Just enough for Mourinho while pressure grows on Barca

14 April 2012
Werder Bremen 1 Chelsea 0

Conspiracy theorists will have a field day, but Chelsea's path to Champions League glory will be anything but comfortable judging by the way Jose Mourinho's side spluttered into the last 16.

Mourinho has the perfect alibi to explain Chelsea's first defeat in Europe this season — such as Sunday's eagerly-anticipated clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford — but Barcelona will be bristling after Werder Bremen's unexpected victory.

The Chelsea chief expected to return to London last night with the point that would have ensured first place in Group A. Defeat was certainly not part of his masterplan.

They will be without John Terry for their final group game against Levski Sofia in two weeks after he was booked, although that means their captain will be available for the second round. The more pressing matter is the potential loss of Didier Drogba.

Chelsea's leading goalscorer hobbled off with a leg injury midway through the second half and the striker is already a doubt for the game at Old Trafford.

As Mourinho picks the bones out of their first defeat in the Champions League this season, he will be concerned by the lack of urgency that characterised their defeat at the Weserstadion.

Carlo Cudicini conceded Chelsea's first goal since their 2-1 defeat at Tottenham on November 5 and the Chelsea chief must be pondering his side's failure to earn the point that would have rendered the Levski match meaningless.

Now a point at Stamford Bridge will give them first place unless Bremen beat Barca and Mourinho will be stung by Chelsea's failure to recover from Per Mertesacker's strike midway through the first half.

Thomas Schaff's side were hungry and they fed off the scraps of Chelsea's disappointing defensive display. Torsten Frings, who was outstanding on Bremen's right, was the architect of Chelsea's downfall as the Germans got their reward in the 27th minute.

Cudicini had already saved well from Diego, but Chelsea's defence failed to deal with Frings' corner and Mertesacker ghosted into the six-yard area to steer his header beyond the goalkeeper.

That goal rattled the Premiership champions, but they responded with a fantastic move when Joe Cole's pass with the outside of his right foot homed in on Michael Ballack. However, the Germany midfielder's touch was brilliantly saved by Bremen keeper Tim Wiese.

Chelsea missed the injured Ricardo Carvalho and suspended Frank Lampard, but Bremen didn't give them an inch in the centre of midfield. Ballack was substituted late in the second half with a 10-inch cut on his thigh after a clash with Pierre Wome, but others did not have that as an excuse.

John Obi Mikel, making his first start since he was sent off at Reading last month, failed to make an impact in the centre of midfield. His limp touches often failed to find their target and Mourinho, who will recall the inspirational Lampard at Old Trafford, replaced Mikel midway through the second half.

It was a disjointed Chelsea performance and although they had chances, especially when Joe Cole's effort in the second was brilliantly saved by Wiese, they did not have the potency up front that had seen this team win their previous three games.

Joe Cole, who surprisingly replaced Andriy Shevchenko in attack, became increasingly influential, but others went missing. Claude Makelele, who usually offers so much protection in front of the back four, was unable to stop Bremen's midfield pairing of Diego and Daniel Jensen slicing through Chelsea's midfield.

For a team with designs on the ultimate prize, they failed to deliver a performance laced with promise. Ballack offered little before he went off and Michael Essien, Chelsea's most consistent player this season, failed to sparkle into life.

The visitors had chances, but they failed to make the most of them. Mikel, who was anonymous throughout most of the first half, sent an early opportunity over the bar after Terry headed back across the face of goal, and Essien fired wide after Drogba's classy touch on the edge of the area set him up, but Bremen had set their sights on a place in the second round.

They face Barcelona in two weeks with their tails up after this measured performance, and they will knock Barcelona out with a draw. But Chelsea were left licking their wounds after this defeat.

They had already beaten Bremen 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, but two successive victories over the group's whipping boys Levski Sofia had lifted the German side into second place.

Unbeaten in their previous five home games, they made it a sixth when Mertesacker headed their winner.

Mourinho felt that Chelsea should have had a penalty when Ashley Cole was bundled over at the start of the second half, but it was a night when their musclemen were out-muscled.

Even Shevchenko's arrival midway through the second half failed to lift their spirits and there was little for Mourinho to be enthused about in this disappointing defeat.

Instead, after a performance like this, the only person smiling last night was Sir Alex Ferguson.

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