Destiny as Chelsea finally win the UEFA Champions League
Columnist By Tony Tannous, 20 May 2012 Tony Tannous is a Roar Expert
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Chelsea's Didier Drogba, right, celebrates with Petr Cech after scoring the decisive shootout penalty during the Champions League final soccer match between Bayern Munich and Chelsea in Munich, Germany. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
If you believe in destiny, your belief will have only been reinforced by Chelsea’s dramatic penalty shoot-out win in this morning’s Champions League final over Bayern Munich.
Since arriving in south London nine years ago, Roman Abramovich has been trying to get his hands on “the trophy with big ears”, almost to an obsession in the early days, throwing money and coaches at it at will, and without any return.
Even Jose Mourinho, the man he brought in at the beginning of the era to transform the club and send it up the pecking order, couldn’t quite get him over the line.
Too often that has been a tale of heart-break, with more missed penalties and semi-final losses than any Chelsea fan would care to recall.
Now, ironically, in the most unlikely of circumstances, having sacked the latest coach he brought in to deliver the goods (Andre Villas-Boas), struggling domestically, and with an aging squad that has looked in urgent need of renewal for a few years now, Chelsea have their first European title.
Riding their luck throughout the knock-out phase, battered in a football sense by Barcelona in the semis, instilled with confidence by their make-shift manager, Roberto Di Matteo, this was a victory to savour.
Many might say it was deserved after all the ghosts of the past decade.
For the likes of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, John Terry, Michael Essien, Ashley Cole, Salomon Kalou, Jon Obi Mikel and Petr Cech, everpresent throughout the Abramovich era, this was a reward for all their hard work.
Domestic titles they have won aplenty, but this was the one they have been chasing.
Summoning all their experience, showing a tactical maturity and discipline they have often lacked on their European adventures, and getting the luck they feel has often deserted them, this was the time it all came together.
Their time. Chelsea’s time.
Here, in the final, just as they did throughout the season, they rode their luck, hanging in, coming back, in normal time, extra time and the shoot-out, eventually finishing with the prize they coveted.
In normal time they were second best throughout and it looked like their defensive strategy had come back to bite them when they copped a late goal, Thomas Müller popping up at the back post to finally get one over the outstanding Cole.
But refusing to give-up, back came Chelsea. From a rare set piece they were able to find an equaliser, the prolific Drogba muscling his way to the near post to power a header through Manuel Neuer.
It was a Chelsea goal if ever there was one.
In extra time it was the same man at the centre of the action again, Drogba giving away a penalty for a clip on Frank Ribery.
But there would be another twist. Cech, such a hero throughout the campaign and again on this night, was up to it, moving swiftly to his left to deny Arjen Robben.
Coming on the back of Lionel Messi’s failed spot-kick in the semis, it appeared the destiny was all Chelsea’s.
This sense was only confirmed in the penalty shoot-out, with Bayern taking what looked winning lead when Neuer stepped up to make it 3 -1 .
Chelsea looked dead and buried, with the pressure on every spot-kick thereafter. David Luiz did his bit, just as he had done filling in for the suspended Terry in the final.
Fittingly, two of Chelsea’s greats, Lampard and Cole, also stepped up and kept their heads.
With Cech going the right way, time and time again, denying both Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger to his left, it was left to Drogba to take Chelsea’s fifth and final kick.
The Ivorian, who has come to symbolise the muscle and will-to-win that has often been associated with this Chelsea side, might have been forgiven for thinking back to February’s African Nations Cup and his miss in the final against Zambia.
But this was about Chelsea and their destiny, so it was fitting that Drogba converted, rounding out the work of Cech, Cole and Lampard before him, to give Roman his Big Ears.
Follow Tony on Twitter @TonyTannousTRBA
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May 20th 2012 @ 9:36am
Ben of Phnom Penh said | May 20th 2012 @ 9:36am | Report comment
Bayern utterly dominated Chelsea.
Destined, perhaps. Deserving, less so. Thus is the way of sport.
May 20th 2012 @ 9:57am
Kasey said | May 20th 2012 @ 9:57am | Report comment
Destined, perhaps. Deserving, less so. Thus is the way of sport.
Particularly football, the ‘best’ team doesn’t always win. On any other night. Bayern would have buried at least one of the whole host of chances they created, but oh well. Chelsea were disciplined and played to their game plan. it wasn’t the most attractive of game plans, but as a person with Dutch heritage, I can tell you that playing pretty football counts for 2/5ths of F*ck all if you don’t win. Glad I got up early for the game, it was drama filled. The look on Craig Foster’s face when he realised that a (shock – horror English!) team had parked the bus since the Semis and won old big Ears must have been priceless to see. it was fun in its own right to watch him reconcile his Barça fapping with Chelsea’s win on camera this morning.
I wonder if John Kosmina was watching for tips on Adelaide United’s upcoming Asian Champions League campaign into the knockout stages? If AU can stay disciplined like Chelsea as the Reds did against Gamba last Wednesday, no reason why we cant go far into the tournament ourselves – given an appropriate dose of luck of course;)
May 20th 2012 @ 6:45pm
JonJax said | May 20th 2012 @ 6:45pm | Report comment
Chelsea parked two rows of the proverbial bus in their defensive third and Bayern were profligate in front of goal.
Rather than emulate Chelsea’s tactics, for the ACL knock- out game I’d much prefer Kosmina adopt’s Dortmunds tactics against Bayern in the German cup final- as Jupp Heynckes feared and commented after Bayern’s cup final defeat- “Dortmund has shown Roberto Di Matteo how to play against Bayern”. Di Matteo, however, chose to go for the traditional British Bull Dog defense. Pleasing for those Pomms who feast on these well worn stories of “great escapes” and “Dunkirk”, less pleasing to the football neutrals who want to see two opponents with attacking intent.
Let’s hope Kosmina gets schooled by Jurgen Klopp rather than Roberto Di Matteo
May 20th 2012 @ 7:43pm
j binnie said | May 20th 2012 @ 7:43pm | Report comment
Kasey pal, – You are a bit late in wondering if “John Kosmina was watching for tips”. John has been using this tactical game in the Asian Cup for months, so, maybe with Adelaide’s success in that comp. so far, you should be asking if De Matteo has been watching Adelaide, for his tactics in recent rounds of the EC have replicated Adelaide’s exactly.
Getting to the nitty- gritty of these tactics. If there is an afterlife there must be at least 4 men sitting back today with sardonic smiles on their faces. There will be another sitting beside them shaking his head in dis-belief.
I refer of course to those four great tacticians,the Austrian Rappan,the Russian Arkadiev,the Italian Rocco, & the Argentine Herrerra who between them created and brought to fruition the ultimate in defensive football called “catenaccio” between the years of 1938 and 1967
Rappan,taking the Swiss national team job later asserted, ” Either you have eleven individuals of sheer class & ability that they can beat their opponent,or you have eleven average players who have to be integrated into a concept or plan”. He called his plan “Verrou”.
Arkadiev meanwhile,was developing his “plan”,based on the same principle, in Russia in the early 40′s, it being christened the” Volga Clip”.
Rocco who had managed in Switzerland at this time, took the concept home to Triestina & turned that club’s fortunes around basing his strategy on organised defence.It gained the name “Catenaccio.”
Then came Herrera who, upon joining Inter with their superb individuals, brought the “plan ” to it’s apex. Herrera was an keen amateur psychologist & it is he who is credited with the “dark” side of the tactic using any ‘trick” to unsettle your opponents flow of play,tripping,shirt pulling, feigning injury, anything that caused a stoppage.
I then come to the manager who,having watched the game this morning,will be shaking his head. Stein took Inter’s catenaccio apart with a combination of speed allied to all round ,but legal, aggression,(today called pressing),& it was thought this abomination of a tactic would disappear out of the game for a while.It did, but in recent months & weeks we have seen it’s re-emergene & it is to be hoped with Adelaide & Chelsea’s successes, we are not about to see it spread. Cheers jb
May 20th 2012 @ 8:37pm
JonJax said | May 20th 2012 @ 8:37pm | Report comment
Press reports have suggested Kosmina is toying with the idea of partnering Sergio van Dijk with Bruce Djite up front. This being the case, the Jurgen klopp “cunning plan”, would be to swiftly use the space behind Nagoya’s advancing full- backs and deliver some quality service to AU’s dynamic duo up front.
I’d suggest this would be more appealing to the neutral, than watching AU “park a couple of busses” in front of goal.
May 21st 2012 @ 8:53am
Kasey said | May 21st 2012 @ 8:53am | Report comment
to both jb and jonjax,
2 of the world’s most critically acclaimed football teams spectacularly failed to bring home the bacon. Those teams were the 1974 and 1978 Cruyff led Dutch World Cup teams. Until 1988, the Dutch played nothing but beautiful ‘total voetbal’ but failed to bring home any silverware. Can you believe that Cruyff himself once said “there is no greater medal than being acclaimed for your style” I would say that’s deluded garbage with all due respect to the great man. Over the years, this absurd dogma lulled the Dutch into believing that being beautiful was actually better than winning!
Finally someone (Bert van Marwijk) has arrived with a new mantra “total football isn’t total without victory” I ask the Chelsea fans how they feel right now? If AU continue playing to their strengths, and victory ensues, then victory is the ultimate goal and f*ck the poo-poohers who regardless of how we play will denigrate the Reds achievements simply because it is unfashionable Adelaide, not more fancied Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne. We are used to it over the border here. In Aussie Rules, the Crows cant get no respect no matter who they beat or how they do it. in 1997 and 1998, their flags were written off as lucky and due to running into teams who were out of form or hit by injuries. I expect nothing but the same should the Reds continue their march into Asia.
In the ACLR16: If Josh Kennedy starts for Nagoya, I fully expect Kosmina to employ the exact tactics he used against Gamba. If Kennedy doesn’t start, there is a small possibility that Serge van Dijk could start up front with Djite. I personally couldn’t give a fat rats arse about entertaining the neutrals. I’ve been there with my mates in the dim dark days of the Rini Coolen era and coming dead last under Aurelio Vidmar, so the core base of AU which is strong at about 10k will take the relative ‘glory’ of a good Champions League run. Winning like money, papers over a lot of imperfections. At the end of the day the name on the trophy gives the club that wins it, not the style points they accumulated. If style is important, then I would suggest a more subjective sport like Ice dancing would be more your cup of tea.
May 21st 2012 @ 12:12pm
j binnie said | May 21st 2012 @ 12:12pm | Report comment
Kasey- Don’t know why I deserve this “shot in the dark” from you. As probably the first person ever to use a form of “catenaccio” in Australia,in 1968, nowhere did I say I disagree with JK using the tactic in the Asian Cup.You see in my first managerial job in football I was left with 4 regulars of the previous year’s champions & had to play the NSW champions Prague with what to all intents was a team of reserves in the then Australian Cup.What to do? We tried a “plan” that I had first seen used in 1959 by Fiorentina & for 20 minutes we held a much superior team at bay until our young goalkeeper,making his debut,dropped a simple cross into the net.Prague’s coach that day was the great Josep Venglos who went on to become the head of coaching for FIFA in recent years. He knew what was going on & I can still see him dancing up & down the touchline screaming instruction to his players ,none of whom had seen the tactic used before.Trouble with the tactic is that as soon as you give more than one goal away you are duty bound to alter the very basis of how it works & with a recognised team of lesser quality the task becomes almost impossible.
That’s what Celtic did to Inter,they conceded a goal and then upped the ante by “out-speeding” & “out pressing” an aging Inter defence, eventually getting a goal from a long range power drive & a quick inter-passing move inside the penalty box
So you see,as I said,I am not against JK using the tactic,in fact elsewhere I have praised him for doing so, my worry is that if two teams adopt it against each other the “entertainment ” value goes down the tube & at this point in time the HAL does not need that.
I actually think Adelaide have the players,that given the confidence boost their Asian Cup run will give them, will perform quite well in next year’s HAL,without resorting to that type of football.
So please take me of your “hate” list.
By the way you may want to research your Dutch connections a bit more.”Total Football” is a term that Rinus Michels denied ever using in fact it was after his mighty Ajax,playing their “beautiful” football in a 4-2-4 formation ,were held and beaten to a European Cup win by Feyenoord,who under the Austrian super coach Ernst Happel were playing 4-3-3, that Ajax adopted that system and went on to great things,& despite what you may think, to go from a NEW professional league in 1957 to World Cup finalists 17 years later is a hard act to follow. jb
May 21st 2012 @ 12:26pm
Kasey said | May 21st 2012 @ 12:26pm | Report comment
jb, you are not on my sh*t-list and I sincerely apologise if my ramblings gave you that impression. your knowledge of the game especially in Australia during what any would consider to be the dark ages, has always been welcome reading for me. I don’t doubt that my boys will employ absolutely no surprise tactics on the 29th at Hindmarsh against Nagoya, but I do feel that in the media commentariat, we just cant seem to win. If we win through I fully expect to have the achievement talked down as either lucky or given some other such qualifier, whereas if we lose, the boot will be well and truly suck in. JK has been great for the club and IMO is exactly what was needed to restore the backbone of the club after Rini gutted it both in the dressing room and on the terraces. A couple of astute signings in the next few weeks and I think the confidence gained from the ACL run will see the Reds play up to their potential and mix it with the better teams in season 2012/13. I doubt we’ll play the same style in the HAL as the Australian clubs can get around it by being more physical and running harder(as in Brisbane’s manner) That is the major tactical shift the Roar failed to recognize upon entering the ACL. Someone derided as a coaching doofus in Aurelio Vidmar recognized it and garnered a National team assistants gig out of it. One would hope that like Graham Arnold, he is learning every day and might find his way back to club level in the HAL, doing better than his time with AU – last in the league:(
May 20th 2012 @ 11:06pm
ItsCalled AussieRules said | May 20th 2012 @ 11:06pm | Report comment
Undeserving?
Lets put things in context.
4 months ago Chelsea sacked their manager and were in disarray, they appointed one of the assistant coaches Robert Di Matteo as the interim manager.
Chelsea went into the final with 6 of their regular first team either out injured or suspended.
Bayern were playing at home in front of a sell out German crowd.
Chelsea went behind in the 83rd minute and scored an equaliser in the 88th minute.
They then went behind in the penalties and had to save the last 2 Bayern penalties and score the last two of their own penalties to win.
Despite all that – they’ve won the FA Cup and European Champions League double, only the second team ever to do so and the first London team to ever win a European Club Championship.
Give them some credit for God’s sake!
May 21st 2012 @ 12:29am
Ben of Phnom Penh said | May 21st 2012 @ 12:29am | Report comment
But if the deserving only ever won then there would be no point in watching sport.
May 20th 2012 @ 10:30am
Qantas supports Australian Football said | May 20th 2012 @ 10:30am | Report comment
Good summary Tony totally agree with it, but Chelsea is a West London Club not in the South of London. After years of following Chelsea since 1972—finally we pulled off the big one, the UCL.. I sat through the match and I thought this was going to be the year not because we played brilliantly this season but the expectation of making the final was considered to be nil and to everyone’s amazement, Chelsea’s fans most of all, we were there and real contenders when the giants of Spain fell to the wayside.
I really was delighted the way Chelsea fought back from a goal down to to draw level with that magnificent header by Drogba. Surly he has to go down as one of the best ever players to represent the club.
What can you say about Lampard—never gave up and pushed his team to the end. I was so glad he was the one who lifted the trophy for the club. Great effort from everyone and especially De Matteo—surly now he deserves the Chelsea job next season. What can you say about this man coming late into season to refashion the team into a winning side again at last. Is Roman Abramovich going to give him a contract? He is a winner and will develop the team next season. Just the manager for the job because a lot of the old guard will be moving on.. Thanks for the memories Didi..
May 20th 2012 @ 10:57am
Kasey said | May 20th 2012 @ 10:57am | Report comment
Chelsea is a West London club, interestingly, Stamford Bridge is in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham which allows the FulhamFC fans to chant during West London derbies:”You’re just a small club in Fulham, small club in Fulham!”
Hammersmith & Fulham is home to Shepherd’s Bush and thus a lot of Aussies on their pilgrimage to LDN. Chelsea has a number of Australian supporters clubs as a result. Pretty sure winning the UEFACL trumps that snide little ditty.
Loftus Road(QPR) is also in H&F.
May 20th 2012 @ 11:21am
Qantas supports Australian Football said | May 20th 2012 @ 11:21am | Report comment
http://www.google.com.au/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&oq=&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGNI_enAU432AU432&q=chelsea+west+london&gs_upl=0l0l0l2205lllllllllll0&aqi=s3
May 20th 2012 @ 11:48am
Kasey said | May 20th 2012 @ 11:48am | Report comment
don’t you read good? I agreed with you. First line of my comment: Chelsea is a West London club. What is unclear about that?
May 20th 2012 @ 11:58am
Qantas supports Australian Football said | May 20th 2012 @ 11:58am | Report comment
All your lines are sarcastic and doubled edged—just wanted to make sure my point was clearly understood..
May 20th 2012 @ 12:04pm
Kasey said | May 20th 2012 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
could you be any more noxious? I think you’re just bitter & double edged yourself and project that tone onto other peoples posts. I missed the part where I invented Sarcastica font. I’m off to the patent office tomorrow. I’ll be rich. rich I tells you.
May 20th 2012 @ 12:08pm
Qantas supports Australian Football said | May 20th 2012 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
May 21st 2012 @ 3:32pm
Australian Rules said | May 21st 2012 @ 3:32pm | Report comment
“QSAF often presents lucid, objective and balanced arguments on the Roar”.
Now for the question:
Did I use sarcasm in the above sentence or not?
(I admit, without Kasey’s font, it’s difficult to tell straight away)
May 21st 2012 @ 5:55pm
Qantas supports Australian Football said | May 21st 2012 @ 5:55pm | Report comment
No just a child craving for my attention perhaps Australian Rules… Why else would you be on the Football tab with a blog name like yours?
May 21st 2012 @ 8:36pm
Banger said | May 21st 2012 @ 8:36pm | Report comment
Actually, the suburb of Fulham is South West London, so ease up on Tony. Post code is SW
May 20th 2012 @ 11:13am
Midfielder said | May 20th 2012 @ 11:13am | Report comment
Just asking … remember the Man U late win over Bayern … Now Chelsea score with seconds to go… you gotta feel for the Bayern Fans… but well done to Chelsea
May 20th 2012 @ 11:22am
Kasey said | May 20th 2012 @ 11:22am | Report comment
I don’t feel sorry for FCB fans, they win a lot more often than they lose and they ‘did’ tempt the football gods with a massive pre-game tifo that stated “Unser Pokal*” next to a picture of the Champions League trophy. The football Gods are a vengeful bunch especially when fans start to get cocky and ahead of themselves.
*English translation: Our Trophy
May 20th 2012 @ 11:36am
Glenn said | May 20th 2012 @ 11:36am | Report comment
Yep, Bayern have now lost in the final twice in the last in the last three years. They’ve been consistent throughout. They won the Bundesliga and the German League Cup in 09/10, and runners-up in the Champions League, then finished runners-up in every competition this year – in the Bundesliga they finished second and they lost both the League Cup and Champions League finals. Everyone knows Barcelona are the team of this decade/period but if Bayern had a little bit more go their way, they could definitely have been up there, or at least be in the conversation, rather than just ‘oh yeah, Bayern were a decent side for a few years there’.
I’m happier for players like Drogba, Lampard and Terry that they could win the Champions League a couple of years after winning the Premier League and some Cups, but I’m less happy for Chelsea as a club because I’ve never really cared for them!
May 20th 2012 @ 11:59am
Kevin said | May 20th 2012 @ 11:59am | Report comment
Wow, drogba can’t defend for a horses you know what, two penalties in the box ( 1 vs barca) and two misses from 2 guys who never miss, chelsea hit in the arse by a rainbow or what!!!!
But all credit to him and as they said about that little Brazilian ,” when you attack as well as he does you don’t have to defend …”.
May 20th 2012 @ 1:18pm
pete4 said | May 20th 2012 @ 1:18pm | Report comment
Roberto “park the bus” Di Matteo tactics are basically defend first and just stifle the opposition. He doesn’t know how to play any other way it appears will be very interesting even if after winning it Roman gives him the job full time
May 20th 2012 @ 3:53pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | May 20th 2012 @ 3:53pm | Report comment
What can you say? Bayern München had total control all game. They stroked the ball around the park with little pressure from Chelsea until they got near the final 1/3 of the pitch. Then they hit the Chelsea defensive line that remained compact, remained disciplined & Bayern weren’t smart enough to play their way through. And, when Bayern did break through the defensive line, they either took one touch too many, or scuffed the shot, skied the shot or were confronted by the big Cech!
I don’t recall Neuer having to make a save. Chelsea got their 1st corner in the 88 minute & equalised! Then Robben, who scored one of the most delightful volleys I’ve ever seen (in the Quarter-Final against Man Utd at Old Trafford in the UCL 2 years ago) couldn’t beat the GK from 11m out!
Two words sum up the 130 minutes of drama that unfolded at the Allianz Arenal last night … THAT’S FOOTBALL.
May 20th 2012 @ 4:47pm
agga78 said | May 20th 2012 @ 4:47pm | Report comment
Football died a little this morning not only did a pub team with money win the European Cup but they did with 10 men behind the ball, it is a sad state of affairs for European football that the once wonderful European Cup has been reduced to a billonaires play thing gone are the days an Ajax, Red Star Belgrade or a Celtic can play the champions of another country over two knockout legs and know they are true champions of champions of Europe.
Bring back the European Cup, UEFA Cup and the Cup winners Cup.
May 20th 2012 @ 5:24pm
Kasey said | May 20th 2012 @ 5:24pm | Report comment
“football died a little this morning”agga so melodramatic. Swings and roundabouts mate. football is cyclical. Many thought football died a little after ultra defensive play took West Germany to the title in Italia 90, but football is a resiliant game, USA94 and France 98 were wonderful tournaments to watch. So Chelsea won by employing a bus parking tactic. If Robben had netted his penalty in Extra time would we be discussing the validity of the penalty call ?(ala Beriha)
Ultimately FCB have only themselves to blame for being so wasteful in front of goal. Mario Gomez just didn’t have his shooting boots on this morning. I thought at 2 distinct times the momentum shifted significantly the Bavarians way but they failed to capitalize. This morning was a one off game and to try to draw a trend from one game is not wise. I have no doubt that if this game were played 10 times, FCB would break down CFCs defense more often than not. Thank God football is’t like another sport we all know about here in Australia forever tweaking rules and then tweaking the tweaks to suit the whims of the day. Football is much more timeless and cognicent of the fact that we(our generation) are merely temporary custodians of the game.
That being said, I would welcome a return to the old days of the European Cup; contested by the champions of the leagues of Europe in a straight knockout tourament. the UCL has become a bloated monstrosity IMO whos ain objective appears to be to serve itself and the clubs who regularly partake in it. however with the money involved, I just cant see the turkey’s voting for Cristmas anytime soon:(
May 20th 2012 @ 11:29pm
ItsCalled AussieRules said | May 20th 2012 @ 11:29pm | Report comment
Actually the teams in Europe that spend the most amount of grubby money weren’t even in the Champions League or in the final, teams like Manchester City, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Juventius, AC Milan, Manchester United and Real Madrid.
May 21st 2012 @ 12:12am
Walt said | May 21st 2012 @ 12:12am | Report comment
I think you will that except for Juve, they all played in the Champions League this year. And as for grubby money, Chelsea are way, way up there.
May 21st 2012 @ 12:39am
Axelv said | May 21st 2012 @ 12:39am | Report comment
Over the past 10 years, Chelsea has spent the most, I believe the bill will be close to somewhere over a billion. That’s right, a billion dollars can buy you the world’s biggest club trophy. Manchester City are the new Chelsea, however Chelsea have been around longer.
May 21st 2012 @ 9:20am
pete4 said | May 21st 2012 @ 9:20am | Report comment
Axelv – a couple months back I saw Roman has actually spent over $2B on Chelsea. The question is when your spending this type of money is this the philosophy you want for your club going forward
£2billion – shock cost of Rom’s Chelsea reign
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4184308/Sun-probe-Roman-Abramovich-spent-2billion-on-Chelsea.html
May 27th 2012 @ 12:39pm
Hop said | May 27th 2012 @ 12:39pm | Report comment
Well if its in the sun it must be true
May 20th 2012 @ 11:51pm
Dublin Dave said | May 20th 2012 @ 11:51pm | Report comment
A bad night for football!
The team that tried to play fluffed their chances and the team of cynics and nihilists prevailed. It was no fluke that Chelsea had four potential starting players on the sidelines owing to suspension. That was merely a condign consequence of their limited and defensive style of play throughout the reign of Di Matteo.
A team with a sound defence, an excellent goalkeeper and a muscular centre forward packed their own box and lived off scraps attack wise. It worked against Barcelona, whose chief asset Lionel Messi had two below par performances in the semi final legs and it worked again against Bayern. But what’s to like or admire about this sort of stuff?
Chelsea fans won’t care. Especially if they think it’s their “destiny” to expect a return on the lavish investments made in them by their billionaire benefactor Mr Abramovic. But what is the boss’s agenda? Is he all about making Chelsea’s existing fan base happy, or is Chelsea an instrument for his wider ambitions as an “influencer” of European culture, society, politics call it what you will?
If that is the case then his team needs to be better than this. He’s won his trophy, now he needs to win admirers. And he won’t do it by playing for penalties from the off. Feck it, even Red Star Belgrade managed that back in 1991. Why didn’t he just buy them? They’d have been a lot cheaper than Chelsea. Next year they’ve got to be more expansive and admirable. So bye bye Signor Di Matteo. Your work here is done.
That was typical “underdog” football. I’m grousing about it in full knowledge of the fact that in the upcoming Euro Championships my team Ireland will play exactly the same way. And I will be ecstatic if it works. Just as it worked for Greece back in 2004. But underdogs can get away with that sort of thing, as long as they remain underdogs. Teams costing as much and being rewarded as much as Chelsea and with pretensions for greatness have to show a bit more.
When Greece won Euro 04, a few days after a sinuous 17-year old Maria Sharapova had come from nowhere to win the Wimbledon Women’s Singles title, one of our more acerbic commentators made the valid point: “watching that young girl win Wimbledon would make you want to pick up a tennis racquet. Nobody’s going to be inspired to play a game of football after watching Greece”
The Greeks don’t care. And that’s fair enough. The Greek national team is answerable only to Greeks. But what Mr Abramovic really wants is more Chelsea fans. Or if not fans, then people who will at least go out of their way to cast an eye to their play to be impressed and moved, just as so many of us have done with Barcelona over the past few years.
I refuse to be impressed by that dreck.
And you can’t make me.
May 21st 2012 @ 11:48pm
Leslie said | May 21st 2012 @ 11:48pm | Report comment
and I dont really care if u are impressed by Chelsea FC or not
Chelsea FC is not exist to impress fans like you who dont know what is spirit, heart and determination shown by Chelsea FC players
that is football, accept it
May 21st 2012 @ 12:14am
Walt said | May 21st 2012 @ 12:14am | Report comment
Terrible game of football. Looked for a long time like neither team actually wanted to win. Fortunately for most, thats all I am going to say about the game.