Basel vs Chelsea: Winning Is Too Mainstream

Basel's manager or back-up Bond villain

Rather than bask in the fact that Chelsea would not yet be relegated back to Thursday Night Cup as they had unceremoniously last season - the Chelsea twitterati seemed to go into a miniature meltdown as to the display they had just witnessed. Don't get me wrong, it didn't make for pretty viewing, and I'm going to get into a bit of a ramble about it myself. But the outrage was slightly misplaced. At the end of the day sometimes a loss is a win, and on this occasion, makes Chelsea's knock-out stage qualification a little less mainstream, and a little more fun.




Jose Mourinho is one of the best managers the game has ever seen. If you claim to be a Chelsea supporter and can't wrap your head around that, you probably should step away from the computer and head directly to a mirror to take a long hard look at yourself. You, my friend, are a muppet. However, that doesn't mean that sometimes he puts his ego stubbornness Oscar own objectives above all else.

Not that anyone really played a blinder last night, but the shock start for Frank Lampard last night was slightly misguided. He was definitely a man in his mid-thirties who'd left everything on the pitch at Upton Park last week. Fully deserving of a rest ahead of a difficult game with Southampton. His laboured efforts probably should have found their way to the bench sooner than the final effort.  That being said, the rest of the midfield didn't put in much more of a shift and maybe indulged in a little too much emmental and Eichhof. Probably a little more sense able than the soup and ice cream that some of the travelling support thought would add to their match day experience.

The hair was ready for war, the team was not

Eden Hazard did what Eden Hazard does - came on, looked lively, created problems. Not the sort of problems Mohamed Salah caused for Gary Cahill and company, but problems nonetheless. He also managed to get near enough to Geoffrey Serey Die for good ole' Geoff to break out a decent impression of a Swansea ballboy.

There was a spat of time that it looked like Chelsea might just manage a shot on target. But it wasn't to be. Shots on target, like winning, are far overrated when a Champions League can be won without either.

Aside from Cesar Azpilicueta tackling just about everyone in the city of Basel in the span of 90 minutes, it was Petr Cech who was the standout once again for Chelsea in Champions League. The club proved that in 2012, as long as he's standing on his helmet head, that there's nothing to worry about. He was tested far too much than he should have been last night, but proved he'll be keeping Courtois at bay for some time to come.

Special mention goes to John Obi Mikel who once again got on with things, largely unnoticed by much of the support. But he did make a lot more passes than anyone else wearing their formal whites. And while he was at it, he even dropped back to block a couple shots (because Basel actually did hit the target) and make a clearance off the line.

A little too much fodder on the pitch for the doom and gloom brigade. But lighten up you miserable sods, Chelsea have qualified for the knockout stage are sat second on points in the league.

And for those of you wondering what Mourinho was feverishly scribbling on that notepad - it was a reply to Juan's note "Do you like me? Check Yes No Maybe" … Unfortunately, he was unable to decide, and Mata was left wondering if he'd get to play with the other boys soon.

jb x