SOCCER:Chelsea resume their pursuit of a first European Cup this evening with Peter Kenyon having outlined Roman Abramovich's long-term vision for the club, insisting the objective is to "build a dynasty" and claim the Champions League twice in the Russian oligarch's first decade as owner at Stamford Bridge.
This will be Abramovich's fifth campaign in the competition since he bought Chelsea in 2003, with his manager, Jose Mourinho, who has steered them to semi-finals in two of his three years in charge, warning yesterday that injuries are stretching his squad to breaking point as he prepares for tonight's opening group game with Rosenborg.
Yet Kenyon has suggested that European football's main prize is tantalisingly within reach.
"I think one of the key phrases I would say sums him (Abramovich) up, when we talked early about 'what do you want Chelsea to do?', 'what is success?', he said he wanted Chelsea 'to make a difference'," said Kenyon, speaking on a film about the club, Blue Revolution. "He wants Chelsea to make a difference. He's passionate about Chelsea. He's passionate about how we are perceived, how we do things. If we win, we want to win stylishly.
"It's about building and it's about winning it in a style, in a manner which, I think, is befitting of the best clubs in Europe. And it's building that dynasty. That's what Roman wants to be part of, Chelsea becoming part of Europe's dynasty. We had a 10-year vision for the club. It was about building a team that was successful, not once but consistently.
"Over a 10-year period, you need two European Cups to be a world club. You have to dominate your domestic league. We have to have an infrastructure to deal with that and people to deal with it. We will win the Champions League. It's just "when" is the question. We've got a squad, a structure, a belief and we've got quality. And I do believe the Champions League is not that far away."
That would, in effect, leave Chelsea needing to claim the European Cup twice in the next five years. Mourinho, who will not be charged by the FA after his remonstration with the referee Howard Webb following Saturday's game with Blackburn, was less bullish yesterday after seeing his attacking resources severely stripped by injuries to Didier Drogba, Claudio Pizarro and Frank Lampard.
"For me, the problem is which three or four are injured. When you have Drogba, Lampard, Ballack and Carvalho (out) you are speaking about 40 per cent of the team, you are speaking about the spine of the team. With Drogba and Lampard, you are talking about 50 per cent of the goals the team has scored."
That could hamper just how stylish Chelsea can be should, as expected, they dismiss a Norwegian side struggling in their domestic league. "It depends upon the game whether we play with more entertainment," said Mourinho.
Andriy Shevchenko may have looked past his sell by date since moving to Stamford Bridge but he will start tonight hoping a return to European football rejuvenates his form. Off colour yet again against Blackburn, the Ukrainian appears to be on borrowed time.
"I know what you want, but you saw the same game that I saw," said Mourinho about Shevchenko's form. "You don't need my opinion." That was far from a glowing endorsement.
Champions League, tonight, 7.45 Chelsea v Rosenborg Stamford Bridge, 7.45
GROUP A
FC Porto v Liverpool, RTE 2, UTV
Marseille v Besiktas.
GROUP B
Chelsea v Rosenborg
Schalke 04 v Valencia.
GROUP C
Olympiacos v Lazio
Real Madrid v Werder Bremen, Sky Sports Xtra
GROUP D
AC Milan v Benfica
Shakhtar Donetsk v Celtic, Sky Sports 2
