The consensus around the football world was unanimously in the opinion of Barcelona leaving Stamford Bridge with a resounding victory, even though Chelsea held a surprising five-match undefeated streak against their opponents prior to kick-off and a decent overall record, now standing at four wins and three draws from eleven matches—the Catalans last win coming back in the first knock-out round of 2006.
Chelsea continued their streak of scoring the first goal in all of their Champions League matches this season, and kept their unbeaten home record in the semis intact (three wins and two draws). Ending the Blaugrana’s unbeaten record in the competition and extending their poor run of form versus the Blues (six matches without a victory). Surprisingly, the match was void of any controversy.
This is the sixth semifinal appearances for both clubs since 2004, with this being Barcelona’s fifth consecutive trip to the last four—longest run in the competitions history. The first leg played out exactly as expected with the visitors controlling much of the possession by stringing together a ridiculous amount of completed passes (782), four times more than the Blues. Although, Di Matteo had his side well-drilled, never losing their shape at the back and also benefiting from poor finishing in the final third by Barcelona.
Call it revenge or injustice, but Blues players and supporters continue to hold a grudge against Barcelona stemming from their last encounter three years prior and the decisions by Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo. It was a succession of non-calls by the official which left Chelsea feeling cheated and lead Didier Drogba to protest into the camera following the final whistle, subsequently given a five-match ban as a result. Ovrebo has since accepted responsibility for his errors on the night, rejecting four clear penalty claims and becoming forever hated in south west London.
The fire was stoked even further by Daniel Alves, "People say Chelsea could have won but for the referee but that is not our problem. We do not control the referees. We are there to play football, to compete and to try to reach the final. If that was not enough to get the Blues blood boiling, Alves continued, "Chelsea did not reach the final because of fear. The team that has got a man more is playing at home and winning should have attacked us more. But of course, if you don't have that [attacking] concept of football that Barcelona have, you stay back and you get knocked out. Ouch!
There was never any sign of fear through the Chelsea ranks in the first leg, defending deep right from the start, content on conceding possession and hitting back on the counter—Barcelona finished with 79% ball possession, six shots on target and 24 overall attempts toward the Chelsea goal. Alexis Sanchez hit a crossbar, Pedro hit the post and all that was missing was the final touch to go with all the build-up play—blowing several opportunities to take the lead. Taking nothing away from a rugged performance by the home side, luck played a role in the final result; more will be needed at the Nou Camp in the return leg.
Was Chelsea able to curb their inconsistencies on defence?
Coming into the match, Petr Cech has had to make 34 more saves than his counterpart Victor Valdes in the tournament, a staggering number that emphasizes the frailties of the Chelsea back four. The keeper was forced into making six saves on the night and looked sharp, never having to be the savior but making decisive stops when called upon—none more timely than on Carles Puyol close to the end. A clean sheet against the Catalans is impressive to say the least, considering they are averaging over three goals a game in the competition. It was only the third time under Pep Guardiola that Barcelona has failed to score in 25 knock-out games (twice by Chelsea). The absence of David Luiz was never really felt, with Ashley Cole, John Terry, Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic producing an exquisite performance—throwing their bodies at the ball with reckless abandonment.
Did Lionel Messi break his scoring drought against Chelsea?
The drought continues now seven matches and zero goals versus Chelsea—unable to add to his 51 goals in the Champions League which places him third on the all-time list at 24 years of age. The Blues seem to be Messi’s kryptonite, despite impressing with some of his trademark runs and inch perfect passing, the little Argentine failed to find the back of the net. Uncharacteristically, Messi was directly responsible for the match winner—losing possession at midfield which led to the counter attack that was finished off by Drogba. Although, the Ivorian should take a lesson from Messi on how to stay on your feet, despite having a size and weight advantage, Drogba spent most of the match flopping to ground. But he did manage to produce the match winner.
Man of the match goes too...
No one player deserves this award more than the foursome of Cole, Terry, Ivanovic and Cahill at the back for Chelsea. I lost count at the number of blocks each player made in the match, or how many timely tackles were also made to deny a potential threat. Cole made a clearance off the line, denying a sure goal for Cesc Fabregas—completely in the zone with an endless amount of stamina to run down and pressure the ball carrier. At right-back, Ivanovic was just as stellar and took a more physical approach to bully his opponent off the ball. In the middle, the duo of Cahill and Terry sacrificed everything to get in the way and obstruct the free-flowing passing of Barcelona. Drogba might have scored the goal, but it was these four who gave Chelsea the opportunity to earn the victory.
Honorable mention goes too...
Raul Meireles for his ability to frustrate the passing game of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. The Portuguese midfielders positioning was near perfect, showing great skill at reading the game and getting in-between the passing lanes and generally being a disruptive force—making life difficult for Barcelona.
No comments:
Post a Comment