Chelsea 1-0 Barcelona: 6 Things Learned from the Chelsea's Upset Victory

Chelsea did their UEFA Champions League future a huge service tonight by taking a shock 1-0 victory at home over Barcelona. The Spaniards were the heavy favorites and played like it, keeping the pressure constantly on the Chelsea defense. However, the Blues were up to the challenge as they silenced Messi and co. by winning off a Didier Drogba goal.

It was Barcelona all night as they retained possession for a majority of the match. It was surprisingly Messi who gave up possession in the midfield, which was turned into the only score of the night. The swift counter by the Blues caught Barca off guard and Drogba was able to tap in Ramires’ cross for the game winner.

With the second leg in Nou Camp, there is little reason for Chelsea fans to get too excited. Barcelona had plenty of chances and were denied twice by the woodwork. But the result tonight is enough to make the next one a must-watch.

Here are six things we learned from the incredible result.

It Was Not Alexis Sanchez’s Night

Alexis Sanchez’s night depends wholly on the perspective from which you view this sport. If you are the believer in the whole of a performance, that is, a total evaluation of how well a player did during their time on the pitch, then you would say he had a decent game. But if you are a proponent of results above all, then Sanchez was the reason for their loss.

In all honesty, he did everything you wanted a forward to do tonight with the exception of one major component—score. He routinely got behind the Chelsea back line, finding space as the defense collapsed on Messi. However, he could never find that final touch, just over-hitting the ball once to chip it into the crossbar and getting it too much underneath him on another, pushing it wide.

Guardiola was eventually forced to sub him off for no other reason than it increasingly looked like no matter what Sanchez did, he would not score. It wasn’t out of menace, dissatisfaction or even pity. It was simply tactical.

He should get the start against Real Madrid on the weekend, as he will surely not put in two nights like this in a row.

Even Messi Can Err

It is hard to believe that Lionel Messi would not get on the scoreboard these days, but it's utterly impossible to believe that the only time his name was mentioned in the lead up to a goal would be with Chelsea scoring it.

His giveaway in midfield was so uncharacteristic of anything he has done in his career that there is probably not another example of it. Barcelona relies so much on possession that the thought of Messi losing the ball in open play had the defenders beat before the tackle was even made.

It was textbook by Chelsea, the way Lampard switched the ball to the other side and Ramries put his head down and just ran as fast as he could. The usually responsible and organized defense for Barca was out of position and looked flabbergasted by what happened; they were all over the place on the cross.

Odds are this may never happen again in his entire career. He is too good and too responsible of a player to make such a poor mistake. But it happened once today and that was all Chelsea needed to get this huge result.

Didier Drogba Was the Best/Worst Player on the Pitch Today

Drogba, Drogba, Drogba. You are my favorite player and an unbelievable talent. Your ability to create out of nothing, get timely goals and single-handedly occupy an entire back line are all amazing qualities. But you are also a whiny little coward who was cursed in more Spanish words than I ever knew existed.

If you were a Chelsea fan, you are absolutely elated with his performance. His goal was the slightest of accomplishments, but ultimately it's what will be seen as the most pivotal. It was really everything he did before and after that made him brilliant tonight.

He held up the ball with absolute brilliance, holding one, two, three defenders on his back, corralling them like cattle in his reach. Taking the long balls down out the air and holding them up to both waste time and create chances, every attack, of the few the Blue’s had, went through the Ivorian and kept Barca honest.

However, if you are a Barca fan, you were hoping that every fake injury he riled on the ground floor was the real one that ended his career. He is a whiny cheat that is everything that is wrong with this sport and if he played fair, it would be nothing more than a bit talent.

Tonight, Drogba epitomized the craziness of the sports fan, so passionate and emotionally invested in your side that the opponent who is trying to do the very same thing your players are—win—somehow becomes a symbol of spite.

Oh man, is this one going to play out fun in the comments section!

Roberto Di Matteo Should Be the Next Chelsea Manager

Chelsea won today because of tactics, plain and simple. There was no mystery to the style they would come out with, and they executed the park-the-bus to counter with brilliant perfection. And it is all thanks to Di Matteo.

Barcelona feeds off of mistakes. They love to move the ball and themselves all over the pitch and are masters at luring the opposition out of position, leaving gaps to exploit. Chelsea had none of it today and remained remarkably poised.

If I recall correctly, Frank Lampard, the one people called stubborn and unwilling to change in any way, may have crossed the halfway line no more than a handful of times today, dropping back to cover the runner rather than moving up to get in on the attack. This is purely the result of Di Matteo.

It does not matter what happens in the second leg for me. Barcelona, in truth, is the better side and should beat Chelsea at home. But the way Di Matteo got his team up to make this more than a respectable contest is coaching genius. He deserves the role full time.

Stats Are Meaningless

This is something I earnestly believe and have been arguing for a while. It is this fantasy era notion that has pulled us into the disillusion that advance stats have a place in football. Today’s game was pure evidence to the contrary.

Barcelona led Chelsea in every single offensive category, more than quadrupling their shots and ball possession. They spent what seems like three-fourths of the game in the Chelsea half and always looked a threat to equalize while, Chelsea’s attacks looked much more like time wasting than anything.

But in the end there is only one stat that matters, and it happens to be the one that Barcelona came out on the short end of—the score line.

I know there is this mystique around Barcelona about how they will break through eventually, that at some point that much possession and that much attack puts the odds well in their favor, and 95 percent of the time it does. However, they have found it difficult before to break down a well-organized defense like today, and when things did not go their way, they came out on the short end.

Stats are a good way to measure a team’s style or even their abilities. They also figure in well for the fans, a way for them to become more involved and informed in a measurable and objective way. But they will never be a barometer for who is the better team, or, at the very least, the team that will win.

It Is Wide Open

As a Chelsea fan, I could not be more happy with the result. A one-goal lead without conceding at the Bridge going into Nou Camp is what I had really hoped for. However, logic is keeping my fandom down, telling me that there is a long way to go before this thing is won.

Things stacked up against Barcelona tonight. Everything from a slick and wet pitch to Messi picking up a little injury. They hit the post more than once and though Cech was his normal self, you cannot depend on any keeper to be perfect in a game.

On the other hand, Chelsea played well, but their odds go down at Nou Camp. The idea that they can hold Barca out of the goal the same way for so long is slim and getting a goal there would be remarkable given their performance tonight.

Though there is a very interesting fixture for both teams in between. Chelsea faces off against London rivals Arsenal on the weekend in a must-win game to continue their hopes of a fourth-place finish. Barca has the storied El Clasico against Madrid and are in much need of three points to have a hope at repeating in La Liga. It will be interesting to see how each manager approaches the match and how it will affect the next game between these two.

It all comes down to what will surely be an epic second leg.

What Did You Learn from the Result?

I am hoping this article is not too negative or biased toward one side. I honestly was impressed by Barcelona and felt they had every opportunity to win or at least tie the game. I may not be the biggest fan of their style, but I can appreciate the way in which they mastered it.

There is absolutely no way a Chelsea fan should feel comfortable going into the next leg. But at the same time, Barcelona should take warning that their lack of perfection could cost them greatly.

So what did you learn from this exhilarating night of heart-stopping action?

As always, please leave your comments below and thanks for reading!

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