Jose Mourinho claims Chelsea "are among the best eight clubs in the world"

Chelsea among the top 8 clubs in the world, says Jose Mourinho

After a comfortable 2-0 victory over Galatasaray, Chelsea cruised into the quarter-finals and became the first English side to do so, in this campaign. On the back of that victory, José Mourinho claimed that last season’s Europa League winners, Chelsea were back “among the best eight clubs in the world” and also said that he hopes Manchester United will join them ,when the draw for the quarter-final is made on Friday.

The Portuguese was quick to heap praise on his players for ensuring safe passage into the quarter-finals, where Mourinho has never lost in the Champions League. The 2-0 victory meant that Chelsea progressed by an aggregate score of 3-1, after being knocked out in the group stages last season.

Speaking after the game, Mourinho said that the transition from the Europa League to the Champions League has been smooth and added that, it is where they belong. “We are there [in the last eight] but it’s different from last season because, then, that was the Europa League and at a different level. To come from the Europa League to the quarter-finals of the Champions League is important for the club, important for the players. We are a Champions League club and now we are among the best eight, the best clubs in the world, and we are there. The players deserve to be there.”

Mourinho was visibly pleased about his side’s passage into the next round and put the gauntlet down to the other sides. “All the big teams are there. All the big candidates to win the competition are there. And we would welcome any one of them. It would be very good for our evolution as a team and very important for us to play one of the best. We wait for the draw. It doesn’t matter who. They are all welcome.”

When it was put to him that he had never lost in the last right of Europe’s elite competition, Mourinho was pleasantly surprised. “Why should other teams fear [Chelsea]? I’ve never lost in a quarter-final? I’ve never thought about it.”

Although his side are through, it isn’t all good news for Mourinho. The Portuguese manager is expected to be charged with misconduct by the Football Association on Wednesday and fined around £10,000 after being sent to the stands for encroaching on the pitch in Saturday’s defeat at Villa Park. It marked the second time this season that Mourinho was sent off from his technical area after a misdemeanor. The first one was in a victory against Cardiff in October, for which he was imposed with a standard fine of £8,000.

Having said that, Tuesday night was certainly a lot more pleasant than the weekend as it marked the first time that Didier Drogba played at Stamford Bridge after his departure from the club in 2012. He was given a warm reception by the fans and was also presented with a silver boot to mark his eight-year spell at Chelsea.

But the former Chelsea striker didn’t cause too much heart ache for the Chelsea back-line. Mourinho said that was because of the way his side were set up. “The most difficult thing was the way his team played,” said Mourinho. “When you are a striker, if your team doesn’t produce attacking football, you feel like a lonely man. It happens to every striker in the world: if the team is not there to play behind you, you are a lone[ly] man. So I think he couldn’t do much.

I have to say, in my opinion, Gary and John made a fantastic performance against two very good strikers in Burat [Yilmaz] and Didier. But the fact is we controlled the game so well that you could never see Didier in dangerous positions.”

Chelsea face Arsenal this Saturday in a top of the table clash, which marks Arsène Wenger’s 1,000 match in charge of the Gunners. On being asked whether the home side would be making a pre-match presentation to mark the occasion, Mourinho responded in the negative. “No, because the best present is to have 1,000 matches in the same club,” he said. “If Chelsea gives me the chance to arrive to 1,000 matches, I’d be the happiest man there is in the world.”