Conte hopes for an ‘incredible night’ at the Nou Camp
Coach is wary of going toe-to-toe with Spanish Praise for Christensen despite mistake for goal
Antonio Conte urged his Chelsea players “to do something incredible at the Nou Camp” after last night’s 1-1 draw but warned that they would be “crazy” to go toe-totoe against Barcelona.
Midfielder Cesc Fabregas had earlier claimed that Chelsea should now attack Barcelona after taking the lead against the runaway leaders of La Liga, even though Conte was adamant that his team had already almost executed the ideal tactical plan. “We were very close to playing the perfect game,” said Conte. “We paid dearly for one mistake. This game must give us a lot of confidence to trust that, in the second leg, qualification is open.
“We showed that if we are ready to work very hard together defensively but, at the same time have the right feeling when you win the ball to create the chances to score, we can try to do something incredible at the Nou Camp.”
Asked if the tactics should be more offensive in Spain following Lionel Messi’s away goal, Conte said: “I think we have to respect the opponent. When you play against Barcelona you know very well that, if you want to face them box-to-box, you are crazy. You go to lose the game, not only 1-0 or 2-0 but like it happens in Spain, 4-0, 5-0, 6-0.
“You must use intelligence. I think the players are not stupid. A coach can have a fantastic plan but, if the players don’t believe in this plan, you are dead. We must be prepared to suffer together.
“But, when you are suffering, you must know that when you have the ball you can create a chance to score.”
Fabregas grew up with Messi in Barcelona’s academy and then returned to the club between 2011 and 2014 before joining Chelsea and warned against an overly defensive approach in Spain. “You have to have a lot of personality to play against this team who has 70 per cent of the ball,” he said. “We have to go there to attack and score because 90 minutes defending at the Nou Camp is an eternity. It is a suicide mission. We have to play our game.”
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had barely made a save before Barcelona seized on a 75th minute mistake by Andreas Christensen to equalise but Conte was adamant that the 21-year-old had been among his best players. Asked if he now regretted playing Christensen ahead of Gary Cahill, Conte said: “No – absolutely not. Christensen’s performance was incredible. We are talking about a player who is only 21. It’s great that he’s able to play this game with this maturity and personality. Christensen for me was one of the best players. I’m very pleased with his performance.
“Without the mistake, Barcelona were in great difficulty to find and create a chance to score. We were unlucky tonight because we hit the post twice.” Conte also agreed that goalscorer Willian had performed at a similar level to Messi and said that the Brazilian “has the potential to play this type of game every match.” Andres Iniesta admitted that Barcelona had struggled with Chelsea’s system but predicted a “different” game at the Nou Camp. Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde also acknowledged that Conte’s tactical plan had almost succeeded but believes that the away goal is now significant. “It was a clash of styles,” said Valverde. “We tried to control the match and had a lot of possession, getting close to their penalty area, but they surprised us on the counter-attack at times. We were just lacking extra quality in the final third.”