Chelsea 1-3 Atletico Madrid - Five Talking Points

This Champions League semi final was all about grit and determination. Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have two of the meanest defences in all of Europe and after the first leg in Madrid ended 0-0, the second leg was certainly touted to be a tight affair.In the end it was the away side, Atletico, who emerged as comfortable winners, beating Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, thus setting up an all Spanish affair in the Champions League final where they will play their arch rivals Real Madrid. Chelsea for all their defensive robustness could not keep out the Atletico juggernaut,Here are the 5 main talking points from this contest.

#1 Chelsea were too defensive

Starting a Champions League semi final with 6 defenders in the starting 11 when you are playing at home does not give any body the idea that you are trying to win the game outright. Chelsea looked to keep Atletico Madrid at bay rather than score and finish the tie completely. They had the advantage of playing the second leg at home but they were unable to take advantage of it.

The attack looked slow and dull, yes Torres did score against his former club but apart from that attack there was barely any threat from Chelsea throughout the night and Atletico were having a field day with the Chelsea defence.

Atletico looked dangerous right from the start and ultimately made them pay.

#2 Defensive lapses cost Chelsea dearly

Chelsea seemed to have done it all when Torres opened the scoring for the Blues against his former club. You would not expect a team managed by Jose Mourinho to make defensive mistakes but that did happen on this night. For the first goal, Eden Hazard forgot to follow his man and that led to the cross which was finished by Adrian.

Then in the second half it was Samuel Eto'o who fouled Diego Costa in the box which Costa coverted with ease after taking an age to set up the penalty kick. Even the third goal, scored by the hard working Arda Turan came from a free header, which came off the post and he followed it up by scoring in an empty net, the Chelsea defense were very slow to react.

Maybe the toll of playing three big games back-to-back affected the squad, the defence looked slow and tired and were made to pay by Atletico.

#3 Diego Simeone has got what it takes to be a top manager

Being at the helm of one of the smaller clubs, no disrespect meant to Atletico Madrid but they can't be compared to Real Madrid or Barcelona, is no easy task. Diego Simeone has not only ensured that Atletico reached the Champions League final for the first time since 1974 but they are on the brink of winning the La Liga title as well with two games to go.

Atletico being in such a position is unthinkbale if you are to believe the budget they have is almost a fraction of Real Madrid's, Diego has made a team, yes there are certain individuals who may be better than the rest of the players but it is the collective team that continues to impress in Spain and in Europe.

There is a sense of beleif in the way the team plays and that the players are playing for each other and not for individual glory. Simeone will certainly try to complete the League and European double. Who would have bet on that at the start of this season?

#4 What now for Chelsea?

Jose Mourinho had selected a somewhat weaker squad to face Liverpool last sunday so that he could have a better chance of winning the Champions League. He had stated it was easier to win the Champions league since he would need to win only 2 games, while Chelsea had to win the 3 games left in the Premier League and hope others would slip up. He even went the extra mile to say that he would discuss this whole saga of a weakened sqaud with the top brass at Chelsea.

That did not work out too well for Jose, sure they beat Liverpool and now have a slim chance of winning the league but him coming out in the open saying that winning the Champions League was more important and this whole business of playing the weaker squad has certainly backfired. There is nowhere to hide and no excuses to be made about this result.

#5 Where does Courtois go now?

There was this one cross, when the score was 2-1 to Atletico, which was headed onto the post and Courtois somehow flung his arms high and pushed the ball out. Those reflexes were again tested late on by Eden Hazard when Courtois saved smartly with his feet from a Hazard shot.

Courtois, as we all know is on loan at Atletico from Chelsea and has now made sure that his pay masters will not be going to the Champions League final. He will at least play the final in the colours of Atletico Madrid but where will he be next season? That is a question that everyone wants answered, Courtois will not be a no. 2 keeper at any club, he is too good for that. So is it time to say goodbye to Petr Cech and hello to Courtois at Chelsea? Only time will tell.