London (AFP) - Branislav Ivanovic has warned Chelsea
to snap out of their lethargic start to the season as the spluttering
English champions bid to get back on track against Maccabi Tel-Aviv on
Wednesday.
Mourinho's embattled side start
their Champions League Group G campaign in dire need of a victory after a
traumatising period that has left their Premier League title defence in
tatters.
A miserable 3-1 defeat at Everton
on Saturday condemned the Blues to their third defeat in their last
four matches and left them languishing 11 points behind leaders Manchester City.
They
lost only three in the league in the whole of last season and the
current woeful sequence constitutes the club's worst start to a top tier
season since 1986.
Against that depressing backdrop, Chelsea
defender Ivanovic tried to strike a positive tone when he claimed the
team's performances haven't been as bad as the results suggest.
But
even the Serbia international acknowledges they have made costly
mistakes that must be eradicated if they are to get back in the title
race and mount a strong challenge for the Champions League.
"We need one big win to come
back to our way," Ivanovic said. "We are not playing as badly as the
results are showing but we have to wake up.
"I think at the moment we are being punished for all our mistakes.
"The
only way we can change is to work hard and be ready for the next game,
so it is like a final and we have to play like a final."
- Flagging confidence -
Ordinarily
a home fixture against a Maccabi outfit perceived as the weakest team
in a group also featuring Porto and Dynamo Kiev would be regarded as a
welcome opportunity to record a big win and restore flagging confidence.
But Chelsea's turbulent start
has some fans with long memories worried that Blues boss Mourinho is
about to haunted by the ghosts of his first spell at the club.
Back
in 2007, Chelsea went into their Champions League opener against
Norwegian minnows Rosenborg in disarray after a poor run in the Premier
League and a bitter power struggle with owner Roman Abramovich.
That
fixture, which ended in a tepid draw in front of a half empty Stamford
Bridge, turned out to the be final match of Mourinho's reign as he was
sacked the next day.
While it
should be too soon for Mourinho to start fearing the axe -- he is said
to have a stronger relationship with Abramovich now and is only four
months removed from winning Chelsea's first English title for five year
-- Ivanovic conceded everyone at the club could do with a sustained
winning run to ease the mounting pressure.
"The next game is very
important for us. It is a new competition and it is time to change all
this situation. I hope we will start winning the games soon," Ivanovic
said.
After a draw with Swansea and a defeat against Crystal
Palace in their two matches at the Bridge this season, Chelsea face the
Israeli double winners still awaiting a first win in front of their home
supporters.
Hoping to plot Chelsea's downfall this time is the
familiar figure of Slavisa Jokanovic, a former Blues midfielder from
2000 to 2002 who took over as Maccabi manager in the close-season.
Jokanovic
led Watford to promotion to the Premier League last term before leaving
over a contract dispute and he would love to remind English football of
his qualities as he returns with Maccabi, who are back in the Champions
League after a 10-year absence.
"I watched their defeats against
Everton and Crystal Palace. It is a shock to see Chelsea start like
this," he told the Evening Standard.
"We
are not arriving as tourists and coming for a shopping trip in London.
We are going to fight and try and cause another surprise."
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the comment writers alone and does not reflect or represent the views of StaffyXCLUSIVE.