With the news of Ashley Cole's separation from wife Cheryl splashed all over the front pages of the press, fortunately the back pages have chosen to focus on matters of the footballing heart. The biggest match ahead today is of course the reunion between Jose Mourinho and his former Chelsea players as Inter take on the Blues in the Champions League.

Martin Samuel at the Mail has chosen to reminisce about the days when the "Special One" was in charge at Stamford Bridge and examine exactly why Mourinho was as "special" as he proclaimed.

"It seems strange that, all these years on, we should still be debating what precisely makes Jose Mourinho special. The 'self-proclaimed' special one, as he is often called; 'His Specialness' as Carlo Ancelotti, coach of Chelsea, brands him, mockingly.

So, is Mourinho all that special? Of course he is. Mourinho is the figure against which all Chelsea managers are judged: and not just Chelsea managers, but the Premier League's foreign managers, too.

Nobody has delivered in English football quite like Mourinho. Not Rafael Benitez, whose astonishing success, winning the Champions League in his first season, could not be sustained; not even Arsene Wenger, who altered the culture of his club, Arsenal.

From the beginning, Wenger was involved in a long-term project, not a short-term glory hunt. He had the unquestioning support of his employers, through the former vice-chairman David Dein, and was given time and freedom to reshape Arsenal top to toe. He did this, until recently, while consistently winning trophies, which was an outstanding accomplishment but does not compare to the instant pressure Mourinho faced when arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2004."

Elsewhere, the Times' European correspondent Gabriele Marcotti takes a look at why the Italian-infused history of Chelsea - with former players Gianfranco Zola and Roberto Di Matteo, as well as former manager Gianluca Vialli - makes them the best supported English team in Italy.

"To many Italian observers, Inter Milan v Chelsea feels a bit like a derby. There is a familiarity with the Stamford Bridge club that dates back some 15 years, the result of a “perfect storm” of factors, such as the proliferation of satellite television (serving up a hefty diet of football from the Premier League and elsewhere), the qualitative quantum leap in the English game and the many former Serie A stars who made their way to West London.

Add in that Chelsea have had an Italian manager for seven of the past 12 years, dating back to Gianluca Vialli’s appointment in February 1998, and you can see why Italy has had a special affinity for the club.

Ancelotti’s affable personality has also made him popular with the media, certainly more so than coaches such as Fabio Capello and Marcello Lippi. Except for Inter fans — and those who have adopted a “second team” other than Chelsea in the Premier League — it’s not a stretch to suggest that most of Italy will wish him well tonight, particularly because José Mourinho, the Inter coach, continues to divide opinion."