I didn’t see Barca battering Chelsea. I didn’t see them smash Londoners out of the park. I didn’t see them humiliate the Blues. Well, also I didn’t see them scoring at Nou Camp and I didn’t see a certain Lionel Messi on the pitch! We all must be laughing at all those journos who predicted a 4-0 and 5-0 wins. Get real guys! As I wrote in the preview post, you must be rather naive to expect a Chelsea team to be dominated like that. While the hype-loving journos were expecting to see an attacking masterclass from Barcelona, what we all saw was a defensive masterclass from Chelsea.

Five minutes into the match, I was thinking ‘Barca are not scoring tonight’. Half hour later, I realised this had a striking similarity to the last season’s semi finals against Man Utd at Nou Camp. The tactic from Chelsea was pretty simple. Allow Barca to play their game and intervene when it matters most. Don’t allow the final ball. And get physical as much as required. Break Barca’s rhythm. Chelsea just did a very fine job of achieving what they wanted to.

As you’d expect Barca had all the possession, they passed all night but they just didn’t threaten us. This is an unusual thing to say about any Barcelona attack. But this attack that comprised of Eto, Henry and Messi plus the midfield of Xavi, Iniesta and Toure just did not threaten Chelsea at all. If you look at the real chances, probably they had three and we had two. Actually, they were more threatening when Alves started to cross it in towards the end of the game than they were all game long.

Defensively, we were top class. Completely nullified Barca and had them run out of ideas. I was pretty impressed with Bosingwa’s work with Messi and Ivanovic’s marking of Henry. Terry was a bit suspect but was not too much to worry. Overall, we simply owned them with our defence. What was more heartening to see was Cech’s performance. He is certainly getting back to his usual best. He got most of the things right. In the first half, he went out of position for a improbable catch and popped out a ball that he must have comfortably caught. Other than that, he was spot on. The saves that he produced against Eto and Hleb were real class. Our midfield appeared a little lost because we weren’t keen to attack. When we are not planning to attack heavily, when you have Mikel in the team, the midfield of Ballack, Lampard and Essien would certainly struggle due to the lack of purpose and that’s exactly what happened.

But if had one gripe from this match that was the way we attacked whenever we had the ball. It was pretty much as per plan that we saw less of the ball but when we did have it, we were awful and careless going forward. I know most of them were busy in defence but in such cases you may not go for a counterattack but normal slow build-up attacks must have happened much better.

Barcelona have scored 100+ goals at an average of about 2.9 goals per match this season, which is a phenomenal record. Their goal tally and goal difference is the biggest in the whole of Europe. They have scored in every single match at Nou Camp this season. And against Chelsea, they scored none in front of their fans. Before someone jumps to ask ‘how on earth can you be proud about not conceding’, let me say ‘we got what we wanted’. We wanted to take home a draw. A goal draw would have better but goalless is fine as well. Though this result does not confirm anything at all, this certainly is a set back for Barcelona.

This weekend, Chelsea would play Fulham in the premier league. Hiddink can afford to rest key players this weekend ahead of the second leg next week. Meanwhile, Barcelona have their most important league match of this season – the el clasico. To play against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu must be the last thing Guardiola wants between two Chelsea matches, especially after the first leg at Nou Camp ended at 0-0. This weekend’s result in the el clasico would have a huge impact on the second leg. If Real Madrid wins, that would completely unsettle Barca. And, they might then have to play a well-rested Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Plus, Puyol is now suspended and Marquez seems to be out for a few weeks. And Ashley Cole would be back. Messi was invisible tonight even when Barca were longing to score. When Ashley’s back, I’ll have no worries.

To summarise, at kick-off, Barca had an objective and Chelsea had one too. Chelsea achieved theirs and Barca did not. It’s as simple as that. If you want to understand this better, suppose Barca wanted a goalless draw and Chelsea wanted a goal. Chelsea would have still achieved their objective leaving Barca disappointed. 0-0 is never too comforting but there are so many other factors that make me more comfortable – Real Madrid’s possible win this weekend, key injuries/suspension in Barca and the general set back and understandable low morale of high fliers that are brought down to earth.

Peace Chelsitos! We are winning at the Bridge!

1.70 for Barcelona. 5.50 for Chelsea. Those are the odds. Barcelona are an overwhelming favourite to sweep Chelsea aside, as per the bookmakers. If you want to make some quick money, trust the Blues. Sometimes, it good to go with the ‘underdog’ tag, especially when the first leg is away. I don’t mind when Barcelona are being considered the favourites for this match but it would be a bit naive to say that the gap is as large as 1.70 and 5.50. Absolutely not. If there is one team in Europe that can stop Barcelona at the moment, it’s gotta be Chelsea.

Let’s do a quick SWOT analysis for Chelsea. You know SWOT right? A grid of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This is actually a very balances match up. Chelsea vs Barcelona matches have always been classics and if you look at the SWOT, you’ll see the result could go any which way!

Strengths

Drogba has been terrific form. He is a big match player. So if the occasion is big and opponents are tough, you get to see the best of Drogba. His power and skill could trouble any defence. His aerial skills are going to be very useful and dangerous. When Chelsea played Barcelona last time, Drogba scored home and away. With Essien settling down, Lampard has got more freedom to go forward and attack. This has made our attack more lethal. He is a big match player as well and the goal he scored at Camp Nou in 06-07 was one of the best champions league goals you would see.

Essien’s tackling, marking and covering will be a big strength. I think he would be marking Xavi or Iniesta, which makes his role even more crucial. In matches like these, Essien is very very dependable. Our back four is much better than the Barca back four. In our defensive line-up, we have experience and maturity like very few other teams. Our defence has handled Barcelona before and knows exactly which traps we should fall into. Our important strength is our ability to play aerial balls and turning them into a real weapon. We should use this every now and then to keep their defence guessing. You never know, that could just be the clincher. Remember that ball from Ashley Cole to Drogba at Stamford Bridge?

The uber-penalty-saver Petr Cech must be brimming with confidence. After a few poor matches, he’s had a couple of good matches at the right time. if you’ve seen Barcelona, they don’t score in such a way that a better effort from goalkeeper could have stopped the goal. They pull the trigger only when they’re fully sure that the shot goes in, which normally leaves very little to do for the keeper. We must force Barca to play unlike them so that they take shots from unlikely spots and situations because we have one of the best shot-stoppers in Petr Cech.

Set pieces? Did anyone else think we’re superior to Barca when it comes to set pieces, especially corners?

Weaknesses

With no Ashley Cole, it could be Bosingwa in the left back. I’d put Bosingwa as a weakness even if he is playing right back against Messi in the left wing. With Messi playing in the right wing, anyone other than Ashley Cole would be a compromise and hence a weakness. Guus can play Bosingwa in the right and probably, Ivanovic in the left. Between Bosingwa and Ivanovic, I’m more comfortable with the latter to handle Messi.

The other weakness could be the midfielder who plays alongwith Lampard and Essien. Be it Ballack, be it Belletti or whoever. In order to boss the midfield, we need that third midfielder to match Lampard and Essien. For some matches now, this has been a worry. Lampard has started going more and more forward. When he goes to play behind the strikers or positions himself within the box, if there is a counterattack, the other midfielders must be upto the task. The one thing that Lampard has and the others don’t is his commitment in defence.

Opportunities

So where are the opportunities against this Barcelona team? I don’t think this Barcelona team is mentally very strong. They can be shattered. For some reason, I feel they don’t have a leader in their team. You batter them and then you’ll start seeing them a bit clueless and restless. They don’t have the calm of Chelsea. So does that mean we need attack them relentlessly? Well, yes and no. If we can attack them without weakening our defence, that’s a great opportunity.

Their defence is weak. Drogba is too hot to handle for Puyol and co. They have not faced a Chelsea-type of attack so far this season. Chelsea’s attack is a bit unique because it is completely freestyle. The goals can come from anyone and anywhere. There is no single way of playing football unlike Barcelona. When it comes to the aerial balls, they’ll get beaten.

I feel Daniel Alves could be a weakness too. He is way too attackminded. If Malouda can exploit the space created by Dani Alves, you can put Barcelona under tremendous pressure. Also, I never rated Victor Valdes as a good keeper. I strongly feel he is a weakness too. That’s why we should have Lampard and Ballack try those 30-yarders and keep Valdes’ heart beat at 250 per minute.

Threats

Barcelona are a complete team. You can’t keep them quiet by keeping one or two players silent. They have talent and class everywhere on the pitch and they can hurt from anywhere. That’s why I think if we are too obsessed about keeping Messi quiet, we’d be shooting ourselves in the foot. Nevertheless, Barcelona minus Messi is beatable for Chelsea. Messi is one who can produce magical moments. He would be a big threat. But remember, the English teams have always handled Messi rather well – Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool. In Messi, Eto and old Henry, they have one of the best attacks in Europe. If they get into their rhythm, it’s going to be very difficult to stop them.

Losing possession cheaply and in wrong areas would be punished by the Barcelona team. We simply can’t lose possession in our half. I don’t want us to try anything tricky or funny in our half. We should just get the ball to the final third and start playing our football.

Tactics

Chelsea must play 4-3-3 with Malouda and Anelka in the wings. The midfield must be Lampard, Essien and Ballack. I’d put Ivanovic in the left wing and Bosingwa in the right. Barcelona would end up having 65% of the possession. That’s the way they play. We might have to play counterattack. The big question is if Chelsea is going to let Barcelona play their game. Barca are way too accurate for us take risks. You’d see Chelsea trying and succeeding in breaking their rhythm. Chelsea would also play a very physical game to achieve this. Even players like Xavi and Iniesta are light. If it’s a physical contest between Xavi and Essien/Lampard, you know who’d win. We should force them to get into these physical battles as much as possible.

In terms of how Chelsea should play, we can surprise them. Generally teams don’t surprise Barcelona. They always admit and accept that Barcelona are a far superior team and allow them to play their game while they just try to defend all game. Back in 04-05, at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea chose to surprise Barcelona. We attacked them with some force and determination and you know what happened. You can very easily catch them by surprise, if you attack them with quality chances.

I’d like to see most of our attacks come through the wings. There’s no point in  trying to playing to Barca’s strengths by playing through the middle. We should use our wing play effectively and deliver crosses in the middle. Lampard and Essien would be in front of the D, just in case they are to be gifted with a sweet loose ball.

Barcelona are on a champions league record running streak of 103 matches without receiving a red card; current coach Josep Guardiola was their last player to be sent off. I truly hope and wish Puyol breaks that record tonight. I’m sure he has it in him to do that.

The one thing Chelsea must do is not to take the initial 20 minutes lightly, as they have done very often. Even a momentary lapse of concentration could prove costly. The whole Chelsea team must be at their best level tonight. There should not be any lacklustre performances. If we see someone to be a serious weakness, we should be subbing them. I’ve seen Guus do that. No back heels, flicks, 360 degree spin and all that in our own half plus no losing possession in our own half.

Finally . . .

I have full faith in Guus. He seems to be someone who studies and understands the opponents strengths and weaknesses to devise the tactics on a match to match basis. I fully believe that he can take us through. That’s why I like Chelsea to be known as the underdogs. I want Barcelona to underestimate Chelsea. That’s one easy route to surprise Barca. I call upon all the big match players at Chelsea to deliver – Drogba, Lampard, Essien, Terry, Cech and Ballack. We don’t even have to win this match. An away goal what we need to put the fear in the minds of the Catalans. I’d happily take a goalless first half. Sometime in the 70th minute or so, we must take the lead. That would force Barca to go for a mad rush for goals and probably we can nick another one through a counterattack.

Prediction:

I’m going against all the odds and other predictions. 1-1 would be the score. Drogba to score. Be there at BC Shout!

I just put this post up to say there is no post for this match. I’m on a short trip and I’d be back only this weekend. That means no Everton preview, no Everton match reaction and no West Ham preview. I’m not sure if I’ll be watching the Everton match. You can rightly guess that I’ll use all my efforts and powers to dedicate those 90 minutes for live football.

I gotta run now. On the Everton match, I’d say that we’ll win and rather comfortably. I see 2-0 with Lampard and Drogba in the scoresheet. This is a must-win and that’s what we keep saying for all premier league matches. But this one is really a must-win because Portsmouth can hold Man Utd and Arsenal can beat Liverpool. Great time to put immense pressure on the top two and also maintain the momentum.

I almost forgot. Did you see the PFA awards nominees list? It is half of the Man Utd team plus one Steven Gerrard who gets the man of the match even if he doesn’t play. Atrociously, there is no Frank Lampard there! As a midfielder, he has got 19 goals and 11 assisting 40 games this season. That’s a bloody conspiracy! And the young player PFA list has Johnny Evans and Rafael but there is no John Obi Mikel!

Wait for Chelsea to win some trophies this season. You’ll see all awards coming  this way. Anyway, it is the popularity that gets awards than the performance. In the champions league, I’d love to see this Chelsea team demolishing the Man Utd team, half of which are nominated for the PFA awards. That is, we’ll knock the PFA United after we are done with FC Joga Bonito.

See you then. Help yourselves at BC Shout, as you always have! Cheers!

There was a sense of deja vu! When Walcott scored the first goal, Chelsea had to win it with a winner from Drogba. That’s exactly what happened in Feb 2007 in the finals of the league cup. As always, Chelsea took some time to turn up and conceded by that time. In the first 20 minutes or so, Chelsea were a bit sluggish and uncommitted. That was the time Arsenal saw the ball. Once they scored, you started seeing a different Chelsea.

Are we getting back to our best? Back in JM days, Chelsea typically started sluggishly and took time to settle. That’s why we hardly scored any early goal. Until we settled down, we ran the risk of conceding a goal. Once settled, we took complete control of the match and the result. The Chelsea that we see now is pretty much that. Conceding an early goal and then coming back into game is becoming a bit customary. In fact, I’m more comfortable with this. The moment Arsenal scored in the 18th minute, I was sure that we are winning, and we are winning in full time.

Check back my pre-match post. I think I was right. They are just boys while Chelsea are men. I don’t refer to the average age here. I’m just talking about the experience and maturity of the players. Young players can be wiser and older players can be less mature. What was in display was Chelsea’s rich experience. They exactly knew what Arsenal would do and what their strengths are. And Chelsea handled Arsenal like men would handle boys. I don’t think Chelsea were threatened too much. Adebayor was invisible except that one movement for goal. Spittergas was quiet and confused. All that van Persie had was a couple shots at the stands. Walcott scored that deflected goal but he was always kept under control. The others were made to make up the numbers.

When you have too many players from a team vying up for man of the match, that says something about that teams performance. Frank Lampard was the official man of the match. Most deserving too. I would also think Drogba, Alex and Malouda were in the running. Some felt that Essien was not very effective. I don’t think so. He did not surge forward very much and I think that was just the plan. Ballack and Essien were playing deeper allowing Lampard a more attacking role. I’m happy with Essien and Ballack because Chelsea bossed the midfield and it would not have been possible without them playing well.

What can we say about Malouda? This is the Malouda that Jose Mourinho bought! Hiddink is turning him into a superbly effective winger. He makes intelligent runs, he beats players, he takes superb corners, he delivers dangerous crosses and he scores goals! He now plays like a complete winger. Full credit to Guus Hiddink. Only some weeks back, Malouda featured in the everyone’s list of ‘players out’. For most people he even topped the list. For some reason, I always like Malouda. He has been in the worst form of his career but I always thought he is a genuine guy, stays committed and puts in the effort. So, I’m happy to see Malouda playing like this. I hope he scores one against Barcelona too.

Let me write a paragraph on Anelka. Well, not another rant. I’m particularly impressed with Anelka’s rise in work rate. He has improved gradually and now he is kind of consistent with his work rate. Though he is still not able to create that impact like Drogba, he has certainly got better with his hunger and desire. I’ve said this a million times now. The most important things I expect from players is passion, commitment and contribution. In this respect, Anelka is slowly becoming a Chelsea player.

If it’s Arsenal it had to be Didier Drogba. He absolutely relishes scoring against them. Let Barca be warned. Now that’s 10 goals in 11 games. That’s the form of a ‘best in Europe’ striker. I would attribute the return of Drogba’s form to Hiddink as well. Hiddink has acknowledged Drogba as the first choice striker in Chelsea. He has played him as much as possible. Under Hiddink, Drogba has not sat on the bench for nothing. Hiddink says:

It’s amazing every week, every game, he is delivering very much. The team is delivering, not just Drogba, but Drogba is the end regarding the production and you cannot always value a striker on his goals because he can do a lot for the team, not always scoring but very determined and very decisive. He worked, and it’s very nice to work with the guys. They always deliver and react whatever you do. We have seen it in several games now. I haven’t seen [Drogba] unhappy, he is smiling. I like to see this.

The finish was just too perfect to believe. The pass had to be from Lampard and that must be Drogba to kill them off. That’s my permanent script for a Chelsea winner – assist from Lampard and goal from Drogba. And Drogba killed them the way I’d love him to. I wanted him to make the Arsenal back four and the keeper look like idiots and that’s what he did. I hear Wenger saying that he let in a couple of cheap goals. How stupid is he? Will he ever learn? For the first goal, it was a great ball from Lampard and Malouda did very well with his first touch and moved in with confidence and that finish was just awesome. For the winner, another great ball from Lampard and Drogba had to do so much before he made them look like idiots. Poor Fabianksi. That’s not his mistake. He was dealing with their own shitty defence and a great striker. Wenger puts it on Fabianski to cover the fact that Guus has thoroughly outthought and outfoxed him.

I also heard Wenger crying about the pitch. He did the before the match. Because they lost, he did that after the match too. I’ve never seen such a sore, poor, ungracious loser. Of course, the pitch was poor. For Wembley, for a 90,000-seater stadium, it was a horribly poor pitch. But that’s for both teams. I wouldn’t say it was a disadvantage when it came to playing football. Whatever the pitch was, it was for both the teams. It’s like playing in different weather conditions such as snowy Russia, sunny Spain and rainy London. As a football team, you should know how to play in different conditions and you should know how to use the right playing style for this type of pitch. By the way, did Wenger mention anything about Silvestre’s volleyball clearance attempt that must have been a penalty if the linesman had a pair of eyes? Or that Denilson must have got a straight red for shoving the . . . well . . referree!

Cut the crap Wenger! You were beaten fair and square. We out-possessed, out-created, out-shot and out-scored you. We won and you lost. We are in the finals and you’re not. Hello . . Arsene, No! Things will improve. No, don’t do it please . . . No don’t . . .

I’m sorry for Arsene!

The most inspiring player on the pitch was certainly the one and only super Frankie Lampard. He created both the goals. He was involved in every single attack. He was just awesome with the spirit he displayed on the pitch. He was defending brilliantly, his led the midfield, he was a great threat in attack. I think he got most of his tackles spot on. And he was never afraid to throw himself into a tackle. I’m sure that while Lampard was flying around like that, all other players must also have been inspired and motivated. That’s what a Lampard does. Every. Single. Match. He is an unbelievable player. I were to be a football player, I’d be Frank Lampard, without a doubt.

I don’t want to think that Guus would be gone in May. He would stay. One way to make him stay is by winning a trophy this season. Even if Guus does not win a trophy, he has been a messiah for us. Even if he goes home now, he can be proud of what he achieved at Chelsea. I’m confident that Guus will guide us past Barcelona too. If there is one team that can stop Barcelona at this moment, it has to be Chelsea. You’ll see that happening and I’ll be running like a madman and you’ll read that here.

FA Cup semi final against Arsenal at the Wembley today.

It’s pay back time. Liverpool did a double against clueless Chelsea under clueless Scolari. Under Hiddink, we paid them back, in the tournament that matter to them a lot. We didn’t do a double against them in the champions league but it felt like one. Demolishing them at Anfield and raising their hopes by first half at Stamford Bridge and breaking them into a million pieces with a last minute goal. I’m saying this just to prove that this Chelsea under Hiddink is a different animal than the one that teams were beating and dominating earlier this season. Arsenal beat us at Stamford Bridge. That’s not because they played a great game but because we were so pathetic that we could not muster one shot on goal in the second half. Any team that cannot get one shot on goal against a shitty defence like that of Arsenal must be really bad.

Things have changed. If anyone had any doubts about how soon a new manager can have an impact, Hiddink has the answer. He has certainly restored the Chelsea pride. Eliminating Juventus and Liverpool in two-legged ties means getting lots of things right. This is the time I want Chelsea to play every big team possible. Bring on Man Utd, Liverpool, Milan, Inter, Barcelona, Real Madrid whoever. I don’t care whether we play first leg at home or away. I’m bubbling with confidence. I believe that Chelsea now can beat just any team. When I believe that Chelsea can dispatch the top teams, we shouldn’t even be talking about teams like Arsenal, right?

For about four seasons, Arsenal could not get a sniff of victory against Chelsea in all competitions, in all stadiums, with any players and with any managers. Arsenal sneaked in to win when Scolari turned Chelsea from a ferocious tiger to a phobic cat. I have a strong feeling that the players themselves knew how to play against Arsenal. That’s straight out of Mourinho’s books. Arsenal won’t change the way they play and they are tactically inept. Something like what we were under Scolari. There are certain basics that you need to follow when you play Arsenal:

1. Get physical on them: Tackle them and pounce on them. Apply full pressure like only Chelsea can do. Especially players like Song, Diaby etc should be put where they belong. Get really physical. Crying sissies won’t be able to handle that. They need to be reminded after every defeat that football is a man’s game. Get used to it or get lost.

2. Mark that tall object: Unlike Chelsea, Arsenal has very few goal scorers. In fact, very few players have the capability to find the net. As long as you mark them out of the game, you’re clean. No one else will understand that side of the game and take that responsibility. So, mark Adebayor and know how he plays. He misses a dozen sitters and scores one blinder – that’s his story.

3. Mark that arrogant spitter: Fibreglass to Arsenal is what Gerrard is to Liverpool. These teams have a one-route football. If you silence Fibreglass, they may not what to do. They’ll hit a dead end. That’s what all teams that have beaten Arsenal have done. And he is a sissy too. So see point no.1. Provoke him. He’s due a big punishment. I’m sure Essien will make him vanish.

4. Flatter them: If Arsenal get to make 5 or 6 uninterrupted passes, they’ll think that they are playing great football. They’re the most complacent team in premier league. If they think they’re playing great football, that’s when they crumble while the opposition consolidates. So allow them those little moments of glory if doesn’t look like hitting our bottomline. Keep them in cloud nine.

5. Bombard them: They don’t have their first choice back four. So bombard them and rattle them. They shouldn’t know what hit them. Blitzkreig. Defensively, Arsenal are a treat to watch, especially if you hate them. If attack well, you can drive them crazy, you can have them confused and pissing in their pants, have them argue with each other, push and hit each other and have them red carded with no involvement from us.

If there is one player that can possibly trouble us that could be Arshavin. Quality player, a mis-fit in Arsenal. And there is Theo Walcott who can skin full backs if taken lightly. I always thought that Walcott is easy to handle. He never surprises you if you know his style of play. He has no creativity. He is all pace and bit of skill. We’re going to have to handle Messi in a couple of weeks. Walcott should not be an issue though he is in fine form.

Chelsea must play 4-3-3 with the team that started against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. Terry can come in for Alex. And the rest must be the same. I now have full faith in playing Kalou and Malouda in the wings because Drogba is on fire. But remember Quaresma can play too.

Drogba hates Arsenal and loves to play them. Much like me. Everytime we play Arsenal, he scores. And he terrorises the Arsenal defence for fun and they’ll be worried to see his name in the Chelsea team sheet. Didier is a nightmare for the first choice Arsenal defence and what we will see today is second choice or worse. I burst into laughter when I read that ‘Wenger could have signed Didier Drogba’ news. He never gets tired, does he? I could have signed Messi, I could have signed Kaka, I could have signed Drogba, I could have signed Ronaldo, I could have signed Maradona, I could have signed Pele, I could have won this, I could have won that . . . crazy. Jose Mourinho was right. Arsenal is an ‘almost’ club. Everything is just ‘almost’ for them.

This FA Cup is Arsenal’s best chance for a silerware in many seasons now. They might take it a bit seriously. A win would take Hiddink to his first final with Chelsea. Hiddink wants to win, no matter which competition. Chelsea must win. 3-1 to Chelsea. A Drogba brace plus a Malouda goal.