Can you name Jose Mourinho’s first XI in Chelsea return?

AMR Kevin de Bruyne

How would this guy be getting on at Chelsea nowadays had Mourinho and the club not sent him away from the club? Surprisingly, he started in Mourinho’s return to Chelsea despite the manager sanctioning his transfer a few months later after not handing him much playing time.

Even more odd, that summer, de Bruyne was set to make his loan move to the Bundesliga a permanent move (he went to Werder Bremen on loan the season prior but was going to sign with Borussia Dortmund or Bayer Leverkusen) but Mourinho asserted that he wanted the player with him at Chelsea.

Except then he only made two more league appearances after opening day, despite setting up a goal on the day, and made his elongated transfer to Wolfsburg in January. Thanks to the perplexing chain of events, Wolfsburg gained hugely, both on the pitch with his play then monetarily once City came calling.

AMC Oscar

The goal that de Bruyne assisted came to Oscar, who netted 13 minutes into the match. It was the beginning to what appeared to be his breakout campaign, scoring eight goals in 33 appearances in the league, but he hasn’t reached either figure in the two years since.

AML Eden Hazard

Hazard, as he almost always has done since he moved to Chelsea from Lille in 2012, started the game on the left flank. It was his sophomore season at Stamford Bridge and he was outstanding, netting 14 goals in the league. Of course, he’d only get better the season after, winning the PFA Player of the Year before having a Fernando Torres-like fall from grace last season.

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