by Divyam Arora Chelsea’s season came to a somewhat premature end when Arda Turan scored Atletico’s third goal on the night. The Blues were hoping to be in a European final for the third year in running. Atleti were brilliant on the night and fully deserve their place in the final. What will bother most Chelsea fans is how we conceded the goals. The first goal should have never been. From Ramires giving away a silly free kick to Cole’s failure to clear the ball in his own box. A string of errors were committed in the build-up. Then came a striker’s challenge in the box by Eto’o. The penalty made it very hard for Chelsea and from then on Atletico Madrid took full control of the game. Jose’s gamble to put Eto’o with 30 minutes remaining backfired. Definitely not a good night for him! Perhaps a bit more patient approach might have been fruitful. We have to give credit where it’s due and Atletico Madrid were simply the better team in this contest. Chelsea fans will now be left to ponder what next? The Premier League is as good as gone and now we’re out of the Champions League. Well, losing is a part of the game and you have to embrace it as well. But the most important thing after losing is getting back up. Recovery is the key. Blues faithful would love to see a reaction from the players in the next game and take the battle for the league right down to the wire. Won’t matter much for us as far as the Premier League crown goes, but then again, this was just supposed to be a build-up/transition phase for the next season. Not an excuse for letting the premiership slip out of our hands but this was always the objective in the first place. The fact that we were in the pole position and somehow blew it up is a different thing. I am sure that the players have gained good experience from this season. It might not have been the perfect season and Chelsea might go trophy less but we have lot to gain from this. This is pretty good for a transitional period. Fighting again for the league and back to the Champions League’s elite. Here, we a look at the key components of this season for Chelsea FC.
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by Divyam AroraIt was the night of 19th May 2012, the finale of what is the most coveted prize in club football, the Holy Grail, UEFA Champions League. The hopes of thousands of Chelsea fans were hanging on a knife-edge. 1-0 down at Bayern Munich's own backyard after a long night of football just trying to defend their way till the penalty shoot-out. A victory seemed unimaginable even for the biggest optimists. It was the prize that Chelsea craved and for so long. And after the heartbreak in Moscow, it all seemed like a lost cause. But there was no stopping Didier Drogba. He came running to the beautifully flighted ball by Mata and turned his body in the direction of the goal transferring all of his momentum as he met the ball and BANG, the ball flew in like a bullet. It had to be Drogba, the big man for the big occasions. No one else, mind you, no one could have scored that goal like that. And no, that wasn't it. He went on to score the deciding penalty that gave Chelsea its first ever Champions League. After he had been sent off in Moscow's showpiece and John Terry slipped to miss his penalty, this was meant to be. It was dramatic. It was box office. It was something that I can never put in words.
It was a grand send off for a man who had given it his all to win the competition and for once be crowned the champion of Europe. No matter how bad his form be, he always used to come alive in the big games. Cup final specialist is how he's known at Chelsea. Scored in every cup game at the new Wembley Stadium and stands tall as the Chelsea's leading scorer in Europe. He is also the 4th highest all time goal scorer for Chelsea FC. Twice African player of the year, featured in the FIFA Pro team, Golden Boot(s) & Man of the match in UEFA Champions League finale. Records are aplenty. He was the record transfer when he signed for Chelsea in 2004 for £24 million on this day nine years ago. He has given us all a lot of memories and some amazing goals. The goal against Barcelona, against Arsenal in the semi final of FA Cup and the long shot to complete the comeback against Everton specially comes to mind. Not to mention the great free kicks he has scored in the past including the ones against Tottenham & Hull City. |