Jose Mourinho backs Chelsea to compete for Champions League | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho believes Chelsea have the “potential” to win the Champions League after getting “back on track” under manager Enzo Maresca.

The Special One returns to Stamford Bridge with Benfica on Tuesday to take on his former club in Europe’s premier football tournament.

The two teams meet in a rematch of their FIFA Club World Cup clash, which the Blues won 4-1, but Mourinho will be hoping his recent appointment can inspire Benfica to victory over a side with just two wins from their last six matches.

Jose Mourinho backs Chelsea to compete for Champions League

Despite their recent form and inability to challenge for the Premier League since Clearlake Capital’s takeover in 2022, Mourinho says that Chelsea are on the right path after having doubts about the direction they were taking.

“There was a set period where myself, from the outside, was putting some question marks [on it] because it looked like Chelsea had lost their identity as a club,” the Portuguese tactician said. “But what happened in the last season got things back on track.

“They gave trust to Enzo and gave his ideas. He’s fitted in well with the philosophy of the club.”

Mourinho believes Chelsea can build on their recent successes in the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup to achieve further glory, including potentially winning the Champions League.

Read – Chelsea star admits players, not Maresca at fault for poor form

“The Conference League is made for a big club to win it. I did it with Roma. It’s quite an easy competition to win with a big club,” he explained. “And then the Club World Cup, I always say the Champions League is much more important, but the (gold) badge means a lot. It’s the first time a club has won (the expanded) Club World Cup. Congratulations to them.

“I think that gives them a base of trust and a base of confidence. I feel it at the supporters’ level. I feel it. I live five minutes from here and my son comes to the stadium every weekend. It was a period of disappointment. It was a period of doubt. But in this moment, it’s a period of happiness and trust, so Chelsea is back on track.

“The Champions League is much harder to win the Club World Cup, of course it is. But Chelsea have the potential to do it. I don’t see any reason to say they have no chance.”

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