Mikel emerges from shadows in Chelsea's quest for glory

There is much that is ephemeral in football - rusting trophies, forgotten goals - but certain achievements bring with them a defining permanence. To win the European Cup, latterly the Champions League, is something that brings a comprehensive enhancement of status, changes the way a club is perceived, and how it perceives itself. You can spend as much money as you want, have as big a fan base as possible, but until you have won this most prestigious of trophies, you are not truly a member of football's aristocracy.

By winning in Munich, Chelsea would become the 22nd member of club football's most exclusive club. For Roberto di Matteo, it is the biggest game of his career as player and coach, and an opportunity to add his own name to the list of coaches who have won this trophy.

 "In European club football it's the biggest trophy," he said.

"It is second only to the World Cup. It certainly adds to the image of the club if you win a European Cup. It's the biggest trophy you can win, as a club footballer. To be able to join an elite group of clubs, that would mean a lot to us."

Di Matteo also watched the final in 2008, when Chelsea were beaten by Manchester United on penalties in Moscow. For Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard, all of whom started that night, this is a second chance to make history.

If Chelsea are in pursuit of a long-term legacy, the short term consequences will also be intriguing. Victory would have a contradictory effect on their recruitment of a new manager. As European champions it would be much easier to lure a big name coach and the best players. Defeat would leave the club with the loss of a hugely valuable income stream.

Yet if Chelsea won, surely Roberto di Matteo would be given a chance to show that they do not need a big name coach, that he is capable of sustaining the success of these last two months into next season. The challenges of taking the team into a fresh campaign are more complicated and demanding but Di Matteo has clearly won over the disenchanted sections of the Chelsea dressing room.

Under Di Matteo, Lampard and Drogba have flourished. In the absence of John Terry the leadership and experience of that pair will be essential in the raucous atmosphere of the Allianz Arena. Others, like Jose Bosingwa and Salomon Kalou, were thought to be finished at Stamford Bridge but have exceeded expectations under the new manager and will have key roles to play on Saturday.

Perhaps the most radical transformation under Di Matteo has been that of John Obi Mikel. The Nigerian holding midfielder has often been a source of frustration to Chelsea fans and back in November, after his mistake gifted Liverpool a goal in home defeat, Andre Villas-Boas also lost patience with him. He only started two of the next 22 games. His Chelsea career appeared to be going only one way.

"From the start of this season I was one of the key players in the team," he said. "There were a few rotations early on and it was difficult. You think you play a game well and the manager then brings you out. You don't know the reason why. Things like this went on through everyone's head, not just me. Nobody knew what was happening.

 "You come into training and think 'should I train well?' because I don't know if I'm going to be playing at the weekend. Things like that just went on and on but now we are more stable and have a manager that understands the game. He's played the game and speaks to everyone exactly the same. That's why all of us feel together."

Di Matteo brought Mikel into the team for his first game in charge, against Birmingham, and he has been a key component of Chelsea's strong finish to the season.

 Mikel's role is crucial: he must screen the Chelsea back four from Bayern's dangerous forward players. He must be hyper-aware of the way Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery cut in from the flanks and how Thomas Muller attacks the penalty area from midfield.

 How to cope with Bayern's fast-interchanging attacking play will be one of the things Di Matteo drills into his players at Cobham this week. The Italian attended the German Cup final to scout Bayern last night and will be in the unusual position of having a clear week to prepare his players. This afternoon's game against Blackburn will be his 20th game since taking charge at the beginning of March, a schedule of unremitting intensity.

 It is on the fields of Cobham that the suspended quartet - Terry, Ramires, Raul Meireles and Branislav Ivanovic - can make their contribution. Di Matteo sees them playing an important role in the preparations. "They'll be there supporting and pushing their team-mates, driving them," he said.

The Chelsea dressing room did not always appear the most harmonious of places in the first half of the season but the strong bonds of team spirit have clearly been forged in this season's heroic run to Munich. Again, Mikel is interesting on this subject, explaining how the players decided amongst themselves that they needed to rescue something in the aftermath of Villas-Boas' sacking.

 "Straight after [the sacking] the senior players in the team had a chat: we had to improve our game, had to make sure we get something out of this season.

 "This is how we are now, one week away from the greatest win ever for this club and we want to make history for this club and be legends for this club. It is the biggest game of our life." For Mikel, for Di Matteo and for Chelsea.