Soccer: Chelsea's secret

Last season Chelsea and Arsenal went head-to-head three times. The two league fixtures were magnificent affairs, full of artistry, movement, athleticism, controversy and, ultimately, a 2-1 win for the Arsenal. On each occasion Chelsea had taken the lead, only to be pegged back.

The same was expected in the Champions League quarter-final at Highbury. But on this occasion the plot changed. Chelsea emerged victorious, courtesy of a splendid goal from Eider Gudjohnsen. Chelsea fans were ecstatic, neutrals were enthralled and the manager, Claudio Ranieri, was in tears. It was wonderful drama, and we all loved it.

That won't be happening today when the two clubs meet for the first time this season. Jose Mourinho, the new manager, is cut from very different cloth to the affable Ranieri. He had this to say of his predecessor: "I was very surprised to see Mr Ranieri so popular, but without a trophy in four years." Mourinho isn't interested in drama, heroic failure and modest success, he wants to be a winner. The handsome figure, hunkered down in his trenchcoat, with the impeccable five o'clock shadow, is all about results.

At 41, Jose Mourinho has established himself as the brightest of the younger generation of coaches. The son of Felix, the Portuguese international goalkeeper, Mourinho never played professional football. Famously he started his career as a 29 year-old, acting as Bobby Robson's interpreter at Sporting Lisbon. Working his way through the ranks, Mourinho moved to Porto and finally Barcelona as assistant coach to Robson. When Robson moved on, Mourinho stayed to work under Louis van Gaal.

Mourinho claims Robson was excellent on the training ground and the pitch, so his job was to organise everything behind the scenes. In contrast, van Gaal was excellent everywhere else, but relied on Mourinho on the training ground and the pitch. So by 2000 Mourinho had learned all aspects of the game, and was ready to take control of his own club.

Surprisingly, Mourinho's saga of remorseless success got off to a spluttering start - nine games as boss of Benfica - before quitting over boardroom problems. Then in one year he took the virtually unknown Uniao de Leiria to the top five in the Portuguese league, before quitting to join Porto.

It was there he made his name. The club were languishing in the nether regions of the table but, by the end of the season, their fortunes had revived to finish third in the league, qualifying for the UEFA Cup. The next season they achieved the treble: Portuguese league and cup, and the UEFA Cup, with a 3-2 defeat of Celtic. Ambition undiminished, the next season was the greatest in Porto's history, successfully defending the league title and claiming the European Champions League for the first time, by thrashing Monaco 3-0. He even managed to put one over on Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester Utd along the way. Many managers would have been happy to bask in their glory, but not Mourinho. Before the applause had died, he announced his departure to Chelsea.

Arriving at Chelsea, Mourinho let it be known where he stood: "I am a special manager, because I have won the Champions League".

He wasted no time in establishing his style of management. On the first day of pre-season training, each player was given a dossier of internal rules, a code of conduct. This covered diet, punctuality, drinking habits and virtually every aspect of the players' lives. Training sessions started and finished to the minute, each session requiring full concentration and commitment. At a club associated with fashion and flamboyance, he introduced pragmatism and punctiliousness.

Potential trouble-makers - Hernan Crespo, Juan Sebastian Veron - were off-loaded; ageing stars - Marcel Desailly, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - were put out to grass; players who weren't good enough - Jesper Gronkjaer, Mario Melchiot - were moved on; and we all know what happened to playboy Adrian Mutu.

Like many coaches he brought in players he could trust: Paulo Ferreira and Carvalho from his old club, and Tiago from Benfica. They were joined by the best goalkeeper at Euro 2004, Petr Cech, the prodigiously gifted Arjen Robben, the free-scoring Mateja Kezman and the sensation of the 2003 UEFA Cup, Marseille's Didier Drogba.

Every player is briefed in what his role will be in each match, with different roles according to how the match is to be played. Above all, Mourinho stresses the team ethic: " Players do not win trophies, squads win trophies. I love players who love to win." And he's found kindred spirits in Englishmen Frank Lampard and his skipper, the talismanic John Terry.

Conventional wisdom has it that players don't respect managers who haven't played the game at the highest level. In Mourinho's case he can simply point to his achievements as a manager.

So will Chelsea win on Sunday and go on to take the league title for the first time since 1955?

That will also depend on the mercurial talents of Arsenal.