Interesting times ahead for Blues
They were intriguing encounters, both, but the two sides that progressed were just tactically more astute and better prepared than their opponents over two legs.
I felt the criticism that Pep Guardiola received after the first leg defeat in Madrid was a little on the harsh side, with media and pundits alike condemning him for the possession-based style of play he brought from Barcelona to Munich. Much has been made in recent weeks of teams winning matches with very little possession of the ball and, although I’ve always had an open mind about it being possible to win football matches in different ways, it would still be my preference to try and have more possession than the opposition.
Crucially though, you must be sure to add penetration and pace, qualities which — barring the odd run by Arjen Robben — Bayern lacked on Tuesday evening.
That said, the first two goals they conceded were simply down to not defending set-pieces properly.
In my opinion, defending seems to becoming a bit of a dying art. More often than not, the bigger sides who do play an open and expansive style are known more for their ability on the ball and forays forward than their defensive discipline and pride in keeping clean sheets. Set-pieces will always be a huge part of the game and can quite often decide matches, especially when they are finely balanced. Once Bayern had gone two down they seemed to lose any discipline they had by throwing men forward to little avail, leaving huge gaps in their defence which Madrid, with frightening pace at their disposal, were able to capitalise on time after time.
Under manager Carlo Ancelotti, Madrid were very impressive in the way they set themselves up over the two legs. They sacrificed their egos as individuals and as a team by forfeiting the lion’s share of the ball to make sure they weren’t overrun and, having kept their shape to frustrate Bayern, when the time was right they counter-attacked with aggression through Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema and Di Maria.
Both Modric and Alonso are known for their passing ability and vision but they demonstrated in both legs that they were also willing to do the ugly bits required to nullify Bayern and then, when they did get on the ball, they showed the class they have in abundance. Overall, the work ethic and discipline Madrid showed as a team was very impressive, and they won the game at a relative canter in the end to ensure they made their first Champions League final in 12 years.
Moving to Wednesday’s delicately poised battle between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge, it was hard to gauge how the home side would set up going into this match, especially after parking a bus or two at Anfield the previous Sunday.
Initially, both sides seemed content for the opposition to have comfortable possession in their respective halves, as they got men behind the ball in order to remain compact and hard to break down. In truth, there was little in it until the much-maligned Fernando Torres scored against his boyhood club to give Chelsea the lead. But when Adrian Lopez equalised just before half-time it seemed to give Atletico the belief they could go on to win this match. Certainly, from the instant the whistle went for the second half, they were a different side. Having really impressed me with the resilience of their defending in the first half, in the second 45 they showed how good they are at keeping the ball and attacking with diligence when the opportunity arose.
Jose Mourinho has made me giggle in recent weeks as he has gone from moody mode to sarcastic mode but, much as I admire and respect him, I do think he overdoes the ‘mind games‘ at times. Barring the absence of a world class striker, Chelsea are a formidable outfit who have had the best defence in the Premier League this season by some distance, and in Hazard, Oscar and Willian, possess three of the best attacking midfielders in the business.
Mourinho always plays down his side’s chances but, barring Man City, Chelsea have the best squad in the league so I struggle to feel too much sympathy for them. As I’ve said, I fully understand and agree with sides adapting to the opposition to give them the best chance of getting a result. But Chelsea don’t seem to have an identity in the way they play and let’s not forget that a certain Mr Abramovich’s dismissal of numerous managers at Stamford Bridge in recent years was apparently because they didn’t play the style of football he wanted.
It’s going to be an interesting summer for Chelsea, especially to see who they add to their talented squad in a bid to achieve both Premier League and Champions League glory. The striking department will clearly be top of the agenda as I don’t think any of Torres, Ba, Eto’o or Lukaku will be playing there next season, so a minimum of two signings would be required.
If and when they get their marquee striker in the building, I don’t think Jose will be able to keep the sob stories going any longer.
