CL Preview: Chelsea-Barcelona
3/7/2005 4:37:00 AM
It’s Mourinho v Rijkaard, Round 2! If Chelsea win, Mourinho is king of tactics and mind-games, and his idiosyncrasies, strokes of genius for the media! Rijkaard never stood a chance! A Barcelona win would be nothing short of 'the taming of the shrew' for media and fans alike, Rijkaard will be 'iceman', and Mourinho's antics despicable.
ROUND ONE AND BEYOND
Round one saw Mourinho throwing punches off the field and Rijkaard on it. Wound up, the Blues prepare in their den, with a crucial away goal to build on. For Mourinho, it’s about total supremacy (read ego). For Rijkaard, it’s about etching his name among the contemporary tactical geniuses. For fans it’s about cats and mice, chills and thrills!
And it couldn’t be closer. Both teams played away from home on Saturday, at the same time, and won; both have an eight-point lead in their leagues, and 11 matches left to play. In the last 10 matches (all competitions), Chelsea are 7-1-2 and Barcelona 7-2-1, equivalent to 8 and 7 points dropped respectively.
THE REFEREE
After the amount of attention hogged by Anders Frisk, it is almost certain that Mr. Collina will be chosen to do the job in London, with UEFA hoping that the best they have is good enough on the night. Due to retire at the end of the season, and tipped to be given a much bigger administrative responsibility in Serie A, and perhaps UEFA, he will want to get this one right, which for referees is inversely proportional to the amount of camera coverage they get.
AFTERMATH
If Chelsea win, Mourinho will be hailed as the king of tactics and mind-games. The media will turn his refusal to attend the post-match conference, and all other idiosyncrasies, into strokes of genius. Rijkaard never stood a chance, they would say. His smallish squad will go back to La Liga and probably win it to salvage the season, unless they are totally humiliated at Stamford Bridge.
A Barcelona win would be nothing short of ’the taming of the shrew’, and the media would hail Rijkaard as ’iceman’, a wonderful coach and a humble person, and contrast each trait with Mourinho. The latter will be termed a glory hunter by the very same media, and his off-field antics will become disgraceful. He will of course, win the Premiership, and suppress any animosity with the sheer weight of trophies. Another media-bashing spree at the end of the season couldn’t be ruled out.
BUILD-UP
In round two, the first punch has surprisingly come from Rijkaard - "Espanyol play better football than Chelsea". It is open to interpretation whether it was ego or a shrewd attempt at irking Mourinho into aggressive tactics. What is certain is that it is not going to have the desired effect, as Mourinho will have seen straight through it. He might have a penchant for acting in haste and repenting at leisure (privately of course), but he is one of the shrewdest tacticians, and seldom reads a match wrong.
If he had just said "We got more than what we would have settled for," it would perhaps have left the better half of Barcelona quivering rather than celebrating. Quiet confidence is almost always unnerving, for fear of what lies hidden, but it is surprising how often outspokenness has the opposite effect. However, the credit for making this the most popular match of the round, more than other epic clashes : Juve-Real, Milan-Man Utd and Arsenal-Bayern, rests almost entirely with Mourinho.
Mourinho’s latest jab has been "Robben will be available against Barcelona", after the match against Norwich, which has surprised many, and can be seen as another attempt to unsettle or mislead Rijkaard. For we know that if Robben had been near fitness, Mourinho would go to any lengths (read misleading starting line-ups), to use it as a surprise and throw another punch under the belt. Rijkaard will want to be ready either way, and could be forgiven for thinking of shifting Oleguer to right-back to mark Robben.
THE COVETED EARLY GOAL
Both sides will want it: for Chelsea, it would mean almost certain victory, and for Barcelona, Chelsea having to score three to send them out. For viewers, it would mean a game where the wait-and-watch attitude goes out of the window. Who wants to watch the first goal come after 75 minutes of cat and mouse?
But neither can go for it with gusto, as a reversal means an almost certain exit. My latest memory of such a game of cat and mouse is Deportivo-Porto in the semi finals of the competition last season. Porto won 0-1 after drawing 0-0 at home. The shrewd Mourinho programmed it to perfection, against a Deportivo that had taken Juventus out, and then thrashed Milan (4-0 at the Riazor) against all odds. And 1-0 is all he needs, at home this time.
TEAM NEWS AND TACTICS
Chelsea : Mourinho will use the same formula as in last season’s Champions League: water-tight defense with swift counter-attacks, along with his new weapon: dead-balls. The four-man defence is settled with Gallas on the left, as are Lampard, Makelele and Tiago in the middle. If the Robben declaration isn’t a hoax, the Blues will switch to a 4-3-3 with Duff, Gudjohnsen and Robben up front. Otherwise a more conventional start with two lines of four, Cole slotting into the left of the midfield, and Gudjohnsen and Duff up front. Kezman will be on standby to recreate his (Carling Cup) extra time heroics.
Barcelona : The Catalans will try to use one-touch football, defense-splitting passes and any other wizardry Ronaldinho and company are be capable of. Guily is a doubt after his fall on an icy pitch against Numancia, but Iniesta might start anyway after his intelligent movements against Osasuna on Saturday. Marquez is another doubt with a hamstring strain picked up against Osasuna at El Sadar, with Albertini on stand-by after being rested over the week-end. Should Marquez and Robben both be fit, a possibility is retaining Albertini, pairing Marquez and Puyol in defence, and shifting Oleguer to the right to deal with Robben.
PROBABLE STARTING XIs
Chelsea: (4-4-2) Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas, Lampard, Makelele, Tiago, Cole, Duff, Gudjohnsen. A 4-3-3 if Robben makes it, with Cole on the bench.
Barcelona: (4-3-3) Valdes, Beletti, Puyol, Oleguer, Van Bronckhorst, Xavi, Marquez (Albertini), Deco, Iniesta (Guily), Eto’o, Ronaldinho.
PREDICTION
The most difficult part of the preview. The previewers shouldn’t have to put their heads on the line for such matches! I am tempted to say that the first will be the last, and hence the winning goal, but that is no prediction! Encouraged by my earlier prediction (Barcelona to win with Chelsea getting an away goal), I make another one. If Robben is fit, his brilliance should make the difference to see Chelsea through, otherwise a draw, probably 1-1, with Barcelona going through on aggregate!
3/7/2005 4:37:00 AM
It’s Mourinho v Rijkaard, Round 2! If Chelsea win, Mourinho is king of tactics and mind-games, and his idiosyncrasies, strokes of genius for the media! Rijkaard never stood a chance! A Barcelona win would be nothing short of 'the taming of the shrew' for media and fans alike, Rijkaard will be 'iceman', and Mourinho's antics despicable.
ROUND ONE AND BEYOND
Round one saw Mourinho throwing punches off the field and Rijkaard on it. Wound up, the Blues prepare in their den, with a crucial away goal to build on. For Mourinho, it’s about total supremacy (read ego). For Rijkaard, it’s about etching his name among the contemporary tactical geniuses. For fans it’s about cats and mice, chills and thrills!
And it couldn’t be closer. Both teams played away from home on Saturday, at the same time, and won; both have an eight-point lead in their leagues, and 11 matches left to play. In the last 10 matches (all competitions), Chelsea are 7-1-2 and Barcelona 7-2-1, equivalent to 8 and 7 points dropped respectively.
THE REFEREE
After the amount of attention hogged by Anders Frisk, it is almost certain that Mr. Collina will be chosen to do the job in London, with UEFA hoping that the best they have is good enough on the night. Due to retire at the end of the season, and tipped to be given a much bigger administrative responsibility in Serie A, and perhaps UEFA, he will want to get this one right, which for referees is inversely proportional to the amount of camera coverage they get.
AFTERMATH
If Chelsea win, Mourinho will be hailed as the king of tactics and mind-games. The media will turn his refusal to attend the post-match conference, and all other idiosyncrasies, into strokes of genius. Rijkaard never stood a chance, they would say. His smallish squad will go back to La Liga and probably win it to salvage the season, unless they are totally humiliated at Stamford Bridge.
A Barcelona win would be nothing short of ’the taming of the shrew’, and the media would hail Rijkaard as ’iceman’, a wonderful coach and a humble person, and contrast each trait with Mourinho. The latter will be termed a glory hunter by the very same media, and his off-field antics will become disgraceful. He will of course, win the Premiership, and suppress any animosity with the sheer weight of trophies. Another media-bashing spree at the end of the season couldn’t be ruled out.
BUILD-UP
In round two, the first punch has surprisingly come from Rijkaard - "Espanyol play better football than Chelsea". It is open to interpretation whether it was ego or a shrewd attempt at irking Mourinho into aggressive tactics. What is certain is that it is not going to have the desired effect, as Mourinho will have seen straight through it. He might have a penchant for acting in haste and repenting at leisure (privately of course), but he is one of the shrewdest tacticians, and seldom reads a match wrong.
If he had just said "We got more than what we would have settled for," it would perhaps have left the better half of Barcelona quivering rather than celebrating. Quiet confidence is almost always unnerving, for fear of what lies hidden, but it is surprising how often outspokenness has the opposite effect. However, the credit for making this the most popular match of the round, more than other epic clashes : Juve-Real, Milan-Man Utd and Arsenal-Bayern, rests almost entirely with Mourinho.
Mourinho’s latest jab has been "Robben will be available against Barcelona", after the match against Norwich, which has surprised many, and can be seen as another attempt to unsettle or mislead Rijkaard. For we know that if Robben had been near fitness, Mourinho would go to any lengths (read misleading starting line-ups), to use it as a surprise and throw another punch under the belt. Rijkaard will want to be ready either way, and could be forgiven for thinking of shifting Oleguer to right-back to mark Robben.
THE COVETED EARLY GOAL
Both sides will want it: for Chelsea, it would mean almost certain victory, and for Barcelona, Chelsea having to score three to send them out. For viewers, it would mean a game where the wait-and-watch attitude goes out of the window. Who wants to watch the first goal come after 75 minutes of cat and mouse?
But neither can go for it with gusto, as a reversal means an almost certain exit. My latest memory of such a game of cat and mouse is Deportivo-Porto in the semi finals of the competition last season. Porto won 0-1 after drawing 0-0 at home. The shrewd Mourinho programmed it to perfection, against a Deportivo that had taken Juventus out, and then thrashed Milan (4-0 at the Riazor) against all odds. And 1-0 is all he needs, at home this time.
TEAM NEWS AND TACTICS
Chelsea : Mourinho will use the same formula as in last season’s Champions League: water-tight defense with swift counter-attacks, along with his new weapon: dead-balls. The four-man defence is settled with Gallas on the left, as are Lampard, Makelele and Tiago in the middle. If the Robben declaration isn’t a hoax, the Blues will switch to a 4-3-3 with Duff, Gudjohnsen and Robben up front. Otherwise a more conventional start with two lines of four, Cole slotting into the left of the midfield, and Gudjohnsen and Duff up front. Kezman will be on standby to recreate his (Carling Cup) extra time heroics.
Barcelona : The Catalans will try to use one-touch football, defense-splitting passes and any other wizardry Ronaldinho and company are be capable of. Guily is a doubt after his fall on an icy pitch against Numancia, but Iniesta might start anyway after his intelligent movements against Osasuna on Saturday. Marquez is another doubt with a hamstring strain picked up against Osasuna at El Sadar, with Albertini on stand-by after being rested over the week-end. Should Marquez and Robben both be fit, a possibility is retaining Albertini, pairing Marquez and Puyol in defence, and shifting Oleguer to the right to deal with Robben.
PROBABLE STARTING XIs
Chelsea: (4-4-2) Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas, Lampard, Makelele, Tiago, Cole, Duff, Gudjohnsen. A 4-3-3 if Robben makes it, with Cole on the bench.
Barcelona: (4-3-3) Valdes, Beletti, Puyol, Oleguer, Van Bronckhorst, Xavi, Marquez (Albertini), Deco, Iniesta (Guily), Eto’o, Ronaldinho.
PREDICTION
The most difficult part of the preview. The previewers shouldn’t have to put their heads on the line for such matches! I am tempted to say that the first will be the last, and hence the winning goal, but that is no prediction! Encouraged by my earlier prediction (Barcelona to win with Chelsea getting an away goal), I make another one. If Robben is fit, his brilliance should make the difference to see Chelsea through, otherwise a draw, probably 1-1, with Barcelona going through on aggregate!
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We'll see. I think Chelsea can nick it. They're bloody hard to score against, so 1-0 isn't out of the question, even against Barca.