The more I think about it, the more I believe we can beat Paris Saint-Germain at The Bridge next week if, and only if, Guus tweaks our tactics just a little bit. We need to surprise ’em.
Yes, the 69-year-old Dutchman and 1988 winner with PSV Einhoven is increasingly becoming ‘the Special One’, well, Chelsea’s Special One in trying times. But, no, I’m not saying he should or that he even has it in him to try anything excessively conservative, cautious, timid, or Mourinho-esque, if you get what I mean(check the shameful reverse versus the Parisians last term at Stamford Bridge or that embarrassment of a game vs. Bournemouth earlier this season) – especially as our newfound freedom as shown in the gung-ho straight-in-your-face coming-right-at-you we-will-outscore-your-****-team approach we are taking to most games under our Dutch saviour, led by who else but Diego Costa, is bearing fruits, as opposed to the “boring boring” Mourinho method – I’m saying we can do a Robbie Di Matteo on the French when they come a visiting.
Yup, pardon the phrase, but I’d wager “true Chelsea fans” know exactly what I mean there; how Chelsea legend Di Matteo masterminded our only Champions League glory by the audacity of sheer defensive defiance – with the likes of Florent Malouda and Ryan Bertrand, who started the 2012 final against Bayern – while still outscoring the almighty Barcelona over 180 minutes of football in the semi final with guys like Ramires and Jose Bosingwa playing key roles, beating the perennial favourites 3-2 on aggregate, remains a subject of great interest in Champions League folklore.
Yes we can make them cry like Uli Hoeness and his boys cried at the Allianz Arena, if we play strictly not to concede at home, while not neglecting the idea of outscoring the opponent.
In other words, keeping a clean sheet, as far as I’m concerned, will have to be the only way we can knock out the French champions on Wednesday, although whether Thibaut Courtois can keep a clean sheet even if it was gifted him on a platter remains another matter entirely. But we should try our utmost not to let them score anyway, never mind score first, as that will leave us with a mountain to climb and might even have far-reaching implications on the Everton FA Cup fixture on Saturday, if not define the rest of our season!
With the tie precariously poised at 2-1, we can afford the small matter of staying compact – talking man-marking here as opposed to zonal marking – and trying to nick a goal or two in the first half via quick incisive counterattacks through the wings, just as under the great Di Matteo, especially as one of their key danger men and wide midfield flyer and tormentor-in-chief, *Blaise Matuidi will likely miss out due to injury or will be flying at half-mast.
[*the France international was seen clutching his hamstring after he was taken off “as a precaution” midway through the second half vs Saint-Etienne midweek, with Blanc saying he was “worried” about Matuidi`s fitness, as per The National. Thus, Blanc will have to decide whether or not to rest key players ahead of the Chelsea clash, with Marco Verratti (groin) and Angel Di Maria (thigh) also struggling with injuries, and has been obviously “distracted by Chelsea” as evidenced by their recent results.]
But it’s certain we can’t afford to give them an open match. Perhaps Guus and the boys can start by taking a look at the recent Lyon vs PSG match, where their 46-game unbeaten streak was ended, to get a clue how beating PSG at home was/can be done. Or is it yesterday’s goalless draw against Montpellier, 2012 French champions, with the runaway Ligue 1 leaders that holds the clue?
Guus and the boys have their work cut out, and I don’t envy them one bit.
It’s a pity Serge Aurier said something stupid about Laurent Blanc’s sexuality and relationship with, ahem, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and as a result has since been sent to the PSG reserve team and will miss out having already missed the first leg in Paris, but it’s advantage Chelsea from where this writer is standing as it’s certain Eden Hazard, who will likely start, would have come second best to the powerful Ivorian right-back in their personal battles; he is that good, and would have definitely influenced the outcome of the match especially with Matuidi at the other end of the pitch.
If you ask me it’s time to bring back the bus, or a semblance of it – the proactive bus as opposed to the reactive one, as it were, and hit on the counter but this time with the added bonus of a Hazard instead of a Malouda and an Azpilicueta in place of a Bosingwa!
What do you think?
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