How Chelsea Beat Barcelona

A goal away from losing, down to 10 men for an entire half against the best team on the planet, Chelsea found a way to win.  A few unconventional strategic decisions played a huge part in paving their way to the Final.

Everyone is a Defender

This one was pretty obvious, but everyone, including Didier Drogba, was back to defend in the final third when Barcelona had possession.  No forwards prancing around the center circle waiting for a long ball to come their way -- no.  It was all hands on deck, defending against the terrifyingly quick Barca players.  They were disciplined about their defending, and it was the key to their success.

Drogba Shuts Down Danny Alves

It wasn't too surprising to have Drogba back to defend, but what WAS surprising was that he was defending the wing.  Not the central area, but the wing.  You'd think he'd be more central so in the case of a counter-attack, he'd be in position to receive from any teammate -- but this wasn't the case.  Di Matteo had him defend the wing, specifically Danny Alves.

Now Danny Alves is good.  Really good.  He's a dangerous Brazilian wing back with a very offensive mindset, known for quality crosses as well as the ability to cut inside and shoot on goal himself.  But with Drogba on him, he was SHUT DOWN.  He crossed ZERO balls while Drogba was guarding him.  So when he did receive the ball, he would just hold on to it for a bit, and then pass it back upfield.  Drogba's height and speed rendered Alves harmless, and truly closed off that option for the Barca offense.

Rotating Defenders on Messi/Iniesta/Xavi

I've never noticed this before, but I saw that Chelsea would rotate who would defend Messi and the Barca midfielders.  It was a clever tactic as it would give defenders a chance to catch their breath after their "shift" guarding Messi was up.  And I'm sure defending Messi is a lot like work -- really really hard work.  So it was a good move to NOT assign a specific person and say, "Messi is your mark for the half, guard him like your life depended on it."  It was better to rotate the assignment and give everyone a breather.  In the end, it helped reduce the chance that someone would get beat badly by him, and keep him in front of the defense instead of behind them.

Torres Substitution a Near Tragedy

This isn't a reason why Chelsea won, it's more a call-out on how they almost LOST.  Since Torres *finally* scored in the 92nd minute, everyone's going to forget how dangerous bringing him in for Drogba truly was, but it was a terrible, terrible decision by Di Matteo.

First off, Drogba was doing a fantastic job shutting down Alves AND his hold-up play to move Chelsea up the field was superb in both legs of this clash.  So taking him OFF was dumb.

Secondly, when the most important thing you need is a good DEFENDER, you bring in a forward that defends terribly and has lost his offensive touch since coming to the club.

Immediately, Alves got his first cross of the half in, and then set up a near-game-winning-goal if he hadn't been half a yard offsides.  Torres was a much worse defender than Drogba and that was plain for all to see.

Yes, there were spots when he kept possession decently, but overall, the Torres substitution could have cost Chelsea a trip to the final.


In the end, it was a fabulously intense game to watch.  Always wondering, how could Chelsea possibly beat Barca?  When was Barca going to break through and win it?  It was a gripping, entertaining match that any soccer fan would enjoy.

Here's to a fantastic final!