Chelsea training was harder than PSG's 4-1 win against Lens! Jose Mourinho takes cheeky swipe at Ligue 1

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Chelsea step into Europe on Wednesday night at the vanguard of a fading English challenge and there is nowhere Jose Mourinho would rather be. Leading from the front suits him. Odds stacked against, all the better.

Arsenal and Manchester City follow Chelsea next week, hopes battered by first-leg defeats at home against Monaco and Barcelona.

The Blues are well set in comparison, although it is easy to exaggerate their slender advantage over Paris Saint-Germain, following the 1-1 draw in France, three weeks ago.

Jose Mourinho believes English sides face a tough ride in Europe because of the Premier League schedule 

The Portuguese tactician shares a word with Chelsea duo Diego Costa and Ramires during training

Mourinho believes his side were handed the toughest possible draw against Paris Saint-Germain

According to the manager even the fact he had an entire week to prepare for the second leg while PSG were in action, winning 4-1 against Lens, can be misleading.

'I saw their game on Saturday,' said Mourinho. 'I think our training session on Saturday was harder than their game. On Sunday, my players were resting from the hard training session on the Saturday. I think on Sunday their players were not resting from their game against Lens.'

He was addressing questions about a disappointing trend for English clubs in Europe, which threatens to be extended this year.

Also, he noted Bayern Munich's 11-point cushion at the top of the Bundesliga which allows Pep Guardiola to rest players ahead of big European games without fear of losing the title.

'It's more difficult for English clubs,' said Mourinho. 'I'm not here to protect anybody but do you think it's normal where Everton is in the Premier League? It's not normal. They play every Thursday in the Europa League and travel and come back and play again on Sundays. This league is very difficult and the Champions League is a completely different situation.

'To imagine English football, the best league in the world, without one single team in the Champions League quarter-final is hard.

'Our situation is difficult too. When you win the group and get PSG in the draw, it is the most difficult team you can get. We have a big opponent, a big game and the first leg is an open result. So we have a big job to do.'

John Terry, Thibaut Courtois and Didier Drogba laugh and joke ahead of Chelsea's Champions League tie

Recent signing Juan Cuadrado (centre) heads the ball while team-mates Drogba, Cesc Fabregas, Thibaut Courtois and John Terry look on

Cesar Azpilicueta (left), Gary Cahill, Terry and Fabregas walk out to training on a crisp morning at Cobham

Chelsea have carried the flag for the Barclays Premier League abroad in recent years and are best placed to do so again.

Of the last seven knock-out ties won by English clubs in the Champions League, they are responsible for six. The other victory was Manchester United's scratchy fight-back against Olympiacos.

From the high water mark when four Premier League clubs made the last eight in successive seasons, 2007-08 and 2008-09, there has been an alarming slide.

Chelsea were the only team in the quarter-finals in 2011-12, when they went on to win the Champions League. A year later, no English clubs made the last eight for the first time in 17 years. Last season, there were two: Chelsea and United.

After beating PSG in the quarter-finals, recovering from a 3-1 defeat in France to win the second leg 2-0 and progress on away goals, Chelsea lost in the semi-finals to Atletico Madrid after a goalless first leg, memories of which will add to the nerves.

Laurent Blanc's team are strong and dangerous opponents, with plenty of firepower and ambition to break into Europe's elite and desire to avenge defeat at Stamford Bridge last year.

Blanc said his team dominated Chelsea in the first leg but Mourinho replied: 'It depends on your concept of football. They dominated in everything except the result.'

He also dubbed PSG the 'most aggressive' team Chelsea has encountered this season - including Shrewsbury and Bradford City - but his side does not want for physical presence and only John Obi Mikel is missing from the squad as he recovers from minor knee surgery.

'Our problem last year was that we lost players with an accumulation of cards,' said Mourinho. 'We went into the semi-final without important players. It is important to have almost every player at my disposal.'

Mourinho has praised Chelsea for bringing Nemanja Matic back to Stamford Bridge last January

Nemanja Matic returns after serving a two-match ban in domestic football.

'We won two very important matches without him, so I've told him maybe he is not so important,' joked the manager, but he did applaud the Chelsea board for showing the courage to re-sign a player for £22million, three years after they had let him go cheaply as a makeweight in a deal to sign David Luiz from Benfica.

'Chelsea were brave by bringing him back,' said Mourinho. 'If in this world you want to do the best for your club you don't protect yourself from possible critics. You simply do what you think is the best.

'We wanted a midfield player and we had on the table three or four but the best one was a former Chelsea player. I don't say a player they lost but they were brave to say we are sure this is the right one, we are sure he is the best one, we are sure he is going to be a success here.

'Probably the next time Chelsea does a deal with a young player they will keep control. At these ages, the evolution of players can be good or bad. You can loan or even sell a player but you have ways of being in control of his future.

'Another aspect is the fact that Chelsea had so many managers in these years. It is difficult for the business people on the board. For one manager, Matic is the right profile of player, another one thinks Matic can go because I don't like him. This guy I like because he is fast, this guy I don't like because he is small.

'With a philosophy on the table, it is much easier for our board. If I was here, a left-footed player, 1.95 metres tall, would never, never, never leave. Never.'

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