Blues should make easy work of over-rated PSG side.
Chelsea meet Paris Saint-Germain in a tricky-looking Champions League tie this week, but here are five reasons Blues fans shouldn’t be too worried about a two-legged tie against the French giants…
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1) PSG looking far worse this season
Sitting third in Ligue 1 at the moment after some uninspiring results of late, there is no question that PSG have gone backwards this season. Last term Chelsea were at least up against the best team in France, but now Laurent Blanc’s side have slipped behind the likes of Lyon and Marseille in the table and look in need of a revamp before they can take on Europe’s elite again.
2) Blanc is an unambitious manager
Last season, Blanc played a very negative game in this fixture when his side led 3-1 from the first leg. PSG were very poor in the return fixture at Stamford Bridge, and did little to try to make the game safe even at 1-0 down and staring elimination in the face. The Frenchman is becoming increasingly under pressure at the Parc des Princes for taking a fine set of players backwards and making this side into a fairly dull one to watch.
3) Defenders won’t cope with Costa
Perhaps the key player for Chelsea for this fixture, as indeed for many of their games this season, Diego Costa is the best striker in Europe this season and will surely prove too much for PSG’s defence. Former Blues ace David Luiz is up against his old club and has mistakes in him which Costa will exploit, while Thiago Silva also looks somewhat past his best. They won’t come up against many players as good as Costa in Ligue 1, and it certainly seems like the Spaniard could make the difference in this tie.
4) Ibrahimovic and Cavani not firing
Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have not worked well as a strike partnership at PSG, and hardly boast great individual stats this season either. The Uruguayan has only 8 goals, while even Ibrahimovic looks like his influence is waning slightly, with 15 in all competitions a fairly modest return by his high standards. These two are surely the biggest names in the PSG team and if they can’t get it together, it’s hard to imagine what the rest of their players could really do to harm Chelsea.
5) Mourinho prioritising this competition
Chelsea’s exit from the FA Cup will only have motivated Jose Mourinho even more to add another Champions League medal to his collection. A winner in 2004 with Porto and 2010 with Inter Milan, the Portuguese coach is yet to lift the trophy with Chelsea, but may never have a better chance. This Blues team has been superb this season and can put the effort and focus required into this game with a comfortable lead in the Premier League and little else in the way of a distraction.