Chelsea down but not out in Europe
Chelsea may have lost 1-0 in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona but afterwards they were relatively buoyant. Playing against the possession-heavy and quick-moving Catalans is one of the trickiest tests in football. “You have to be in the tie. We’re in the tie,” said the Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes. She is right but Barcelona walked away the more content side. Yes, they did not capitalise on their dominance to a greater extent, but their play (and injuries to Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan) forced Chelsea to change shape, to a back five. As the Barcelona midfielder Keira Walsh put it: “We always score a lot of goals at Camp Nou.” Chelsea have a near-impossible task in Spain but shaking players free of Barcelona’s press long enough for them to release Sam Kerr will be key to any hopes of a colossal upset. SW
