because the players know that Martino’s options are limited. He can rearrange the room a little if he wants to, but most of the furniture is nailed to the floor.

'The style here since Cruyff came has not changed,' said Pique. 'You can have variations and moments in the game when you play one way or another way but in the in end the aim is always to have the ball and control the game and from there create the chances on goal.'

Too many cooks? Chelsea's midfield is full of 'No 10s' such as Oscar (left), Juan Mata (centre) and Eden Hazard



Favoured option: Chelsea built a team for Pep Guardiola but instead he went to Bayern Munich

Asked about Chelsea’s Basel faulty episode on the same night Barcelona had coasted to such an easy win. He said: 'What you have to avoid in the group is that you fall or that there is a surprise. Chelsea, losing at home against Basel, is an example of that; it is clear that that makes things complicated.

'It is true that in recent years we have been able to qualify fairly easily and before the last game and that saves you the moments of suffering that perhaps teams like the example you have given: Chelsea, are now going to have. The key is to avoid that and avoid surprises and qualify as soon as possible.'

It’s the same-old story for Barcelona this season. Likewise Real Madrid’s counter-attacking style remains more-or-less unchanged and is enhanced by Gareth Bale’s arrival. And the other Spanish candidate Atletico Madrid also have an unalterable approach based on a back four and goalkeeper that have now been together for close to two years.

The individual ability of Chelsea’s players and their manager will surely see them through the group. But to ever win the tournament again they will need to agree on just what kind of team they want to be.

Still winning: Barcelona (above) and Real Madrid have both changed managers but have kept their style







