I had twittered my expectation of ballet in the mud. Well, it turned out less than that, this latest encounter between FC Barcelona and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
It was for sure wet, damp and cold sitting with a group of Barca fans just to the right behind the goal at the visitor’s end-the kind of conditions that remind one that watching even the best team in the world live sometimes involves a large degree of masochism.
Just a yard and a line of stewards separated us from the nearest home supporters which meant the usual exchange of mutual provocation. The Chelsea fans chanted about Barca being cheats. We began by chanting our tribute to Andrew Iniesta, and ended calling Didier Drogba the biggest cheat of them all.
By then cules had been plunged into temporary stunned silence when Drogba mercilessly snatched a goal in extra time thanks to a move laid on a plate by a rare Messi mistake. Cause and effect summed up the game really.
From the opening whistle, Barca appeared to play the way that had made them champions, possessing the ball, and finessing it in a series of perfectly executed passes . I use the word ‘appeared’ with intent. The holding operation seemed to be eternal. But it was evident pretty soon that the ball for much of the time was not going anywhere other than a series of backward and lateral moves that increasingly seemed less inspirational than sterile. Chelsea tactics cried out for early substitutions by Guardiola which came too late. When the goal came it simply underlined the effectiveness of Chelsea’s defence, and simplicity of counterattack.
Sure, last might’s stats suggest a different narrative, with Barca dominating the control of the ball for most of the match and with the most chances of goal. But it was a team that proved largely ineffective in front of goal, after counter-attacking laboriously. The culprits in Barca’s team included Alex Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas, who squandered chances that would have otherwise sealed last night their club’s access to the Champion’s final.
So now we have to wait till next Tuesday to see Guardiola’s boys prove their real worth, at a Camp Nou were English dreams have been as easily shattered as they have been realised.
I have to say I did not enjoy last night’s game-and I don’t blame it on the weather. I was simply bored by Barca and frustrated by Drogba. The only consolation is that the game acted as something of a catharsis for Chelsea fans who since 2009 have thought only of grudge and revenge. By the end of last night’s game there was far less abuse that when FC Barcelona faced a Chelsea team moulded by Mourinho and I saw emblems being exchanged by rival fans at the end.
Something tells me that if Mourinho had been in charge at Stamford Bridge last night, there would have been more hostility in the stadium and Barca would have been provoked into playing with more spirit. Bring on El Classico on Saturday. But right now I can’t wait to welcome Chelsea to the Camp Nou on Tuesday. Rest assured the result is going to be very different, with or without Drogba.
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