Roberto Mancini rates Chelsea narrow favourites to reach the
Champions League quarter-finals despite Galatasaray finishing the better
side in the first-leg 1-1 draw.
The Turkish side's manager was
relieved his open tactics in the first 25 minutes on Wednesday did not
result in more than the one goal his team conceded.
But
Galatasaray could have stolen victory after Aurelien Chedjou's equaliser
midway through the second half cancelled out Fernando Torres's
ninth-minute opener.
Mancini felt brave enough to suggest his team
could finish the job in London having rated Chelsea's chances of
success at 80 percent before the first leg.
"We should have
started more aggressively. During the first 20 minutes we had too much
respect for Chelsea and we made four or five mistakes, one of which
resulted in the goal, but apart from that we played well," Mancini said.
"Seeing
the second half, I think my players saw what we are capable of and we
now know we can actually go through. It will be very difficult but we
can go through. I think we have a 40 per cent chance."
Torres's
early goal was the first scored by an English team in this last-16 round
following Manchester City's 2-0 defeat to Barcelona, Arsenal's 2-0 loss
to Bayern Munich and Manchester United's 2-0 setback at Olympiakos in
other first-leg matches.
That was at least some consolation for
Mourinho who was unhappy at his front line's failure to capitalise.
"There are teams that score three goals when they find three chances. We
are a team that scores one goal out of five chances.
"When it
comes to the last choice, the finishing touch, the correct pass, we are
not yet a team that delivers it and kills opponents. It's not a
criticism of the strikers, it's just that's what we are in this moment."
But
he praised Chelsea's fighting spirit. "My team, each and every one of
them, give everything on the pitch, and they fight, they fight for each
other," he said.
Mourinho also had praise for striker Didier
Drogba, whose last action of a highly productive Chelsea career was
scoring the penalty that secured the Champions League title in 2012.
"He
is one of the best players in the world. When he comes to London he
will have the best reception of his life, the reception he deserves as a
club legend," said Mourinho before the second leg on March 18.
"But
he wants to win and he will not be our friend for those 90 minutes on
the pitch that he wants to win. He is still a striker and not a coach."
