Faced with an apparently irresistible force, both teams showed this week the power of believing in what you do
Quite a week for underdogs. Not that Chelsea and Wigan Athletic would normally be lumped together in the cowering canine category any more than Crufts would have a class for borzois and basset hounds.
On this occasion, however, the ways in which these teams have won games that on paper appeared fraught with difficulty – Wigan beating Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates in the Premier League and Chelsea gaining a 1-0 lead over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in the opening leg of their Champions League semi-final – bear comparison.
Both were achieved on the basis of well-organised, disciplined defending and quick, opportunistic counterattacks. In each case the opposition's biggest individual scoring threat; Arsenal's Robin van Persie and Barcelona's Lionel Messi, was nullified. And while the losers enjoyed the bulk of the possession – Barcelona having so much of the ball that at times it appeared to be tied to their feet by invisible string – this meant little because so much of their finishing was uncharacteristically wayward.
All right, Wigan and Chelsea each owed much to the agility and anticipation of their respective goalkeepers, Ali al-Habsi and Petr Cech, each of whom made some wonderful saves. Chelsea, moreover, did ride their luck, seeing shots from Barcelona hit bar and post. Nevertheless, these were outstanding performances of their type.
All teams sometimes have to rely on being able to contain their opponents while waiting patiently for a chance to catch them on the break, and while Wigan rather did the opposite by scoring twice at the Emirates in the opening eight minutes, for the remainder of the game they were largely in the situation in which Chelsea found themselves two nights later. The sight of an apparently irresistible force being consistently frustrated by immovable objects often makes for an intriguing plot.
And the cameos were equally rewarding. When Wigan can come to Arsenal and reduce Arsène Wenger, one of football's more studious managers, to a wild figure on the touchline raging at the fourth official about time-wasting, it is a feat in itself. How much time do Arsenal need to beat a team last but three in the Premier League for goodness sake?
Then there was Didier Drogba, one of football's leading tragedians, scoring what proved to be the winner against Barcelona after spending much of the first-half perfecting his enactment of the death of Nelson. Almost every time Drogba went into a tackle he collapsed in a writhing heap of the acutest agony. But when Ramires threaded a low centre through the Barcelona defence he was Superman reborn.
Not that Chelsea's performance satisfied everybody. The word 'ugly' cropped up several times in describing their tactics. This is football not ballet. At times a team has to concentrate on the functional at the expense of the finer arts. People do not shop at B&Q expecting to find a Rembrandt in the paint section.
From the point of view of the managers, the Robertos; Martínez and Di Matteo, the results sent out mixed messages. Wigan and their chairman, Dave Whelan, are again being rewarded for persevering with Martínez, who kept them in the Premier League last season and is promising to do the same this time. Chelsea, on the other hand, now seem to have been equally good judges in appointing Di Matteo pro tem after they had off-loaded André Villas-Boas.
Had Roman Abramovich been in love with Lowry landscapes and fancied a spot of salmon fishing nearby, he might have bought Wigan rather than Chelsea. In which case it is doubtful whether Martínez would have lasted much beyond early November, by which time his team had lost eight league games in succession.
Martinez and his players have faith in each other and now it seems to be that way at Chelsea. Professional footballers do not set out to play badly, whoever is in charge, but under Di Matteo Chelsea clearly believe in what they are being asked to do, which was not always apparent before.
Maybe Wigan will still go down and Chelsea, having beaten Barcelona on their front lawn, will get lost on the steppe at the Camp Nou. But in neither case is the cause hopeless and that in itself is an achievement. Three of Chelsea's back four who stood firm against Messi et al were English: John Terry, Gary Cahill and Ashley Cole. Which may interest whoever is picking the England team for Euro 2012. Read More
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