Messi steals Chelsea’s thunder

 

Antonio Conte had stressed upon the need to play a perfect game against Barcelona. It was going to be his first match against the Blaugrana as a coach and he admitted to sleepless nights leading up to the game. Having realised that this game kick-starts the most crucial stage of the Chelsea season, he was not willing to leave anything to chance. 

Chelsea play both the Manchester clubs following Barcelona’s visit, before taking on Leicester City in FA Cup quarter-final before heading to Catalonia for the second leg. These 23 days can make or break Chelsea’s season. His team-sheet before the game raised a lot of eyebrows. With no striker to lead the line, Hazard was chosen as a false 9 to fulfill those boots. Many believed Conte had gotten his tactics wrong even before the ball was kicked.

What followed not only vindicated his team selection but also produced a tactical masterclass on the biggest European stage. Many suitors must have taken note. Barcelona was not only stifled but limited to a bare minimum. Chelsea did not give any chance to the likes of Messi, Suarez and Iniesta to play their natural attacking game. By the time Willian found the net after hitting the post twice in the first half, it seemed Chelsea will produce one of those magical nights that Stamford Bridge is famous for. The fact that Willian was the best player on the pitch - outshining Messi, Iniesta and Hazard in the process – speaks volumes about his pedigree and perhaps this was the moment which would make him a permanent part of Conte’s playing 11.

Barcelona did not give up though. They never do. They pressed high and the prayers of those diehard Barcelona supporters were finally answered when Christensen played a loose pass across the box, Fabregas reacted too slow, and Azpilicueta made an unsuccessful lunge to clear the ball. Iniesta took the ball forward, squared it for Messi and Messi did what Messi does. He had just one touch in the box the whole game and he equalized with it. One error by Chelsea and Barcelona made them pay. Much of the talk before the game had centred around his failure to score against Chelsea in past eight meetings. It took him just one shot at goal in his ninth to end the hoodoo.

Chelsea will take heart from this performance though. The fact that they did not allow Barcelona to play their game and deprived them of any real chances will help them when they go to Nou Camp for the second leg. They played like an away team and will have to do exactly the same at the Nou Camp to produce one of the upsets of the tournament. They have done it before and they can certainly do it again. 

Barcelona, on the other hand, have the away goal and will take this advantage back. They were favourites before the first leg and their chances have only increased now. For the neutral, the game is finely poised and rest assured the game at the Nou Camp will be enthralling to say the least. 

As Hazard said in his post-match comments, “We will go there to attack and win.” Few teams are able to do that at Nou Camp and it will be interesting to see what tactics Conte applies this time. He ended up with a nearly perfect game at Stamford Bridge. Will Chelsea play a perfect game this time and ‘”can do something incredible” as he said after the game? Or will Barcelona prevail like they have on 11 out of 13 occasions when they have been in a similar position? We will have our answer on March 14, 2018.