Chelsea in control of tie but work still to be done for Thomas Tuchel’s Blues

An Olivier Giroud bicycle kick proved to be the only goal in Chelsea’s Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid last night, with the Blues now poised to advance to the quarter-finals after their 1-0 win.

It wasn’t easy for Thomas Tuchel’s side, with their opponents currently sitting at the top of La Liga ahead of the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, Chelsea are so far unbeaten in the Champions League and inflicted Atletico’s second loss in the competition this season.

Last night’s game was played at a neutral venue, the Arena Națională in the Romanian capital of Bucharest. This is due to the COVID restrictions introduced by the Spanish government preventing the arrival of people from countries that have been affected by new variants of the disease.

If anything, this could prove to be beneficial for Chelsea in the long run as they have been able to avoid playing at Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium, but will be able to finish the tie at Stamford Bridge. Even though fans are currently unable to attend games, home advantages in the Champions League are always seen as blessings.

The Blues were heading into this game with a point to prove. They had just come off the back of a 1-1 draw away at Southampton in the Premier League at the weekend which, in reality, is a poor result considering the Saints’ form in recent weeks.

Atletico and their manager Diego Simeone are known for playing with a compact and well-drilled defence, so it would need to take a moment of magic to break the deadlock.

An early yellow card within the first minute of the game for Mason Mount set the tone, but it also means he will miss the second leg through suspension. The young midfielder was sitting in behind a strike partnership of Giroud and Timo Werner, with an experienced defence and midfield holding the rest of the team together.

Chelsea looked shaky in the opening few minutes and had trouble trying to keep Luis Suarez quiet. Werner had a couple of opportunities to score past Jan Oblak but was unable to find the back of the net. Despite Atletico’s impressive season, they were certainly there for the taking in this game but Chelsea proved to be the cause of their own struggles once again.

The killer ball needed to stretch their opponent’s defence was almost non-existent, with poor passing being a common theme throughout the evening. Atletico’s persistent and compact back line was proving to be too much for Chelsea’s attack, it seems.

The second half didn’t see much improvement in terms of chances for either side with the only real opportunity coming from Joao Felix, who sent an acrobatic effort from the edge of the box well over the bar. Just a few minutes later though, this would change in favour of the visitors.

A good break down the left hand side from Chelsea saw Marcos Alonso send a strong cross into the box. It came off Giroud and Atletico defender Mario Hermoso appeared ready to clear his lines. However, he made the mistake of kicking the falling ball behind him and into the path of Giroud, who leapt off the ground and sent the ball into the back of the net via an exquisite bicycle kick.

The linesman raised his flag for offside and thus prompted a check by VAR. It did initially appear as though Giroud was in an offside position but after a lengthy check, which lasted nearly three minutes, the goal was given. That was the Frenchman’s sixth goal in the Champions League this season, which is only two behind leading scorer Erling Haaland.

The final 20 minutes would prove to be fairly comfortable for the Blues as Atletico failed to really threaten Edouard Mendy and his goal. Some late cameos from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic helped to seal the deal and give Chelsea the advantage in the second leg.

For Tuchel, that’s now six wins out of a possible eight since he joined Chelsea and he still remains unbeaten. The second leg will surely be an interesting affair, with Atletico knowing they will have to refrain from their defensive stance and attack the Blues if they want to stand any chance of progressing.

Chelsea face tough tests before that though, with Manchester United on Sunday and Liverpool next Thursday. These are good chances for the Blues to work on and improve their play in the final third, particularly against defences that have recently shown signs of fragility.

Giroud’s stunning finish last night means it has been so far, so good for Tuchel at Chelsea. Their new formation has been proven effective in their results, but it is certainly not the finished product just yet. A squad of this level of quality and experience certainly has the potential to win trophies, and the German boss will be keen to make this a reality.

The Blues haven’t progressed beyond the round of 16 since 2014, but last night’s win means they are a step closer to the quarter-finals in club football’s biggest competition.

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