Chelsea: Did they really "park the bus"?

Chelsea are the current European champions, but somehow I believe they are still not given the respect they deserve. People believe they are a defensive team who were just lucky to win the Champions League. However, I beg to differ. You can’t be just lucky to win a tournament as big as the Champions League. It wasn’t a one0off match, but a yearlong physically and mentally draining tournament. You can be lucky in one or two matches but you can’t expect luck to be with you for 12 matches (the amount of matches Chelsea played to lift the cup).

Now, coming to the defensive part. Chelsea never claims that they play the Barcelona style of attacking football. I believe no other team can replicate that style. Because there can be only one Lionel Messi. Football is not about keeping the ball, it’s what you do with it when you have it. Chelsea didn’t keep 60 or 70% possession, but whenever they had the ball, they used it to great effect. You don’t expect a ‘defensive’ team to score four goals against a quality opposition like Napoli. But still they defeated Napoli 4-1 at Stamford Bridge to qualify for the quarterfinals with a 5-4 win on aggregate. Yes, a so-called defensive team scored five goals and conceded four. I wonder where the defense was!

In the quarter-finals, they faced Benfica. The first leg ended 1-0 in Chelsea’s favor at the Estadio Da Luz. Benfica missed quite a few chances which proved to be vital as Chelsea advanced to the semifinals with a 3-1 win on aggregate.

Now, the big one. Chelsea vs Barcelona. The game in which Chelsea were accused of parking the bus! Chelsea had about 30-40% of the possession in both the legs. But if you compare any other team playing Barcelona, you will realize it’s the same story. But because Barcelona could easily unlock the other defenses, teams were never accused of parking the bus. Barcelona found it hard to do the same against Chelsea, hence the accusation.

Football is a game of both defense and attack. Both are of equal importance. To be a good successful team you have to be as good in defense as you are in attack. No wonder Chelsea were excellent in their defensive display, but they were equally efficient in front of goal taking the few chances which they created. Barcelona on the other hand were wasteful. Even the magician Lionel Messi failed to score. A certain Didier Drogba proved to be the difference between the two teams.

Now, coming to the final. Chelsea vs Bayern Munich. And not to forget the match was played at the Allianz arena, the home of the German giants. Again, Chelsea hardly kept the ball. Bayern had most of the possession, but anyone who saw the final wouldn’t disagree with me when I say that Bayern didn’t do much with it. They hardly created any chances. Chelsea weren’t even at their defensive best, as they were against Barcelona. John Terry was suspended, Cahill to went off early with an injury. I don’t see any reason why Bayern ‘deserved’ to win. Clear cut openings were far and few. And the less said about Robben and Ribery’s performance that day, the better. Again they were defensive, but to say that they parked the bus would be wrong. With the Champions League final at someone’s home ground, you can’t expect the other team to go all out and attack. The risk involved and the occasion are just too big.

In the end I would like to conclude by saying that it will be wrong to say that Chelsea were lucky and parked the bus. One has to give them credit for their stellar defensive performances. Also, they scored goals when it mattered. They rode their luck sometimes. But that is also necessary to win a big tournament. And this does not mean they were lucky throughout the tournament. Chelsea were the deserving winners and it’s about time people give them the credit they deserve!