Tue 16th Mar - Stamford Bridge
Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has wished Andriy Shevchenko well on his return to Italy, but concedes the striker was never his first-choice signing, having arrived at Chelsea from AC Milan with a 'prince-like' status.
In a candid video interview, released by Ford's FeelFootball.com, Mourinho has claimed that while he never had a personal problem with the player during their time together in West London, the Ukrainian was never top of his wanted list.
Blues owner Roman Abramovich paid £30million to sign Shevchenko from Milan, but after two disappointing seasons in the capital he has now returned to his former club, where he will again come face-to-face with Mourinho in Serie A.
"I believe that in the future he will again be a player of high quality but maybe he needs a change, a different challenge and a different environment to be happy," Mourinho told Ford's FeelFootball.com.
"He was not my first option, but the club gave him to me as a second option. I had a first option and a second option that were not possible.
"I knew at the time that the club was doing everything possible to get these two players that I wanted - or one of them - who was not possible but for different reasons. And when I was faced with the possibility of Shevchenko I said yes, because he is, no doubts about it, a player of high quality.
"But he was like a prince in Milan - and in Chelsea our philosophy was different, we had no princes, everybody is the same, no statues, everybody needs to work like everybody else - and everybody needs to prove that he deserves to play. So I think that maybe he lost some self-confidence.
"You know the different factors: a different life, a different club, a different league, a different environment - and step by step a player goes in the wrong direction."
While Mourinho laments their unproductive working relationship at Chelsea, he nonetheless expects the player to return to something like his best form now he has returned to Milan.
"He is a very good player and to be fair I wish him to become again the Sheva that everybody, including myself, admires," the Portuguese concluded.
"The truth is I never had a single personal problem with him and I wish him well for the future."

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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Sunday 21st March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 16:00 | Blackburn vs Chelsea |
| Wednesday 24th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Portsmouth vs Chelsea |
| Saturday 27th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Aston Villa |
| Saturday 3rd April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Man Utd vs Chelsea |
| Saturday 10th April | |
| The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON | |
| 17:00 | Aston Villa vs Chelsea |
| Tuesday 13th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Chelsea vs Bolton |
| Saturday 17th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 17:30 | Tottenham vs Chelsea |
| Sunday 25th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 16:15 | Chelsea vs Stoke |
| Saturday 1st May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Liverpool vs Chelsea |
| Sunday 9th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Wigan |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 16th March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Chelsea 0 - 1 Inter Milan | |
| Saturday 13th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 4 - 1 West Ham | |
| Sunday 7th March | |
| The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 Stoke | |
| Saturday 27th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 2 - 4 Man City | |
| Wednesday 24th February | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Inter Milan 2 - 1 Chelsea | |
| Saturday 20th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Wolverhampton 0 - 2 Chelsea | |
| Saturday 13th February | |
| The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON | |
| Chelsea 4 - 1 Cardiff | |
| Wednesday 10th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Everton 2 - 1 Chelsea | |
| Sunday 7th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 Arsenal | |
| Tuesday 2nd February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Hull 1 - 1 Chelsea | |
| Saturday 30th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Burnley 1 - 2 Chelsea | |
| Wednesday 27th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 3 - 0 Birmingham | |
| Saturday 23rd January | |
| The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON | |
| Preston 0 - 2 Chelsea | |
| Saturday 16th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 7 - 2 Sunderland | |
| Sunday 3rd January | |
| The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON | |
| Chelsea 5 - 0 Watford | |
| Monday 28th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 2 - 1 Fulham | |
| Saturday 26th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Birmingham 0 - 0 Chelsea | |
| Sunday 20th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| West Ham 1 - 1 Chelsea | |
| Wednesday 16th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 2 - 1 Portsmouth | |
| Saturday 12th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 3 - 3 Everton | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 30 | 66 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 29 | 64 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 30 | 64 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 29 | 52 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 30 | 51 |
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