Matches

Champions League Final Tactical Preview

The biggest game of the football calendar is almost upon us and there is still an English team in Europe. Forget the domestic squabble in Manchester for the league title and the minor battle for third place in North London. Chelsea are in the final of the Champions League.

Having overcome the might of Barcelona over two dramatic legs, the Blues now enter the fray to face Bayern Munich at their home – the Allianz Arena. With suspensions and injuries casting doubts over the team selection on both sides, this promises to be a very interesting tactical battle for the tag of best team in Europe.

That memorable night in Catalonia was not without its casualties, with Ramires, Branislav Ivanovic and Raul Meireles all picking up bookings which rule them out of the final. Also, captain John Terry was sent off for a stupid nudge on Alexis Sanchez meaning that he will personally not be able to exorcise the ghosts of Moscow 2008.

Our opponents Bayern came through as victors against Real Madrid through a penalty shootout at the Bernabeu after both legs finished 2-1 to the respective home sides. They themselves will be without the services of defensive midfielder Luiz Gustavo, left-back David Alaba and central defender Holger Badstuber who are also suspended for accumulated yellow cards.

Threat from the wings:

Bayern like to attack through the wide areas with the creative duo of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben – both very direct players with excellent movement who look to come in from the wings. Spearheading the attack will be Mario Gomez who feeds well of the wide men with his running into the channels and good physical ability.

Chelsea interim boss Roberto Di Matteo has been boosted by news this week that his remaining centre-backs (in the absence of Terry and Ivanovic), Gary Cahill and David Luiz, have returned to training. Unless they face a serious setback in their recovery, there is no doubt that both will start, even if they are not 100% fit.

It is of note that this pair struggled heavily against a similar attacking trio in Naples. In their defence, that was the first occasion they were playing together, they were left unprotected by a poor central midfield selection by Andre Villas-Boas and both have progressed under Di Matteo, but this will be an area Bayern manager Jupp Heynckes will look to exploit.

There is a choice for Di Matteo at right-back between Jose Bosingwa and Paulo Ferreira. After good recent performances, with the away game at Barcelona particularly sticking out, it is likely Bosingwa will be persisted with. However, he will require protection from whoever is chosen to play wide right to deal with the clever Ribery.

The Frenchman likes to drop deep and drag his marker out of position, so Chelsea’s midfield will have to be wary to cover whenever there is such an occurrence. On the right wing, Robben is more direct at taking on his opposing full-back. It will be interesting to see if and how often the two switch flanks with the possibility of the Dutchman getting frustrated against Ashley Cole.

There are few wingers these days that can take on their marker and beat them on the outside like Robben, which could pose a novel challenge for Bosingwa if the former Chelsea fan favourite does switch to the left. This would favour the inclusion of Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda (if fit) on the wings, with both being the most defensively aware forward players at Di Matteo’s disposal.

No Ramires = dearth of good options:

If Malouda is unable to make it, this will pose a quandary to the Italian. One option will be to switch Juan Mata to the flank, but he will be reluctant to do so (for reasons explained later). Another option would be Daniel Sturridge but again there is the problem of him lacking discipline.

It is unlikely that Di Matteo will change the system to accommodate both Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres so Chelsea’s best bet will be to have Malouda fit and ready. However, playing both Malouda and Kalou could significantly curtail Chelsea’s creativity so more of the burden will be on Mata and Frank Lampard.

This just goes to show how big a miss Ramires is to the Chelsea set-up, especially under Di Matteo. His ability to play two or three positions at the same time and superb team ethic provide the manager with a host of options. In past years, Michael Essien would have easily slotted into that kind of role but he has been the shadow of his former self since his latest injury comeback. He still remains an option though.

In the middle:

This makes the proverbial midfield battle all the more crucial. The Bavarians would usually line up with Gustavo as the deepest midfielder with either Bastian Schweinsteiger or Toni Kroos alongside him. The latter is the more attacking minded and his ability with the ball is often used in a more attacking role ahead of Gustavo and Schweinsteiger.

However, with Gustavo suspended, Heynckes could be forced to play Kroos and Schweinsteiger alongside each other with Thomas Muller, naturally a striker, ahead of them. This is where Chelsea can really impose themselves on the game.

Blues fans will not need to be told the dire consequences that can result from playing two naturally box-to-box type midfielders as the double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 after Villas-Boas’s experiment with Meireles and Ramires in Naples which ended in a 3-1 defeat. Heynckes does have the option of playing defensive-minded Anatoliy Tymoshchuk in the holding role.

The lack of a designated holding player could open up spaces especially for Mata to play in, just like Borussia Dortmund player Shinji Kagawa did in the German Cup final a week ago (this was with Gustavo on the pitch). This, in addition to the fact that Di Matteo prefers Mata to have less defensive duties, will most likely dissuade the Italian from putting him on the wing.

If there is uncertainty in Bayern’s midfield positioning, this could be a perfect game for Lampard, scorer of the equaliser in Moscow, to make some of his well-timed runs and exploit these gaps. Having Ramires’s pace and energy would have been potentially decisive in this game but his suspension means the battle for midfield will be closer to call.

Lampard and Mata will be Chelsea’s most key players. They played well in tandem during the FA Cup semifinal against Sp*rs, Lampard orchestrating the game from a deeper position and Mata dropping into pockets of space between the defence and midfield to feed Drogba. If they are able to repeat that level of coordination, Chelsea will be well on their way to winning this game.

Fragile at the back:

In their 5-2 loss to Bundesliga winners Dortmund in their Cup final, Bayern showed a high level of susceptibility at the back. This was with their first choice squad. The suspensions to Badstuber and Alaba will require some rejigging in the backline.

One possible scenario will be to move Phillip Lahm to left-back with Rafinha coming in at right-back and Tymoshchuk or Daniel van Buyten in central defence. Another would be to keep Lahm in the right-back position and bring in Contento to replace Alaba at left-back.

In any case, this will be another chink in their armour that Di Matteo would have noticed watching that Cup final from the stands. Again he has the decision to make between Drogba and Torres. But despite the latter’s late heroics in Barcelona, it should most probably be Drogba to spearhead Chelsea’s attack in what could be his last game for the club.

Closing notes:

With both teams hit by suspensions due to UEFA’s ridiculous yellow card accumulation rules, the managers will be wary of an open game. Most experts predict a high-scoring encounter due to both sides not having some of their best defenders.

However, it often happens that such games fail to live up to that billing as both teams look to make up for defensive fragilities by overcompensating in terms of caution. It will probably take a moment of brilliance by one of the attacking players, or even a set piece, to decide this game.

Both teams have well-documented weaknesses. It will be upto the managers to ensure that they decide on a system that papers over the cracks while still allowing the world class quality at their disposal to shine.

Come on the Chels.

You can find me on Twitter @Celeryphile.

A Blue Day – Making history, not reliving it

Chelsea held on to beat Liverpool 2-1 to win the FA Cup Final on Saturday evening as the stars of past glories proved they are not yet over the hill as many have suggested in recent times. The Chelsea goals came in either half courtesy of Ramires and Didier Drogba, while Liverpool looked dangerous with the introduction of Andy Carroll who scored their only goal.

This was a day for Didier Drogba, who now has 8 goals in 8 games at Wembley, including goals in all 4 finals he has played (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012). If Peter Osgood is the King of Stamford Bridge, Drogba is undoubtedly the King of Wembley.

This was a day for Frank Lampard and Petr Cech, both still in their prime despite their ages, the former supplying a fantastic pass for Drogba’s goal, the latter preventing a second Carroll goal with an amazing acrobatic save. Cech has NEVER lost an FA Cup game. Unbelievable Jeff!

This was a day for Ashley Cole, who already had the record of maximum FA Cup wins with 6 before this final. Now he stretches his record to SEVEN, another player much-maligned in the media but producing the goods week in week out.

This was a day for John Terry, who now has FOUR FA Cup trophies as captain, the first post-war captain to achieve that feat and the first to do so with one club. Captain Leader Legend.

Let us not forget the relative newcomers – Ramires, Juan Mata (Man of the Match), Fernando Torres, Raul Meireles, Ryan Bertrand, Oriol Romeu – who have played important roles through the cup run and have their first taste of success in Blue. Hopefully the first of many. Also a mention to the unsung work of John Obi Mikel, rejuvenated under the new boss.

But most of all, this was a day for Robbie Di Matteo, goalscorer in the FA Cup wins of 1997 and 2000, and Eddie Newton, his midfield partner, good friend and now assistant, who also scored in that 1997 final. How poignant that events so played out that they hold aloft the famous trophy in 2012 for THEIR CLUB. Our club. Robbie becomes the 15^th person to win this prestigious competition as both player and manager.

He defines humility with the way he gives credit to his players, even going on to mention Andre Villas-Boas who saw Chelsea through the first two rounds in this competition. His appointment has come as a breath of fresh air for the players and fans who were rotting under AVB. Most importantly, he is one of us…..

In the end, this was a BLUE DAY, Chelsea winning their fourth FA Cup in six years. Not since the Wanderers team in the amateur times of the 19^th century has a single club so dominated the history of the FA Cup. We now have SEVEN Cup wins overall, the same as Liverpool. We ain’t got no history?

CAREFREE and on to Munich!

You can find me on Twitter @Celeryphile.

Match Analysis – Chelsea v Newcastle

Roberto Di Matteo endured his first home defeat as interim Chelsea manager, seeing his charges fall to a 2-0 loss against Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. The Italian rested several key players and despite bringing them on in the second half, it was two stunning strikes from Magpies striker Papiss Cisse that stole the limelight.

The loss means Chelsea remain in fourth place in the league, 4 points behind Tottenham and Newcastle, and 5 points behind third-placed Arsenal. With all teams having only two more league games to play, the Blues are all but ruled out of the race for 4^th place. So, Champions League qualification will have to be achieved the hard way – by winning the Champions League.

Team Selection:

With the unrelenting fixture schedule, Di Matteo continued his rotation policy by leaving out Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Juan Mata and Didier Drogba from the starting line-up. Branislav Ivanovic returned from suspension to partner John Terry in central defence, with Jose Bosingwa moving to right-back. Ryan Bertrand was given another game as Cole’s replacement at left-back.

In midfield, it was Raul Meireles alongside John Obi Mikel, with Florent Malouda ahead of them. Up front there was another start for hat-trick scorer against Queen’s Park Rangers, Fernando Torres, with Ramires and Daniel Sturridge on the wings. Newcastle manager Alan Pardew lined his side up in a 4-4-2 formation with Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse up front. At the back, James Perch came in to replace Danny Simpson at right-back.

First Half:

The game began with decent endeavour shown by both sides. The visitors were pressing high up the pitch, not allowing Chelsea’s defence and midfield any time on the ball. But their high line was a potential weakness, and Torres got in behind the defence on a couple of occasions early on in the game.

He was Chelsea’s brightest spark in the early minutes, combining with Bertrand on the left wing before crossing into the area with the outside of his right foot. The cross found Sturridge but he fluffed his effort from 12 yards, under pressure from the Newcastle defenders.

Petr Cech in goal had already saved a low drive by Magpies midfielder Cheik Tiote, but was a spectator when his goal was targeted the second time on 18 minutes. This time, Cisse picked up a pass on the edge of the area, flicked the ball up with his right foot, and slammed it into the net with his left. The Chelsea defenders could be criticised for failing to get close to him, but credit must be given for the splendid strike.

The Chelsea response was muted and the next genuine chance came only on 37 minutes. Again it was Torres who worked space on the right before crossing well onto the head of Malouda. Unfortunately, the header went just wide of the far post.

The Frenchman had been unable to make any impact on the game from his position behind the striker. He was often dropping too deep into his own half, and his final passing was heavily shoddy. The same was the case with Meireles, while Sturridge did not get into the game at all.

At the other end, Chelsea’s defence was being tested by the Newcastle front two. It is not often that modern teams line up with two genuine central strikers in a partnership, especially coming to a stadium like Stamford Bridge. It was a gamble from Pardew but it was paying off brilliantly.

Before the half ended, Ba had had two further efforts, one saved by Cech and the other rattling off the crossbar. The half ended with Newcastle having had the better of the chances, and also making one count with a fantastic strike from Cisse.

Second Half:

The second half started with Juan Mata walking out on to the pitch in place of the ineffectual Sturridge, with Ramires swapping wings and Malouda moving to the left. This change was initially fruitless and Di Matteo replaced Malouda with Drogba on the hour mark.

The change came during an extended break from play for the treatment of Tiote who seemed to have suffered concussion following a coming-together with Mikel. Tiote had made a similar challenge on Mikel a minute before, with neither of them getting a booking. The Ivorian had already been booked in the first half and could have been easily shown another yellow for his initial challenge.

As it was, he was replaced by Ryan Taylor, who took up a similar position in midfield. Another change was made by Di Matteo as he brought on Lampard in place of Meireles. The changes had made a difference to the tempo of Chelsea’s play but most attacks were hitting a brick wall of black and white shirts.

By now, Newcastle had settled on a containing approach and were getting men behind the ball. As normal time ended, Chelsea had seen efforts from Lampard and Terry come to nothing, the latter having his header cleared off the line by Davide Santon.

The game entered 10 minutes of injury time, and it was in the 94^th minute that Cisse struck again. If the first goal was brilliant, this was sensational. From a throw-in on the left, the Senegalese striker struck the ball with the outside of his right boot. The ball curled wickedly over Cech and into the far corner for what is a contender for goal of the season.

Closing Notes:

It was an uninspiring display against a rival for 4^th place, and effectively rules out the league as the way of entry into the Champions League next season. The manager will face questions for some of his selection decisions, but it is clear that the forthcoming Cup Final against Liverpool was on his mind.

Of course, there does seem to be a lack of congruency in the objectives of the club and that of the manager. The club has always sought to stress the importance of finishing in the top 4 in the league, but it is possible the Di Matteo sees better chances for his side in the cups.

This is not to suggest that he is going against the wishes of the club, but that priorities may be slightly different. This has been evident in his team selection in recent weeks. In fairness, his decisions can be said to have succeeded considering that we are in the final of both cups.

However, getting so far will mean little if Chelsea fail to capitalise and win the finals, with the Champions League final against Bayern Munich attaining even more importance now in the light of a probable finish below 4^th.

Next, it is Liverpool at Wembley. Let us hope Di Matteo can work his cup magic once again.

CAREFREE.

You can find me on Twitter @Celeryphile.

Second Leg Tactical Preview – Barcelona

The calm waters of the Mediterranean and the sunshine in the city of Barcelona may be a far cry from the cold and wet climes of London, but there will be no lack of turbulence at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night as Chelsea look to complete a memorable semi-final win over Barcelona in the Champions League. As the Blues’ Brazilian midfielder Ramires put it, this is “a game for gladiators.”

The only British team left in the competition pulled off an unlikely 1-0 win in the first leg at Stamford Bridge last Wednesday. The Blues implemented a counter-attacking approach perfectly, for which much credit must go to interim manager Roberto Di Matteo. Not many would have imagined this situation two months ago when Chelsea fell to a 3-1 first leg defeat at Napoli.

But an impressive second leg win followed by victory over Benfica see us within touching distance of the final in Munich. Di Matteo has won all of the cup games since he was appointed, also seeing Chelsea through to the final of the FA Cup.

Team news and tactics:

The Italian rested eight of the starting eleven from the first leg at the weekend’s 0-0 draw at Arsenal, with only the impressive central defensive axis of John Terry and Gary Cahill, plus goalkeeper Petr Cech, keeping their place. The manager would have been pleased with another clean sheet.

Both David Luiz and Didier Drogba traveled with the team to Catalonia, with Luiz still nursing a hamstring injury. Drogba, however, trained with the squad on Monday and should likely be back in the starting line-up. It was his goal that sees Chelsea in such a good position going into this second leg.

Branislav Ivanovic should return at right-back, as also Ashley Cole at left-back despite the impressive performances of young Ryan Bertrand. The manager will probably go with the same set-up and team that got the result in the first leg.

The tactical template for Chelsea was already set in the first leg, and the manager will call for more of the same from his charges. It may have been derided as “anti-football” but it is plain stupid and naïve to think of playing Barca at their own game.

Also, Chelsea have the kind of personnel who can implement that kind of strategy- solid defence, hardworking midfield and Didier Drogba up front to terrorise the opposition defence. The defence-first strategy does not necessarily eliminate chances for Barca – they had several good chances in the first leg – but clear-cut opportunities are definitely curtailed.

Much has been made of the size of Barcelona’s pitch, with experts suggesting it will help the home side. Although it has been pointed out that the Nou Camp pitch is only bigger by 2 metres in length and 1 metre in width than Stamford Bridge, this does translate to a significant increase in area.

What it also does, though, is give Chelsea more space to work with on the counter-attack. Ramires would be a bigger attacking threat on the bigger pitch with his searing pace. He did a superb job against Dani Alves in the first leg, tracking back to cover but springing with lighting speed on the counter to set up the only goal of the game.

Chelsea will also hope for more from Juan Mata, who should again start on the right wing. In the first leg, his attacking input was largely non-existent, but with Barca looking to be even more attacking, this could be an opportunity for the Spaniard to show his quality in his homeland.

The Blues must be wary, despite Di Matteo’s insistence otherwise, that five of our players are one booking away from a one-match suspension – Ivanović, Luiz, Cole, Ramires & Raul Meireles. It would be the ultimate disappointment if any of them was to pick up a yellow card and miss the final if Chelsea win.

The opponents:

The Catalans were rattled by the Chelsea approach during the first leg, with talisman Lionel Messi cutting a sorry figure as he went seven games without a goal against the Blues. The Chelsea midfield sat very close and tight to the defensive line not allowing any space for the little Argentine to work.

The trio of Frank Lampard, Raul Meireles and John Obi Mikel congested the space in front of the defence, and with wide players Ramires and Mata also preferring to play more centrally, the Barca midfield was crowded out in the zone where they tend to do their most damage.

This prompted manager Pep Guardiola to bring on Isaac Cuenca and Pedro to stretch the play in the second half. He also made a similar choice by selecting young Cristian Tello at left wing in the El Clasico at the weekend, where they lost 2-1 to rivals Real Madrid at the Nou Camp.

The loss saw them drop 7 points behind in the title race, and Guardiola admitted defeat in catching Jose Mourinho’s side with four games left to play. This was the Blaugrana’s first loss at home for 54 games, and the first time in three years that they have faced back-to-back defeats.

It will be interesting to see how the Spanish and European champions respond to this setback. In Monday’s press conference, Guardiola seemed decidedly shaken, flaring up at a reporter for questioning his choice of Tello at the weekend.

It is likely that he will try to use the width of the pitch at some point in the game. Whether he plays one of Tello, Cuenca or Pedro from the start remains to be seen. With the largely indirect play of the players that started the first leg, the pace was lacking in Barca’s attacks and Chelsea were happy for them to keep the ball in central areas for large periods.

With the central nature of Barca’s attacks, it was relatively easy for Chelsea to pack the area in front of the defensive 18-yard box, and most of Barca’s best chances came when they regained the ball from Chelsea rather than consolidated periods of possession. They were also profligate in front of goal, Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Busquets the main culprits.

Former Arsenal man Fabregas was one who came in for criticism for his ineffectual performance, and was dropped from the starting line-up against Real Madrid. He may be the one to make way again if a wide player is to be accommodated.

The Catalans have central defensive duo of Carles Puyol and Javier Mascherano both one yellow card away from a one-match suspension. Usual first choice Gerard Pique seems to have fallen out of favour with Guardiola following his return from injury, only finding a place on the bench in the last three games. He may yet start as he provides a more physical option against the power of Drogba.

Closing notes:

This is it. 90 minutes away from the final. This is a stage and tournament where Chelsea have had to face many a crushing disappointment in recent years – ghost goals, ridiculous refereeing, penalty kicks. There is no doubt an ounce of luck is due to the club by the law of averages.

The referee from Turkey, Cuneyt Cakir, will have his performance closely watched by the Chelsea fans after the experience with Tom Henning Ovrebo at the same stage of the competition 3 years ago. For everyone’s sake, let us hope the game is decided on footballing ability and not refereeing decisions.

May the best team win … without external help!

CAREFREE and Come on the Chels!

You can find me on Twitter @Celeryphile

Chelsea v Barcelona – First Leg Tactical Report

Chelsea are halfway towards pulling off a memorable win over incumbent champions Barcelona in the semi-final of the Champions League after a well-deserved 1-0 win at a wet and windy Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. The teams will face off once again on Tuesday at the Nou Camp to decide who goes through to the final in Munich.

The Catalans did have the majority of the possession and the chances, as they are wont to do, but a mixture of excellent defending, discipline and some luck ensured that Didier Drogba’s strike at the end of the first half was the only time the ball ended up in the back of the net on the night. The win maintains our record of winning all our home games in this season’s Champions League.

The Blues now have 10 wins from 13 games since the appointment of Roberto Di Matteo as interim manager following the dismissal of Andre Villas-Boas. He is surely knocking on the door for a permanent contract after masterminding a superb display against what is universally acknowledged as the best team in the world, in front of owner Roman Abramovich.

Team selection:

The interim boss brought back Branislav Ivanovic, who had missed out the weekend demolition of T*ttenham in the FA Cup due to a domestic suspension, in the right-back position. England international Gary Cahill replaced the injured David Luiz alongside compatriot John Terry in central defence.

Up front, Didier Drogba got the nod to start ahead of Fernando Torres following his one-man job on the Sp*rs back four at the weekend. Di Matteo opted for a three-man central midfield comprising of John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard and Raul Meireles.

There was a surprise in the wide positions, with Juan Mata being placed at the right of midfield. The usual occupant Ramires was sent to the other side, a tactic to counter the marauding runs of Barcelona’s right wing-back, his fellow Brazilian Dani Alves. This would pay off in the game.

The visiting manager Pep Guardiola opted to keep defender Gerard Pique on the bench following his return from injury, so they lined up with a central defence of captain Carles Puyol and former Liverpool man Javier Mascherano. Adriano was a more conservative full-back on the left side than Alves on the right.

First Half:

The pattern of the play was set very early with the Blues unable to get a touch for a good five minutes or so from the Barcelona kick-off. The Catalans were keeping the ball well in central areas, but Chelsea were allowing them to do so to an extent.

Neither of Mikel, Lampard or Meireles was given much license to move forward, so Chelsea effectively had a three-man central wall of defensive midfielders ahead of the central defensive pair of Terry and Cahill. This bank of three played very close to the defensive line to avoid giving opportunities to Messi to nip into the space between the lines.

Consequently, the little Argentine was often forced to drop deep to collect the ball, sometimes to the halfway line. Fabregas was looking to go in the opposite direction as Barcelona’s most vertical-minded player.

Alexis Sanchez who adopted a starting position on the right side of attack, but was often found adding to the numbers in central areas around Chelsea’s defensive ‘D’. Spanish international Andres Iniesta, who had hit the hammer blow to send us out at the same stage three years ago, was operating similarly on the opposite side.

He did try to take on Ivanovic on a couple of occasions, but his best work was cutting in from the wings. The first chance came from such a movement, when he was able to chip a ball over the Blues defence to Sanchez, with Terry and Cahill temporarily lacking coordination. The Chilean lobbed over Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal but the ball came back off the crossbar.

At the other end, despite Chelsea’s lack of possession, the Barca defence looked extremely wary of the threat of Drogba from a physical perspective. On a couple of occasions, the Ivorian was able to hold off his markers and threaten to get into a dangerous position, but his touch let him down.

There were also a couple of long throws from the right wing by Ivanovic that seemed to cause Barca problems while defending. Set pieces were looking like a good bet for Chelsea to score. To counter Drogba’s threat though, the Barca defence implemented a good offside trap, and the striker was left frustrated on more than one occasion.

Messi had not had much of a look-in in the first 10 minutes, but soon he managed to find space to slip in Iniesta on the left of the box. Cech parried Iniesta’s shot but back into a central area where Fabregas was lurking. However, his shot was woefully mishit and the ball went wide.

Barca soon piled on the pressure and Cech had to make a succession of saves to deny Messi, while the Chelsea defenders were being forced into last-ditch interventions to thwart their opponents. On 42 minutes, Mikel lost possession in the middle to Messi and with the Nigerian being Chelsea’s least forward midfielder, the Argentine now had a chance to run at the Chelsea defence.

He slipped in his attacking partner Fabregas whose delicate chip over Cech looked destined to reach the far corner until Ashley Cole came in with a goal-line clearance to keep Chelsea level. The left-back had made similar interventions to keep Chelsea in the games during our last two rounds against Benfica and Napoli.

The half-time whistle was approaching and Chelsea would have been cautiously satisfied with keeping a clean sheet after 45 minutes. But that was soon turned into sheer joy in first half injury time as Drogba struck. It was a goal that came out of the design of Chelsea’s team organisation.

Lampard dispossessed Messi near the centre circle, and picked out the run of Ramires on the left. The Brazilian had turned on a burst of pace as soon as Lampard won the ball with Barca right-back Alves caught upfield and nowhere near.

The Brazilian chested down the ball before entering the penalty area and picking out Drogba with a wonderful cross. The Ivorian had a lot to do with the ball going across him, but his left-footed finish was accurate. Stamford Bridge erupted.

Second Half:

The Blues came out for the second half buoyed by the goal, and looked much more at ease as they now did not have to push up at all in search of a goal. The goal made the defensive organisation even more dense than it was in the first half.

The first half had seen a few of Chelsea’s players, particularly Meireles and Cahill, looking slightly overawed by the occasion. But as the game progressed, the players grew into the game and all of them will come out with a lot of credit.

Barca did have a host of chances in the second half, and credit must go to the whole team as they maintained their shape, not allowing their attackers too much space. It was an interesting thing to note that in the second half, Mikel was more aggressive in pressing the Barca midfield, particularly Xavi.

It was a quiet night for Mata on the right wing, but his tendency to go central had worked well with Chelsea effectively having a bank of five midfielders, all tightly lined up in the middle. There was a good move by Adriano as he exploited the centrality of Chelsea’s midfield by advancing well to the edge of the box and shooting, but the shot was saved by Cech.

The goalkeeper had been forced into several good saves throughout the game. Also, it took a succession of crucial blocks and challenges from the likes of Cahill, Terry and Cole to shut out the opponents. One such tackle by Cahill fell nicely to substitute Pedro in the dying minutes, but his low shot missed everyone before coming off the post.

Closing notes:

There is no doubt that Barca had the most of the ball, and Chelsea rode their luck a little, but in the end it is the score that matters. And Chelsea have one more goal than Barcelona in addition to a vital clean sheet. A Chelsea goal at the Nou Camp in the second leg will require Barca to score thrice to win.

The Catalan giants have again failed to win against Chelsea with all our players on the pitch. Despite the tag of the world’s best team, they do tend to struggle against the physicality and organisation of this Chelsea team.

It was a classic display of defensive work by the Blues, as they individually and collectively maintained solid discipline to limit the chances for the Barca attackers. Also crucially, we did well to take the chance that came our way.

A lot of individuals will take great confidence from this tie, in particular Gary Cahill who was named Man of the Match by UEFA in only his second start in the competition. In a game involving attacking stars at the disposal of both sides, this will come as a major confidence boost to the January signing.

Another individual who can be very proud is the manager himself, as he played the perfect strategy to beat the Catalans. A repeat at the Nou Camp on Tuesday will see him seriously in contention for the full-time manager’s role.

CAREFREE and Up the Chels!

You can find me on Twitter @Celeryphile

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