Chelsea’s draw against Barcelona can be seen as a positive result

After going through a rough patch recently, which included defeats to Watford and Bournemouth, Chelsea’s performance against an organized Barcelona side can be seen as a positive, and encouraging sign for Antonio Conte.

It was clear that Antonio Conte looked unhappy with his role at Chelsea, no doubt about that. His team was not performing to the standards of last season, which was a remarkable achievement for the West London side.

Recent performances by the team were disappointing, including defeats to Bournemouth and Watford. To add to the terrible performances, the scorelines in which those matches ended were a cry for help, conceding seven goals in the process.

Having been knocked-out of the League Cup by Arsenal, missing narrowly to a cup final at Wembley and with the Premier League pretty much decided. The Champions League is Chelsea’s best opportunity to give the fans something to cheer for in a season filled of ups and downs.

In a group that included Roma, Atletico Madrid, and Qarabag, the Blues managed to finish 2nd and qualify for the Round of 16, facing Barcelona. We all know the history of this match, being one of the biggest european classics.

The Stamford Bridge scandal is remembered until these days, but the elimination in 2009 had a revenge in 2012, when Chelsea coasted at the Camp Nou to proceed to the final.

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Given both teams situations in their respective leagues, Barcelona had an upper hand in this clash, even more with the Catalan side deciding the game at their home. Chelsea’s situation in the league didn’t look so good, but their performance against a Barcelona side in better form was something that made Antonio Conte proud:

"“I think we were close to playing the perfect performance. We did one mistake but we know very well against these opponents and players like Messi, Iniesta and Suarez, if you make a mistake you pay.”"

The organization shown by Chelsea through large periods of the game was excellent. Their ability to be annoying and not letting Iniesta and Rakitic, create chances for Messi and Suarez, was executed in an outstanding way.

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Hazard in the false nine role helped Chelsea’s cause

Many people criticised Conte for playing Eden Hazard as a false nine, considering their main problem was scoring goals, a problem that Olivier Giroud was supposed to fix. However, the dynamism which Eden Hazard gives Chelsea, by floating around the spaces and making runs to take defenders out of the lines, is something other Chelsea forward couldn’t have done.

What Eden Hazard was able to make is an encouraging sign of Conte’s ideology this season. Losing Diego Costa and not being able to replace him hurt but, on the other side, Chelsea can show an entertaining and dynamic football, if the plan is well executed.

Not only Hazard’s performance was great, but his role was able to unleash William on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge. It was one of the best performances by the brazilian since his arrival in 2013 and was really unlucky to not score more goals, being denied by the post twice. The former Shakhtar man was responsible for taking Chelsea forward and was the Blues main danger when attacking.

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In a season where Chelsea didn’t have any individuals standing out, William’s performance certainly caught the eye of both, Antonio Conte and Barcelona. Something that Ernesto Valverde must make sure to do is not let William do what he was able to in the first leg. If Valverde makes sure of that, his job will be a lot easier in the returning let in Spain.

Despite not winning the game, Chelsea did show encouraging signs during the draw against Barcelona. Antonio Conte was able to pass the message unto his players and they executed it almost perfectly, being denied to perfection by Andreas Christiansen misplaced pass.

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The draw is not the perfect result for Chelsea, who were so close to pulling off a victory. However, the signs shown by Antonio Conte’s team are encouraging to take into the second leg at Camp Nou. The game is even and Barcelona still have a slight advantage on the clash, but given Chelsea’s performance, they were not too far away from causing Barcelona big troubles.