As he sat stern-faced in the Stadio Olimpico yesterday Guus Hiddink mentioned the words luck and fortune on countless occasions, as if he were waiting to have his palm read rather than preparing for a Champions League tie, but it became clear why. The interim Chelsea manager is considering a huge gamble by recalling Michael Essien for his first start in over six months for the first knockout round, second leg against Juventus tonight.
Hiddink’s poker face gave away little in the pre-match press conference — “Be careful what you say,” he even instructed Michael Ballack, who was sitting next to him, at one point — but the training session he conducted at a stadium originally named after Mussolini was more revealing. Chelsea spent much of their 90-minute workout lined up in a 4-1-3-2 formation, with Essien playing alongside Ballack and Frank Lampard in a three-man midfield ahead of John Obi Mikel, and Nicolas Anelka partnering Didier Drogba up front.
