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Top 10 Reasons Behind Chelsea's Disappointing Champions League Exit To Inter Milan
Jose Mourinho is the cat who got the cream after 1-0 second leg victory.
By Alex Dimond | Chelsea Correspondent
Mar 16, 2010 8:11:50 PM
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Josè Mourinho in Stamford Bridge - Chelsea-Inter (Getty Images)
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In the end it was Jose Mourinho, and not the Chelsea faithful, that enjoyed the self-proclaimed Special One's return to Stamford Bridge. While Mourinho lived up to his moniker as Inter Milan now go on to the quarter-finals, Chelsea are left to rue Samuel Eto'o's decisive goal and wonder where it all went wrong... yet again.
In no particular order, here are the top ten reasons for the exit:
1. Carlo Ancelotti's predictable tactics
Partly through necessity, partly through lack of invention, Carlo Ancelotti was always up against it in the first leg as injuries ravaged his squad and forced him to play Florent Malouda at left-back. But in the second leg he had more options at his disposal, and Jose Mourinho still managed to anticipate how Chelsea would line-up and adapt his XI accordingly. Consequently Lampard and Ballack were kept quiet in the center, while Ivanovic and Zhirkov were tested constantly as the 'Special One' played four attack-minded players and pegged the Blues back.
2. Michael Essien was sorely missed
Against West Ham at the weekend John Obi Mikel was exceptional, but against Inter he was found to be clumsy and under par, an attacking midfielder caught in a defensive minded role. Wesley Sneijder dominated him in both legs — if Michael Essien had been available that would not have happened. He has the energy and urgency that is invaluable in Europe.
3. Poor refereeing decisions
The first leg saw Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez make a real howler, denying Salomon Kalou one of the clearest penalties you will ever see. In the second leg Wolfgang Stark made less high profile calls, but Didier Drogba could have had a penalty and in general, all the debatable calls tended to go in favor of the Italians. No scandals, by any means - no Obrevo moments - but enough to leave Chelsea fans feeling a little aggrieved.
4. Strong defensive unit exposed as weak individuals
Partly down to Mourinho's masterful tactics, but partly due to a slight lack in quality. In the first leg John Terry was exposed, allowing Milito in to score an early opener that set the tone for the rest of the tie. In the second leg the mistakes were more obvious — Terry was decent but nothing more, while Alex played onside Eto'o for his decisive goal and the usually so reliable Branislav Ivanovic let the former Barcelona man run off him into the clear. All of the back four, including stand-in left-back Yuri Zhirkov, looked a little nervy when being run at by Inter's forwards. A consolation is that a relatively untroubled Ross Turnbull put in a nerveless and faultless display.
5. Poor reaction to adversity
It afflicted them last season against Barcelona, as Tom Henning Ovrebo's refusal to give penalties they felt they deserved riled them up and distracted them from the job in hand.
The same scenario occurred again this season, as Drogba found himself moaning at the referee during the first half and Terry once again left the pitch at the end of the game fuming at the perceived slights against his side. Chelsea are very close to developing a referring complex on big European nights, and rather than channel that into an improved performance it seems to drain them of all quality and make defeat almost inevitable.
6. Big players and little performances
Perhaps the biggest difference of all. Jot down the most impressive players of both legs, and all of them come from the Italian side. Wesley Sneijder was head and shoulders above anyone else as a creative midfielder — if he had been on the other side the scoreline might have been reversed.
In defense, Lucio put a masterclass in finding room in his pocket to keep Drogba. In contrast, Terry and Lampard both failed to really make an impact. Only Malouda emerged from credit after a willing performance in the first leg and a few classy moments tonight. But that won't win you big games against one of Europe's best sides.
7. Ancelotti failed to make any impact with his substitutions
His starting 4-3-3 formation might have been predictable, but it was technically sound and should have given his side the tools to win the game. But once Mourinho predicted his move on the chess board of football, Ancelotti found it impossible to respond with impactful substitutions or tactical changes. Joe Cole's introduction made little impact, only serving to weaken Chelsea defensively and give Zanetti a chance to shine. Salomon Kalou's introduction was a shot in the dark that rarely looked like working.
What would Mourinho have done? Who knows. But judging by his performance in the other dugout, it would have been more dramatic — and it probably would have worked.
8. The curious case of Nicolas Anelka
For most of the season, Drogba has either had Anelka alongside him, or when on his own, has faced defenders woefully inferior in quality. Consequently, he has bullied and battered them in what has so far been a fantastic season. But against Inter he was shackled with some ease by Lucio and Walter Samuel, who showed themselves as one of the most effective double acts since Laurel and Hardy.
What he desperately needed was support, a decoy who could distract attention and even up the fight. But Anelka found himself stranded out on the right, unable to influence the game in any meaningful way. The Frenchman, so spectacular to start the season, was arguably the biggest disappointment of the tie. Ancelotti will have to re-evaluate how he utilizes his two world-class front-men for future tests. That being said, when Anelka did find himself in more inviting situations, he lacked the sharpness to make any discernible difference to the tie.
9. Lack of continual investment in the side turned squad stale
Roman Abramovich's recent plea for self-sufficiency might be laudable, but tonight's result makes it look somewhat foolish. The purchase of the likes of Drogba, Lampard, Cech, Ballack and Essien might have helped the Blues to league titles in 2005 and 2006, but now those same players are getting old and battle-scarred.
Where tonight an injection of youth and vigor — a Sergio Aguero, or Alexandre Pato — might have changed the course of the game, instead Ancelotti had to look to the likes of Kalou and Cole, two players who have stagnated at the club in recent times.
If Abramovich really wants to win the Champions League, summer reinvestment has to become a top priority. Right now, this is a great but aging team that is only going to get worse.
10. The Jose Mourinho effect
In the end, you can't get away from the Special One. If nothing else, the constant questions before the game about their former manager must have drained the Chelsea players, and for all their proclamations that they were purely focused on winning, the slack defending and constant snarling at the referee suggested they had been affected by the tale of the two managers.
But that is not where Mourinho's effect ended. In the first leg he exploited Chelsea's injury problems to snatch an unlikely advantage, and then put on nothing short of a managerial tour du force at Stamford Bridge in front of his former disciples, anticipating Ancelotti's every move and coming up with the perfect counter.
Eto'o's late goal may have sealed the tie, but Mourinho's tactics had long made Inter's progression seemed likely. If he had lost, he might well have lost his title — but once again Jose reminded us why he is the Special One.
Player Ratings: Chelsea 0-1 Inter Milan
Samuel Eto'o decides matters after fine display from Mourinho's men.
By Alex Dimond
Mar 16, 2010 6:16:12 PM
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Maicon - Malouda Champions League - Chelsea-Inter (Getty Images)
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CHELSEA
Ross Turnbull - 6 - Enjoyed the perfect first half, with not a save to make in the biggest game of his fledgling career. Made one basic save in the second half but was beaten by quality for Eto'o's decisive strike.
Yury Zhirkov - 5.5 - Nervous, clumsy start from the Russian who has only just returned from injury. Improved as game wore on to make a number of good interventions — most notably to prevent Eto'o and Pandev as they bore down on goal.
John Terry - 7 - Composed start put everyone at ease and he quickly became the rock at the heart of Chelsea's defense. Bullied Milito and Eto'o physically at times in a solid all-round display that wasn't quite enough to get the desired result.
Alex - 6 - Made a good early block which set the tone for his performance. Settled in well alongside Terry to thwart Inter's front-line, although some poor positioning did enable them to break through once or twice. Played Eto'o onside for the winning goal.
Branislav Ivanovic - 5.5 - Curiously timid performance from the usually so dependable Serbian, he made a number of errors in a display where nerves seemed to threaten to get the better of him. Couldn't prevent Eto'o beating Turnbull for the winner.
John Obi Mikel - 5.5 - Back to old habits after the solid performance at the weekend, making a number of clumsy fouls and failing to truly stamp his authority on the game. As things progressed, Sneijder ran rings round him.
Michael Ballack - 6 - Went close early on with a low drive that perhaps had Cesar beaten. Was reliable defensively in his midfield role, but was the natural man to give way as Ancelotti made changes to search for a vital goal.
Frank Lampard - 6 - Denied a good first-half chance by Samuel, his influence over the game grew as it went on. But Cambiasso did a good job restricting his influence and never found that one chance he needed to test Cesar.
Florent Malouda - 7.5 - The home side's most incisive attacking presence, Malouda worried the Inter backline on more than one occasion and was perhaps unlucky that one of his intricate runs didn't result in a goal. Unlucky to be on losing side.
Nicolas Anelka - 5 - Poor and peripheral throughout the game, Anelka's performance over both legs was a massive disappointment. Having said that, he did force the best save of the match from Cesar after breaking clear inside the box just before half-time.
Didier Drogba - 5 - Good hold-up play, but seemed unduly affected by the physical tactics employed against him by Lucio and Samuel and consequently lost some focus on his attacking duties. A rare poor display, sullied by another late sending off (although it seemed dubious), on the one night when the Blues needed him to be at his usual best.
Substitutes
Joe Cole - 6 - Brought on to make something happen, and in that respect he failed although the officiating at times did not help him.
Salomon Kalou - 6 - Replaced Zhirkov with just under 20 minutes to go. Blasted one optimistic well wide in an ineffectual cameo.
INTER MILAN
Julio Cesar - 6 - Made a number of decent saves, most notably from Anelka just before the break, but was never fully stretched and his clean sheet only fleetingly looked in doubt.
Javier Zanetti - 7 - Calm and dependable presence down the left. Kept Anelka very quiet throughout, and dealt with any pressure with the minimum of fuss.
Lucio - 7 - A verbal confrontation with Drogba early on showed how much the Brazilian wanted to win. Was not quite as dominant as three weeks ago, but once again won his individual battle and was key to an impressive team result.
Walter Samuel - 8 - His methods were sometimes illegal — at one point he literally wrestled Drogba to the ground off the ball — but always effective. Made a number of smart blocks and was a major force in the air in an uncompromising individual display.
Maicon - 7.5 - Made a good first-half block from Drogba's and was Inter's main threat down the right despite putting in a woeful display of crossing. Against the rampant Malouda, a lesser defender would have been torn to shreds but Maicon gave the Frenchman as good as he got.
Esteban Cambiasso - 7 - Clearly had a defensive brief, and stuck to it well with a determined and diligent performance. Shackled Lampard effectively throughout the game, was a key part of his side's defensive stability.
Thiago Motta - 7.5 - Involvement with Drogba's sending off was perhaps unsavoury, but the midfielder put in tackles and challenges all over the park and, while he missed arguably his side's best chance with a free header, was an impressive performer.
Wesley Sneijder - 8.5 - Showed amazing vision throughout, with his set piece delivery begging for someone to get on the end of it. Eventually that happened from open play, as one of many incredible through balls from the Dutchman released Eto'o for the decisive goal of the second leg.
Goran Pandev - 5.5 - Disciplined defensively, tracking back where need to help his side. But squandered a glorious chance to give his side the lead and was obvious choice to be withdrawn as Mourinho looked to secure the tie.
Diego Milito - 6 - Struggled after being so influential in the first leg. Found himself offside on more than one occasion and might be slightly relieved that the couple of gilt-edged chances he missed did not come back to haunt his side.
Samuel Eto'o - 7 - Seemed moody and off the pace, but showed his undoubted class in the end with a phenomenal finish that settled the tie. That is what world-class players do.
Substitutes
Dejan Stankovic - n/a - Came on to secure the result for his side, and only got involved in a few unsavory scraps as that aim was reached.
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