UCL POST MORTEM: CHELSEA VS ATLÉTICO MADRID

Semifinal malaise

CHELSEA 1-3 ATLÉTICO MADRID (STAMFORD BRIDGE): Atlético progress 3-1 on aggregate.

When all the hubris settles, one fact will remain; Jose Mourinho’s epoch of press conference banter, winning titles and all round flamboyance is a gift to football and that is not up for debate. The immediate reality though is that the Portuguese manager is now at a crossroads after getting usurped by a team which embodied his ethos of football once upon a time. Let’s re-live Atlético's victory on Wednesday evening.

CHELSEA: One look at the team sheet and a thin line between genius and unmitigated disaster emerged. With 6 defenders named in the starting line-up, there was room for repercussion immediately. John Terry’s ability to persuade coaches for game time while half fit must be an irritant to the average Chelsea supporter but hindsight is golden.

Ashley Cole played a good game at the Vincente calderon and his inclusion was not surprising but maybe it was a mistake. All penetrations from Atlético which led to goals stemmed from the left hand of Chelsea’s defence. Cole and Hazard were culpable for the first goal and Cesar Azpilicueta took time to adapt to the left-back slot after Ashley Cole departed. He was all at sea.

As expected, Chelsea was overrun in midfield, David Luiz and Ramires are not even a 4^th choice midfield pairing for the double pivot. It is clear that decisions in the transfer window have cost Chelsea. 

Not a small matter anymore.

The sales of Kevin De Bruyne and Juan Mata to buy the Cup tied Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah now look like atrocious decisions and will bring Micheal Emenalo and Jose Mourinho much ridicule.

Eden Hazard’s posturing in the media is a sniff at a loose dressing room. Mourinho has maybe created a monster by entrusting all powers on the pitch to the Belgian wizard. After the full on media induced pressure we are witnessing, I suspect the players might demand a change in playing style soon, It is another matter if Jose Mourinho will relent.

Strikers have not fired

It can be inferred that Samuel Eto’o, Demba Ba and Fernando Torres are the reasons for Chelsea’s misery. None has stood up to be counted. This same Chelsea Team with a top level forward like Cristiano Ronaldo would certainly win titles.

Jose Mourinho is under fire not for the first time as a manager. It is surprising people never get that this is his plan all the time. Nobody has slaughtered Terry, Ramires, A.cole, and Willian. They have slaughtered Mourinho. He has once again protected his players and made himself more important to the group.

ATLÉTICO MADRID: 

Celebration Time.

10/10 for purpose, plan and execution. Jose Mourinho’s snobbery of Thibaut Courtois in the tunnel was probably ill advised and seemed to spur the player. The giant goalkeeper played with a purpose and looked unbeatable from the offing. 

Juanfran and Felipe Luis excelled not as defenders but as footballers. They have the trust of Miranda and Godin who are willing to pick up the slack when the full backs accelerate.

Tiago mendes played very well. It was an astute selection from Diego Simeone. His mastery of the game and ball intelligence was akin to Andrea Pirlo on the day. But such has been Tiago’s career that he can underperform against Levante at the weekend.

Adrian was Vital.

Koke and Arda Turan will be hunted by bigger teams after the world cup and that is a certainty. Arda Turan was at 85% but he fought like a warrior. Mario Suarez like any great defensive midfielder went through the game unnoticed but was the vitality upon which play was forced.

Utilising Adrian was another stroke of genius on a day Simeone upgraded from a Bachelor’s degree to masters. The Spaniard dovetailed well with Diego Costa and word from the Atleti camp has attested to his reliability.

What can you say of Diego costa? All that funny business with the penalty spot but yet he delivered. Atletico have a knack of getting proper replacements for exiting stars but i guarantee you they will struggle to replace Diego Costa. It required the exodus of Falcao to unlock his potential and boy, does he have potential.

Costa rifles home from the spot.

On a night which ensured that Spain will continue to lead the count of the country who’s clubs have triumphed the most in Europe, every one of the Atlético team played a part. Diego Simeone looks like a re-incarnation of Jose Mourinho and seems to be treading down a similar path for European domination with an unfancied team just like the special one. His is a star on the rise.

Diego Simeone.

LISBON AWAITS…