The game got off to the most eventful of starts, with Alex Texeira putting the hosts ahead after some slack Chelsea defending from a fairly innocuous looking throw-in in just the third minute. And it went from bad to worse for Roberto Di Matteo’s side, with Frank Lampard limping off in the 18th minute with a suspected calf injury, and his departure cued a tactical reshuffle in the Chelsea ranks. Eden Hazard came on and immediately assumed the right midfield berth, while Ramires, who had been occupying the role from the start, dropped back into a holding midfield role alongside John Obi Mikel.
As a result, the impressive early movement between Chelsea’s midfield triumvirate of Ramires, Oscar, and Juan Mata was lost and the Blues struggled to gain a real foothold in the game. End to end action yielded potential chances for Fernando Torres and Oscar, but it was Shakhtar who looked the more threatening. Petr Cech had to be on top form to deny Henrik Mkhitaryan’s firm effort, before pulling out a wonderful save to prevent Thomas Hubschman from extending Shakhtar’s lead. Truth be told the Ukranian’s could have entered the half-time break with an even greater lead, with Brazilian star Willian instrumental in orchestrating the fluid Shakhtar attacks.
The hosts did then manage to take the lead shortly after play resumed for the second period. The Blues were caught in possession in the center of the field, enabling Luiz Adriano to break at pace, running at the Chelsea back line before supplying Fernandinho with a perfectly weighted pass that his fellow Brazilian slotted into the back of the net with aplomb. Chelsea certainly reacted, and threatened to find a way back into the game, but in the end it was a case of too little too late. Oscar struck from close range in the 88th minute after some great work from Branislav Ivanovic, but Shakhtar deservingly held on for an impressive 2-1 victory over the reigning champions of Europe.
Much of the post-match buzz was dominated by the host’s Brazilian contingent, with numerous reports speculating on the future of the many of the starring performers. Willian in particular is allegedly “intent†on leaving Ukraine, with Tottenham and Chelsea themselves touted as likely destinations. For Chelsea though, the result proves that progression for Group E may not be as straightforward as first thought. Speaking to UEFA.com, Blues stopper Cech tried to play down the consequences of defeat, stating:
“It’s a loss, but we are still second in the group. And now we have them at home so this is where we need to get three points. The group is pretty much open now because Juventus only drew so it is a tight group.â€Cech sentiments certainly hold true; Group E is wide open and any of the top three could progress the knockout stages. As well as the game with Shakhtar at Stamford Bridge, the Blues must still travel to Turin for the challenging away fixture against Juventus. Roberto Di Matteo has since reiterated that the club “absolutely need to win†their remaining home games, but even then qualification could still be a close run thing. The Blues find themselves in a difficult position, and will need to dig deep and reproduce the kind of form from last season’s glorious European run in order to make an impact on this year’s tournament. The home clash with Shakhtar on Nov. 7 will be a huge test of both the Blues character and ability, and could be make or break as far as this year’s European campaign is concerned.
But with Manchester United coming to town this Sunday, Chelsea will need to bounce back soon if they want to continue their unbeatable domestic form of the season so far. These next few weeks are indeed a crucial part of the Blues season, and could have a huge effect on their end-of-season prospects. The time to step up is now.
Chelsea News
No comments:
Post a Comment