FFT's Chris Flanagan was at Stamford Bridge to see Chelsea top their Champions League group with a 2-0 win over Porto using Stats Zone - FREE on iOS and Android...
The words Chelsea and defensive solidity don't tend to go together as often as they used to. The bedrock of each of Jose Mourinho's three Premier League title triumphs, thing have gone horribly wrong in the Blues backline this term.
Chelsea have leaked 24 goals in 15 Premier League matches, a figure only surpassed by the division's bottom five. But in the Champions League, Chelsea's defensive record has remained as strong as it ever was.
Mourinho's men conceded just three times in six group games. Of the 32 teams in the group stage, only Paris Saint-Germain conceded less. The Blues chopped and changed in defence just as often as they have done in the league - they named a different back four in each of their group matches - but the frailties seen in the Premier League this season have not been evident in the Champions League.
True, a group containing Porto, Dynamo Kiev and Maccabi Tel Aviv wasn't the strongest they'll ever face. But they haven't been shy of conceding freely against unfancied opposition in the Premier League - two against Newcastle, Swansea and West Brom, and no clean sheet against Bournemouth either.
1. Blues put a block on Porto's ambitions
Chelsea knew they would be through to the last 16 of the Champions League if they kept a clean sheet, and that's exactly what they did. They did plenty of attacking, taking the lead in the 12th minute and adding a second through Willian, but there was also an intriguing display of old school defending on show.
Chelsea had just 39 per cent possession - 8 of the top 9 passers in the match were Porto players, with only Nemanja Matic gatecrashing the leaderboard. The visitors registered a total of 16 shots, 5 more than the hosts, yet despite that Mourinho's side looked comfortable throughout the evening.
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The reason for that was largely down to the fact that a massive 9 of those 16 Porto attempts were blocked by some tried-and-tested bodies-on-the-line defensive work. Cesar Azpilicueta, Kurt Zouma and Ramires each made 2 blocks. Chelsea's organisation meant they had the men in the right positions to stop Porto troubling Thibaut Courtois, and the Belgian shot-stopper had only 3 saves to make all night.
2. Ivanovic keeps Porto's dribblers at bay
John Terry slotted neatly back into central defence after injury, while Branislav Ivanovic's performance also held up to inspection despite the fact that Porto focused heavily on take-ons, the Serbian's biggest weakness in his nightmare start to the campaign. The visitors attempted 60 take-ons in total, with Jesus Corona (19) and Yacine Brahimi (18) the most determined to try and try again. No Chelsea player attempted more than Matic’s 5. But Ivanovic was successful with 6 out of 8 tackles during the game.
3. Oscar the tackling machine
It was attacking midfielder Oscar, however, who made as many tackles as anyone during his 81 minutes on the field, illustrating the fact that Chelsea were working defensively all over the field. Oscar made 7 tackles, a figure that was equalled by Ramires and eventually surpassed by Cesar Azpilicueta (8) in the final nine minutes of the match. In total Chelsea made 42 tackles to Porto's 20.
4. Willian the goalscoring worker
Willian has been Chelsea's best player in the Champions League this season and his late winner at home to Dynamo Kiev was particularly important. It meant the Blues only needed a draw against Porto, taking most of the pressure away from them
You can always rely on Willian to put in a shift on the right flank and it was he who topped the rankings for ball recoveries against Porto, with 10. The 27-year-old made his name in the Champions League with Shakhtar Donetsk and he is another of the main reasons why Chelsea made it safely through to the last 16, thanks to an impressive 5 goals in 6 group games.
His powerful finish against Porto was his first from open play - the others were all free-kicks - and was his reward for another good display, which also saw him create 4 chances. Willian has been Chelsea's best player in the Champions League this season and his late winner at home to Dynamo Kiev was particularly important. It meant the Blues only needed a draw against Porto, taking most of the pressure away from them.
5. Promising signs from Hazard and Costa
As well as impressing in defence, Chelsea were much improved in attack against Porto. Eden Hazard had one of his brightest performances for a while, creating 2 chances and having 2 attempts at goal, while Diego Costa caused the visitors constant problems on his return to the starting line-up after two games as a sub.
His movement was great, which was something he didn’t have in a couple of months before. The first goal obviously was an own goal but his movement was great. Last season he would score immediately, this season he couldn't. He could score two or three goals, so his lack of confidence was clear, but his attitude was very good and his movement was excellent
That the Spanish international didn't find the net on the night and only had 2 shots, despite being sent clear on 3 occasions, was indication that Costa is still lacking confidence in front of goal. But one of those opportunities led to the game's key moment, a ricocheted own goal off Ivan Marcano.
There was no doubt that Costa's movement was excellent and he was at the heart of all of Chelsea's attacking play, with his pace forever stretching Porto. If he continues to play like that, the goals will surely come. "His effort and his commitment were clear," said Mourinho afterwards. "His movement was great, which was something he didn’t have in a couple of months before. The first goal obviously was an own goal but his movement was great. Last season he would score immediately, this season he couldn't. In the second half he faced the keeper on his own and you could feel the lack of confidence because the first thing he does is not look to the goal but look to the linesman, and he lost a vital second. He could score two or three goals, so his lack of confidence was clear, but his attitude was very good and his movement was excellent."
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Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.
