Chelsea v Bayern: The Aftermath
No matter the scale of the competition, there could only be one winner as the Champions League finalists of 2012 faced off once again. Both teams prepared for the game differently, with Munich resting key players for the encounter, whilst Chelsea opted for no recognised striker in their tie against Man Utd.
It was Chelsea's turn to suffer the despair of a penalty shootout defeat, albeit on a much smaller stage, as Bayern got revenge for their Champions League defeat. Guardiola also got one over on his old nemesis, but the way Chelsea played bodes well for their future this season.
Chelsea played with attack and verve in the first half and Mourinho was fully vindicated with the selection of Fernando Torres in attack, as he scored a fantastic effort to take the lead in the first ten minutes.
The decision to send off Ramires in the latter stages of the game was probably the right call and the younger members of the squad did well not to buckle under the pressure. They had a few great chances to secure the win in extra-time. in fact, they were only one kick away from the trophy, but Javier Martinez managed to score at the death to send the game to penalties.
Lukaku's effort in the shootout was tame at best and maybe the occasion got to him, but this is an experience he will want to learn from and never replicate again, plus Chelsea have the experience of Samuel Eto'o waiting in the wings should they need a different penalty taker and he has taken many over the years.
Petr Cech was at fault for the first goal and skewed an attempted clearance horribly wide soon after, but he managed to regain his composure and made a number of great saves to keep Chelsea in the game, which shows his great mental fortitude.
Mourinho was typically incensed about losing and the result means that he's only won three times in sixteen attempts against Guardiola, which isn't a record he would like to extend any further, although he may get a chance to rectify this if the Champions League throws up ties like it has in recent years and it would likely be a great encounter.
Aside from the disappointment for Chelsea fans in the manner of their loss, the situation with Juan Mata continues to trundle on, as he sits on the bench despite being one of the EPL's best midfielders last year.
With the transfer window closing in less than two days, Mata doesn't have long to move and there hasn't been any definite movement for him from any other clubs, so he may be playing for Chelsea come January. No matter what, he deserves game time and if he has to leave to achieve that, that's just the way football is sometimes.
Mourinho's young side came up a little short in this 'Champions League dress rehearsal' and they will have to go that extra mile if they want to add to the trophy cabinet, but they seem to be moving in the right direction. In Lukaku's case, sometimes you can learn more from your failures than your triumphs.
As for Mourinho, he must be disappointed at coming so close to dispelling some of the mystery that surrounds the enigma that is Josep 'Pep' Guardiola.
No comments:
Post a Comment