All four one, none for all?
Steve Wilson
First he said it was impossible. Now he has admitted that it can be done; with the caveat that it will be 'very, very difficult'. Jose Mourinho was not the first to mention the possibility, surprisingly for a man of such unwavering conviction in his own talents, but he is starting to believe.
Jose Mourinho with last year's big prize (MatthewAshton/Empics)
Chelsea's inexorable march towards silverware is gathering pace and, whisper it around Old Trafford and Highbury, more and more people are starting to suggest that maybe, just maybe, they can sweep the board when the trophies are handed out, eclipsing Manchester United's treble of 1999 in the process.
The bookies, too, are coming round to the idea; parsimonious odds of just 11/1 being offered by some high street bookmakers on the Carling Cup, Premier League trophy, Champions League and FA Cup all residing in SW6 come May.
'We can win four, we can lose four, we can win one or two,' Mourinho said in the wake of Wednesday's 2-1 Carling Cup semi-final victory at Old Trafford. 'To win the four is very, very difficult but it is still possible. There is a long way to do it but if you could give the Premiership [title] I would be very happy.'
Not everyone, however, is getting quite so carried away. Sir Alex Ferguson, who led United to that famous treble of Champions League, Premiership and FA Cup in 1999, insists Chelsea will not better the achievement.
'There is no chance of a club doing a quadruple,' he said prior to the first leg of what proved to be an engaging encounter between the old money of Manchester and the nouveau rich Londoners.
'A treble is more feasible. But it is still very difficult to think that will be done again. When we did the treble, we had only Henning Berg injured. You need a hell of a good squad and your main players have to be fit all the time.'
And that, perhaps, is the key. Chelsea do have a 'hell of a good squad'. More than that, they have, crucially, a reliable understudy waiting in the wings should any of the starting line-up fall foul of injury or suspension.
Indeed, the distinction between first team and reserves at Stamford Bridge is a very blurred one, clouded by the unprecedented spending power available to the manager thanks to the injection of Roman Abromovich's millions.
Whereas Manchester United's replacements for key men struggle to live up to the standards of those in front of them, as proven by Ferguson's ill-judged team selection for the 0-0 draw against non-league Exeter City in the third round of the FA Cup, and Arsenal's bench is peppered with undoubtedly gifted but still inexperienced teenagers, when Chelsea rest players they never have the look of a side missing first-choice regulars.
And money, or more specifically its unequal distribution in the modern game, is at the root of why such an achievement can even be considered. With wealth concentrated, thanks largely to the effect of the Champions league and television deals (although from a very different source at Stamford Bridge), in the hands of an ever decreasing number of clubs, so the spread of trophy distribution narrows.
Ronaldinho: Standing in Chelsea's way. (DenisDoyle/GettyImages)
In the first 100 years of organised English football there were four league and cup doubles; since the formation of the Premiership there have been five.
And, of course, they have Mourinho, a man whose opinion of his own worth is matched only by his exceptional achievements in his short time as a football manager. A near impregnable lead in the Premiership; a Carling Cup final booked for next month against Liverpool; a fourth round meeting with Birmingham City in the FA Cup; and a mouth watering two-legged tie against Barcelona in the knock-out stages of the Champions League means it's still on.
Soccernet take a leaf out of John Terry's book and 'take each competition as it comes' as we assess their chances of an unprecedented quadruple.
BARCLAYS PREMIERSHIP:
As good as won with their only realistic challengers, Manchester United and Arsenal, both admitting that the title is now Chelsea's to lose. A commanding 10 point lead with just 14 games to go means that, even if Arsenal were to win every game from now until the end of the season, Chelsea would need to lose three and draw one. On current form that seems improbable.
The 'blip' that Ferguson insists every team goes through in a season - he said the same about Arsenal last season when they went unbeaten - doesn't look on the cards. Chelsea's only defeat of the season, at Manchester City back in October, was followed by four straight victories and in six of the next nine matches they scored four goals. Arsenal, by contrast, tasted victory just once in the five league games that followed their first defeat in 50 games at the infamous Old Trafford clash of the same month.
They have conceded just eight goals in 24 games, with a goal difference of plus 40, and look set to eclipse the record for goals against set by Liverpool in the 1978/79 season.
Only a catastrophic loss of form can deny them now. The one possible intrigue centres around a four day period in April where they face both Manchester United and Arsenal. Defeats against either or both are possible but would not be enough on their own. With games against Crystal Palace, Norwich, Southampton and West Brom scheduled to take place before that time, however, it is likely that they could afford to drop points in the two heavy weight match ups.
With Manchester United set to visit Highbury on the first of February, a draw would effectively hand Mourinho the crown he purports to value above all others.
Verdict: Champions with games to spare.
CARLING CUP
Unlike some of his Premiership contemporaries, Mourinho has shown every desire to go out and win the devalued League Cup from the outset. Arguably more to do with the Ambramovich-assisted depth of his squad than reverence for the trophy, he has fielded strong sides throughout.
Winning it would get a trophy in the cabinet less than a year into his reign and lift confidence for the late-season push in the more important competitions. Players such as Frank Lampard, John Terry and Wayne Bridge have yet to get their hands on any of the major trophies and the will to win instilled in them by their focused manager mean that they will be straining at the leash to right that in Cardiff next month.
Only a misfiring Liverpool side stand between them and the first silverware of the Mourinho era and, on current form, this should not represent too difficult a challenge. Wins against Norwich and Watford have proved the only rays of sunshine in a stormy 2005, three league defeats and an FA Cup exit at the hands of Championship side Burnley drawing the first mini-crisis in Rafa Benitez's rein.
One of those defeats was against Chelsea and, despite a creditable performance and some questionable refereeing decisions going against them, that completed the season double. Long-term injuries, notably to Djibril Cisse and Xabi Alonso (by the foot of Frank Lampard), have hampered the teams development and January signings have yet to convince.
A lot will depend up the performance of Steven Gerrard but even he would be hard pressed to win a midfield battle with player-of-the-year-elect Lampard and the indomitable Claude Makelele.
A one-off cup game it may be, but you can't imagine Chelsea fluffing their lines on the opening night of the quadruple quest.
Verdict: Chelsea claim the first of many.
Frank Lampard celebrates his opener as Chelsea booked their first final apperance under Mourinho. (LaurenceGriffiths/GettyImages)
FA CUP:
Still in its infancy in terms of Chelsea's involvement, the FA Cup still has a long way to run but considering their strutting, domestic dominance it is no surprise to find them short-priced favourites.
Premiership opposition in the form of Birmingham City provide the next hurdle but with Steve Bruce's team hovering nervously close to the relegation places, it would be a major shock were they to fall at this stage.
However, with five rounds remaining and the capacity for the old competition to throw up a few upsets, and the very real possibility of at least one meeting with one of the big boys at some stage, nothing should be taken for granted.
There is solace to be drawn for those faced with the daunting task of ending Chelsea's FA Cup run in Mourinho's solitary blemish in his managerial career at Porto. In his two seasons at the Estadio do Dragao, his team won all bar one of the competitions they entered. Two league titles, a UEFA Cup and Champions League success were adorned with just one domestic cup. A 2004 Portuguese Cup final defeat to Benfica denied Mourinho the clean sweep as Porto boss and the FA Cup may not prove to be the cake walk that many may predict.
Verdict: Deja vu for Mourinho and another runners-up medal.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:
Four straight victories in which they scored nine and conceded just a solitary goal breezed Chelsea to the top of Goup H and qualification with something to spare. A nil-nil draw with Paris St German and a reversal at Porto were misleading results as nothing was riding on them.
Outstanding performances booked one of the biggest tests they are likely to face: a last 16 match-up with La Liga pace setters Barcelona.
The combined attacking verve of Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, and Deco and the midfield promptings of Hernandez Xavi presents a major threat to Chelsea's participation in the competition and should prove a monumental contest.
Should they overcome this trickiest of hurdles then the prospects look good. They other main contenders for the prize, Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus, have been pitted against Manchester United and Real Madrid respectively. With Arsenal meeting Bayern Munich and holders Porto facing the third Italian representative, Inter Milan, the field is destined to be shorn of a number of the big guns, ensuring safer passage for those that remain. A kind draw could take Chelsea to the final comfortably.
But they have to overcome Barcelona, where Mourinho was assistant to both Bobby Robson and Louis Van Gaal, to take advantage of this. No easy feat.
Mourinho, of course, has been there and done it all before. In guiding Porto to two consecutive European crowns he has gleaned enough savvy and experience not to be overawed by the big occasions.
Verdict: Another European triumph for Mourinho only if they can avoid AC Milan.