Chelsea 1-2 PSG: five Champions League talking points from Stamford Bridge
1) Chelsea must come to terms with life outside the elite
Chelsea have been left confronting a painful reality. Barring the capitulation of most of the clubs currently ensconced in the top half of the Premier League table, they must do without elite European football next season. It will be the first time in the Roman Abramovich era that they have not started a campaign in the Champions League, with all the financial implications their absence will bring – potentially to the tune of are there any canada goose outlet stores £30m – not to mention the prestige it will deny them. Antonio Conte, their manager in waiting, is apparently in London hoping to conclude negotiations over a three-year contract. He may yet have a canada goose coat 1000 calorie a day canada goose coat 1000 calorie bariatric diet meal plan Europa League campaign cluttering up his schedule but, after 13 years, Chelsea will survey the elite from the outside looking in. It remains to be seen how long their exile will persist.
PSG and Zlatan Ibrahimovic make easy work of labouring Chelsea Read more
2) PSG’s hopes of claiming this trophy no pipe dream
The expectation had been all Parisian here. In truth visit, it had been even before the first leg at Parc des Princes last month given Qatari Sports Investments, five years into their money-flushed project, are at the stage now where they demand involvement beyond the quarter-final stages of this competition. Elimination here, in what PSG have dubbed le nouveau classique as if confirming their principal rivalry has long since ceased to be Marseille, would have constituted a disaster but winning in London actually ended up as a statement of intent. They will attack the last eight with relish but Laurent Blanc, even bolstered by a new contract, knows the minimum requirement this year must be a place in the semi-finals. This team, utterly unchallenged in Ligue 1, needs progress in Europe to justify the outlay.
3) At least Costa proved his point after ‘fraud’ jibe
The man labelled a fraud by PSG’s official Twitter account on the eve of the tie had canada goose coat 1000 bulbs reviews been unmasked within the opening nine minutes, that flimsy facial protection flung to the sidelines by Eden Hazard, but this was him at his bruising, bullying best. Chelsea have been waiting for him to make a mark in European competition, with the goal converted as he turned inside Thiago Silva midway through the first half only his second in 15 Champions League appearances for the club. Blanc had been worried about provocation, and there were sly fouls and vociferous complaints aplenty, but the forward was primarily a menace for the hour he played, as if someone had cheekily pinned that Vine to average price of canada goose jacket the dressing-room wall prior to kick-off seeking a reaction.
4) Premier League should court IbrahimovicChelsea 1-2 PSG (agg 2-4): Champions League last 16 second leg – in pictures Read more
The Swede had been dismissive of talk of revenge on the eve of this contest, a year on from his accusations Chelsea’s players had behaved like babies in seeking to have him best place buy canada goose jacket toronto dismissed in this arena, but the second-half volley best canada goose jacket for women crisply dispatched beyond Thibaut Courtois provided it regardless. The Swede was outstanding here, opposing centre-halves bouncing off him early and allowing him the space in which to assist Adrien Rabiot’s opener. The 34-year-old has appeared to be courting interest from English clubs of late, with two months to run on his contract in Paris, and this was a reminder to an English audience canada goose coat $5000 no credit check signature loans of his power and presence. He retains all the charisma and class of his younger days. Even on lavish wages, Premier League clubs would surely consider him a free transfer worth pursuing.
5) Chelsea have a summer of rebuilding ahead
This will have made interesting viewing for Conte. The suspicion is many of these Chelsea players will move on in the summer, either of their own volition or as the club seeks to fund an overhaul by trimming personnel who have, in general, underperformed this term. Certainly the sight of Eden Hazard swapping shirts with Ángel Di María at the interval – such a poor PR move – will not have gone down well given PSG’s long-standing interest in the Belgian. He clearly has not learned his mistakes from two years ago and, whether best replica canada goose jacket he was injured or not, there were boos as he departed the fray late on. Pedro was excellent here but a return to Spain is far from outlandish, while Oscar and Nemanja Matic have become peripheral. The new manager has plenty of work on his hands.