Champions League: Chelsea weren’t ugly, they were winners

They’ll tell you that Chelsea played ugly football. Don’t believe a word of it. When you lose your captain in the 37th minute against a team that is/was in the eyes of many the beat team the world has ever seen, it’s easy to lose the plot and give in – no one will blame you. It’s easy to shift the blame and feel sorry for yourself. [caption id=“attachment_287662” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Don’t believe the detractors - Chelsea were winners every inch of the way: Getty”] [/caption] But Chelsea hung in there. They pushed men behind the ball; they kept their discipline and held the line. It’s rare to see ten players produce such a dogged, determined effort as the Blues did, and it’s important to remember that they did it in hostile territory. It wasn’t a defensive master-class but rather, it was a desperate effort that bore fruit. They’ll also tell you that Barcelona hit the woodwork thrice over the two legs of the semi-final, including Lionel Messi’s missed penalty last night. But what they won’t tell you is the number of chances that Barca missed. Just last night alone, Barcelona made 23 attempts at goal. Only six were on target. Chelsea, on the other hand, had seven shots of which three were on target. Over the two legs, Barcelona took an astounding 46 shots at goal. But only 11 were on target. They’ll also tell you that Barcelona were off form. But till Chelsea beat Barcelona last week, Guardiola’s side were in pretty good form. They were catching up to Real Madrid in La Liga and Messi was scoring goals like there was no tommorow. Just look at the numbers: Xavi (169 passes) made 24 more passes than the whole team of Chelsea (145) during the game last night. Chelsea’s starting line-up had scored a combined 65 official goals this season before the start of the game. Messi alone had scored 63 for Barca. The possession statistics over the two legs were 72 to 28 in favour of Barcelona. These are not the numbers of an off-colour team; these are the numbers of a team that was primed to win it all again. The last time Barcelona lost three on the trot was 2003 – and even though they drew the game last night, they will do well to realise that it wasn’t just the fates that conspired against them. And when they’ve exhausted all other excuses, they will tell you Chelsea were just plain lucky. Don’t believe that either. Petr Cech was brilliant under the post for the Blues. He denied Barcelona more than a few times. Also, Chelsea scored their three goals in the tie in added time – Drogba 45+2, Ramires 45+2, Torres 90+2. But that only means Chelsea were playing hard for every second that they spent on the pitch. Barcelona took it easy and paid the price. We all love the beautiful game that Barcelona have made their own in recent years but sometimes to win, you have to be prepared to jump into the muck and battle it out. Chelsea, more than Barcelona, were prepared to do that and that is why they will be going to Munich for the Champions League final.