Though Chelsea’s current season has not panned out well looking at how the club relinquished their title chase with a home defeat on Saturday by Sunderland. A semi-final spot in the UCL was achieved after a well orchestrated comeback against PSG at Stamford Bridge. In 2012 when Chelsea won the champions league, their domestic form was if anything at all, 'Schifoso'. At least this season they will maintain a top four finish.

The second coming of Jose Mourinho has both been a blessing and a curse. It is public knowledge that with the best of them comes with a lot of baggage and the special one isn’t left out. In fact there has been a lot of drama with Mou this season. The outbursts, the complaints and the ‘blame-game’ strategy which has seen the coach blame everything and everyone but himself for some of the team’s shoddy performances but one thing is clear, he’s one of the best in his trade and Chelsea has benefitted from his wealth of experience and wining mentality. Were Chelsea not to have Mourinho this season, it's difficult to fathom how bad the situation would have been.

This week will usher in two nights of ecstatic Champions League football as Chelsea face club Atletico de Madrid at the Vicente Calderon while Real Madrid will welcome holders, Bayern Munich to the Santiago Bernabeu.

With the kind of performance Chelsea posted against the Parisians, they are certainly one of the favourites to win the Champions League in a city which Mourinho knows so well. Lisbon, Portugal, where this year’s final will take place. Portugal is the country of his birth.  Mourinho does love a good movie script.

It’s hard to point out a particular player responsible for the team’s successful run in Europe this as none of the London club’s players has up to five goals in Europe. Their strength possibly lies in their spirit, a die-hard attitude and a wining mentality that Mourinho has instilled at the club.  Mourinho has complained repeatedly that he doesn’t have “Real Strikers”. The trio of Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba has hardly shown the magic they were once known for. Eto’o being the only excuses looking at the fact that he is ageing. At 33, one can hardly expect the bustling runs again. Eden Hazard is Chelsea’s highest scoring player this season but if he’s form will continue to go off and on like a bad switch, then, there could be problems spelt out for Chelsea now that they are so close.

With Chelsea up against Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals this Tuesday, the task has just gotten harder not just only for the sole English representative, but also for the dark horses, Atleti who is now primed to win the La Liga title after beating Elche 2-0 on Friday.

Every sign points to that fact Chelsea will be going through exactly what they experienced in 2012. Just like they played Barcelona two years ago in the last four, another Spanish opposition has been gifted them, another opportunity for Diego Simeone to go head-to-head with the special one again. The two legs are bound to be filled with a lot of energy, determination, and positive attitude but one that could also be laden with drama.

Whatever the case maybe, Chelsea now knows that they are just 180 minutes away from playing another European Cup final but one man stands between Chelsea and that lofty dream, Thibaut Courtois.