PSG have tools to spoil Chelsea revival
WHAT a difference a few weeks and a change of manager has made at Chelsea.
The only conclusion you can come to is that the Chelsea players are playing for Guus Hiddink and had simply stopped performing for Jose Mourinho.
Despite yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Stoke, they are just 10 points from the top four and challenging for European qualification.
If anything, it was a missed opportunity for Chelsea — a win would have lifted the Blues up to eighth, seven points off West Ham in fifth.
But this week’s Champions League business with Paris St-Germain promises to be tough and I’ve got a feeling the French champions will sneak it.
PSG are bound to score at Stamford Bridge which would leave Chelsea needing two goals to get through after the 2-1 defeat in Paris, the only game they have lost since Hiddink took over.
There is also some concern over the fitness of Chelsea’s Diego Costa, who was left out as a precaution yesterday after picking up a minor tendon injury. It is hard to judge the PSG side because they are playing in and dominating a pretty poor domestic league.
Don’t get me wrong, they are a good side, they have cost a few million to put together and they have an impressive list of players in real form like Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Di Maria, Matuidi, Moura…
They were expected to go through the season unbeaten, only to suffer a shock defeat to Lyon last week, but were again afforded the opportunity to leave Ibrahimovic, Thiago Motta and David Luiz out of their starting eleven against Montpellier yesterday.
But this is not the Premier League by any stretch of the imagination, and they are nowhere near the level of Arsenal’s Invincibles team of the 2003/04 season.
The French league games are not great to watch and PSG go into the majority knowing they are going to win, as they should.
They will bring that confidence to Chelsea this week and will expect to go through to the last eight.