Chelsea vice-captain looks ahead after the disappointing loss to Barcelona

If you didn’t know, Chelsea lost to Barcelona in the second leg as the Blues were unable to recreate the magic of 2012. This isn’t down to lack of talent as the 2012 squad didn’t exactly have world beaters but one thing which they did have was the old guard™. Players like Cech, Drogba, Cole and Lampard weren’t just talented, they were also fighters who never gave up, regardless of the magnitude of the task ahead of them.

One such player in our squad is Mr. Consistent, Cesar Azpilicueta. No matter what the game, no matter what the formation, no matter what the position he is playing, Azpilicueta always gives his absolute best and rarely ever has an off day.

However, against Barcelona, he was one of the non-performers and he will be the first person to raise his hands up and accept it. Speaking after the game, Azpilicueta offered his insights on the match and the unstoppable Messi, while also looking to the future beyond the events that unfolded at the Nou Camp.

“I thought we had a lot of chances but a couple of mistakes we made, they punished us. We knew we had to score to get at least extra-time. We had enough chances to make it happen, but they punished our mistakes with three goals.

“We knew Messi is a very good player and he can make the difference at any point. We knew it but we couldn’t stop it.”

As the saying goes, you either win or you learn. Chelsea needs to learn and learn quickly as the business end of the season is here and it’s make or break time. We still have the top four finish and FA Cup dreams alive, two things we need to achieve if we’re to save this season. I mean, we achieve these two, we can still have a better season than every English team not named Manchester City and that’s definitely something which should motivate us.

“The team fought really hard. We will analyse and focus. The next game is the FA Cup, we will try to get through to the semi-finals and get back into the top four in the Premier League.”

-Cesar Azpilicueta; Source: Chelsea FC

Analyse. Focus. Win.

Forza!