Chelsea will welcome Jose Mourinho back to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday when they face Benfica in the Champions League, marking the Portuguese coach’s return to the London club where he won three Premier League titles across two spells.
Mourinho, who returned to Benfica 25 years after his first stint, managed Chelsea from 2004–2007 and 2013–2015, delivering a haul of trophies that cemented his reputation as one of Europe’s top managers. Appointed at Benfica on 18 September, he inherited a team unbeaten in their opening four league games and has overseen two wins and a draw in his first three matches.
Chelsea’s Italian coach, Enzo Maresca, praised Mourinho’s legacy: “For me, personally, Mourinho is a legend for this club. And in Italy, he’s a legend for Inter Milan where he won the Champions League. He has already shown how important a manager he has been and is.”
Chelsea winger Pedro Neto added: “As a Portuguese player I will be proud to play against a team coached by Mourinho… his contributions at Chelsea and elsewhere gave Portuguese people the chance to play for and manage the best clubs.”
Despite last season’s successes, including winning the Conference League and Club World Cup, Chelsea have endured a turbulent start to the current campaign. They are missing key players, including playmaker Cole Palmer, sidelined with a groin injury. Maresca said the squad is assessing the fitness of Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro, and Andrey Santos, but remains confident in the depth of his team.
Chelsea have two wins from six Premier League matches, losing their last two after being reduced to 10 men. Reflecting on recent setbacks, Maresca said: “After reviewing the last games losses to Manchester United and Brighton for sure I could have done better in terms of decisions. It’s like a learning process to play with 10 players. For any manager, it is not something normal.”
Asked what it would take for Stamford Bridge fans to chant his name as they do Mourinho’s, Maresca added: “Probably to continue winning trophies. I remember some from last season when the fans were starting to sing, ‘We have our Chelsea back.’”
