Jose Mourinho in no mood for a history lesson as Chelsea boss plays down Roberto Di Matteo's Champions League legacy

Considering how hard Chelsea worked to win the Champions League and the agony of their near misses, it seemed strange last night to find no-one wanted to rekindle memories of Munich.

Roberto Di Matteo was reluctant to wind back time to the days when he delivered the trophy Roman Abramovich had always craved, only to be sacked six months later. He preferred to look to the future.

Jose Mourinho, having won the competition twice, did not want to dwell on Chelsea’s triumph in 2012, either. He wanted to focus on beating Di Matteo’s Schalke team and qualifying for the knock-out phase of the competition.


VIDEO Scroll down for Jose Mourinho jokes about taking on Roberto Di Matteo on pitch

Jose Mourinho was not interested in talking about Roberto Di Matteo's Champions League win with Chelsea

Jose Mourinho was not interested in talking about Roberto Di Matteo's Champions League win with Chelsea

Mourinho answers questions alongside Thibaut Courtois ahead of Chelsea's meeting with Schalke

Mourinho answers questions alongside Thibaut Courtois ahead of Chelsea's meeting with Schalke

Di Matteo was sacked six months after winning the tournament and is now manager of the German club

Di Matteo was sacked six months after winning the tournament and is now manager of the German club

Mourinho was quick to remind questioners that he has won the Champions League TWICE

Mourinho was quick to remind questioners that he has won the Champions League TWICE

‘Don’t ask me to speak about him,’ said Mourinho. ‘The history is the history that he was on Chelsea bench when Chelsea won the Champions League. He is a historic name in this club. I have nothing more to say.

‘My name is in the history of this club. A football club is made of many, many names not one or two names or one player or one manager.

‘I did my history here and now I have the chance to make more history here and he was Chelsea manager and he did his history here. I won it twice. For Chelsea, zero.’

It is as if he was cross at Di Matteo for stealing his glory, but really it is to belittle Chelsea’s inconsistencies at the time, finishing sixth as they won the Champions League, and then crashing out in the group as they tried to defend the title and plunged into the Europa League.

Diego Costa (centre) wraps up warm for a training session as cold temperatures hit Cobham

Diego Costa (centre) wraps up warm for a training session as cold temperatures hit Cobham

Cesc Fabregas (left) plays a pass as Cesar Azpilicueta (centre) and Oscar (right) look on

Cesc Fabregas (left) plays a pass as Cesar Azpilicueta (centre) and Oscar (right) look on

Mourinho has guided Chelsea to the top of the Premier League after 12 games unbeaten this season

Mourinho has guided Chelsea to the top of the Premier League after 12 games unbeaten this season

Captain John Terry (right) is one of the few reamaining survivors from the Champions League winning squad

Captain John Terry (right) is one of the few reamaining survivors from the Champions League winning squad

Thibaut Courtois is expected to replace Petr Cech in goal for the Champions League clash in Germany

Thibaut Courtois is expected to replace Petr Cech in goal for the Champions League clash in Germany

Mourinho is safe in the knowledge he has won the competition twice. The first of those came in Schalke’s Veltins Arena, with Porto in 2004. He is in pursuit of the third, and his team is 18 games unbeaten this season.

‘Winning the Champions League is not a consequence of a great work,’ said the Chelsea boss. ‘Sometimes it is not. You can win the Champions League in the worst season.

‘You can finish fifth and win the Champions League. Liverpool did it and Chelsea, too. A knock-out competition is something that always has a big percentage of unpredictability.

‘I cannot say we will win it. I can only work to improve my team all the time, and make a very good team, like we are doing. Me, working on the pitch, the board, working at other levels, to make a great team like we did in 2004, ‘05, ’ 06 and end with the Champions League but there is nothing we can do.’

Di Matteo (left) talks to his players as the Schalke boss prepares to take on his former team

Di Matteo (left) talks to his players as the Schalke boss prepares to take on his former team

The former Chelsea midfielder does not harbour any grudges over being released by Roman Abramovich

The former Chelsea midfielder does not harbour any grudges over being released by Roman Abramovich

Jan Klaas-Huntelaar scores the equaliser to earn Schalke a draw in the first game at Stamford Bridge

Jan Klaas-Huntelaar scores the equaliser to earn Schalke a draw in the first game at Stamford Bridge

Fabregas celebrates his group stage goal against Schalke, Chelsea will qualify if they win in Germany

Fabregas celebrates his group stage goal against Schalke, Chelsea will qualify if they win in Germany

How the teams are expected to line up on Tuesday

How the teams are expected to line up on Tuesday

Abramovich seemed to agree with Mourinho’s inference that Di Matteo had fluked the greatest moment of his managerial career and the greatest moment in Chelsea’ s history.

The Russian rewarded his achievement with a permanent two-year contract for Di Matteo, but became unsettled also as soon as the season began, a feeling accelerated by the manner of the 4-1 UEFA Super Cup defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid.

Di Matteo was fired two years ago, after a 3-0 defeat at Juventus. Abramovich’s gut instinct that he was not tactically mature enough to operate at the very top of the European game seemed to have been proven.

Chelsea supporters, however, will not forget his contribution. He picked them up when they were 3-1 down after the first leg of a Champions League tie against Napoli in 2012 and oversaw victories against Benfica, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. In the same year he won the FA Cup and after his sacking,fans would applaud in the 16th minute of games in honour of his shirt number.

‘I don’t think about it much to be honest,” said Di Matteo. ‘All the people remind me but I’m a person who looks to the future. Those are the things I can influence. The past is there for everybody to see. You can interpret it as you want.

‘Maybe emotions will run high afterwards, but it is a game, nothing else. I have no sentiment for revenge or anything like that. I enjoyed a wonderful time there, with many people.

‘It’s one of the biggest competitions. There aren’t many managers who have the chance to win it, so it’s a great achievement. But I’ve always said the team was the most important aspect of it. I was very happy for the team.

Di Matteo celebrates with John Terry after winning the Champions League final in Munich in 2012

Di Matteo celebrates with John Terry after winning the Champions League final in Munich in 2012

The Italian lifts the trophy after guiding Chelsea to an unexpected victory over Bayern Munich

The Italian lifts the trophy after guiding Chelsea to an unexpected victory over Bayern Munich

Despite his short spell as manager, Di Matteo is still held in high regard by the Chelsea fans

Despite his short spell as manager, Di Matteo is still held in high regard by the Chelsea fans

Mourinho won his first Champions League trophy with Porto at Schalke's stadium in Gelsenkirchen

Mourinho won his first Champions League trophy with Porto at Schalke's stadium in Gelsenkirchen

‘There is obviously a legacy between us. There are players at Chelsea with home will stay in touch for the rest of our lives. That relationship will be forever.”

Petr Cech and Didier Drogba, heroes of that night in Munich, may not start but are in the Chelsea squad. Others, like John Terry and Ramires, are still there. Di Matteo was in charge when the club signed Oscar and Eden Hazard, but there is little bitterness at the sacking.

‘That’s life,’ said Di Matteo. ‘Time in football is very precious. You would always like to have time but that’s not the case in modern football. You have to live with that and get on with it.’