I know the jobs only half done, but I can\'t see the game being played much different at the Camp Nou. This game reminded me of the England v Spain friendly and this is definately the way to beat barca/Spain, don\'t get me wrong barca controlled the match and Chelsea benefitted for a bit of luck for that result. However I think Chelsea stuck to the game plan, defended well, stayed in shape and importantly hit quick on the counter attack.
I\'m not a Chelsea fan; but always want English teams to do well in Europe. RDM deserves a full season in charge IMO.
They have chance, but still... I think Barca is going to come on very strong next week.
They could have scored 2 to 3 goals
It certainly wasnt a classic, but probably better than they hoped for, reckon the would have settled for a 0 - 0.
Expect more of the same next week, including the disrupting tactics from Drogba (not that it was good to watch) and if Chelsea score, it will give them some breathing space!
Yeah totally agree, but they got the tactics right i think. Hope Mourinho was watching as this is what he needs to get Real doing this weekend, if Real can beat them at the weekend then it will help Chelsea\'s cause as they will have lost out on the La Liga title with a loss to Real.
Two tough league fixtures for both clubs this weekend, there will be some tired legs next week in both teams. Your right about tactics, however, Chelsea rode their luck, i dont think you could ever stop Barca from having shots on target, but they got men behind the ball and tried to close down any threats early.
Chelsea will need to score next week, i am sure of that!
Very surprised with RDM\'s favoured players though, Kalou?? Mikel?? Imho i think they are two of Chelseas worst players!
Kalou wasn\'t on for long though, I think Mikel was a good choice for this type of game. Will be interesting to watch next week and see the weekends results for both sides.
Sorry, i think Mikel is awful, although he blocks attacks on the defence, he also brings pressure onto them by never passing the ball forward, he always either plays sideways or backwards, very rarely does he release the midfielders by making penetrative passes forward and he is so so slow on his feet!
I\'ll be honest, i don\'t watch Chelsea often enough to give a really good analysis of the fellow but i certainly wont disagree with your statements.
And they\'ve done it, but what a tw@ terry is.
Well who would have thought it!
To play devils advocate about Terry (yes it was wrong and he deserved to go), is it any worse than Fabregras blatant dive which bizarrely the official on the line who was 4 yards away didnt see?
For the penalty? Did Drog touch the ball?
No he didnt, but he wasnt anywhere near touching Fabregas either!
Ah right I didn\'t watch all of the post match stuff, I was with the mrs you see! I don\'t know how they\'re going to compete in the final with half a team!
They have a fair bit of depth mate.
Luiz, Malouda, Sturridge etc, i say forget the premiership 4th spot now, rest some players and go for the win so they are in the Champions league next year for sure!
I am not sure they will win, but they have every chance over 90mins, i would imagine its a 50/50 with no clear favourite.
Whatever comes of this i would say 100% DiMatteo needs a shot at a full season in charge!
Yeah your right I\'d like to see them start to play well again they\'ve not been great this year, for one reason or another and certainly need a bit of a refresh over the summer. The back 4 are pretty sold with Ivan, Terry, Cahill and Cole, the midfield needs some fresh faces and they could do with getting the best out of Torres because when he\'s on form and confident he is one of the best!
Definately agree Di Matteo deserves a full season for his efforts, I really rate the guy his West Brom team were great as didn\'t deserve sacking their and although it\'s only a short term he\'s had his record is pretty fantastic. They have got to get out of the \'park the bus\' mind set though and get some more quick, precise counter attacking players to make use of the sold back 4.
And they\'ve done it, but boy did they make it difficult or themselves.
The Champions League was never going to be easy though buddy! However difficult they made it, boy imho did they deserve it! 3 of the toughest games they will ever play and they never gave up for one second, literally right up till the last kick of the championship, 300 minutes of football!
With City winning the premiership and Chelsea winning the Champions League, expect a very different Premiership next year. Two clubs that now have a belief and knowledge they can beat the best!
Well done to all concerned, i think Abramovich will upset a lot of people if he doesnt give Matteo a chance as official manager!
Yeah it will be harsh, but in my honest opinion I think they approached the game in the wrong way and were very lucky to win it. On anothe day with such a defensive set up and lck wasn\'t on their side, they would have lost 4-0. The frustrating part for me was that when they attacked they looked dangerous and Bayern looked nervous, if they had played the attacking football then they could have won, comfortably in normal time.
And Kalou? How does the guy make the first team, his decision making is aweful, as his his first touch and frankly he ruined nearly every Chelsea attack.
I kind of disagree, sure they looked threatening when attacking, but if they had given Bayern or Barca for that matter, the chance to counter attack if they all pushed up field, they probably would have been taken apart. They forced both Bayern and Barca to have to create their chances with incredible skill rather than leaving the door wide open on the counter attack! They rode their luck for sure and It wasnt pretty, but the whole team played as a unit, some of the defensive blocks to shots were brilliant, Cahill literally launching himself in front of shot was awesome!
Kalou has talent and will survive and score in the premiership games, but he looks second rate against top level defences, Mikel also, he has the time in the premiership, but against these sides he looks slow and cumbersome, passing back seems his only option, although he was slightly better last night, but still not at a level with the rest! In all honesty, its the only thing i dont like about Matteo, he obviously has faith in both of them, to leave Torres and Sturridge on the bench in favour of Kalou is stunning!
Its not the best Chelsea team i have seen which is ironic seeing as they have this title in the bag, they had a much better squad a few years back!
Yesi agree would defe have started Torres or sturridge over Kalou. They need to invest over the summer or risk getting left behind.