Chelsea were never going to live or die by their latest appearance at
Parc des Princes, but it was still an evening for mixed feelings. From one
angle, a spirited and resourceful effort from a depleted side kept them firmly
in this tie; from another, they were finally picked off after weathering heavy
pressure from superior opponents. Now, they'll need their best performance of
the year in the second leg to keep alive their hopes of an unlikely tilt at the
Champions League.
A modicum of the resilience shown here, coupled with the return
of key players when the teams resume in three weeks' time, would certainly give
them a chance. Equally encouraging is that Guus Hiddink's team stuck doggedly
to his plan. It was extra quality, rather than any systemic failing, that gave
Paris Saint-Germain the edge in the tie.
"PSG like to play very smart, very alert football, and
that's why we put emphasis on the back four and two more or less shielding
midfield players," Hiddink said in his postmatch news conference.
There was certainly plenty to occupy them. It was an unfamiliar Chelsea setup behind
their front five, but they wore a sufficiently battle-hardened look. When Gary
Cahill stretched brilliantly to stop a 65th-minute pass from Blaise Matuidi
from reaching Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a minute after his centre-back partner
Branislav Ivanovic had blocked a near-certain Matuidi goal inside the 6-yard
box, it was tempting to think Chelsea's core was tough enough to ride this one
out.
Cahill, alert and communicative throughout, certainly did his
best to fill the John Terry role, though he and Ivanovic were both culpable
when allowing Edinson Cavani to spin several yards off them for PSG's winner.
John Obi Mikel, whose equaliser might yet prove critical, had been at fault
previously when allowing Lucas Moura to run beyond him, which forced the
Nigerian to draw the foul that led to Ibrahimovic's opener. In the end, Chelsea's application was
not quite enough.
"I thought the performance of our players, tactically, was
very good," Hiddink said. "You have to be keen and very alert. In
theory, you can prepare well, but sometimes the errors creep in. [PSG] have a
nose for causing danger when you are out of position -- they are very
smart."
That was a reference to the second goal, but Hiddink's biggest
complaint was that Chelsea
did not capitalize on the "four or five" counterattacking
opportunities they created. They retained a threat until the dying seconds --
when Pedro lashed into the side netting after being located by the excellent
Willian -- and Diego Costa was superbly thwarted by Kevin Trapp twice, but Eden
Hazard in particular never quite managed to expose PSG's attack-minded defence
by winning his one-on-ones. The makeshift right-back Marquinhos performed
impressively to win their battle. Hazard was replaced by Oscar in the 71st
minute, and it was a small concern to hear Hiddink say he was not yet ready for
90 minutes at this intensity.
Yet there are enough doubts about PSG to keep appetites
sharpened. The morning's headline in Le Parisien read "History begins
now." That means at least matching their run to the semifinals of 1995,
and the difficulty is that with Laurent Blanc's team 24 points clear of an
undemanding Ligue 1, success in Europe stands
to be the club's lifeblood.
This is a better side than the one Chelsea defeated on away
goals after losing 3-1 here in the first leg of the 2014 quarterfinals; it is
probably better, too, than the one that prevailed so dramatically at Stamford
Bridge a year ago at this stage. The pressure to perform is intense, but there
was little sign of nerves early on, as they eased into a crisp, precise rhythm,
and the pressure they went on to exert during long periods of each half was of
an intensity and quality to make most sides buckle.
Even so, questions about their durability remain. Chelsea "forgot to
play" in the early stages, according to Hiddink, but after switching on,
they had periods of success in exposing a skittishness in the home side's game.
Challenges were niggling and rash, and passes were hurried. At one point in the
second half, a quickly taken free kick by Angel Di Maria failed to find its man
at both first and second times of asking. There was an edginess about PSG when
they did not control possession, and it became easier to understand how, after
defeating Chelsea last year, they were
comfortably defeated by Barcelona
in the last eight.
They will need to be tighter in the second leg. The improved
fitness of playmaker Marco Verratti, outstanding on the ball but late to the
tackle more than once, would lead to a logical step up in their pressing.
"Before their goal, we had one or two chances to hurt them,
and they got a bit unstable," Hiddink said. His last word was the most
telling. PSG do not ooze stability, and even if Blanc were pulling a poker face
afterward when wishing that the return fixture would be "open and,
hopefully, with some goals," it is easy to envision a match of similar ebb
and flow.
The reality is Blanc would be perfectly happy with no score at
all. The reality, too, is that PSG have the players to pull another fraught
situation out of the fire if need be. Di Maria's pass to Cavani, a beautifully
weighted ball down the inside-right when a switch to the completely open
Maxwell seemed the obvious option, was ingenious, and the substitute's run
emphasised the value of sharp, world-class minds on the bench.
"I envy a bit the bench of PSG," Hiddink said.
"They have 15 or 16 internationals, which is very important. When you see
what they can bring on in the second half, world-class players, it's a very
strong team."
That is what counted in the end. Chelsea put in one of the most commendable
efforts of their 2015-16 season, but you sense it will take something on an
altogether different level for that to have been enough.
www.espnfc.com
