Chelsea v. PSG Preview

For the third year in a row, the Blues face the Parisians and there is a strange new precedent set for this match - for once it’s PSG who are looking to be the more anxious of the two.

Chelsea have for long been a counter-attacking team. Thiago Motta claimed that the players “didn’t want the ball” under Mourinho, thus making PSG’s job of progression that much easier.

Laurent Blanc has taken the team from the French capital and used the resources available to him to make it a formidable threat. They dominate in France, and attract the best talent around and let Financial Fair Play be damned. Chelsea were once just as reckless with their funds, but not as shrewd. (Shevchenko, Fernando Torres, and Juan Cuadrado come immediately to mind.)

The Chelsea of present under Hiddink look to be a slightly different animal, albeit being a far cry from a dominant power. The predictions of this matchup go heavily in PSG’s favour unless Chelsea can pull something out of the hat.

I expect to see a strong, defensive resistance from the Blues, with counter-attack being the name of the game. The matchup between Diego Costa and Thiago Silva is going to be a tricky one to figure out. Both are strong on the ball, but not particularly pacey. If the recent trend of driving Diego in behind the backline with through balls is to work, then he’s got to ghost around instead of making his presence known.

Guus Hiddink is definitely going to be cozier in his seat than Laurent Blanc due to the other priorities of the season taking precedence - i.e. not getting relegated. Although he is going to make a go of it, just like in the F.A. Cup.

If the counter-attacking plan is to work, that relies heavily on the defensive unit muzzling Cavani, Ibrahimovic, and Di Maria. The Argentinian winger is the one I worry about the most. If he is to find any success with a goal or an assist it will obviously come against Ivanovic on the right side. The Serbian is going to have to really prove his mettle or Chelsea are cooked.

Gary Cahill and John Terry have experience and height, and should make things somewhat difficult for the target men in Ibrahimovic and Cavani, but being two of the best strikers in the world entails having a few tricks that no defender can properly prepare for.

The bulk of the team effort will be around defense, with those three in the back liable to have the headlines centered around them should a result go pear-shaped for the Blues. Offensively I don’t think a goal is likely, as sad as it is to say. PSG’s depth is far too great, and their lead in the Ligue 1 table is colossal.

Champions League is probably second to last in terms of the Chelsea season goals, so if there is any motivation to be drilled into the squad it will be for a sense of pride and making a good show of it for the fans’ sake.

Or maybe third time is the charm?