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Ballack spurs Chelsea mates |
| Theallineed.com |
Michael Ballack has told Chelsea's stars they have to reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals to make up for their self-inflicted misery in the FA and League Cups.
Avram Grant's side face Fenerbahce in the quarter-final second leg at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday trailing 2-1 from last week's clash in Istanbul.
After the disappointment of losing the League Cup final to Tottenham and then crashing out of the FA Cup at Championship club Barnsley, Grant cannot afford another embarrassing exit.
Ballack admits Chelsea have only themselves to blame for those defeats and the Germany midfielder insists his team-mates are determined to make amends by booking a place in the Champions League semi-finals for the fourth time in five seasons.
"We lost because we didn't play well in those two games. We went to a final and we shouldn't lose a final. It was our fault. It was not that Tottenham played fantastic football. And even against Barnsley, it was our fault," Ballack said. "We saw it in the first leg against Fenerbahce. It was our fault. When we play our best football we can win every competition. We didn't do that in two competitions this year. Everybody knows that and it is our motivation."
Chelsea looked to be cruising towards a semi-final showdown against Liverpool or Arsenal after Deivid's early own goal gave them the lead at Fenerbahce last Wednesday. But Grant's team failed to get the killer second goal and switched off to allow Colin Kazim-Kazim's second half equaliser before Deivid's late winner sent them back to England empty-handed.
Chelsea are still in a strong position as a 1-0 win would send them through and Ballack believes their experience of Europe's biggest matches will prove decisive.
"We have a strong team with a lot of experience. We know the situation when you go to a quarter-final and have to win. We have showed this many times in the past," Ballack said. "I have confidence we can win the game but in the first game after 45 minutes we thought it would be an easy win, then the game changes. It shouldn't happen again. We will prepare well to make sure it doesn't.
"We play at home and we have a fantastic record at home. But they have nothing to lose and that makes it very dangerous," he added.
Grant in the hot seat
If Fenerbahce do eliminate Chelsea on Tuesday, it will leave Grant once again facing an uncertain future despite his side's late burst into the Premier League title race. A third major cup failure would surely cause Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to consider whether the Israeli is the right man for the job.
Despite his precarious position, Grant insisted he has not been having sleepless nights.
"I will sleep more than you think. It is a big opportunity to do it. We spoke about this with the players. We want to use this opportunity," he said."We know it won't be easy but all this season was very hard. If we pass these difficulties and come to this stage, we want to do our best to take this opportunity."
John Terry's claim that Grant lost his temper with his players at half-time of Saturday's win at Manchester City was refuted by the Blues boss, who claimed it was his assistants Henk Ten Cate and Steve Clarke that did the emotional speeches.
"It's not true. I spoke with the players, also my assistant said something from the heart like we always do. It is not unusual. We spoke about what we needed to do in the second half," Grant said. "Like every game I speak and they said what they have to say. They spoke from the heart and I like it. I speak about the tactical side. We are a team."
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