Lacklustre, unimaginative and clueless was the best way to round up a dire Chelsea performance from the men in blue at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. Having secured a crucial away goal in Paris in the 1st leg, it was an apparent breeze to book their ticket into the Champions League quarter-final.
The system must of malfunctioned as Chelsea succumbed to a 2-2 draw, with PSG claiming their quarter-final berth on away goals. It was a remarkable feat for a team who were strapped of Ibrahimović after 31 minutes and looked to be facing an uphill battle at Chelsea were tipped to stand their ground in this Champions League battle – at home.
Chelsea looked second best even with the one man advantage. PSG moved better, passed better and seemed to have a hungrier appetite for victory. It was as though Chelsea were attached to a clamp, with passing lacking any level of ambition, and looked light years away from their dazzling best at times this season.
It wasn’t just the level of performance; it was the horrendous antics from the players that dampened a dismal display. Ibrahimović’s dismissal just after the half-an-hour mark was neither justified nor acceptable; it was the overt exaggeration from Oscar on the pitch, and a surrounding mob of Chelsea players influencing the unimpressive Kuiper’s which hit the red switch – the red card.
Mimetic of an incarnation of the devil from Chelsea, although PSG were no image of walking perfection with some bustling challenges from them. Yet, the Chelsea players should be embarrassed with some appalling sportsmanship, a lack of sportsmanship that goes against the morals of the British game.
Despite the complementary antics to a whirlwind game of football, it was Chelsea who seemed to have the game in the bag in the 81st minute after a Fabregas corner landed to Costa, whose scuffed shot sat up delightfully for Cahill to take the upper hand and plod in. It was somewhat unlucky on PSG who twenty earlier in the match nearly found the net, a quick turn of pace from Verratti led to him spotting Cavani on the left hand side and putting in a delightful cutting pass, unfortunately the following shot from the Uruguayan hit the post.
Source: chelseafc.com
In an attempt to slow down the game, Chelsea dropped back tempting a PSG charge. Approaching full-time this was last ditch from the Parisians, a fantastic save from Courtois kept out a savage header from Thiago Silva as the first corner went in. Then came seconds in the 86th minute, another expertly delivered corner floated perfectly for an old Chelsea team mate, David Luiz, to head onto the bar and in. 1-1.
That party crusher from Luiz beckoned the game into extra time; surely Chelsea would take advantage of the extra man. It seemed that the one man advantage would provide an extra substance to their game, this proved valid as Costa’s cross was headed up by Luiz and handled blatantly by Thiago Silva to concede a penalty. Unsurprisingly it was dispatched delicately by Hazard, making Salvatore Sirigu dive the other way, 2-1.
Like any good teams, PSG were not going to let Chelsea break them down again, they were going to try and get another goal to break their hearts. There was this burning desire still glowing, Luiz still waving his arms about; PSG players still using every ounce of energy to salvage another goal.
That belief was rewarded. Another corner was conceded from Chelsea in the 116th minute, and a paradox to his beleaguered arm for the penalty, Thiago Silva rose to the occasion like a true captain to head in a goal to send the travelling fans of PSG into raptures.
It was testament to their unwillingness to accept defeat, that goal was going to get the muddy Chelsea moving any better. It just got Costa pushing people on the floor, seen with his un-provoked push of Marquinhos. Chelsea had lost it. Mourinho’s ideologies looked as though it was getting to the mind of his Chelsea team; they looked a shadow of their former self tonight.
The full-time whistle signified embarrassment from Chelsea at producing an abysmal display, Laurent Blanc’s beaming face summed it up, and this was a job well done. It was no wonder the PSG players were celebrating as though they had just won a trophy, the win was as close at that. PSG wanted it more and Chelsea played the price from their naivety.
Conclusively, I thought it was an unacceptable performance from Chelsea bearing in mind they have had a week to prepare; the players should have been raring to go. On the night though PSG showed an innate desire to conquer an egotistical Chelsea – they may be doing well domestically but in Europe they have got to sharpen up.
I felt that Mourinho’s mind-games are starting to impact on the ways players interpret the opposition and their overall attitude – which is wrong. Mourinho put down PSG at the start, identifying them as a preferable side. That was a poor judgement.
In all honesty, Kuipers, the referee did not have a memorable game – we should have had a penalty for an obvious foul on Costa. However, the referee cannot be a scapegoat for an unimpressive display.
Chelsea have now got to man up and stop behaving like, ‘babies’, as Ibrahimovic put it. If we do not move on hastily from our display on Wednesday I fear that this could hamper our dominance in the league, and make that Premier League trophy not as attainable as once viewed.
Edward
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