Jose Mourinho's tried and tested approach earned Chelsea a crucial advantage in their Champions League tie against PSG, writes Matt Stan...
Jose Mourinho's tried and tested approach earned Chelsea a crucial advantage in their Champions League tie against PSG, writes Matt Stanger.
"I'm not saying we won because we were better than Paris. We won because we scored a goal away and we didn't concede at home."
Jose Mourinho's pragmatic assessment of last season's quarter-final success against Paris Saint-Germain in the build-up to Tuesday's encounter revealed his intention to stick with a tried and tested approach.
The Chelsea manager has devised almost the perfect blueprint to handle the pressure of crunch Champions League away ties and, although it may not always be pretty to watch, it is hugely effective at the Parc des Princes.
After Branislav Ivanovic nodded the Blues into the lead following good work from John Terry and Gary Cahill, it was no surprise to see the visitors retreat in a bid to hold on to their advantage. And, despite conceding an equaliser to Edinson Cavani in the second half, Chelsea still have a toe in the next round.
That they didn't manage a single attempt after Ivanovic's 36th-minute header - and had only two shots in total - underlines Mourinho's must-not-lose mentality.
Following the Blues' 3-1 defeat in Paris last year, the Portuguese branded his team's defending "ridiculous", but on this occasion they remained calm and collected, happy to take a 1-1 draw back to Stamford Bridge.
There were good omens when Ivanovic opened the scoring. Chelsea have not lost any of the last 22 matches in which the Serbian has been on the scoresheet in a run that stretches back to 2010.
It was Ivanovic's third goal of vital importance in five matches, having scored winners against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup semi-final and away to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
PSG are now unbeaten in 33 European home ties, however, highlighting the tough test that awaited Chelsea on Tuesday.
The forward drives and vision of the impressive Blaise Matuidi posed a threat throughout, while Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic offered glimpses of their obvious quality.
Even David Luiz, who scored an own goal for Chelsea on their last visit to Paris, took his responsibilities seriously.
As Mourinho admitted afterwards: "Our keeper made three or four big saves. Our second half wasn't good. But it wasn't our fault. It's PSG's 'fault'. They were good."
It is difficult to see past Chelsea's progression in the second leg, though, with Mourinho warning PSG that the Blues are "different" this season - alluding to the resilience that saw them mount a 21-game unbeaten run earlier in the campaign.
There have been occasions when Mourinho has been punished for his cautious approach to this type of fixture - such as Atletico Madrid's 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge following a 0-0 draw in Spain last season - but more often than not his methods are rewarded.
Chelsea's mission was to gain an advantage going into the second leg and, despite a gruelling second half, they are now strong favourites to go through.
