WHEN Roberto Di Matteo was appointed as interim manager at Stamford Bridge, he was given a simple mandate: make this team Chelsea again.
The Italian may well have excelled himself last night, though.
The London club inflicted a Champions League defeat on Barcelona, a Didier Drogba goal offering a slender advantage ahead of a semi-final second leg tie at Camp Nou next week. Should they come through that then Di Matteo will have taken Chelsea just one win away from becoming much more than they were before.
That seemed somewhat unlikely following his last stint in management, with West Bromwich having to recruit Roy Hodgson to save them from relegation. The Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich might have wealth beyond measure but he seemed a little low on common sense when he handed the reins to Di Matteo.
As John Terry stood in the technical area and barked orders to team-mates after being substituted against Napoli, the Italian seemed to lose further credibility: Terry looked like the real manager at Stamford Bridge, no matter what the sign on the door might say.
No-one is thinking that now. Whether by accident or design, Abramovich might just have found the ideal man to run his team.
Di Matteo has imposed his authority quietly but effectively. He has restored a sense of unity at the club, with the squad ruptured following the tenure of Andre Villas-Boas.
He also played the role of shrewd tactician last night. He delivered the perfect template for how to compete against Barcelona. It looked simple: defend deep and in numbers, counter-attack quickly and hope to get lucky.
It was founded on the belief that you can't stop this Barcelona side. What you do instead is limit their threat and cross your fingers that when Lionel Messi goes on one of those magical runs, or Xavi cuts a crossfield pass 50 yards deep into your penalty area. At Stamford Bridge, it worked.
They were not simply defiant in defence. When Drogba turned in the only goal of the night on the cusp of half-time it was after a move which exposed the frailties of the Catalan defence.
As Abramovich applauded Drogba's goal, he might have reflected that the joy came not from scoring against a team that played like Barcelona, but actually were Barcelona.
Rumour has it that the Russian wants Pep Guardiola as his manager because he can transpose the Catalans' image on Stamford Bridge. He can't, no more than appointing Mario Zagalo would have made them play like Brazil circa 1970. Chelsea don't have Andres Iniesta, Messi or Xavi.
The irony was that Messi was the player who was robbed by Frank Lampard to set the move in motion for Chelsea's goal. From then on, it was sublime; the pass sprayed out wide, the speed of Ramires' run, catching the attacking Dani Alves a couple of yards too far upfield, the cross rolled behind hastily retreating defenders, and the finish, first-time and to the corner.
It was enough to edge the tie, but only just. Barcelona dominated possession, Messi dazzled with the ball stuck to his left boot and Xavi dictated play with his usual aplomb.
The bad news for Chelsea is that only half-time has been reached in this semi-final tie. The good is that the Catalans must now face Real Madrid in the league before the second leg, a match in which every sinew must be strained if La Liga is not to be lost.
It gives Chelsea a chance, slight though it may still appear. In Di Matteo they seem to have a man capable of helping them take it.
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