The Pride of London
Fansided

Chelsea three lessons learnt: Win by losing to make the UCL semis

By Travis Tyler

SEVILLE, SPAIN - APRIL 13: Christian Pulisic of Chelsea FC competes for the ball with Kepler Lima 'Pepe' of Porto during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg match between Chelsea FC and FC Porto at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on April 13, 2021 in Seville, Spain. Sporting stadiums around Spain remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
SEVILLE, SPAIN - APRIL 13: Christian Pulisic of Chelsea FC competes for the ball with Kepler Lima 'Pepe' of Porto during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg match between Chelsea FC and FC Porto at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on April 13, 2021 in Seville, Spain. Sporting stadiums around Spain remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
Chelsea’s English defender Ben Chilwell shoots wide late on during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge in London on December 28, 2020. (Photo by Richard Heathcote / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by RICHARD HEATHCOTE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s English defender Ben Chilwell shoots wide late on during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge in London on December 28, 2020. (Photo by Richard Heathcote / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by RICHARD HEATHCOTE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

3. The end of season path is now clear

Perhaps more than anything, Chelsea will now know how (mostly) the rest of their season looks. The next round of the Champions League will go either side of the match against Fulham. Regardless of the result of those two legs and the result of the FA Cup semifinal this weekend, the Blues will know their opponents from now till match day 38.

It’ll be a brutal run for sure. Following this weekend’s FA Cup semifinal, Chelsea will have Brighton on Tuesday, 20 April. Then the madness begins. From 24 April until 15 May, a span of 22 days, Chelsea will have seven matches. West Ham, Real Madrid or Liverpool, Fulham, Real Madrid or Liverpool round two, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Leicester are the matches in that run. That’s brutal, both for the Champions League semifinals and the top four race.

There is a small respite afterwards with a week off before Aston Villa on MD 38. Should the Blues be in any finals this year, they will come at least a week after Aston Villa. So, the key is to survive that brutal 22 day (26 if Brighton is looped in) and then focus on the rest.

Chelsea is a Champions League semifinalist but no one wants to get this far and not go all the way. Same goes for the FA Cup. And of course, no team in either at this point wants to be worried about playing in the Champions League at all next season. The Blues just need to keep showing the grit they have been showing and get the job done.

Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Malang Sarr (Part 12). dark. Next

What lessons did you learn in this match? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!

Home/Chelsea FC News