Frank Malley: Old guard primed to deliver Abramovich’s Holy Grail

IN THE nine years Roman Abramovich has owned Chelsea, the chances are barely a week has gone by without him ruminating on how to win the Champions League.

He has utilised nine managers in that time, won nine major trophies, three Premier Leagues, four FA Cups and two League Cups, and spent around £1billion. Yet, when it comes to the big one, fate has always seemed to conspire against him. Robbed by the Luis Garcia ‘ghost goal’ in the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool in 2005. Dumped out of the competition at the same stage in 2009 by Barcelona and a string of dreadful refereeing decisions.

Denied by the width of a post in the final in Moscow in 2008, when John Terry struck the woodwork with a penalty which would have won the shoot-out against Manchester United. Abramovich is due a bit of fortune and he will need plenty of it in the Allianz Arena against a Bayern Munich side with home advantage tomorrow night if he is to deposit the prize he craves most in the Stamford Bridge trophy cabinet. As well as luck, however, he will also need three of his Chelsea old guard, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech, to play the match of their lives. How ironic is that after a season which began with a managerial rookie in Andre Villas-Boas effectively having been given a brief to revitalise Chelsea by clearing out senior players and replacing them with young wannabes?

If Abramovich had not abandoned that plan at the beginning of March, when Villas-Boas was sacked and Roberto Di Matteo installed as caretaker manager, then Bayern almost certainly would be facing Barcelona tomorrow evening. Di Matteo has been canny. He appealed individually to each senior player to grace their careers with a final hurrah. In effect, to prove Abramovich wrong.

So Chelsea need Cech, who turns 30 tomorrow, to be at his inspired best because it is certain he will be tested by a Bayern attacking force which includes the sublime talents of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery as well as the goal-scoring nous of Mario Gomez and the energy of Thomas Muller. Bayern know only one way of playing. That is pressing the ball, taking the game to the opposition, dictating the rhythm and tempo. Attack, attack, attack. Which is why Chelsea will also rely on Lampard, 34 next month, to win the midfield battle against Bastian Schweinsteiger, whose strength and precise distribution has been at the core of the German side’s success.

Chelsea’s task has not been made easier by the absence of the suspended Ramires, whose pace and counter-attacking ability will be missed perhaps even more than the defensive qualities of John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic, who also miss out through suspension but who have able deputies in Gary Cahill and David Luiz. If Chelsea are to win, however, they require at least one more essential ingredient. Namely, another showpiece display from 34-year-old Drogba. Love him or hate him, and his apparent feigned injuries and theatrical gesticulations can be irritating, there is no denying Drogba is the man for the big occasion. Cup finals a speciality. He scored in both League Cup final wins under Abramovich and in all four FA Cup final victories, including this month’s 2-1 defeat of Liverpool. He also scored the goal at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League semi-final which saw Chelsea beat Barcelona 1-0.

His incentive tonight is obvious, considering his last Champions League final saw him sent off in disgrace late in the game against Manchester United, thereby depriving his team of one of their specialist penalty takers in the resulting shoot-out. This time a disciplined Drogba must inspire his team-mates to evoke last month’s spirit in the Nou Camp. It is a tough final to call but, put simply, Chelsea, under Di Matteo, have a knack of getting the job done. Which is why, at last, Abramovich might just have a £1billion night to remember.