Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Chelsea vs Barcelona: How it will be played



Well here I am sitting at 12:00 am IST waiting for the mouthwatering clash between Chelsea and Barcelona and I was wondering how a game between sides with very different styles play will turn out. Well one thing is for certain, if Chelsea are to win this game, it could very well be just what Chelsea fans and Chelsea players will look back upon. Chelsea have had a horrid season and reaching the Champion's League final could suddenly breathe fresh air into a dismal campaign.

I definitely feel that Chelsea will stick to their long ball play, something Cesc Fabregas talked about recently.
Playing the long will definitely help Chelsea get past Barca's diminutive players and may help them create decent chances. Chelsea will more or less try and clog the midfield as most other teams have fruitlessly done against Barca in an attempt to halt Iniesta and Xavi. But for some reason I feel that these tactics will not work against Barca simply because if Chelsea resort to using the long ball, they will end up losing possession more often and will never have a real grip on the game and that is very dangerous especially if Barcelona is the opposition.
On the other hand, Barca will attempt to run and pass their way through an ageing Chelsea defence. I can just about see Sanchez and Messi ripping the defense to shreds with pacey zigzagging runs.As usual I feel that Barca's midfield will take complete control over game and will leave Chelsea gasping for breath.

My prediction: Barcelona wins. But if Chelsea do manage an unlikely victory, they will be on course to deliver a Champions League trophy to their Champions League fanatic owner.