 |
| @ChelseaFC on twitter |
Bleugh.
It was a tense game and a real nailbiting watch but after a hard fought second leg we exit the Champions League at the quarter final stage. We came into this match needing a 'Hollywood' performance after a disappointing first half at Stamford Bridge led to Madrid leading 3-1, and while the performance was certainly an improvement, it wasn't quite enough to get us into the semis.
I think the game itself was excellent, and credit to both teams for putting on a heart-racing quarter final tie. I want to talk about the match itself, our stand out moments, the Real team, as well as some questionable decisions from us and where we go from here.
LINEUPS:
I think this was the best team we could field for this particular type of game. The front three especially, Havertz who scored in the first leg, and Mount and Werner that were both in great form from the Southhampton game. Loftus-Cheek was an interesting choice and also had a lot of work to do, putting in an attacking shift as a wing back and moving into a holding midfield role in defence. I think he came into a good rhythm as the game went on but I can't deny that it took a while for him to get going. Elsewhere Kante partnered Kovacic in midfield, the latter of which having a great game and contributing to a lot of our forward play. The midfield duo of Silva and Rudiger also continue to impress, and while our subs bench has definitely looked better, we had several strong options to change the game.
As for Madrid, it was what we expected, with the only real change being Nacho coming in for the suspended Militao.
GAME ROUNDUP
The first half settled any doubts I had about the way we approached the tie. It was a stark contrast to the first leg, we seemed to fix the issues we ran into the week before and we came out on the front foot. After a brief spell of pressure from Real we were off, and quickly opened the scoring - Mount calming finishing after Werner had played a ball through the defense leaving Mount with space and time. It was a calm but strong finish past Courtois but it was exactly what we needed.
After that things were comfortably in our control. I was dying out for a second goal before half time and it really looked like we could get it. Real had nothing in the first half. James playing as a RCB took care of the wing threat of Vinicius, meaning Benzema had limited delivery for shots on goal. In attack we were smarter, looked more up for it, and we were pressing them whenever they got the ball to win things back quickly. The press and physical challenges were a lot cleaner compared to our ultra-physical approach that we tried to implement at Stamford Bridge.
Either way, we were 1 up at the break and comfortably in control.
Things carried on in the same way after half-time and we quickly doubled our lead after a strong Rudiger header for 2-0. After that it looked like we had completed the comeback after an Alonso volley into the top corner, but the goal was eventually ruled out (more on that later).
It wouldn't matter though as soon afterwards Werner continued his strong form, making an expert run in behind before rounding two Madrid defenders and squeezing the ball into Courtois' far corner for 3-0. We'd gained the lead, and it was nice to see the German properly celebrating with his teammates and really putting the nerves behind him.
We couldn't hold out the lead for the full 90 minutes, as Real found a way through our defense 80 minutes in to make it 3-1, drawing up the aggregate score and forcing the game into extra time. Christian Pulisic came on late in the second half and had two golden opportunities to get the last-gasp winner, but missed both.
Extra time was tough to watch, our defense had a rare switch off and Benzema finally got his goal to put Madrid up on aggregate. From there we pushed for an equalizer with both Havertz and sub Ziyech coming close, to no success. Tuchel got animated and took a yellow card for his outburst, as well as captain Azpilicueta, who wasn't even on the pitch.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
Mount had a great game, nabbing us the opening goal of the game and continuing his dominance from the Southhampton game. I think he thrives most in the position he played for most of a game as we seemed to attack in more of a 3-4-1-2 with Mount as a no 10 behind Werner and Havertz.
I'm really happy with how Werner played, at a time where there were reports of us ready to listen to offers for him in the summer, he's entered a run of form. I can't believe I can say that the second we took the German off, we looked slightly weaker. Another goal and assist for him and I can't be happier.
Rudiger was so so commanding at centre-back, he made some vital tackles, he got a goal from a well placed header and he looked to be the most passionate player out there. I think the commentators hinted to his departure slightly when they said, 'it looks like he doesn't care what teams shirt he is wearing, as long as his team win'. We need to make sure we hold on to him in the summer, for sure.
Kovacic, I feel like, is our best midfielder at the moment, such a versatile player and looks vital in this team. The 'rolls royce' of the midfield, I feel like you can easilly miss out on the sheer impact he has within the formation, but he put in another great performance in this game.
CAPTAIN KANTE
This was a crucial game in our season. It was a game we had to win if we wanted a chance at another trophy this year. Plus, with how we started from the off it really looked like we could grab a convincing win and overturn the two goal deficit we had suffered at the Bridge.
Though, with both Azpi and Jorginho on the bench, we settled for our third choice in the order, which at the moment is N'Golo Kante.
Kante is a fantastic player, one of our best midfielders, someone with several years of service for the club. The only thing he doesn't possess is the quality of a captain.
In these types of situations, especially in the moments where Real were beginning to mount a comeback, we needed a vocal leader on the field, someone who can distribute a plan, motivate their teammates. Kante is a shy and quiet midfielder who does his job, and is not the person you usually see giving out captain orders or being particularly vocal on the pitch.
And again, that is no fault to Kante and his abilities, the guy is one of our best players, but he simply is not the type of person who normally does this kind of thing.
Players like Rudiger or Silva would have been ideal. Rudiger especially, who was bellowing at Kante after he made a mistake that almost led to a goal, for example. You could see Rudiger's pure passion on the field from start to finish, and that showed in his performance last night, making several vital tackles to keep us in the game.
MADRID - GOOD AND BAD
We definitely had the ability to beat this Madrid team, but they came out the winners. There were players that irritated me for the wrong reasons, and others that irritated me for the right reasons.
Courtois was booed whenever he got the ball by Chelsea players, something that was maintained across both legs. He achieved so much at Chelsea in the 7 years he was there, but the nature of his departure as well as the things he has said around the two games against us really annoy me. Following this game he said he admitted that Chelsea were the better team in the second leg but dismissed any suggestion that Madrid's overall win was 'pure luck'
Vinicius is a player that I really hated over the two legs. Not just because he played well and linked up well with Benzema, but just his overall attitude on the pitch. The Brazillian is a complete diva and a cheat. Take the situation not even 10 minutes into this game, when James makes a challenge on the edge of our box, Vinicius blatantly dives, and the ref gives a free kick and a booking to our player. It took me back to the situation against Barcelona in the El Classico this season; a dive which couldn't be more obvious:
 |
| (from El Classico, Barcelona 4-0 Real Madrid) source: sportbible |
CONCLUSION
It's very tough to take. I feel like we really deserved to go through after the vast improvement we made from the first leg. Even in the first leg we showed dominance and willingness to win in large parts of the second half, and in the 90 minutes we played there is no denying we were the far better team. It came down to how clinical we wanted to be, and in the end Madrid took their chances much better than us. We can argue that the officiating in this game was shockingly below average, and maybe the Alonso goal might have stood on a different day, and if we eliminate the individual errors things would have gone much differently.
Tuchel put it the best when he said that 'we can walk away from this game with no regrets' and it really is true. We were the better team this game, we gave everything we could and it's not like I can sit here and list all the negatives and poor performances and parts of the game, because I can't. Kante had an off day, it happens. Pulisic had an off day, it happens. We simply can't heap blame on these players after such a captivating and end to end game. Seeing Madrid go through after everything we did feels unwarranted, I can't lie.
Despite that I think we can take away a lot from this game and quarter final and use it to come back much stronger next year, and by that point we'll have new owners and a range of new players that we can implement and that can fit well into Tuchel's tactics.
Speaking of Tuchel, I think this game has undoubtedly proven that we need to cling onto Tuchel for dear life. The difference in form and game play between the two legs is testament to the work Tuchel puts in during training, the grilling that must have been given between the two games, but also the amount of pure detail that the German analyses our play. I think he is up there as one of the best managers in the world right now, and it's been that way for a long while.
We're out the Champions League, but we've already gained both the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup this season, and are on track for a Top 4 finish and CL qualification for next year. We are incredibly lucky that Tuchel and his staff are employed at Chelsea.
Where do we go from here? Well, rest, and then we put all our energy into the FA Cup, and the game against Crystal Palace at the weekend. I truly believe we can win the cup this year, and it would add another unique bit of silverware to Tuchel's trophy cabinet. We'll be back.
And my money is now on Villareal to bring the trophy home, because if they can beat Juventus and Bayern Munich, they can win the whole thing.