[ad_1]
Chelsea were gunned down by Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals last night putting serious doubt over whether they have any chance at all of progressing to the semi-finals of the competition.
It’s simple, we need to score at least two goals without reply in the second leg just to take it to extra time, and we have to do that in Real’s own backyard. Near impossible, right? Well, yes, if you are Thomas Tuchel, who basically said last night that we are out of the tie now.
He was annoyed and frustrated, naturally, as we all were. But I think what he was also doing here was cleverly taking any pressure and hope away from his team, and whilst maybe only subconsciously, but remembering that this group of players thrive as the underdogs, or they are at least much more mentally stronger when there is no pressure on them to win, and that is the scenario we are now in.
3-1 down from the first leg makes it near impossible, not NOT impossible. There is a chance, there is hope, and we have done it before. Napoli in 2012 when we went on to win the whole thing, we were 3-1 down after the first leg. Ajax, we showed amazing spirit to pull three goals back to draw and stay in the competition, and it’s absolutely a Chelsea thing to thrive in chaos, thrive in a crisis, and thrive when the pressure is off. We LOVE being the underdogs.
I genuinely believe we can go to Madrid and bang in a couple of goals, and I think that the players can really get up for it when having nothing to lose. When the chips are down, many of our players hide away, but when there is nothing at stake, they quietly come to life and fight like lions. This is why I believe we have hope going into the tie next week, and this is why I believe that the Spanish job, is far from impossible.
OK, I’ll wake up from my daydream now!
[ad_2]
Source link
