THOSE hoping to celebrate Chelsea’s imminent decline are likely to be disappointed when the Barclays Premiership resumes tomorrow. Beaten from the penalty spot in a Carling Cup third-round shoot-out by Charlton Athletic — but not in their own minds — the champions are determined to bounce back with a vengeance.

A draw and a defeat in the space of four days have exposed the merest hint of vulnerability among José Mourinho’s players, but John Terry insists that they remain ready for the fight. The Chelsea captain was amused by claims from James Beattie, the Everton striker, that he knows how to beat them — and hit back in forthright fashion. The boys in blue will not be bullied.

“We can take anyone on in a physical battle and we’ll win,” he said, “and then we’ll get the ball down and play football and we’ll win that as well. I read in the papers that Beattie said they’d worked us out and by battling us, getting among us, they were able to equal us and get a result. So let me make it clear that, apart from the penalty — and they (Everton) were lucky to get the spot kick because they weren’t threatening — they didn’t create a chance.

“Lampsy (Frank Lampard) scored a great goal and gave a great performance again. He had other good efforts saved and we had a lot of chances we might have put away. So if Beattie or anyone else thinks that by coming and battling and trying to bully us they can get anywhere, the message is clear. We’re up for it!” They will have to be to beat Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge tomorrow, as Mark Hughes’s side are perhaps the most physical in the country. Chelsea’s trip to Blackburn in February became known as the Battle of Ewood Park, with Arjen Robben breaking two bones in his foot in an horrific challenge from Aaron Mokoena and Mourinho becoming involved in a spat with Hughes. Tomorrow’s meeting also promises to be a feisty affair.

After the rigours of Wednesday night, Chelsea are fighting fatigue, although with William Gallas, Asier Del Horno and Claude Makelele to call upon, Mourinho is convinced his players will come through. “Blackburn will have had an extra day to prepare, but I think we can play with a good team and with plenty of energy,” he said.

Although still sore at losing his 36-match unbeaten home record, Mourinho believes that going out of the Carling Cup could benefit his side later in the season. “I think losing will be a help to us,” he said. “After the game everybody was sad. If I said I was happy, people would say I was stupid. But when you look to the fixtures, I can now take the Carling Cup ties out of them. That’s an important help for us even if I’m not happy we’ve gone out.

“I’m happy that it’s such a big story that we went out. That shows that we never lose. I’m happy we lost on penalties. The end is the same, you are out of the competition.

“I prefer for us to lose on penalties than in 90 minutes or extra time. You can say we are out of the competition, and that is true, but we’re still unbeaten in open play. That’s not a bad thing to be able to say.”

Ashling O’Connor is away. The Insider will return next week. You can still contact the column by e-mailing: theinsider@thetimes.co.uk

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