Chelsea vs. Barcelona: Why Dani Alves' Comments May Backfire on Him

Dani Alves, a defender for FC Barcelona, said in a press conference that Chelsea lacks courage in its play. Alves went on to say that the lack of fortitude was present during the past UEFA Champions League (UCL) encounter between La Blaugrana and Chelsea in the year 2009.

The declarations by Alves were published in The Guardian with a h/t to ESPN Soccernet. He continued to say that Chelsea has fear when it is playing matches.

Alves' comments were made during the time leading to the UCL match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea. There was a disagreement within the Barca roster with regard to Alves' statement.

Barca midfielder Andres Iniesta thinks Chelsea has a lot more experience now compared with 2009. Iniesta commented about Juan Mata as well as other players in the Chelsea roster who can pose a threat to Barca.

I think that Alves made a declaration that could haunt him in the UCL. There is a possibility (although remote) that Chelsea could snatch victory from La Blaugrana in the UCL.

Chelsea has undergone a big change since Andres Villas-Boas was fired as coach by owner Roman Abramovich. The first change was Juan Mata challenging his teammates in Chelsea to unite as one to save their current Premier League season.

The second change involves numbers for Chelsea under new manager Roberto Di Matteo. Since Di Matteo took over, Chelsea has won nine of the 12 matches played..

Di Matteo (as well as the Chelsea players) steered the Blues towards the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. At the present time, Chelsea is in sixth place in the Premier League standings with 57 points.

In other words, Chelsea has been surprising its doubters and attempting to function as a team. Regardless of the outcome of the UCL match between Chelsea and FC Barcelona, the lesson for Alves is to never underestimate the opposing team.