Lille face a Chelsea side wandering in a world beyond Roman's land
By the time Lille welcome Chelsea to the Stade Pierre Mauroy on 16 March for the second leg of their last-16 clash, the west Londoners could be in new hands after almost two decades under the aegis of their Russian benefactor supreme Roman Abramovich.
Issued on:
His munificence over 19 years transformed an intermittently successful club into Chelski - one of the powerhouses of English and world football.
Fans of a certain age - will remember the pomp of Peter Osgood up front, the dash of Charlie Cook along the wing, the nonchalant grace of Alan Hudson in midfield and the gangland defending of Ron “chopper” Harris.
Ah, the 70s. Flares and big hair-dos.
But it was the injection of cash from Abramovich three decades later that ignited the star burst of internationals and sustained quality.
Claudio Ranieri - who was in charge at the time of the takeover - was awarded the first picks. The Italian took the new glitz to within a whisker of the English title and to the Champions League semi-final in 2004.
Launch
But it was Jose Mourinho, the man who steered Porto to the European crown that year who launched the Chelsea behemoth.
Brashly styling himself as the Special One, the Portuguese oozed sneer and style in equal measure to barge into the cosy carve-up of English titles.
Before Chelsea claimed the top flight crown in 2005, Manchester United and Arsenal had effectively co-opted the honours.
United - under Sir Alex Ferguson - had won eight Premier League trophies and Arsene Wenger's outfit had taken three.
Chelsea triumphed again in 2006 before United reimposed themselves between 2007 and 2009.
Carlo Ancelotti then led Chelsea to a league and cup double in 2010.
Wins
Three league titles in seven years for a club that had only won it once in the 98 years of its existence before Abramovich swept in underscores the mentality his largesse had etched into the Chelsea being.
And since Ancelotti's success, two more Premier League wins have been added under Mourinho and Antonio Conte - not forgetting Roberto Di Matteo overseeing the fairy-tale run to the 2012 Champions League trophy at the expense of Bayern Munich.
Chelsea will roll out onto the turf in Lille as 2021 European Champions with a 2-0 lead from the first leg.
Thomas Tuchel, their high calibre coach, will be able to deploy thoroughbred internationals such as Africa Cup of Nations-winning goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, Antonio Rudiger, World Cup-winning midfielder N’Golo Kanté and Kai Havertz now ably supplemented by home-grown heroes such as Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount.
Dispatched by Paris Saint-Germain in December 2020 - four months after leading them to the Champions League final, Tuchel was taken on to replace former star midfielder Frank Lampard as head coach.
Triumphs
Within a year, he has added a second European Cup to the club's trophy cabinet as well as the 2021 European Super Cup and the 2022 Club World Cup.
Lille - the champions of France under Christophe Galtier - and scrapping for one of the Ligue 1 places leading to the Europa League or the Europa Conference League - look decidedly monotone against such glitter.
And yet, the vagaries of the world in the shape of a war in Ukraine and the worldwide financial clampdown on billionaires such as Abramovich, might give them a chance to prey on the uncertainty engulfing Chelsea and advance to the last eight of European football’s most prestigious competition for the first time.
They might also be able to exploit fatigue.
After their Ligue 1 game against Clermont on Sunday, Lille host Saint Etienne on 11 March before the clash against Chelsea who play at Burnley on Saturday afternoon and at Norwich City five days later.
Three days before the voyage to northern France, Chelsea entertain Newcastle United in what could be the first home game for the new regime.
Shock
Just a few days after Abramovich's shock announcement, speculation is rife as to who will take on the mantle.
The Turkish businessman Muhsin Bayrak emerged as a possible buyer on Friday while the American and Swiss tycoons Todd Boehly and Hansjörg Wyss had also said they would scoop into their ultra deep pockets.
“The sooner the sale process completes, the sooner everyone has certainty,” said Richard Masters, the chief executive of the Premier League at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit.
And Abramovich's farewell could mark the end of an era.
Potential owners are likely to come under greater scrutiny before they invest their millions.
“The owners’ and directors’ test has been under a lot of scrutiny over the past 12 months," added Masters.
Chance
"And we’re looking at it again. It’s part of the process of responding to the fan-led review.
"We’re looking to see if more tests need to be added, if we need to be more transparent and whether those decisions should be approved by an independent body.”
Such systems might have prevented Abramovich from squirting his millions into English football. But they're there for just a little while longer.
“He helped the Premier League to grow," said the Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira who was Wenger's midfield enforcer at Arsenal before the Chelsea machine effectively sidelined their north London rivals.
"Nearly 20 years, 19 trophies ... I strongly believe he was one of those people who helped the Premier League to be successful.”
Memories
Chelsea fans young and old may well be a tad more parochial than the former Arsenal skipper.
"Our owner decided to sell the club but he sells a strong, solid and very well organised club on the highest level," said Tuchel before the game at Burnley.
"He was, and is, a very passionate owner who cares about the team, the club and the performance personally, which is very rare and makes him very special.
"Whoever buys the club will be lucky to have it."
They will also feel the pressure to emulate a certain Roman Arkadievitch Abramovitch.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe