BEEVRLY HILLS, April 13, (THEWILL) – English Premier League north London club Chelsea held on to their defensive rigidity, though they conceded late in the game, to squeeze past Portuguese opposition in the quality of Porto and advance to the last four of the UEFA Champions League thanks to a 2-1 aggregate victory.
But for the exceptional Mehdi Taremi’s overhead kick, there was simply no way for the visitors to get a foothold in the game especially as the Blues decided to play it compact and crack-free at the back. They were allowed this measured approach due to the confidence their 2-0 away lead from their first-leg last week gave them.
Perhaps, if Porto forward Jesus Corona had borrowed a leaf from teammate Taremi’s book of goal-scoring to apply in converting several early chances, the fixture could have had a different ending than the ineffective lone goal victory that was insufficient to see them through.
However, it was a match that deserved more excitement than it produced. Both teams approached the match on cautious terms desiring not to be too forward to score and risk leaving spaces that the other could exploit to their advantage. That was why after an hour into the contest, neither side had even had a shot on goal.
It did not improve too much for the rest of the fixture as the hosts were content to stay back and keep it locked while the visitors could only break the deadlock at the very end to allow Chelsea progress on the aggregate of both legs. With the result, Chelsea now face the prospect of meeting either of fellow EPL side Liverpool or La Liga side Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
That determination will be made in Wednesday’s UCL second leg matches, in which Real has a leg up advantage as they travel to Anfield with 3-1 on the aggregate count. Thomas Tuchel’s charges will consider themselves up for the challenge of whichever side progresses over the other as Liverpool and Real have had their issues this season and are just as beatable on a good day.
Tuchel’s time at Stamford Bridge has been positively uplifting for the side especially in the defensive department but that has not fluently translated to the attack. This is the lesson that screamed from another Chelsea game. The German is clearly trying to get the best out of the club’s huge investment but Chelsea’s lack of a clinical forward needs addressing.
What Tuchel has ended up doing with the players at his disposal is mostly experimentation. On Tuesday, he left Olivier Giroud, Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner on the bench to continue his experiment of Kai Havertz as a false nine. It was passable in the first leg, but not so much this time.
Another revelation of the game on Tuesday was the lion share of the possession that the Portuguese side enjoyed. A more capable side, with forwards like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, or midfield commandos like Toni Kross, could have turned that into useful opportunities to take the upper hand and force Chelsea to start chasing the game.
That is another area Tuchel must address. The fact remains that he took over a Chelsea team high in quality, but low in confidence and appearing to lack ideas, which his predecessor Frank Lampard put together but struggled to make it function as it ought. He has demonstrated that he can make it work and now, he must make it complete to compete at par with the best Europe can offer.
It is admirable how far he has brought the club after coming in mid-season, fresh off his leaving of the French Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, who also qualified in their own second leg tie ahead of defending champions Bayern Munich. Now, he must strategise to go even further. There are no teams like Porto left and he may have just played the easiest UEFA game of what is left of the campaign.
Sorting out the goal-scoring must be the highest priority and whatever cracks remain in the other two departments of the midfield for possession and advanced play, and defense, the latter of which had proven to be impregnable before the rampaging horde of West Bromwich Albion sliced through last weekend leaving them bloodied after putting five past them by the final whistle.
The team will not be greeted with warmth if they allow anything of that sort to repeat itself in Europe. But, until the two-week period when the hostilities resume in the UCL, they can celebrate their progress while waiting to see which team between Liverpool and Real will stand in their path then.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
