Bayern Munich vs Chelsea: UEFA's Charity Shield

Drogba, Terry ... Ramires

With the buildup to this year’s Super Cup consisting mostly of people suspecting that Bayern Munich’s A or B team would turn Chelsea over and last year’s game still clouded in a vat of lime, mint and rum – it was difficult to tell what Chelsea supporters could expect. Aside from a brilliant few days out in Prague of course. Not that some of us were left behind and lamenting the sunshine of London as reports of the mythical £1 beers flooded in.

With the Super Cup being an opportunity not just for 2012’s Champions League finalists getting a chance to meet one another again, it was also the moment where old foes, Mourinho and Guardiola, got to challenge each other once again.

For anyone who managed to sit through all 90 minutes of Chelsea’s Monday night fixture with Manchester United, it became evident that this was merely a blip on The Happy One’s radar. That he only had Friday’s Super Cup on his mind and was going to focus everyone towards that goal. The opportunity to get one over on Pep with a club that he’s happy at, and to return to Chelsea and win a trophy only 4 matches in. For one man, it was kind of a big deal.

David Luiz had been kept hidden from Pep’s watchful tactical eye making Chelsea’s rogue centre back even more unpredictable.. And of course would he or wouldn’t he unleash that little bearded wonder Mata. Well, he didn’t. But Guardiola didn’t know that.

Things definitely started out to plan with Fernando Torres scoring early on making it a mere 10 goals in European competitions since the start of last season. And somehow out of this erupted an engaging game of actual football. Almost making up for the 90 minutes of our lives we lost only days before.

 

Munich's players could relate

Europe’s player of the year, and underage prostitute enthusiast, had other plans. Ribery damped the party with a very quick goal to start the second half which seemed to shake up Chelsea’s previous decisive play. Things got a bit sloppy and just about everyone wearing a blue shirt ended up in Jonas Eriksson’s book. Of course that was all going to lead to a sending off. The second half had sending off written all over it, and Ramires was the man to take the time-honoured tradition of a Chelsea sending off in Europe. One could argue that Ramires misheard Mario Gotze's name and thought it was Mario Ghost, so it'd be ok if he ran through the ball and player like the juggernaut. Sometimes a player might hear something and it all ends up being a calamitous mistake. Who really knows.

Playing with eleven men in Europe is overrated anyways. Playing with 10 is the way forward as Chelsea have proven time and again. This Super Cup was no different. Mourinho said: "I have a fantastic experience of playing with 10 men in Uefa matches. I could coach my players in a way where, even with 10 men, even very, very tired, they could compete and find an opportunity to score a goal." Ramires absence freed up the movement in the midfield to allow Eden Hazard to be the hero at the Eden Arena.  And then the referee blew his whistle and we all rode off into the sunset … But with seconds to go, a lapse in concentration and we were heading to penalties. Against Bayern Munich. Again.

Although Chelsea were leading, with penalties ever being an option, the best penalty taker should remain on the pitch until that final whistle. However, with his little legs and triumphant goal, Hazard was removed for Romelu Lukaku. The irony of this substitution works on a few levels.

Schweinsteiger wasn’t in Munich’s side to spectacularly miss. And in fact, it looked like these players were on a mission and were never going to miss. Who would blink first? Chelsea – four penalties taken, four penalties scored. Munich -- clearly had been practicing theirs since 2012 and didn't miss or find anything mysteriously guided away by Petr Cech. It was down to one overgrown teenager who opted to step up for the club he loves, rather than letting the captain give it a whirl again. The man who came on for Hazard stepped up to the penalty spot. The man set to take up Drogba’s mantle showed some trepidation, but was there to take the final penalty in a European final ….

But at the end of the day this is Europe’s Charity Shield. And we all know how much that matters at the end of the week season.

Chelsea did more than hold their own against a team that is arguably the best club in Europe. They fended off 41 shots on goal , got another goal out of Fernando Torres, had Gary Cahill defend like an actual proper defender and were within seconds of winning the whole meaningless thing. If Chelsea manage to keep up that pace, it’s going to be a long season for a lot of clubs.

jb xx