IF THE ISSUE of home advantage has been dominating Bayern Munich’s build-up to the 2012 Champions League final, history has for Chelsea.
Or, more specifically, the club’s various recent traumas in pursuit of victory over the last few years and, particularly, Moscow 2008. Such experiences were mentioned in every second question for Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Roberto Di Matteo.
Of course, given the identity of those answering the questions, the future was brought up somewhat as well: especially as regards where the striker and manager will be once this helter-skelter season finally ends.
Naturally, both continuously attempted to wave away such questions. Lampard, meanwhile, hoped to only use the past as motivation for tonight.
“We have good and bad memories of Moscow,” the captain for the night said. “But the main memory is defeat. It’ll be only after tomorrow night that we have a reprieve… if we win the game.
“The important thing is to take the positives from every defeat and improve.”
Drogba, who was notoriously sent off in that 2008 final, struck a similar chord.
“It was a difficult moment for me but… as Frank says, it was also a good experience. It was a first final for Chelsea and we learn from that.”
Naturally, such experiences have also created something of an obsession for the club as regards the Champions League. For the owner, Roman Abramovich, it’s arguably even gone beyond that. Not that he’s been putting any extra pressure on the players, according to Lampad.
“I’ve not had a direct message from the owner. But we know he’s always behind us. Without him, we wouldn’t be sitting here now.”
Di Matteo, understandably – and in keeping with the calm assurance he’s generally brought since assuming the caretaker role – sought to play that angle down.
“Sooner or later, it [the European Cup] will come. We hope it’s tomorrow. With the quality that’s been at this club before, and with the quality that continues to come in, it will happen.”
In terms of making it happen tomorrow, Di Matteo was asked whether he had any specific motivation, whether he wanted to copy Pep Guardiola’s famous Gladiator-style DVD shown to Barcelona before the 2009 final.
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As expected from a man who came in, saw the situation and attempted to subtly do what was necessary to steady things again, such pragmatic adjustment is exactly what he plans tomorrow.
“It will all depend on the environment I find in the dressing-room. I don’t have the script. I very much try to sense the atmosphere and work off that… We don’t have a movie. We have different ideas that we want to use.”
It’s those very ideas, of course, that radically altered the course of the club’s campaign after the failure of the Andre Villas-Boas experiment. Inevitably, the name of the Portuguese was brought up.
But, despite Di Matteo offering to “share” the trophy with him and praising Villas-Boas for the “foundation” he put in (before quickly hurrying the subject along), it was also possible to detect a slight amount of criticism for the old boss as Lampard lionised the current one.
“We’re very pleased to be back. I didn’t think we would have been two or three months ago.
“You can see his importance in the results. He’s been very clever in how he’s managed the situation. He didn’t come in and change everything. But, after the start, the Napoli game changed everything around the club.”
But, will victory tomorrow change everything for Di Matteo? Will the players be making representations to Abramovich on his behalf?
“I’ll be honest,” Lampard said. People think we ring up the owner every now and again and decide who gets sacked or whatever. That’s not how it works here. That’s not how it should work at any club. Decisions are made at the end of the season and they’re out of our hands.
“At the same time, if we win, I’ll be very pleased for the manager and the club.”
Chelsea coach Roberto Di Matteo and his assistant Eddie Newton during a training session at the Football Arena in Munich (AP Photo/Martin Meissner).
Di Matteo, meanwhile, argued that both he and the club have been too busy to even talk about it.
“It wasn’t relevant. We didn’t have time to have the conversation. We’re focused on being successful.
“I don’t know what the future holds.
Drogba, meanwhile, claimed that any stories of an offer from Barcelona were “not true”.
When it comes to actually securing the kind of victory that would make such departures much more difficult, however, all insisted that the club has many reasons to be positive –in mood as well as play – despite so many suspensions and the single important factor of Bayern playing in their own stadium.
“The atmosphere here is amazing,” Lampard said. “We’ve only sampled a bit of it already. It can give an advantage [to Bayern]. You’re used to playing on the pitch, used to the city.
“But, you know, it gives us something too. We can get focus from being the underdog.
“Bring it on. It’s a great challenge for us.”
As regards the suspensions, Drogba claimed the absent players are still very much a part of the fabric of the final.
“JT [John Terry] trained with us. We’re really disappointed he cannot perform. We want to do everything to make him happy.
“John is our captain and you know how much he feels the club,” Lampard interjected. “We feel the same. That’s why we’re here. Everyone who is missing, they’ve played their part. We win or lose, we’ll do so together.”
Di Matteo, meanwhile, was hopeful that the recently injured Gary Cahill and David Luiz would be fit and fighting.
“They’ve both been training the whole week.
“I will wait for the final training session tonight, here at the Allianz, to re-assess my players then make the final selection.
“You know about the suspensions so I’ve obviously been trying to cover every eventuality.”
One eventuality, of course, is Lampard lifting the trophy as stand-in captain for Terry. Had they discussed what would happen?
“We haven’t spoken about it,” Lampard sternly said. “I don’t tempt fate. Doesn’t do it for me.”
And, on that note, for a team that have supposedly been such hostages to fortune, Di Matteo struck a final defiant tone.
“I think you make your own destiny and faith… We have belief, we have confidence.”
And, with that, they might finally have the trophy.
Lampard tells Munich to 'bring it on'
IF THE ISSUE of home advantage has been dominating Bayern Munich’s build-up to the 2012 Champions League final, history has for Chelsea.
Or, more specifically, the club’s various recent traumas in pursuit of victory over the last few years and, particularly, Moscow 2008. Such experiences were mentioned in every second question for Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Roberto Di Matteo.
Of course, given the identity of those answering the questions, the future was brought up somewhat as well: especially as regards where the striker and manager will be once this helter-skelter season finally ends.
Naturally, both continuously attempted to wave away such questions. Lampard, meanwhile, hoped to only use the past as motivation for tonight.
“We have good and bad memories of Moscow,” the captain for the night said. “But the main memory is defeat. It’ll be only after tomorrow night that we have a reprieve… if we win the game.
“The important thing is to take the positives from every defeat and improve.”
Drogba, who was notoriously sent off in that 2008 final, struck a similar chord.
“It was a difficult moment for me but… as Frank says, it was also a good experience. It was a first final for Chelsea and we learn from that.”
Naturally, such experiences have also created something of an obsession for the club as regards the Champions League. For the owner, Roman Abramovich, it’s arguably even gone beyond that. Not that he’s been putting any extra pressure on the players, according to Lampad.
“I’ve not had a direct message from the owner. But we know he’s always behind us. Without him, we wouldn’t be sitting here now.”
Di Matteo, understandably – and in keeping with the calm assurance he’s generally brought since assuming the caretaker role – sought to play that angle down.
In terms of making it happen tomorrow, Di Matteo was asked whether he had any specific motivation, whether he wanted to copy Pep Guardiola’s famous Gladiator-style DVD shown to Barcelona before the 2009 final.
As expected from a man who came in, saw the situation and attempted to subtly do what was necessary to steady things again, such pragmatic adjustment is exactly what he plans tomorrow.
It’s those very ideas, of course, that radically altered the course of the club’s campaign after the failure of the Andre Villas-Boas experiment. Inevitably, the name of the Portuguese was brought up.
But, despite Di Matteo offering to “share” the trophy with him and praising Villas-Boas for the “foundation” he put in (before quickly hurrying the subject along), it was also possible to detect a slight amount of criticism for the old boss as Lampard lionised the current one.
“We’re very pleased to be back. I didn’t think we would have been two or three months ago.
“You can see his importance in the results. He’s been very clever in how he’s managed the situation. He didn’t come in and change everything. But, after the start, the Napoli game changed everything around the club.”
But, will victory tomorrow change everything for Di Matteo? Will the players be making representations to Abramovich on his behalf?
“At the same time, if we win, I’ll be very pleased for the manager and the club.”
Chelsea coach Roberto Di Matteo and his assistant Eddie Newton during a training session at the Football Arena in Munich (AP Photo/Martin Meissner).
Di Matteo, meanwhile, argued that both he and the club have been too busy to even talk about it.
“It wasn’t relevant. We didn’t have time to have the conversation. We’re focused on being successful.
“I don’t know what the future holds.
Drogba, meanwhile, claimed that any stories of an offer from Barcelona were “not true”.
When it comes to actually securing the kind of victory that would make such departures much more difficult, however, all insisted that the club has many reasons to be positive –in mood as well as play – despite so many suspensions and the single important factor of Bayern playing in their own stadium.
“But, you know, it gives us something too. We can get focus from being the underdog.
“Bring it on. It’s a great challenge for us.”
As regards the suspensions, Drogba claimed the absent players are still very much a part of the fabric of the final.
“JT [John Terry] trained with us. We’re really disappointed he cannot perform. We want to do everything to make him happy.
“John is our captain and you know how much he feels the club,” Lampard interjected. “We feel the same. That’s why we’re here. Everyone who is missing, they’ve played their part. We win or lose, we’ll do so together.”
Di Matteo, meanwhile, was hopeful that the recently injured Gary Cahill and David Luiz would be fit and fighting.
“They’ve both been training the whole week.
“You know about the suspensions so I’ve obviously been trying to cover every eventuality.”
One eventuality, of course, is Lampard lifting the trophy as stand-in captain for Terry. Had they discussed what would happen?
“We haven’t spoken about it,” Lampard sternly said. “I don’t tempt fate. Doesn’t do it for me.”
And, on that note, for a team that have supposedly been such hostages to fortune, Di Matteo struck a final defiant tone.
“I think you make your own destiny and faith… We have belief, we have confidence.”
And, with that, they might finally have the trophy.
Read: Champions League final preview: destiny’s children?>
Read: Letter from Munich: darkness on the edge of town as ‘real final’ in city’s beerhalls>
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Bayern Munich Champions League Chelsea Didier Drogba Frank Lampard Moscow Ready to go Roberto di Matteo