But what Chelsea did was remarkable, but it was not comparable to what Manchester United or Liverpool achieved in 1999 or 2005. United were losing 1-0 to Bayern and looked lacklustre. Then with five minutes left, they found something, from somewhere, and turned the screw. They dominated those last minutes, and were the better team. It was a show of true courage.
Likewise Liverpool were pummelled and embarrassed at half time in 2005, 3-0 down. What they did too was courage. Being outplayed quite like Chelsea had been in the Nou Camp this week, but unlike the Blues, Liverpool threw off the shackles and went for the throat of their opponents. Chelsea simply ran from Barcelona’s attempted throttling of theirs.
Nor was what Chelsea did comparable to Arsenal, whom, 4-0 down after being pulverised by AC Milan in the San Siro, proceeded to almost do a Liverpool, and bulldozed the Italians with a display of ruthless attack. As United, Liverpool and Arsenal show, courage, determination and fight are not only symbolised by throwing your body in front of a fast moving football in the penalty area, or a last ditch tackle on Leo Messi. It can also be about a moment of supremely timed technique, such as Tomas Rosicky’s second goal against Milan, brilliant timing, as in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s case in the Nou Camp in 1999, or in Steven Gerrard’s case, intelligent dribbling, when he won the penalty for the third goal in Istanbul seven years’ ago.
And then of course, Manchester United and Liverpool were true triumphs of the spirit of the game. David Beckham, a boy from East London, spotted and nurtured by Sir Alex Ferguson into one of the greatest players in the world, supplied the winning goal for a player plucked from Norway called Ole. And in 2005, Liverpool were driven to victory by a captain who grew up on Merseyside.
For Chelsea, their captain, currently facing a trial of allegedly racistly abusing Anton Ferdinand for which the QPR man won’t shake his hand this weekend, kneed Alexis Sanchez in the back on Tuesday night. It was a cowardly way to exit the Champions League, from a player who styles himself as ‘brave’. And their crucial second goal came from a clearance from Ashley Cole, a man who ran from Arsenal for the money at Chelsea. A man who almost crashed his car, in his own words, after being offered only £55,000 a week by David Dein. To a player, Fernando Torres, plucked for £50 million from Liverpool last year.
If ever there was a match which pitched all that was good about football, against all that was wrong with it, it was Barcelona against Chelsea. A team based on players who grew up in Catalonia, or in Andres Iniesta’s case down in Pamplona, and who trained together at La Masia since their teenage years. A team who play a game based on entertainment, skill, technique.
They played a team who in 2003 may have become bankrupt were it not for a goal against Liverpool through Jesper Gronkjaer, which persuaded Roman Abramovich to take the plunge and invest in Chelsea. Abramovich has continually funded Chelsea’s success, often achieved through some of the most defensive and dour football. Chelsea’s style is functional, and takes the joy out of football. Their style against Barcelona was simple, though effective. It was the boxing equivalent of running away into the corners and away from your opponent, waiting for him to lose concentration for half a second, landing a quick punch and then running away again.
It is anti-football. The whole idea was to avoid playing football against Barcelona, as that would have led to defeat. The idea was to block the space in front of the penalty area where Xavi and Iniesta and Messi all thrive. In doing so, they sacrificed any intention to play the game. There is nothing wrong with devising a strategy designed to stop the opposition scoring when out of possession. It was excellent defending. But then to sacrifice any intention to take on the opponent in a meaningful way, in favour of blocking an area of the pitch and prevent football being played there, was cowardly, and the very definition of anti-football. A bit like John Terry, kneeing his opponent, half his size, in the back when he wasn’t looking. Terry says he is not that kind of player – his own actions prove otherwise. An utterly cowardly way for Terry to exit the game and the silver lining to the defeat of football at the hands of cynicism in the Camp Nou. At least if Chelsea win, Terry won’t share the joy of his team mates.
