Jose Mourinho believes there is still time for the current Chelsea team to win the Champions League.
The former Blues coach masterminded Chelsea's exit from this season's competition with new club Inter Milan earlier this week, sparking claims the side has reached the end of an era.
Six of Tuesday's starting line-up are 29 or over, while Ricardo Carvalho (31), Deco (32) and Paulo Ferreira (31) are on the sidelines at the moment, and there has been talk of wide-scale changes needed at Stamford Bridge in the summer to make sure they are Champions League contenders next term.
But Mourinho feels only bad fortune has denied Chelsea a European title so far and reckons coach Carlo Ancelotti could still launch a tilt at Champions League glory with the current crop next season.
"They don't need to change much," he said.
"This is a great team with great professionals with people in a great age.
"They don't have a Zanetti like I have, they don't have a Toldo like I have, or a Materazzi. They don't have 36, 37 or 38 year-old players.
"They are in a perfect age, the age of experience, the age of everything, so they can do it. It is difficult to say what they need.
"We - when I say we, I mean Chelsea - lost a semi-final with a goal that was not a goal and lost a semi-final on penalties.
"They lost a final with a penalty that if they scored they win the competition.
"Last year they lost against Barcelona in a game which should have had three penalties for them.
"I think in recent years for Chelsea, this one was the year when they can say 'we lost against a team that was better than us'."
The former Blues coach masterminded Chelsea's exit from this season's competition with new club Inter Milan earlier this week, sparking claims the side has reached the end of an era.
Six of Tuesday's starting line-up are 29 or over, while Ricardo Carvalho (31), Deco (32) and Paulo Ferreira (31) are on the sidelines at the moment, and there has been talk of wide-scale changes needed at Stamford Bridge in the summer to make sure they are Champions League contenders next term.
But Mourinho feels only bad fortune has denied Chelsea a European title so far and reckons coach Carlo Ancelotti could still launch a tilt at Champions League glory with the current crop next season.
"They don't need to change much," he said.
"This is a great team with great professionals with people in a great age.
"They don't have a Zanetti like I have, they don't have a Toldo like I have, or a Materazzi. They don't have 36, 37 or 38 year-old players.
"They are in a perfect age, the age of experience, the age of everything, so they can do it. It is difficult to say what they need.
"We - when I say we, I mean Chelsea - lost a semi-final with a goal that was not a goal and lost a semi-final on penalties.
"They lost a final with a penalty that if they scored they win the competition.
"Last year they lost against Barcelona in a game which should have had three penalties for them.
"I think in recent years for Chelsea, this one was the year when they can say 'we lost against a team that was better than us'."
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