Chelsea vs. Barcelona: What Barca Must Do to Make Champions League Comeback

Chelsea took advantage of an overaggressive Barcelona attack as Didier Drogba scored the only goal of the first leg to give the Blues a 1-0 advantage before next week's match at Camp Nou. Barca doesn't have to play from behind often, so it will be a good test for the dominant Spanish club.

Let's take a look at three things the Blaugrana must accomplish in the second leg to make a comeback and advance to the Champions League final. They have won the most prestigious club title in two of the past three seasons.

Maintain Defensive Form

Even though Barcelona allowed the only goal on Wednesday, the defense was actually solid throughout the match. They kept Chelsea's biggest scoring threats out of prime scoring positions and made sure the deficit didn't become any larger than one.

It's crucial that Barca doesn't become overzealous on the attack, leaving holes on the back end for the Blues to expose. While the tendency when playing from behind is always to increase offensive pressure, the Blaugrana can't afford to let Chelsea strike on the counterattack again.

Scoring at least one goal in 90 minutes isn't an issue, so they need to maintain a high level of focus on defense to keep Chelsea off the board.

Limit Frustrations

Quite a few times in the first leg, especially during the second half, Barcelona showed visible frustration because opportunities that usually end up in the net were going high or wide. Every missed chance continued to compound the problem.

Whenever a team becomes frustrated, it adds unnecessary pressure to the equation. Barca has one of the most potent attacks in the world. They just need to get back to the basics and everything will work itself out. Trying harder will actually make them play worse.

If there was a silver lining about Wednesday's loss it's that the spotlight will now shift to Chelsea. That should allow Barcelona to play its usual free-flowing style in the second leg.

Finish Scoring Chances

The Blaugrana attempted 24 shots in the first leg, but only six forced Petr Cech to make a save and he did every time. Several of those missed chances were golden opportunities inside the box—ones Barca almost always convert—that amazingly didn't end up in the net.

Throughout the entire second half it felt like they would eventually score the tying goal, but it never came despite several point-blank chances. Barcelona has too much talent to let that happen twice in a row, so Chelsea must find a way to gain more possession.

While the Spanish stars return home behind, they shouldn't be overly concerned yet. If they play a similar game to the first leg and take advantage of their chances, they will still advance.