The 2-0 victory of Chlesea over resurgent PSG maintained their European reputation. It was another result when men in Blues won when it was least expected.
Soccer lovers can recall their similar victory over Napoli in Round 2 in 2012 UEFA Champions League. The Italians were ahead 3-1 from their first leg win at Naples. At the end of both the legs, the result was 5-4 in favour of Chelsea. It was not a flash in the pan. In the same year in Semi final, they defeated invincible Barcelona at Nau Camp. Missed penalty of Messi and goal in last moments by Spanish stricker Fernando Torres were the talking points.
The final was a home game for Bayern Munchen. The club was without a regular coach. At Alliaz arean, men of Roberto de Matteo rose to the occasion. The joy of 83rd minute goal by Thomas Muller was annulled by superb back volley of Drogba in last minutes. The match went in to the penalties. After a long long time, a German team lost the penalty shoot out and Chelsea were the UEFA Champions against all odds.
Since 2004, Chelsea has seen entry and exit of 10 coaches. Many players joined and resigned. Didier Drogba, Eidur Gudjonson, Damien Duff are no longer with the club. But the core of the team has always remained the same. Terry, Lampard, Cole, Cech are the players around whom the wheel of success revolves. Torres, Etoo, Oscar, Luiz, Ramirez and Ivanovic (whose header gave them Europa Cup) are the loyal players of second generation.
This cohesive unit becomes explosive whenever it comes to play against big teams. It’s in their DNA. Chelsea comprises of average players. They do not dream of Galacticos or spends freely on purchase. But these unheralded men turn heroes and heroes into legends on big European nights. Unlike other successful clubs, team don’t rely on the performance of a player only. A new hero emerges regularly for the fans.
Jose Maurinho is successful with many clubs but he will count his days at London as ‘The special one’. In English Premier League 2013-14, they have defeated both Manchester Clubs, Arsenal, Everton, Tottenham and Liverpool. The habit of victory is not limited to home games only. They soak the pressure of large home crowd quite easily.
This year they are still in the race for 2 big trophies. As always, they are not favourites. They may not be the champions of either of these but one thing is for sure. When it comes to play big matches, they are the champions.