Madrid Misery

It's becoming something of an annual spring custom alongside the collapse of Arsenil as Chelsea's quest for Champions League glory fell again at the semi finals hurdle. Maybe Jose Mourinho is something of a bad luck charm, as he has presided over three semi final defeats for Real Madrid and three for Chelsea. Questions must be raised as to whether Chelsea are too cautious in semi-final first legs.

To be fair to the team, nobody deserves to be scapegoated for the defeat, not even Samuel Eto'o for a foolish foul which granted Atletico Madrid a needless penalty. I would not wish to be advocating illegality on the football pitch, but unless a player enters the penalty area and is about to pull the trigger, then it is an act of sheer stupidity to recklessly tackle him. Ultimately the penalty for a foul in the penalty area is indeed a penalty, and twice against the red and white stripes of Sunderland and Atletico Madrid, a Chelsea player has been penalised for a clumsy challenge in the box when there was no compelling evidence that the opposing team were about to score. Our players, for all their defensive attributes, need to be instructed to be patient when the opposition have the ball. Our bull in a china shop routine has been our undoing once too often, especially when opposing players are taking the ball into the penalty area and hoping that our gormless players oblige them with a foolish lunge for the ball. We must not make life easy for our opponents by our persistent policy of risky tackles in the penalty area. Instead of which, a defender needs to get between the goal and the attacker and simply slow the attack down, while reinforcements arrive. Notice how Atletico's well-drilled defence succeeded in crowding out Hazard, Torres, and Willian throughout the entire match.

Anyhow, one player deserving of sympathy is Fernando Torres. A multitude of raspberries have been blown at his efforts in a Chelsea shirt, but this enigma has delivered a number of precious goals in the European theatre of operations, such as in the Nou Camp, in the Europa League final, at Galatasaray, and now at home to his former club. Torres is almost certainly on his way out of the Bridge, but he scored a fine goal which capped an admirable performance and which might have rendered him the match hero were it not for some unsatisfactory defending from his team mates. The overwhelming evidence of Nando's time in west London can be broken down into three distinct observations. Firstly, he doesn't appear to be a force in the cut and thrust of the English Premiership. Secondly, he has not acquitted himself well as an impact substitute. However, Torres has to some extent salvaged his deteriorating reputation with a regular flow of goals in European fixtures. Is there a case for retaining Torres exclusively for the Champions League, or would such a move be a luxury too far?

Well, hearty congratulations must be extended to Atletico Madrid. They have acquired a reputation of being the hardest-working team in Europe, and I hope that the poor cousin of Real Madrid lifts the La Liga and Champions League silverware in the next month. For all of Real Madrid's flair and speed, there is no reason why Atletico cannot prevail in the final in Lisbon. They are not to be underestimated and we of a Blue disposition cannot begrudge them their thoroughly-deserved triumph.

As for Chelsea, the club can take some comfort from the fact that when the team played its fateful second leg, there were only three teams left in Europe's premier club competition. Additionally, when we play host to Norwich City this weekend, the Blues will be one of only three teams who still have a realistic chance of winning the English Premiership. Therefore it is a case of glass half full, glass half empty in terms of whether or not Chelsea's 'final three' finishes in both leagues can be considered as progress, if there is no silverware to place in the trophy cabinet. Hopefully Mourinho will at least accept the need to reinforce his defensive instincts by drafting the impressive Thibaut Courtois into his squad for next season.

Finally, although an Ancelotti versus Mourinho final on Jose's native soil would have been a fascinating prospect, perhaps there is some semblance of justice that Atletico Madrid (unbeaten in this season's Champions League) reached the final at the expense of a Chelsea team that had already lost three times in the campaign prior to the second leg. In all probability, Chelsea will be there or thereabouts for the foreseeable future, as the club will be seeded and expected to win their group, then face a group runner-up in the last sixteen, and again find themselves amongst the last eight or last four of the tournament. Hopefully in future the team will be urged to be more bold in the first leg and not lose their nerve in the midst of formidable opposition. To maintain the same cautious approach in Champions League semi finals merely invites the same unhappy ending.

CHELSEA'S LEADING SCORERS:

Hazard 16

Eto'o 12

Oscar 11

Torres 9

Demba Ba, Lampard, and Schurrle 8

Ramires and Willian 4

Ivanovic 3

CHELSEA'S LEADING PREMIERSHIP SCORERS:

Hazard 14

Eto'o 9

Oscar 8

Schurrle 7

Lampard 6

Demba Ba 5

Torres and Willian 4

Ivanovic 3