Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Barcelona on Tuesday night may have given them a crucial Champions League result, but Alan Shearer is still shocked by how the visitors played at Stamford Bridge. The Blues were happy with a clean sheet and a strong performance against the current La Liga champions, while Hansi Flick’s high defensive line drew harsh criticism.
Chelsea didn’t let Barcelona score, thanks to Enzo Maresca’s tactical setup. Maresca put Pedro Neto in the middle of the field to take advantage of the space behind Barcelona’s aggressive high line. This worked out well for the hosts, who had many chances to score.
The Blaugrana’s risky strategy has been a big part of their recent success at home, but it didn’t work at all in west London. Chelsea were able to get through their defense with surprising ease throughout the game. On the most recent episode of The Rest Is Football, Shearer said he was shocked at how open the Spanish giants were:
“So honestly, I’ve never seen anything like that. As bad as I saw last night with this high line. It was absolutely pathetic what they were trying to do.”
The former captain of England said that Barcelona looked much worse than usual because they weren’t organized:
“It was, it was like, what is, am I watching? Honestly, at times I was thinking I’m watching like an under-16s team or something like that. But I had to pinch myself thinking I’m watching the great Barcelona.”
Even though Chelsea had goals ruled out for offside, which showed that the trap worked to some degree, Maresca’s team kept up the pressure. The constant balls in behind finally broke the visitors’ defense, proving Shearer’s point that the tactics weren’t right for the situation.
Chelsea get ready to play Arsenal
People are now quickly turning their attention to the Premier League, where Chelsea will host league leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
Maresca will face a very different tactical challenge in the next game. Notably, Mikel Arteta’s team is known for having a much more structured and pragmatic defense when they play away from home, as opposed to Barcelona’s more open style.
The Blues had a lot of fun in open spaces on Tuesday, but they won’t have as many chances against the Gunners. Maresca has some tough choices to make, especially when it comes to attack. The clinical touch needed to break through Arsenal’s disciplined defense may be different from the speed-focused approach that worked against Barcelona.