Chelsea are being thrashed from all quarters after their submission to Manchester City. The Blues lost the game 1-0 helping City gain an 18 point lead at the top of the table. But the fans are more angry with how the Stamford Bridge outfit accepted defeat rather than the scoreline itself.
The Blues could not manage a single shot on target in the first half and this was the first time they have failed to do so since 2003 – the time from when such data is being collected. And this visibly outlines how incompetent Chelsea were at the Etihad.
The defeat not only dents their self-confidence but also their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Chelsea are currently fifth on the league table – five points behind Tottenham Hotspur who are in 4th.
And on top of that, the Stamford Bridge outfit are set to face Barcelona in an all-important game in the second leg of the Round of 16 of the Champions League.
Amidst all this chaos though many have failed to notice that Chelsea might go into that game with a huge advantage.
As things stand, Barcelona are set to miss midfielder Andres Iniesta for the Chelsea game due to a hamstring injury.
Iniesta was forced off 34 minutes into the first half of the 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid today. The Spanish International picked up the injury in the 20th minute and he tried to shake it off but eventually failed.
And the Catalans’ manager Ernesto Valverde has claimed that if Iniesta is indeed out of the tie then he will be ‘irreplaceable’.
The manager told the club’s official website: “Without Iniesta, we lose a unique player, irreplaceable,
“It’s difficult to find a substitute for him because there is no-one like him in the world. Let’s hope the injury is nothing serious.”
Barcelona will welcome Chelsea to the Camp Nou on March 14 and the match hangs in the balance at 1-1.
