Having spent a highly-successful three-year spell with Chelsea, Mourinho seemed to have known everything about the team Inter faced in the Champions League last 16.

The outcome reflected that, with Inter claiming a 1-0 victory to advance to the quarter finals with a 3-1 aggregate win.

"I know Chelsea, worked to analyse the games, I know this stadium, the atmosphere and the fans," Mourinho told the post-match news conference.

The Portuguese fielded three strikers - Samuel Eto'o, Diego Milito and Goran Pandev - in Inter's starting line up as he opted against implementing a defensive strategy despite a first-leg advantage.

His tactics proved fruitful, with Eto'o scoring the winner in the 78th minute.

"Chelsea are a very predictable side, they always play exactly the same way, but it's tough to take them on because they are predictably suited to their players," Mourinho added.

"(Branislav) Ivanovic and (Yuri) Zhirkov attack, so we'd be forced to defend. If they are under pressure, they have to think twice before pushing forward.

"In fact they were not as effective as usual and we played the kind of game we wanted."