It has been a less than halcyon campaign as far as anybody connected with Chelsea is concerned, and with a 17 point gap to close before they can even consider a flirtation with Champions League football it looks like the cup competitions are their only avenue for potential success.

And yet…..there’s a spooky symmetry at work with the 2011/12 season. It was here that the Blues finished sixth in the Premier League after a hugely inconsistent run which saw the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas (for 2015/16 read Jose Mourinho) and the temporary appointment of a ‘goodwill caretaker’ in Roberto Di Matteo (see Guus Hiddink for this year’s vintage).

Somehow, Chelsea managed to rouse themselves from such domestic despair with a glint of silver in the muddy mayhem: not one but two cup triumphs. The FA Cup victory was a piecemeal offering to the Stamford Bridge faithful, while the subsequent Champions League glory would create club history.

A rudimentary progression from the group phase (again, see 2015/16) was followed by comfortable knockout victories over Napoli and Benfica. But nobody could doubt they deserved their moment in the sun after overcoming two of world football’s finest club sides – Barcelona and Bayern Munich – in the last four and final respectively.

As we fast forward to today, we see a Chelsea side in similar straits. Can Hiddink ride through West London like a knight in shining armour and deliver one, if not two, cup triumphs to his adoring faithful?

Maybe.

Personality Complex
A brief comparison of the Chelsea squad of yesteryear with that of today identifies one of the problems that Hiddink will face if he is to rally his troops sufficiently for some continental success. The Blues squad compiled by Villas-Boas contained six players that recorded double figures as far as goals are concerned: Frank Lampard, Daniel Sturridge, Didier Drogba, Juan Mata, Fernando Torres and Ramires.

Within today’s collective, you would argue that only Diego Costa and possibly Oscar and Willian have an opportunity to match their forbearers. If the Blues are to navigate a course through the Champions League successfully, they will need to find additional goals from somewhere.

But then again, they’re ten games unbeaten under the guidance of their Dutch boss. That breeds confidence of course, and while their next European opponent, PSG, is enjoying an incredible undefeated streak of their own, this is a Chelsea side that will take some stopping. They’ve only lost once in six meetings with the Paris giants, and they will probably go into that clash as the outside punt; which will suit them very nicely indeed you’d fancy.

Then will come a quarter final, a semi final and the most unlikely of finales at the San Siro on May 28. With a further seven matches to win before John Terry can get his hands, legitimately, on the Champions League trophy for one last time, it would take a hardy punter to back them to do just that.

For most, there is one key difference between this Chelsea side and the trophy-laden alumni of 2011/12: personality.

That vintage had bags of them – Terry in his prime, Lampard bursting through from midfield to score important goals, Drogba at his surly, sullen best. Petr Cech was perhaps the finest keeper in Europe at this point, while the likes of Ramires, Mata and Meireles were just making their mark on English football.

This Chelsea side looks a shadow of that unit by comparison; and not necessarily just in football terms. When the gut check comes in the heat of Champions League battle, this current squad appears to lack the stomach for a fight – despite the best intentions of fun Uncle Guus.