Chelsea will feel they are within touching distance of the Champions League final after holding Barcelona to a goalless draw a the Nou Camp in the first leg of their semi-final.
The Chelsea performance oozed professionalism, with Guus Hiddink’s players showing terrific resilience to leave Barca coach Pep Guardiola bemoaning Chelsea tactics and the performance of the referee.
“Five or six players in defence, a lot of players back, physically very strong,” said Guardiola. We tried to attack, we created chances and we presented a good image to people around the world but playing football is always difficult when one side doesn’t want to.”
Neutrals may have some sympathy for Guardiola, but Hiddink would be entitled to look at those comments as evidence that his team did just about everything right.
There were no gifts of the sort they enjoyed in the quarter-final against Liverpool, hence no away goal, but they will go into the second leg at Stamford Bridge with no fear … and against Barcelona that’s half the battle.
What do you think? Are we looking at another all-English final?
PHOTO: Guardiola shakes hands with Hiddink at the Nou Camp, April 28, 2009. REUTERS/Toby Melville
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Although I’m a Barca fan through and through, I can’t help but commend Chelsea in the first leg. They held Barca scoreless at home which is a very difficult thing to do. I was also a bit bewildered by Chelsea’s ultra-conservative approach, however they did what was necessary to hold Barca scoreless. Chelsea is pressuring Barsa to score on English soil which is also difficult. As noted by others, Barca is a bit week on defense now, so Pique absolutely must have a great game like he did in Madrid.
- Posted by Mike Diaz USAI am with William: if I were a Chelsea fan, they fielded 11 donkeys in blue, and got a result, I would be happy. But as a neutral, I won’t waste my time or money watching. Surely we want youngsters today to emulate how Barcelona played, not how Chelsea ‘played’ - good tactics or not (anyone remember the 1988 European Cup final?) - but if playing like Chelsea gets results, then that’s how youngsters will want to play when they grow up. As a football fan, and for a better future for what can, as Barcelona has shown, be the beautiful game, I hope Barcelona win.
- Posted by TadNew blog up on this now on the home page … http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2009/05/ 02/game-set-and-match-real-2-barca-6/
- Posted by Kevin FylanBarca are beatable if you have a good defence and quick forwards like Valencia showed. If Chelsea can allow their players play their game, they have a chance of beating Barca especially now that their good central defenders will not be playing. Pity is Chelsea don’t have forwards in the class of Villa.
- Posted by UgochukwuSuch a pathetic show by Chelsea. It was the beautiful game that lost. With the talent at Chelsea’ s disposal they should have attacked instead of giving Barca too much respect. Liverpool would never do that. Ugo.
- Posted by UgochukwuReal’s morale-shattering 6-2 defeat at home to Barca shows that Chelsea and Hiddink had only one option at the Camp Nou: safety first, the one they deployed so well. I expect an even more cautious approach from Chelsea at the Bridge, because they are ill-equipped to trade punches with Barcelona. Football is about winning and at this stage of the CL, it’s not played for the benefit of neutral fans.
- Posted by Red Devil