I love how everybody is writing us off pundits and co did it against Napoli then Benfica but we have still progressed now they're getting annoyed. After the ITV live match I went on radio 5 live and Fletcher received an anonymous text with no name on it which said "I'm no Chelsea fan but Chelsea are the best team in England this season based on the Champions League Chelsea are the only team who can stop Barcelona". Craig Burly was on and he said hang on how are they the best team in England who sent that text? Fletcher responded it has no name and Craig Burly said "I can see why he put no name on it". There was another commentator there as well who said "well based on the last 6 years Barcelona have found it difficult against Chelsea. Chelsea play a style which Barcelona don't like" Craig Burly said "Yeah but that was in the past when Chelsea were younger but we are in the present so no they can't". Fletcher the main commentator thinks Chelsea will have no chance at all and was siding with Craig Burly through out that whole debate. Did anyone else listen to that? Also check out this debate everyone thinks we don't stand a chance; http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2012/04/chelsea_dreams_driven_by_reven.html Don't think it will be as easy for Barcelona as everybody is making it out to be. Chelsea are one of the most experienced team in this years UCL we are a match for Barcelona.
Barsa fan in "peace": nobody's really writing you off, it's just that most of you want to give that impression so you look cool like resistance heroes. I'm sure it'll be a really tense 180 minutes and belief me, all real Barça fans are ready for a real scrap, or " una verdadera chatarro", as we say on the Ramblas.
Barcelona are a cut above any team in Europe under Guardiola. Arsenal found out, Madrid found out, Man United found out and so will you.
For the 88th time, people said this in 09 and it never happened. We managed to stop the best attacking side in the world having one shot on goal until they scored. I like many others think we'll lose but i don't doubt we'll give them a hard time.
At home play Drogba who will be nice and fresh & back to his best play the long game intermittently and get among them. The lumps will sort themselves out.
So no one thinks we can get passed Barcelona ?? No surprise there. On paper they look to be well in front of us now, with most of their players in their prime. Many of ours are past theirs, so theoretically they have the edge. In the past we have pretty much had their measure, and at least once beat them everywhere but the scoreboard. Then of course there was the danish donut who fixed up a nice little win for them. But that was then. Now , it will be harder because we don't have the legs to harry them and piss them off. When you do that they get the hump, as someone once said, they don't like it up em !!!! Anyway, referees aside, easier said than done, we should give them heaps to worry about. We may not be as good as we once were, but we're as good once as we ever were. Twice might be a tad too far.
I think you will give them a torrid time in the first leg and be outgunned in the second... just saying.
Its like this every time we've played Barca. Back in 2000, it was against the Barca of Figo, Kluivert and Rivaldo that was going to overrun us but we won the first leg convincingly and though obviously the 5-1 result in second leg does look very bad on paper, that was only after extra time when Chelsea were reduced to 10 men. 2005 - 2007 we played Barca six times. At that time it was Barca of Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Messi, Deco, Giuly, etc. Of those six games, Barca only beat us twice and both times it was only after we'd had a man sent off (Drogba's being particularly controversial) and never more than a one goal margin. 2009, it was much the same team Barca have now but Chelsea got a 0-0 at Nou Camp and might even have nicked it. Messi was kept out of the game by Bosingwa of all people. Second leg, we all know what happened. So, the point of this is to show that despite the perception of how far and above us Barca are, we have always been competitive and though Barca are rightly favourites to win (and looking objectively, you expect they will) there is no reason to believe Chelsea couldn't sneak their way through.
I find it amusing that countless rival fans have been on forums everywhere saying we're going to get thrashed. Yes there are a few who have wished us good luck but very few think we can win and most of us Chelsea fans seem to be of the same opinion. Can we beat Barcelona? - Of course we can but I very much doubt we will and most of us seem to feel the same way. These "rivals" who have been spouting this crap will be the same ones who will go back on the forums stating "I told you so" if we lose as if they're some type of all seeing all knowing prophet and it's ALL down to one simple fact. Their teams have either failed in Europe or continue to come up short in their attempts at qualifying it and the green eyed monster takes over. They can't bear the thought of Chelsea succeeding after the turmoil we've been through and the **** that has been thrown at us (by them) especially this season due to RA's investment in the club coupled with his ruthlessness! Well I say - **** 'EM ALL!
