Diego Costa draws another blank
While Chelsea’s draw against Paris Saint-Germain has been completely overshadowed by fall-out from the depressing pre-match events in the French capital’s Richelieu-Drouot station, the underwhelming performances of several of José Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants may also prove a source of concern at Stamford Bridge. While an away score draw is an undeniably good result for the Premier League leaders, Mourinho has already acknowledged that it was only the “phenomenal” heroics of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois that enabled Chelsea to avoid a potentially heavy defeat.
- Appearances
- 6
- Goals
- 0
- Shots
- 11
- Shots on target
- 64%
- Offsides
- 5
Several of Mourinho’s players looked extremely leggy during the second half in Paris, while Willian, Eden Hazard, Oscar and Cesc Fàbregas all failed to impose themselves in the style Chelsea fans have come to expect. By all accounts there were extenuating circumstances, as all four had their preparations for the game interrupted due to injury or illness. Up front, Diego Costa looked his usual aggressive, snarling self, but was understandably lacking in sharpness having just returned from a three-match ban. What is not so understandable, is the striker’s failure to score in any of Chelsea’s Champions League this season, considering his obvious talent and excellent form in the Premier League.
Costa has featured in six Champions League matches for Chelsea this season, playing 388 minutes in total without finding the net. By this stage last season he had already notched up five goals in four European games for Atlético Madrid. Chelsea have coped admirably without his goals thus far, but considering their lack of strength in depth up front, cannot realistically expect to win this tournament without more telling contributions from a man whose most recent goal in the competition came last April, against the team in which he currently stars.
A busy night at the office for Mark Clattenburg
It’s been a strange season for Mark Clattenburg, regarded by many as the best referee in England and one of just two whistle-blowers from the country, along with Martin Atkinson, in Uefa’s elite category of match officials. For reasons that remain unclear the 39-year-old’s employers at the Professional Game Match Officials Board appear to be keeping him away from the Premier League’s more high profile fixtures, a state of affairs that reached its nadir when he spent one match over the busy Christmas period officiating at a League Two fixture between Shrewsbury and Wycombe Wanderers.
No stranger to controversy, Clattenburg famously incurred the wrath of his bosses in October after breaking protocol by travelling alone to the Hawthorns to referee West Brom’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in October, so that he could get back home to Newcastle in time to attend an Ed Sheeran concert at the Metro Radio Arena. He was subsequently punished with a one-match ban and seemed to be back in the good books upon being appointed to referee the top-of-the-table Premier League clash between Chelsea and Manchester City at the end of January, followed by West Ham v Manchester United a week later.
Last night, Clattenburg found himself the centre of attention again, disallowing a Casemiro goal for Porto against Basel during a match that also featured a late penalty and nine yellow cards. With the home side leading 1-0 in Switzerland, the official came under the spotlight for disallowing what Porto believed to be a legitimate equaliser for offside, after a lengthy period of consultation with his colleague Kevin Friend, who had spotted a couple of Porto players obstructing Basel goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik. Replays showed the decision to be absolutely correct and may go some way towards pacifying pundits and team officials who continue to believe that goal-line officials don’t actually do anything.
Business as usual for Cristiano Ronaldo
Any minor concerns Real Madrid might have had about Cristiano Ronaldo losing his mojo were ended last night when the Ballon d’Or winner ended what was, by his own own lofty standards, a worryingly barren spell of three matches without a goal. The Portuguese striker last went three games without a goal for Real in 2011 and his 26th minute header was his 58th goal in 58 Champions League appearances for the Spanish side as they made it 10 victories in 10 games to equal the longest winning run in the tournament’s history.
Despite the player’s record-breaking goalscoring exploits, Sky Sports’ astute Spanish football expert Terry Gibson believes Real Madrid would be better off selling Ronaldo come season’s end, saying that the player’s “individual obsession with his own achievements is hindering the performance” of his team.
“He has phenomenal stats every year,” said Gibson. “They get better and better but the all-round performance of Real Madrid is suffering because of his obsession with just scoring goals. They can’t find the system that suits all the players that they’ve got. We’re talking one star player and just below that we’re talking about other world class players such as Toni Kroos, James Rodríguez and Gareth Bale.
“This list goes on but he is above them. I just think Real would be better off taking the big money they would still get for Ronaldo and re-investing it in other world class players. I think they might be a better team for it.”
Winners and losers ...
Winners ... Basel: OK, not literally winners, but despite failing to maximise their home advantage, the Swiss champions were pleased with their home draw against Porto and remain confident of progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time with a good result at their rivals’ Estádio do Dragão. Fabian Frei, who loaded the chamber for Derlis González to fire the home side into a first-half lead, conceded that Basel hadn’t played their best, but remains optimistic they can make it further after qualifying from the group stages at Liverpool’s expense.
“There are many things we can do better, but we have two or three weeks to look at it, and it’s another game,” said Frei. “We scored a goal today, we can certainly score a goal in Porto, and with that, everything is possible.”
Losers ... Bayern Munich: OK, not literally losers, but despite having almost 75% of possession in the first half of their surprise draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in Lviv, Bayern Munich could only muster one shot on goal, which is some going for a team that last failed to trouble a scoreboard operator in late October and has drawn just three blanks in 31 games so far this season.
- Appearances
- 6
- Free Kicks
- 23
- Corners
- 16
- Crosses
- 6
- Assists
- 0
With the Spanish referee Alberto Mallenco having controversially presented Xabi Alonso with two yellow cards followed by the obligatory red one to mark the midfielder’s 100th appearance in the competition, Bayern will be forced to contest the second leg without their team’s heartbeat and most consistently excellent player.
While the Bayern manager Pep Guardiola refused to criticise his compatriot’s performance as referee, the club’s chief executive was far less reticent. “I have to clearly say that the referee was a catastrophe,” he harrumphed.
Further reading
- Cristiano Ronaldo back among the goals in Real Madrid’s win
- Danilo holds his nerve to keep Porto in the hunt against Basel
- Mark Pougatch scores on ITV debut by letting football do the talking
- Chelsea condemn fans who pushed black man off Paris Métro
- Barney Ronay: Why Chelsea and football must step up
-
David Conn on a depressing image of Chelsea, football and Britain
- Chelsea lack explosive edge to put PSG in their place
- Chelsea hold advantage despite PSG recovery
- PSG 1-1 Chelsea: five talking points from Parc des Princes
- José Mourinho hails ‘phenomenal’ Thibaut Courtois
It’s stats time again
Based on historic results in European competitions, a 2-0 away win gives the away team a 97% chance to progress to the next round.
— Infostrada Sports (@InfostradaLive) February 18, 2015
Cristiano Ronaldo equals Lionel Messi and Raúl on a record 76 goals in all European competitions. #CR7
— Infostrada Sports (@InfostradaLive) February 18, 2015
26% - Cristiano Ronaldo is responsible for more than a quarter (72 of 274) of Champions League goals scored by Portuguese players. Icon.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 18, 2015
9 - Chelsea have scored nine goals from set pieces in the Champions League this season; three more than any other side (R Madrid 6). Routine
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 17, 2015
10 - @realmadrid have equalled the longest winning run in Champions League history (10 wins in a row) (via @OptaJoe ) pic.twitter.com/VpyivEWMJe
— Sport Extra HD (@SportExtraHD) February 18, 2015
Best images
These well turned out Real Madrid fans were in the crowd at the match against Schalke. Their banner reads ‘Isco, if you give me your shirt, I give you my comb.’ How could anyone refuse such an offer. Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images
It’s chest bump time as Porto’s midfielder Hector Herrera, right, celebrates with the goalscorer Danilo. Photograph: Michael Buholzer/AFP/Getty Images
Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribéry, right, is held back as he reacts after a challenge. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images
Despite having a five inch height advantage over his opponent, David Luiz can’t help but use a bit of extra leverage to beat Cesc Fàbregas in the air. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters
