Barcelona v Chelsea: Four Things The Blues Should Do To Reach the Champions League Finals

Chelsea, who have been simply brilliant under interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, proved to the world that they are a force to be reckoned with following their recent 1-0 victory against Barcelona in the first leg, semi-finals of the Champions League.

Going into the second leg at Nou Camp, where Barcelona boast an excellent record of 105 goals and conceded just 18 conceded this season, the Blues will need to rethink their game plan and tactics if they are to overpower the mighty Catalans.

Here are four tactics that Chelsea should deploy to reach the finals of the Champions League.

1. Create and take chances:

Chelsea have done well with taking their chances as it was seen in the first leg of the Champions League. Although Chelsea created very few chances in the first leg, Drogba was quick to take utilise the opportunity giving the Blues an advantage ahead of the second leg.

Roberto Di Matteo's men will have to create much more chances in Nou Camp if they are to score there. Also, only hoping for a goalless draw is not going to be an option at Nou Camp, where Barcelona tend to play very attacking football. Chelsea interim manager Roberto Di Matteo also feels that Chelsea have to score if they are to progress to the finals of the competition.

"The tie is half-time, it's 50-50 - both teams still have the same chance to go through. I do think we will have to try to score. It will be difficult to just play for a goalless draw. Barcelona will create chances against every team they play against us so we will have to try to score a goal but we have to also try to limit the chances they create against us," said Di Matteo, according to a BBC report.

2. Defend Well:

Although, the Blues have shown much promise in this category, they should not get too carried away with their attack tactics and let Barcelona come up with a counter attack.

Defenders like Ashley Cole, John Terry and Gary Cahill did very well in the first leg to keep Barcelona at bay. Also, Real Madrid, during their 2-1 win against the Catalans during their La Liga fixture did very well defensively give very less chances to Barcelona before Ronaldo ended the game with an absolute stunning goal.

Di Matteo feels that Chelsea have been doing well defensively.

"We're very pleased with the way our defenders have been playing lately," The Telegraph quoted him as saying.

3. Keep Their Focus and Concentration:

This is probably the most important point that Chelsea should keep in mind before going into the match.

Chelsea, who have already beaten Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League, should not be carried away by over- confidence as Barcelona are known to make great comebacks at the Nou Camp.

Last season, Arsenal were forced out of the Champions League, after losing 1-3 to Barcelona at the Nou Camp, during the second round despite securing a 2-1 win in the first leg at the Emirates.

Chelsea, who themselves knocked out Italian outfits Napoli from the Champions League after being faced with a very similar situation, will be fully focused ahead of this clash.

"We have to focus fully on going through. The ones at risk know who they are but they cannot think about it. A lot of my players have played here before, so we know what to expect.We just have to make sure we stay cool," the Guardian quoted Roberto Di Matteo as saying.

"The players are going to be fully focused on their tasks and whatever happens, happens," the Telegraph quoted Di Matteo as saying.

4. Believe in Themselves:

The last and the most important thing for Chelsea is to believe in themselves no matter what critics or others say. Many experts, former players, pundits as well as managers of other teams have badly criticised Chelsea for their strategy, negative tactics, dives and so on.

Chelsea are still being considered the underdogs by many people and experts. They believe that Barcelona will easily register a win against Chelsea.

The Blues' camp does not seem to be affected by these predictions and criticisms as Chelsea players look very confident ahead of this important fixture.

"There are not many teams you'd fancy to beat Barcelona over two legs of a semi-final, and they've shown just how good they are in the last few years. It's a huge, huge challenge. As big as anyone could take on. If we win it would be one of the biggest victories, even if it does only put us in the final and doesn't win us the cup. I don't mind us being written off. I understand what people are saying: everyone has this feeling with Barcelona that they're going to roll over everyone. When they're at their best, they can do that," the Guardian quoted Lampard as saying.

"But, if we play the way we did against Spurs, with the same focus and determination and with the ability we have in our team, we have to believe we have a chance. You have to believe in yourself. At Chelsea we feel we've given them tough games when we've met before and we're ready to do that again," he added.

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