Chelsea look to keep PSG in their place

 

 



 



By David Lee Wheatley    @davewh1980

Paris Saint-Germain have another opportunity to glimpse into their potential future when taking on Chelsea for the second year running, a club who represent the blueprint for their own long-term plans.

Chelsea were purchased by Russian Roman Abramovich from long-time owner Ken Bates almost 12 years ago in a deal reportedly worth £140million.

At the time, the Blues had mounting debts of around £80million to contend with and still no Premier League title to show for consistently heavy investment in the playing staff.

That all changed under Abramovich, with Italian manager Claudio Ranieri jettisoned in favour of bright young FC Porto head coach Jose Mourinho after he’d just delivered the UEFA Champions League trophy to the Portuguese giants in 2004 against all odds.

A first top-flight championship in 50 years was secured a year after his arrival at Stamford Bridge, as local mainstays Frank Lampard and John Terry led the Blues to new heights alongside an array of foreign stars.

Mourinho and co defended their title, while two League Cups and an FA Cup were secured before the headstrong boss left amid great acrimony between him and his paymaster.

Even after the Portuguese moved on to Inter, the honours cabinet continued to fill up in the shape of three more FA Cups and a league crown, which completed a celebrated double under Carlo Ancelotti in 2010.

They’d agonisingly missed out on the holy grail of the Champions League under much-maligned Avram Grant in 2008 on penalties under the rainy skies of Moscow, but didn’t deviate from that stated aim and finally became kings of the continent under Roberto Di Matteo in 2012.

A Europa League followed under Rafa Benitez, whose lifting of that cup occurred in spite of public opinion railing against him due to his once-searing rivalry with the west London outfit when in charge of Liverpool.

Up to the present day - with Mourinho back in harness - it appears another Premier League title could be on the horizon, plus a realistic tilt at a second Champions League success should they swipe pretenders PSG aside.

The French capital club wish to emulate those illustrious achievements which define Chelsea’s recent history, while they often cast a keen eye over a selection of the Blues’ best talent including Eden Hazard to go along with their purchase of Brazilian David Luiz last summer.

In fact, they offered the head coaching role at Parc des Princes to current Chelsea supremo Mourinho on two separate occasions in the past, while they have been repeatedly linked to skilful Belgian Hazard and several others in the Chelsea ranks.

They aspire to be just like Abramovich’s beloved Chelsea, but this tie may prove a tad too soon for their burgeoning ambitions to flourish, which is a myth they will do their damnedest to dispel.

Should they falter this time around, they will undoubtedly continue recruiting a plethora of the greatest players on the planet, meaning it won’t be too long before they finally grab glory at the top table of European football to go with a solitary Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996 - won only two years before London upstarts Chelsea emerged victorious in the very same competition.

David Luiz out to halt Chelsea's Champions League charge

 

 

By David Lee Wheatley  @davewh1980

 

 

Brazilian defender David Luiz will line up against former club Chelsea for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16 determined to knock his old club out of the competition.

 

27-year-old Luiz won the trophy with Chelsea in 2012 by virtue of victory over Bayern Munich in the final, and would love to add another winners’ medal to his collection with the French big-spenders.

The South American has experienced a turbulent few months having suffered the embarrassment of a 7-1 loss to Germany at the World Cup in his homeland before moving to the French capital in a £50 million deal.

 

He was also named in the best XI at the World Cup, while topping off his first six months at the Parc des Princes with a nomination for FIFPro Team of the Year announced at the Ballon d’Or awards evening in January.

 

 

Luiz’s performances have largely been very good, as PSG strive to retain the French title they claimed last term. However, they sit in third place as part of a titanic three-way tussle for the championship along with leaders Lyon and Marseille after 25 matches.

He’s featured in 19 of those league outings so far, while starting every one of PSG’s Champions League group F games, as they advanced in second spot behind Barcelona.

 

“I hope this is the year we win it,” said a typically jovial Luiz at the pre-match media conference alongside boss Laurent Blanc.
 

“We have an amazing team, but it is not easy to win the Champions League.

 

“We need to be strong and play an amazing first leg because it will be decided there.
 

“I want to qualify, like I did last year but now I want to qualify for PSG.”

 

Of his former colleagues, Luiz rates them highly.
 

“They are stronger this year,” he explained.

 

“They understand more the philosophy of Jose Mourinho and in his second year it is easier to pass the message.
 

“And they have players joining with amazing quality like Diego [Costa] and [Cesc] Fabregas.”

 

Two late goals from struggling visitors Caen surprisingly hauled the scores level on Saturday in the Parisians’ latest domestic outing after the fancied hosts streaked into what appeared to be an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Injuries are piling up for manager Blanc heading into Tuesday’s game, who will certainly have to do without the services of Yohan Cabaye, Marquinhos, Serge Aurier and Lucas Moura.

Meanwhile, doubts remain over the availability of Blaise Matuidi, Javier Pastore and Maxwell, who will all be evaluated during training on Monday.

 

Ancelotti must fend off Angel interest

By David Lee Wheatley

Rumours abound of Real Madrid's imminent intentions to sell influential wing-man Angel Di Maria, with Paris Saint-Germain currently favourites to secure his signature alongside Manchester United who're also said to be sniffing around. However, after the former Benfica star shrugged off similarly intense speculation last summer to embark upon a fabulously successful season, could the sanctioning of such a transfer represent the first major mistake by head coach Carlo Ancelotti since his arrival at the Bernabeu?

It was reported widely that an €80m offer from the ambitious Parisian club had been accepted by the Spanish giants just two days ago, but proceedings have stalled since amid strong interest from United boss Louis van Gaal. Furthermore, Ancelotti has been giving mixed messages to the media over the course of a few weeks now, thus leaving Di Maria's future completely up in the air.

Reading between the lines, it would appear that Real's recent splurge on outstanding World Cup performers James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos for a combined total of €105m has forced the club's hierarchy into looking at feasible ways of recouping a large proportion of that eye-watering outlay. Hence why they seem so utterly determined to offload Sami Khedira to either Arsenal or Chelsea in alliance with their apparent willingness to find a solution for the release of Di Maria. However, Italian tactician Ancelotti is reluctant to part with a player who delivered a hugely significant amount of goal assists for his side throughout the last campaign and could soon find himself at loggerheads with those who appointed him over this thorny issue.

Even if Real Madrid do possess an embarrassment of riches to call upon in terms of attacking talent, in comparison with Di Maria none can boast as impressive a record when it comes to assists in La Liga during 2013/14. The sought-after star created 17 goals for his team-mates, while Gareth Bale managed 12 and Ballon d'Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo helped his colleagues to 10 strikes in league action overall. Not only that, but the Argentine is incredibly versatile in the sense that he can comfortably play anywhere across midfield, plus he is incredibly hard working. He sacrifices himself for the good of the team, as opposed to chasing personal glory and that is a rare commodity to locate in the modern day footballer.

The 26-year-old had one foot out of door twelve months back, only to quickly prove himself to the new manager and cement a regular place in the starting line-up amongst a team of Galacticos. That consistent form ensured his place in the Argentina squad for the World Cup where he helped his country reach the final in Brazil, as they ultimately fell just short of lifting the trophy due to a narrow defeat against Germany in Rio. It also alerted several big guns of European football to exactly what kind of contribution the unselfish, tireless Argentine could possibly give to their teams should any deal be possible.

Yes, Ancelotti can select from a plethora of extremely high calibre options with or without Di Maria's presence in his squad, but can he guarantee that any of those potential alternatives will be able to provide the same standard of commitment in conjunction with their abundant natural ability as he? Di Maria boasts a level of craft, guile and constant threat when in possession that many of his peers simply don't offer.

Should Los Blancos decide to part ways with the winger, then it'll be up to the remaining members of the side to shoulder the burden of creating chances for forwards Benzema and Ronaldo in particular. It'll be no easy task to supplant the Rosario-born magician in the line-up and match his superb showing of last season.

He is a wonderful player entering the prime of his career and Ancelotti could be left to rue any action which allows Di Maria an opportunity of moving on to pastures new before the end of August. He may not be the one who eventually pulls the trigger, but he will indeed be the man held solely responsible for any adverse effect such a sale has on the effectiveness of the team in their relentless pursuit of domestic and continental glory next term.

Twitter: @davewh1980

PSG project scales new heights

 

 

By David Lee Wheatley

Relentless pre-match talk surrounding the danger posed by Paris Saint-Germain superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic characterised the build-up to the Champions’ League quarter-final tie with Chelsea, yet it was an inspired performance by less-heralded fellow forward Ezequiel Lavezzi – aided by some extremely poor Chelsea defending it must be said - that eventually led to the Blues’ downfall in the French capital last night.

The home side took the game to their illustrious opponents from the off and duly grabbed a fourth-minute lead through an exquisite finish by Lavezzi. He chested down a poor headed clearance from John Terry which then fell slightly behind him, but somehow managed to lift off his right foot in a backward motion shortly before striking the ball unerringly with his left in one fell swoop. It was a sublime goal from a man who has endured a torrent of criticism from certain quarters since joining the PSG revolution in 2012. However, it was his time to shine yesterday with an energetic showing which forced more feted team-mates into the shade.

Chelsea were struggling to impose themselves on the game until they were gifted a penalty on 26 minutes by the usually reliable centre-back Thiago Silva. Hazard scored with ease and brought the visitors back into the reckoning for the remainder of the half, with the Parisians losing focus and concentration on several occasions.

Half-time allowed the hosts an opportunity to regroup and they set about taking Chelsea apart on the resumption of the action in the second half. It was a dominant display which showed true mettle and resolve from a side whose collective heart for the fight had been questioned in the run-up to the quarter-final clash. Could the silky-skilled artisans who have led PSG to the top of Ligue 1 largely unopposed cope with the rugged, physical, counter-attacking approach of their experienced rivals? The answer was an emphatic ‘yes’ when it mattered most out there on the Parc des Princes turf in front of their adoring fans.

Jose Mourinho gambled by selecting Andre Schurrle as a lone striker ahead of more recognised protagonists of the role, even though he is a winger by trade, and placing David Luiz in a defensive midfield position supposedly protecting the back-four. Those decisions proved costly, with the former stifled by a well-organised PSG outfit and the latter appearing totally lost as he failed miserably to provide a launching pad for attacks or the requisite shield for centre-back pairing Cahill and Terry.

Just beyond the hour-mark, a wicked in-swinging free-kick from the influential Lavezzi brought about PSG’s second goal when the ineffectual David Luiz put the ball into his own net under little pressure, possibly put off by the presence of Ibrahimovic to his left.

Meanwhile, Zlatan went off with a muscle injury on 68 minutes having only affected the game fleetingly in one of his least impressive club appearances of a wildly successful season thus far.   

Ibrahimovic’s premature departure from proceedings failed to halt the Paris freight train running amok over a beleaguered Chelsea rearguard when piling further misery on to the away side in injury-time; sub Javier Pastore firstly left Azpilicueta on his backside, before stylishly dribbling past Lampard and firing low and hard past Cech at his near post to round off a remarkable night.

This convincing statement sent out by the galaxy of Paris Saint-Germain stars cannot be underestimated; those who doubted their credentials to lift the Champions’ League trophy this campaign have been made to eat their words to an extent, while putting 2012 European champions Chelsea to the sword much like sacrificial lambs to the slaughter will undoubtedly encourage burgeoning fear inside the hearts of PSG’s potential final-four opponents should they complete the job at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Report: Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea

By David Lee Wheatley

Jose Mourinho sprang a surprise in his team selection by choosing winger-cum-forward Andre Schurrle as a lone striker at the Parc des Princes, as his Chelsea side travelled to Paris looking for a vital away goal to take back to Stamford Bridge.

Hosts PSG began the game with gusto and their early pressure told when Argentine live-wire Ezequiel Lavezzi pounced on a weak defensive header by Chelsea captain John Terry to send a half-volley into the roof of the net in only the fourth minute. It required fantastic technique from the former Napoli man to chest the ball down and drag it from slightly behind him to then finish sweetly past Petr Cech.

Ramires received a cheap yellow card after 12 minutes when he fouled the goalscorer Lavezzi, who made the most of a poor challenge by rolling over-and-over in order to catch the referee's eye. Unfortunately for the feisty midfielder, the booking means he will miss the return leg in London next week.

The Parisians desire to extend their lead showed no sign of abating with a great run along the left-hand side of the penalty area from danger-man Lavezzi, only for his low shot to harmlessly hit the side-netting.

However, Thiago Silva threw all of the home side's good work out of the window when felling international team-mate Oscar in the box to give away a penalty in the 26th minute. Former Lille star Eden Hazard, marked out as the player to watch from the very start by the opposition defence, slotted the ball away into the bottom left of the goal with great aplomb to level matters.

Chelsea visibly grew in confidence following Hazard's strike and PSG were panicking in possession, thus giving the visitors abundant opportunities to attack.

Belgian Hazard was becoming more effective on the left of Chelsea's forward line, culminating in a fabulous volley which beat keeper Sirigu all ends up, but bounced back out off the far post to safety. It was oh-so-unlucky for the Blues, as they strove desperately to get their noses in front.

With seconds left in the first-half, Cavani tangled with Cahill in the box only to have his vociferous penalty appeals turned down by the Serbian official. Replays suggested there was in fact a case to answer and the Uruguayan can count himself unfortunate not to have gotten the call in his favour.

There commenced a rather frantic start to the second period and the best chance of the opening exchanges arrived when Lavezzi headed just over from a Matuidi cross on 52 minutes.

Six minutes later, the hard-working Schurrle was replaced by Fernando Torres for the first substitution of the evening. It seemed to upset Chelsea's rhythm somewhat, as PSG began putting their guests under the cosh substantially more than they'd done since Hazard's equaliser.

Just after the hour-mark, PSG broke through the opposition rearguard with an inswinging free-kick which was turned in for an own goal by utility man David Luiz. His running pattern meant he met the ball full-on and was unable to adjust his feet in order to clear the ball to safety.

It was all PSG following their scrappy second, with Ibrahimovic seeing a powerful attempt blocked by John Terry and then Cavani burst through only to find the considerable obstacle of Gary Cahill standing strong in his path. 

In the midst of the fast-paced action, both Ibrahimovic and Verratti had to go off the field with injuries which plunges their chances of participation at Stamford Bridge into severe doubt.

Meanwhile, Mourinho's men managed to break out on the counter-attack twice through firstly Eden Hazard and then Torres, only for both moves to break down at the crucial moment. The final pass was missing in each case when Chelsea held the numerical advantage against opponents who'd sent too many players forward into the attacking third.

Javier Pastore came on for 'Man-of-the-Match' Lavezzi, as Paris Saint-Germain made their final change of the night. He jogged off to a standing ovation from the appreciative capacity crowd in attendance.

Edinson Cavani came close to scoring once again in the 84th minute when curling a low effort just past Cech's left-hand upright. A mêlée ensued shortly afterwards between the frustrated striker and David Luiz, which saw PSG head coach Laurent Blanc lead the frizzy-haired Brazilian away from the epicentre of the argument to avoid further tension between the pair. Thanks largely to the actions of World Cup winner Blanc, both got away with a stern word from the sensible referee.

Matters appeared to be drawing to a close at 2-1, with Chelsea seemingly happy to take their away goal and run. However, sub Pastore had other ideas deep into injury-time, as he stepped past the prone Azpilicueta on the right near the byline and then dribbled skilfully beyond Lampard before firing a stinger underneath Cech at his near post for PSG's third.

Going into the highly anticipated return in six days time, Pastore's late intervention hands the French league leaders a comfortable two-goal cushion to fall back on in the face of the expected onslaught to come. The final scoreline also suggests the wealthy Parisian outfit are serious contenders for the trophy this time around after dropping out at the quarter-final stage last season.

As for Chelsea, they're left with a mountain to climb if they're to rekindle faint hopes of achieving Champions' League glory for the second time in three years.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Analysis: Champions' League quarter-final draw

 

 

By David Lee Wheatley

The Champions League quarter-final draw handed Manchester United a mighty difficult task in order to overcome holders Bayern, while the other remaining English representatives Chelsea will undoubtedly fancy their chances against French league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

An all-Spanish tie between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid appears almost too close to call, with both sides separated by just one point in La Liga at time of writing. Meanwhile, Real Madrid make up an extremely powerful trio of clubs from that country and would seem heavy favourites to sweep opponents Borussia Dortmund aside.

United woke up from their season-long slumber when defeating Greek side Olympiakos 3-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday, thus coming back from a 2-0 first-leg deficit. The first 60 minutes of that second-leg clash were played at a frantic pace from the off and saw the home side cruising thanks to an impressive Robin van Persie hat-trick. However, they had to survive a sprinkling of shaky moments before finally seeing out the game and dumping the plucky Greeks out of the tournament.

Their prize for struggling through is a daunting meeting with current holders Bayern Munich, with United hosting the Bundesliga giants first of all. The only way David Moyes’ men will survive in the competition is by establishing a lead to take to Germany; otherwise it is curtains for the fading Manchester giants. However, even getting their noses in front will prove easier said than done and would be a major turn-up for the books in itself given the Red Devils shocking league form overall this campaign.

Bayern have swept all before them domestically once again, while seeing off the challenge of Arsenal with great ease at the last-16 stage in Europe. Despite the draw pitting them against three-time European champions United, the Bavarian bulldozer seems set to roll on regardless under the canny guidance of renowned tactician Pep Guardiola. The former Barcelona captain is looking to secure his third Champions’ League crown as a coach and won’t be fazed by the prospect of facing up to a team evidently shorn of confidence and possibly the services of the injured van Persie.

Chelsea never left second gear when putting Galatasaray to the sword in the last round against a side with an aging Didier Drogba leading the line against his beloved former club, plus the ineffective Wesley Sneijder in midfield; a once-feted footballer whose star has fallen alarmingly since his apparent peak four years ago under Jose Mourinho at Inter. It was oh-so-easy for the Blues to dissect the Turks’ defence in winning by a comfortable 3-1 aggregate margin and that victory will give 2012 champions Chelsea a great boost as they size up their next assignment.

Led by talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paris Saint-Germain are eleven points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and demolished Bayer Leverkusen 6-1 over two legs, with an especially one-sided 4-0 victory coming their way in Germany. Though they possess a fearsome strike-force and a commanding lead domestically, they will find the Stamford Bridge outfit a much tougher nut to crack; wily old Mourinho is a master at stifling opposition strengths, while exposing their weaknesses at will. Additionally, he and the majority of his squad hold the invaluable experience of claiming continental trophies over a number of years and collectively they form a formidable obstacle for the Parisian artisans to successfully negotiate.

It’s likely that Barcelona will be slight favourites going into battle against compatriots Atletico, but only marginally so. In fact, with ten matches left to play, Madrid’s so-called second side sit one point above their more illustrious rivals in La Liga following a fantastic season so far. They underwent a slight wobble when managing just one triumph in four fixtures, including surprise losses to minnows Almeria and Osasuna, but bounced back by securing two league wins on the trot most recently and knocking a severely demoralised Milan out of the Champions’ League.

Atletico will feel they have a strong chance of conquering their fellow title contenders from Catalonia, but must play both legs at the very height of their powers if they wish to progress. Barcelona have also suffered two unusual defeats in the last four games against Real Sociedad and Valladolid, thus falling four points behind leaders Real Madrid and giving Atletico hope. However, they swatted away widely-touted pretenders to their throne Manchester City without much fuss in the round of 16 and are seasoned campaigners at the top table of European competition in comparison with Diego Simeone’s men. It’s likely to be a tight fixture between the two Spanish clubs and will probably be won by the odd goal either way.

Last year’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund squeaked past Zenit in making their way to the quarter-finals, but they will go into their match-up with Real Madrid with a measure of trepidation. The legendary Galacticos have not lost a La Liga game since 26^th October, a defeat which arrived in the last El Clasico, and look odds-on to lift the league championship trophy come the end of the campaign. Of course, the second instalment of Real-Barca takes place tomorrow evening and that could determine the destination of the title.

Complimentary to their sparking domestic displays, Real also thrashed Schalke 9-2 on aggregate to make it into the last-eight and will aim to do a similar job on a Dortmund side that don’t appear quite as strong as they were during 2012/13. The 1997 winners are miles behind Bayern in the Bundesliga – as they found themselves last campaign – and also looked decidedly porous at the back in leaking a total of four goals to the beleaguered Russians, who sacked manager Luciano Spalletti on 11^th March after a run of one victory in eleven matches. A 5-4 aggregate advantage for the side from Germany's industrial heartland is hardly the stuff of potential European kings.

 

Barring a minor miracle, Carlo Ancelotti’s charges will be in the hat for the semi-final stage of the world’s greatest club competition, as they attempt to justify the bookies’ faith in their ability to claim the glory on offer.

 

Twitter: @davewh1980