"The room is named after Ted Drake, the author of Chelsea's first title, and features images of a host of club legends: a beaming Carlo Ancelotti, one of Antonio Conte kissing the Premier League trophy and, as Enzo Maresca no doubt noted as he arrived to preview his young side's Champions League tie with Benfica, three photographs of the manager whose latest return to west London conjures wistful memories of the days when Chelsea were the most feared team in England."
"Jose Mourinho, who won three league titles across two spells at Chelsea, is in town with Benfica and will surely enjoy a wonderful reception. Maresca, meanwhile, inspires less warmth. He has taken Chelsea back into the Champions League, along with winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup, but does not have his name sung by fans and was booed after losing 3-1 to Brighton on Saturday."
"There has been a lot of noise since the weekend, much of it focused on how consecutive defeats in the league to Manchester United and Brighton are hardly the ideal way to prepare for Mourinho. Chelsea remain fully behind Maresca, with the plan still to wait until the end of the season to evaluate the manager, but this is a big week."
Only league champions have portraits in the Drake Suite at Stamford Bridge, commemorating figures such as Ted Drake, Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge with Benfica and is expected to receive a warm reception for his past successes. Enzo Maresca has delivered a Champions League place, the Conference League and the Club World Cup but lacks strong fan backing and faced boos after a 3-1 loss to Brighton. Consecutive league defeats to Manchester United and Brighton have increased pressure ahead of fixtures against Benfica and Liverpool. Chelsea plan to assess the manager at season's end while publicly maintaining support.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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