Chelsea faces its sternest test of the season when it hosts Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
The Blues are coming off a big win Sunday at Wembley over Tottenham Hotspur to advance to the FA Cup final. There’s been a lot of grumbling about that match, and not just because of some very questionable officiating.
Chelsea could have played on Saturday, but instead were forced by the FA to play Sunday, meaning they will only have two days of rest before facing the best club team on the planet. If this seems perverse, that’s because it is. England’s governing body seems to be woefully naïve when it comes to the world’s grandest club competition.
If the Blues look tired and ragged, don’t blame them. They’re also smack in the middle of a furious ten day spell that will continue with a trip across London to the Emirates on Saturday, right before they face Barcelona again at the forbidding Nou Camp next Tuesday. That would be a daunting test for any team, much less a collection of aging players under an interim coach.
Chelsea’s revival has been nothing short of remarkable. This team was dead and buried under Andre Villas-Boas just over a month ago. Since that time, the Blues have lost but a single game in a stunning twelve match run across all competitions. This ‘much-maligned group’ of aging players — who have been directly blamed for the sacking of their former manager — have come back to life under Roberto Di Matteo.
No one personifies that exuberance more than Frank Lampard: a player who was being edged toward the exit in a less than graceful manner this winter. Since being allowed to actually participate in games, he has rediscovered his touch in midfield and is finding his range again on dead balls. Another player back on track is John Terry, who you might remember was becoming better known for controversy than performance. He returned from injury early in a not-too-subtle snub of his former manager but has backed up his arrogance with a series of steely games in the back.
Chelsea’s also received something out of Fernando Torres as well. Once the most expensive zombie in the game, he is finally scoring goals and setting up plays. He presents an interesting selection challenge to Di Matteo, given that Didier Drogba is also in hot form and coming off a wonder goal in the FA Cup that is sure to make the year-end best lists.
But the Blues have a record of futility against Barcelona that stretches back seven years, the last time Chelsea were able to deal Barcelona a blow in a knockout stage. Since then, they have been frustrated: Barcelona got immediate revenge the next year at the same stage, and Andres Iniesta’s controversial stoppage time goal was brutally painful in 2009. The repercussions were immediate: Drogba would serve a three-match UEFA ban after launching into a tirade against referee Tom Ovrebo that saw him caught on television saying the game had been “a [expletive] disgrace.”
He had a serious gripe, but only to a point. That game saw Chelsea not only denied four solid appeals for penalties but also beaten by a Barcelona team that had seen Eric Abidal questionably sent off. Quite simply, Chelsea were unable to contain Barcelona, and the man who opened the door was none other than Lionel Messi. It was the little Argentine who fed Iniesta from the edge of the area so the midfielder could fire home into the top corner.
Messi, who is just five goals shy of surpassing Gerd Muller’s all-time season scoring record, is the man Chelsea must hope to stifle. With David Luiz likely out of the match, the big responsibility will be on Gary Cahill. Barcelona are not a one-man team, mind you. But, so much of the Catalan’s success in front of net comes from the little magician that corralling him has to be the top priority.
Where Chelsea stands an advantage is in the nets. Petr Cech may not be as great as he once was, but he’s a far sight better than Victor Valdes. Carles Puyol should be put under pressure by Ramires and Juan Mata, but Chelsea will have to find a way to break up Barcelona’s intricate passing game by holding down Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez. The Catalans are the undisputed best possession team on the planet, so don’t be surprised if the Blues are reduced to playing a counter-attacking game in their home park.
Can Chelsea win this game? Of course.
But will they? Considering they are facing a side that looks destined to repeat their 2011 Champions League title run, it’s a tough question to answer.
