On March 16th, Inter Milan tactician José Mourinho will return to the Stamford Bridge for the second leg of the double fixture with his former club Chelsea where he spent two hugely successful seasons.

Inter patron Massimo Moratti has made no secret of his desire to lift the Champions League trophy and has splashed the cash in many failed attempts to make that a reality. The Italian champions are aiming for the treble this season and for the first time in many years actually seem to have a fair chance in reaching their objectives.

Although the season is far from over, the Nerazzurri seem well on their way to securing their fifth consecutive Scudetto. On top of that, they also have the advantage ahead of the second leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal against Fiorentina.

But in the end, it comes down to one thing; does Inter have what it takes to make a genuine push for the title that has evaded them ever since the glorious era of "Grande Inter" in the mid-sixties?

For five years Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been plying his trade in Italy and Serie A. During that time, the Sweden international has blossomed into one of the most highly rated footballers in the world, along with his unique technical skills, wonderful back flicks, and the ability to singlehandedly determine the outcome of a game. Along the road he has also won an incredible five Scudetti (two revoked) and two Italian Super Cups.

This coming season he's switched for La Liga outfit Barcelona that last season completed the very unpredicted historic triple as they rampaged their way to the title, picked up the Copa Del Rey, and lifted the Champions League trophy as they thumped Manchester United in the final by a 2-0 scoreline-all in Josep Guardiola's first season on the Blaugrana bench.

Ibrahimovic's departure has no doubt left a bitter aftertaste in the mouths of the Interisti faithful who have seen their gangly superstar play an integral part in delivering three consecutive league titles to the Nerazzurri-the team that he dreamt of playing for ever since he was a kid kicking his ball around the old pitches of his suburban hometown Rosengård.

To say that the Swede played an integral part is almost an understatement. The dependence on which the team placed on their hit man was more than obvious, as they tended to rise along his moments of sheer brilliance and fall when the burden of carrying the team became too heavy for the shoulders of Ibrahimovic.

When José Mourinho arrived on the Peninsula and at Inter Milan, the expectations for the self-proclaimed Special One sky rocketed.

The Champions League was the undisputed number-one priority, and the Milan club that had waited since 1965 would surely experience European glory at last.

Mourinho was to succeed where his predecessor had failed, as Roberto Mancini, despite bringing the club their first Scudetto since 1989, was sacked ahead of the current campaign due to the repeated failures in Europe's finest tournament.

The Portuguese started off in a cheery manner despite the club's early stumble, but Inter soon began to churn out the points needed and get ahead on the table. The team showcased some less than convincing performances as the players clearly struggled with Mourinho's preferred 4-3-3, which also left the Inter tactician's vision of the indestructible machine far away.

Arsenal vs. AS Roma

24 Feb 2009 20:45:00 CET
Emirates Stadium-London
Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark)

Arsenal finished second in group G with 11 points and their only defeat came to group winners Porto. The Gunners went all the way to the final in 2006 where they were defeated at the hands of Barcelona. Since then, the North London club hasn't been nearly as successful in their quest for European glory.

Injuries and poor form has seen Arsenal slip down the standings and just last weekend they collected their third consecutive goalless draw. The club is currently residing in fifth place with a mighty 17 points separating them from the top-which makes it rather safe to say that they're out of the title race for this time.

Mario Balotelli is looked upon as a one of Italy's most talented players of recent times. The young hitman burst on to the scene in last season's Coppa Italia when Roberto Mancini was at the helm of the reigning champions, bagging a brace against Juventus to put Inter through to the next round of the tournament.

Since José Mourinho's arrival last summer, the Ghanaian-born forward was supposed to flourish under the coach's preferred 4-3-3 formation. However, things haven't quite turned out as planned as the forward has only appeared eight times this season.

Since the Portuguese tactician took over the reins at the Appiano Gentile, he has blasted his prodigy's attitude for his lazy attitude during the training sessions and accused him of not even putting up 25 percent of his ability.

Mourinho has dropped Balotelli on numerous occasions as a disciplinary act and not only that, the Inter tactician humiliatingly sent the starlet to play with the Primavera team to learn his lesson. Nothing seemed to have worked as the player grew even more frustrated and handed in a transfer request which was shot down by Inter supreme Massimo Moratti.

Inter Milan shockingly lost against Atalanta on Sunday, 3-1, and not only did Cristiano Doni and Co. bring Inter down from their high chairs, they also completely humiliated the reigning champions.

Mourinho's side was indeed struggling with injuries but was still able to field a decent team, even though the Portuguese tactician did make some rather questionable choices in his lineup by handing Nicolas Burdisso and Hernan Crespo starting shirts.

The scoreline read 3-0 in favor of the home team after the half-hour mark. Most people probably couldn't believe their eyes, but what was worse than Inter's dreadful performance was the obvious lack of effort from Nerazzuri side. Some blame Mourinho, some blame the players, but as far as I'm concerned it was a collective downfall.

Despite being three goals up, the home team were relentless in their offensive raids-the visiting side, on the other hand, couldn't manage to create a real offensive danger had their lives depended on it.