GILES SMITH'S THURSDAY THOUGHTS

It took our team only nine minutes to do
what no other Premier League club has
so far managed in the knockout stages of
the 2013/14 Champions League: score.

MOURINHO: VERY IMPORTANT ROUND

Jose Mourinho emphasised that emotions
must be put to one side when we face
Didier Drogba as an opponent for the first
time tomorrow evening.

Speaking ahead of our Champions
League knockout tie in Galatasaray
tomorrow night, Mourinho contemplated
coming up against a man so important in
his and Chelsea's history. He was keen to
stress, though, that the focus must be on
returning to London with a positive result.

Mourinho fury at secret recording

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said it was
a "disgrace" a private conversation in
which he appeared to criticise his
strikers was broadcast on French TV.

Mourinho said he was joking when he
complained about Chelsea's lack of
strikers and made an unflattering
comment about Samuel Eto'o's age.
"It was a funny conversation with
somebody that doesn't belong to the
football world," Mourinho said.

"It is a disgrace that someone is taping a
private conversation."

Speaking ahead of his side's Champions
League last-16 tie against Galatasaray,
Mourinho told the assembled media they
should be "embarrassed" by the way
French broadcaster Canal Plus published
comments he had made about his
players during a conversation eight days
ago in Switzerland.

In the initial video Mourinho said:

"The
problem with Chelsea is I lack a striker. I
have Eto'o but he is 32 years old, maybe
35, I don't know."

But in Tuesday's news conference the
Portuguese boss backed Eto'o, 32, and
underlined that the Cameroon forward
had played twice under him. At Inter,
they won Serie A, the Italian Cup and the
Champions League together, before the
striker joined Chelsea on a free transfer
from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala
last summer.

"I'm not defending what I'm saying. I'm
attacking something that is, I think,
fundamental in your professional area
and that person showed exactly what he
is or what he does not know about the
job," Mourinho continued.

"From my perspective, the comment is
not obviously a good one, not one I
would do in a serious way, not
something I would do in an official way
in an interview. First of all, because I
don't make fun. Secondly, because if
there are managers in the world that
really defend their players, I am
obviously one of them. And third,
because Samuel Eto'o is Samuel Eto'o."

Eto'o has only scored eight goals in 27
appearances since he arrived at
Stamford Bridge last August. Fellow
strikers Fernando Torres and Demba Ba
have only managed 11 goals between
them in all competitions.

But Chelsea are a point clear of Arsenal
at the top of the Premier League with 11
games remaining.

Mourinho added: "It was with Eto'o that I
had the best ever season of my career
[at Inter]. He's one of the few players
who is working with me in a second
different club and a manager never does
that when he doesn't like the player or
doesn't like the person.

"He has no reason to be upset because
also he said a few years go that
'Mourinho is the only manager in the
world I would never play for'. After a few
years he was playing with me at Inter
and now he is playing for me. There is
no story."

MATIC SIGNS

Chelsea Football Club have today
completed the signing of Nemanja Matic
from Benfica.

On signing his five-and-a-half-year
contract, the 25-year-old said: 'I am very
happy for this opportunity to be back at
this club. I feel very good because of that
and just want to say I will give my best to
help the team and make the Chelsea fans
happy.

' Jose Mourinho added: 'I am very
pleased that Nemanja is returning to
Chelsea. He has grown as a player in
Portugal and has become a fantastic all-
round midfielder. I am sure he will
become a very important member of the
squad and help us to achieve our
ambitions.'

The Serbian midfielder, who will wear the
number 21 shirt, returns for a second
spell at Stamford Bridge, having
previously represented the Blues after
joining from MSK Kosice in 2009.

He
made three substitute appearances in the
2009/10 season and departed in January
2011 as part of the deal which brought
David Luiz , one of the most coveted
players in Europe, from Benfica to
London.

Matic made his Chelsea debut
aged 21 during a 4-0 league victory
against Wolverhampton Wanderers, and
also featured in our final-day 8-0 win
over Wigan Athletic in 2010 which saw us
clinch the title.

In August 2010, he went on a season-
long loan to Vitesse Arnhem to gain more
first-team experience and although the
transfer to Benfica was agreed mid-
season, Vitesse retained his services for
the remainder of that campaign.

The 6ft
4in, left-footed player made his debut for
the Portuguese club as a late substitute in
a 2-1 win over Vitoria Guimaraes at the
start of the 2011/12 campaign, and with
the benefit of regular first-team
appearances, his game matured.

Composed, comfortable in possession
and with a good range of passing, he
scored his first goal for the Lisbon club
during a 4-1 win against Vitoria Setubal
in January 2012, and acquired valuable
Champions League experience, including
games against Chelsea in both legs of the
quarter-final on our way to winning the
competition.

While his first season at the
club was a solid one, the 2012/13
campaign saw Matic flourish. With Javi
Garcia departing for Manchester City, he
became a formidable presence in the
centre of midfield, impressing to such an
extent he was named Portuguese Player
of the Month on three occasions.

He also added more goals to his game
and a stunning volley in a 2-2 draw
against Porto was this week voted second
in FIFA's Puskas Award for the best goal
scored anywhere in the world in 2013.

He
also netted the winner as Benfica beat
Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of
their round of 32 Europa League clash.
Matic played in all but one of Benfica's
matches as they progressed to last
season's Europa League final, where they
were beaten by Chelsea in Amsterdam.

They were also pipped to the Portuguese
title by Porto, with a solitary point
separating the two big rivals, but on a
personal note, the season ended in a
memorable manner for the Serbian when
he was named Primeira Liga Player of the
Year.

The opportunity to play regularly for
one of Europe's biggest teams has
undoubtedly aided Matic's development
over the last two seasons, and he
continued to impress during the first half
of the current campaign in Portugal where
Benfica currently have a two-point lead at
the top of the table.

His final appearance for Benfica came
last Sunday, when he helped them to a
2-0 win over Porto.
Matic has earned international recognition
with Serbia at youth and Under-21 level,
and with the senior team for whom he
has made nine appearances, the most
recent a World Cup qualifier in October.

Cech the clean sheet king

Petr Cech today set a new Chelsea
goalkeeping record for clean sheets.

With the team not conceding a goal in the
2-0 victory away against Hull City, it was
the 209 th time Cech had played in a
shut-out performance, beating the 208
clean sheets recorded by Peter Bonetti in
his long and distinguished Chelsea career
that spanned 1959 to 1979.
On breaking the record, Cech who joined
Chelsea in 2004 and made his 459 th
appearance today said:

'It is a great personal achievement, a
great milestone but I believe this number
can grow and hopefully it will help us win
another trophy.

'The most important thing today was to
get the three points but I was thinking in
the second half I still have the clean sheet
and in the end we had both the points
and the clean sheet.

'I am still young, I can keep playing and I
hope I will so I can add some more clean
sheets and we will see where the final
number will stop.'

It was also the 31-year-old's 150th clean
sheet in the Premier League measured by
their criteria*. The all-time record in that
competition is 169 by David James and
Jose Mourinho is backing his keeper to
beat that.

'Petr is almost 10 years playing at the top
and there has been clean sheet after
clean sheet,' said the Chelsea manager.

'At this moment he beats the record of Mr
Bonetti but I think probably next year he
will beat the record of the Premier
League.

'He becomes a historic figure in the
Premier League because all his career
has been here since 2004. Also playing
with Chelsea he has a lot of appearances
and the best stage for a goalkeeper I think
is between 30 and 35.'

Bonetti, who also worked as a goalkeeper
coach at Chelsea during the 1980s and
currently is a matchday host in one of the
hospitality areas at Stamford Bridge,
reacted to Cech's achievement with praise
for his successor.

' Petr Cech has been brilliant to do what
he's done, he's one of the best
goalkeepers I've seen. His record speaks
for itself.

'I admire him greatly, he's been
incredible, and still has a long time to go.
He is relatively young and could still go on
to break more and more records.

'Clean sheets were a little more rare back
in my day but that takes nothing away
from him, he's been brilliant. He's a
fantastic person.

When I first met him he
was a real gentleman. I went to wish him
well when he first joined and it was like
we knew each other from years back.
Whenever I see him he is always lovely,
very courteous and always eager to say
hello.

He's a very genuine person.'
Cech recently said he would invite Bonetti
for a drink when the record changed
hands and it is an invitation that will be
accepted.

'I'm looking forward to him buying that
drink when we cross paths, maybe at the
end of the season,' said Bonetti. 'I'm
looking forward to getting that cup of tea
once there's no work to worry about!'

Frank Lampard , who set a new
goalscoring record for Chelsea last
season and has shared so much success
with Cech and played in so many of those
clean-sheet games, joined in the plaudits
for his colleague.
'Pete has been one of the best
goalkeepers for many, many years,' said
the midfielder.

'He's unbelievable, particularly in the year
we won the Champions League, looking
back on the final and the games towards
the final and how much he saved us. I
don't think he got enough recognition for
it on a world scale.

'People talk about other goalies in Spain
and Italy, but nobody was in Pete's class
that year. At Chelsea obviously people
recognise him.

One of the downsides of
being as consistent as him is maybe
people do get used to you being that
good. We're very lucky to have him.'
Everyone at Chelsea Football Club
congratulates Petr on his huge
achievement.

*Chelsea FC awards a clean sheet to the
starting goalkeeper when the team does
not concede in the complete match. In the
event of an outfield player or (since 1992)
a substitute keeper replacing an injured or
sent-off keeper then they share the clean
sheet. Some other organisations' records
require the keeper to complete the match
before he is given a clean sheet.

A solitary Demba Ba goal wins for Chelsea

Summary
A steady if unspectacular victory courtesy
of Demba Ba 's early goal means Chelsea
finish group stage winners for the ninth
time in our 12 Champions League
campaigns.

Opportunities for more goals were few,
although Branislav Ivanovic was denied
by good goalkeeping and Ba another goal
by wayward finishing. Steaua, who set a
new record tonight for most consecutive
Champions League games without a
victory, wasted one gilt-edged chance
shortly after the goal but that apart did
not look likely to get back into the match.

Team News
Jose Mourinho spoke before the game of
the need to rest players but still win the
game and he set out to do that by making
seven changes from the defeat at Stoke.

Mark Schwarzer at 41 years of age played
the first Champions League game of his
career and ahead of the goalkeeper,
Ashley Cole returned to defence, as did
David Luiz who was over injury, just like
his countryman Oscar who was also
back. Willian , ill and unavailable at the
weekend, and Eden Hazard were the wide
players with Ba leading the attack.

First half
Prior to kick off, and in common with
other European games this week, a
banner was displayed in front of the two
teams before kick-off in tribute to Nelson
Mandela, with applause around the
stadium greeting it.

Two minutes into the game, there was
almost a positive start manufactured in
Brazil but David Luiz didn't connect
cleanly enough when Willian 's corner
dropped at his feet. Then Willian fed Oscar
through the middle but his shot bent the
wrong way and went wide.

Chelsea were quickly on top and Lampard
blasted a ball from wide into the crowded
goalmouth but didn't get the favourable
touch he was seeking,
There was corner after corner in the
opening stages, and it was Demba Ba
who made one count after just nine
minutes for his second Champions
League goal of the season. Willian took it
from the right and Oscar headed on
towards the target, with Ba able to bundle
it over the line having reacted better than
Daniel Georgievski. There was a suspicion
the Steaua defender might have scored
himself which would have added to the
own-goal he netted when the two teams
met in Romania in October, but it was
confirmed by UEFA as belonging to the
Chelsea striker before half-time.

One goal to the good in the quest for top
spot, Chelsea should have been punished
by Gabriel Iancu soon after but the
midfielder shot wide with only Schwarzer
to beat, our defence having been opened
up too easily by a simple pass down the
middle.

Mikel was booked for pulling back Iancu
inside the opening 20 minutes as the
Romanian again slipped in goal-side, but
from that point on until the interval, there
was nothing more to worry about, apart
from getting the insurance of a second
goal given what had happened in recent
games.

It took lightning reactions from Steaua
keeper Tatarusanu to prevent Ivanovic
celebrating his 50 th Chelsea European
game with a goal, when the right-back
got a firm header onto a Hazard ball in.

After a spell of midfield combat, Chelsea
next advanced with a chip into the middle
from Willian , much involved in this
opening half, but Ba had strayed
marginally offside. Then Lampard took a
pop from 35 yards but cleared the bar by
a couple.

Ba was again causing chaos inside the
six-yard box on 37 minutes as another
corner came in, but amongst the
scramble the ref spotted a foul. Cole then
warmed the keeper's hands on a chilly
night with a grasscutter of a shot.

Second half
Dan Petrescu, a hero for both sets of
fans, was given a fitting reception as he
was walked round the pitch at half-time
as special guest, and it was a successor
to the Chelsea no. 2 shirt, Ivanovic, who
was booked soon after the restart for a
late tackle. That looked a little harsh,
unlike the card given to Georgievski
moments later for sliding in on Cole.
Ba should have doubled the lead and his
tally on 51 minutes as he ran onto Willian
's good pass into the six-yard box, but
half-volleyed over.

Two-thirds of the way through the game,
Georgievski took his turn to win a contest
with Ba as Hazard fired the ball in from
wide from an attack started by Mikel .
Ba
was certainly getting into dangerous
positions.
There was a low intensity to this half. The
Blues tried to stretch the opposition by
moving the ball wide when the chance
was there, and Hazard headed over from
close range after Schurrle, recently
introduced into the action for Oscar , had
caused panic in the Steaua defensive
ranks.

Schwarzer dealt comfortably with a
Steaua shot from an angle soon after -
the first opposition shot on target in four
games that hadn't resulted in a goal. It
was proving a gentle introduction to
Champions League football for the
Australian.

Ramires and Kevin De Bruyne were
introduced in place of Mikel and Willian
for the closing stages. The Belgian almost
found Ba in front of the target but a
sliding defender intervened, and then the
Chelsea centre-forward had the ball in the
net seconds later, only for the offside rule
to frustrate him again.

Chelsea conceded our first corner of the
night in stoppage time at the end. It was
safely negotiated and the ref ended the
match soon after.

With Schalke beating Basel in the other
game in Group E, a draw at Stamford
Bridge would have been enough for top
spot but the win looked likely throughout
tonight's match, and we will find out our
next opponents in this competition when
the draw is made on Monday.