Just as this term, it was a mid-season managerial change that sparked a run to the final of the Champions League that season, as Di Matteo was promoted from his assistant manager role to replace Andre Villas-Boas. One of his first acts was to add Eddie Newton, his fellow goalscorer from the 1997 FA Cup final, to his coaching ranks, rekindling a double act that had previously worked wonders with MK Dons and West Brom.

Within a few weeks they had masterminded an unlikely comeback against Napoli, overturning a 3-1 first-leg deficit, and then by May we were in our second Champions League final, having beaten Benfica and Barcelona along the way.

So, how did they do it? Both of the protagonists gave lengthy interviews for the book Blue Day, which featured interviews with each of our 1997 FA Cup winners, and within it the topic of Munich came up, which they both addressed at length.

‘We just got into the dressing room,’ Newton said. ‘Nothing special. Nothing magical. We just got into the dressing room. One to one, asking senior players their opinion and getting to know personalities.’

Many may have seen the opportunity to manage Chelsea at that time as a shot to nothing for Di Matteo, who had cruelly seen his playing career cut short in 2000 through injury, but the Italian certainly didn’t see it that way. The contrast between playing and managing could not have been greater.

‘No – with a capital N and capital O,’ is his response when asked if he felt anything like the pressure of being a manager during his playing career. ‘The responsibility is all with the manager. As a player, you can share it with your team-mates – the enjoyment of the win or the pain of defeat. As a manager it's just yourself. You carry all the responsibility.

‘The experience you gain as a player will help you to be a manager, but being a manager is completely different. For me, it's completely detached from being a footballer player.’

One thing that never changes in football, whether you’re a player or a manager, is superstition; for all the millions spent at the highest level, the countless hours of preparation, some still believe in fate.

That was clearly a factor ahead of Munich, as Newton recalls.

‘Petr Cech had told me that at Moscow in 2008 [when we lost the final to Manchester United] everything around them was red,’ he said. ‘In Munich, the stadium was blue, everything was blue this time. Little things like that get in to the mentality of players. It does. Just that little thing to make it feel, “It's our time.”

‘I had to go to the meetings before the game and the Champions League trophy was there. Some guy from Bayern said, “You should go and touch it, pick it up. Take a picture.” No, no, no, mate. I'll do that after the game. Don't play those games. I've been in football a long time, I said. Don't play those games with me.’

Still, that mindset of being a player hadn’t left either Newton or Di Matteo, and a number of our squad from that game have spoken about an inspirational meeting on the eve of the game that gave everyone added motivation.

At the team hotel, a video was played to the squad, featuring messages from their nearest and dearest.

‘It was just a little bit of a personal touch,’ recalled Di Matteo. ‘I will tell you, that removed a lot of tension and nervousness from the room. I remember that very well. It was a surprise for the team. It's a big game. As cool as everyone wants to be, the night before a big game you are a little bit tense.

‘That was a little personal touch to show them everyone was with us – the wives, parents, children. When we went into the room, there was tension. After the meeting, I cannot give you a reason why, but the players were a bit more relaxed. You could feel it.

‘I can't remember the inspiration [for the idea]. I just thought... behind the players, who spend a lot of time away from home, there is a wife, parents for the younger players, always someone you leave behind. I just wanted to do something different.

‘We tracked down Michael Essien's mother in Africa and she recorded a message for him. Michael was very close to her. There were a few tears, but it was funny as well.’

Of course, no one needs any reminder of what happened next, as the Blues defied the odds once more to become London’s first Champions League winners. It came after almost a decade of disappointment in the competition, when we’d come so close on so many occasions…

‘To go into their home patch and take them on and win – that's special,’ adds Newton. ‘Especially to win the club’s first Champions League. When they brought down that banner – our city, our stadium, our trophy – I thought, “You cheeky... all right, all right. Here we go.” I went into the dressing room and said, “I'm not having that, by the way. Come on.” Everyone was together.

‘We should have known it was our time just from the Barcelona game. After that, I said, “If we don't win the Champions League this time we are never winning it!”

‘And then it was a great night. I remember sitting down next to Florent Malouda afterwards and giving him a hug. You could see, he was looking into the abyss, as if to say: “I've finally done it.” He was just sitting there. It was a picture, looking at all the faces. The club had been chasing this for a long time.’