Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri admitted his players made life difficult for themselves following their Europa League quarter-final triumph over Slavia Prague.
The Blues won 4-3 at Stamford Bridge, going through 5-3 on aggregate in a contest that saw Sarri’s men race to a 3-0 lead after just 15 minutes.
3
It was set to be a rout when Giroud’s finish put the Chelsea 3-0 up
But Chelsea have developed a nasty habit of conceding early in the second half and once again there were some hairy moments as the visitors hit back twice to trail by just one on the night.
“We played very well in the first half,” said Blues boss Sarri. “But as usual in the last two months we started very badly in the second half.
“We need a solution. In the last 10 matches we started like in this match, it’s a big problem.
“Probably at the end of the first half we thought we had qualified, but against this opponent it was not true. I have never seen something like these opponents physically, so it was clear the second half could be difficult for us.
3
Sarri recognises there’s a problem with his side’s start to the second-half of games
“But we did something wrong in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
“At half-time I told them to start with the same application as they started the first, but we didn’t do it. It’s not easy to understand.
“I could try without going in the dressing room at half-time if I could solve the problem.”
Pedro opened the scoring following a flowing move involving Cesar Azpilicueta and Olivier Giroud, with the Spaniard applying the finish.
3
Pedro bagged a brace
Pedro should have claimed the second but he somehow side-footed Eden Hazard’s inviting ball across goal on to the post.
Fortunately for the Blues the ball ricocheted into luckless defender Simon Deli and bounced into the net.
N’Golo Kante then set Pedro through to tee up Giroud for his 10th goal in the competition this season.
That should have been that, but Chelsea’s defence dozed off in the 26th minute to allow the unmarked Tomas Soucek to pull one back with a header at the far post.
LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS
Chelsea merely went straight down the other end and restored their four-goal cushion, Pedro pouncing on the rebound after Giroud’s close-range effort was saved.
Yet a 5-1 aggregate lead at half-time became 5-3 only 10 minutes into the second half, a quickfire double from Petr Sevcik raising the Czech side’s hopes of a staging remarkable comeback.
But Chelsea weathered the storm to set up a semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hazard, the subject of a couple of clattering early challenges, was taken off midway through the second half, but Sarri hopes he will be fit to face Burnley on Monday.
“It’s nothing serious, I hope,” he added. “It’s only a strong knock. But I think we can recover him for the next match on Monday.”
Disappointed Slavia coach Jindrich Trpisovsky said: “We scored three goals, but it is only a little remedy after the first half.”
Liverpool's Champions League heroes Van Dijk and Wijnaldum given standing ovation as they join Holland squad for England game VIRGIL VAN DIJK and Georginio Wijnaldum were given a hero's
Liverpool's Champions League winners given hero's welcome by
May 27, 2019 · Brazilian star Neymar lost his national team's captaincy for the Copa America to veteran Dani Alves, in another move suggesting the striker will be under heavy pressure to deliver the title of the
Neymar replaced as Brazil captain by PSG team-mate Dani Alves
Chelsea transfer news: Olivier Giroud admits doubts over Blues future and confirms offers from other clubs The French striker has struggled for opportunities in the Premier League under Maurizio Sarri
Chelsea transfer news: Olivier Giroud admits do | SportSpyder
POSSIBLE XI Liverpool team news: How Jurgen Klopp's side are set to line up for final Premier League game of the season vs Wolves
Burnley F.C. vs Arsenal Predictions: Arsenal line-up
England boss Gareth Southgate saddened by racist abuse from
talkSPORT.com rounds up all the latest gossip from Saturday's newspapers and online. Manchester United have held talks with representatives of Marcus Rashford and are hopeful th
Search Results - Jamie Vardy - papasearch.net
papasearch.net/Jamie_Vardy/JamieVardy1.html
Over 4,500 Results Arsenal news: Jamie Vardy says it was 'easy' to turn … metro.co.uk › Football › Arsenal FC Jamie Vardy has revealed that it was 'easy' to reject an approach for Arsenal earlier this summer.
04 January 2019 News Archive | Daily Mail Online | Daily Mail
'Playing for the greatest club in England has been a true honour': Ander Herrera confirms Manchester United exit as Spaniard edges closer to joining PSG on a free transfer. Ander Herrera has
Manchester United on alert after Juventus star confirms exit
About our Crystal Palace FC news NewsNow aims to be the world's most accurate and comprehensive Crystal Palace news aggregator, bringing you the latest Eagles headlines from the best Palace sites and other key national and regional sports sources. Breaking news from each site is brought to you automatically and continuously 24/7, within
Football Transfer News & Latest Rumours - Mirror Online
Police arrested Joey Barton over an alleged 'tunnel attack' on Barnsley boss Daniel Stendel The Fleetwood Town chief, 36, is accused of headbutting Barnsley's German manager Daniel Stendel, 45
Joey Barton investigated over alleged assault on Barnsley
New Tottenham stadium: The incredible numbers behind Spurs
News, Media & Blogs. News; Videos; Blog; Fanzone
Pep Guardiola's tactics are not the issue for Manchester City
Netherlands vs England: Raheem Sterling 'to be named captain' for Nations League semi-final clash on his 50th appearance Raheem Sterling will reportedly captain England for Thursday's Nations League semi-final clash against the Netherlands.
Netherlands vs England: Raheem Sterling 'to be named captain
Fikayo Tomori has beaten Mason Mount to claim Derby's Supporters' Player of the Season award. The Rams youngsters, who are both on loan from Chelsea, have impressed in the Championship under
Fikayo Tomori beats Mason Mount to Derby's Supporters' Player
Ajax 1-1 Juventus: Cristiano Ronaldo heads crucial away goal to put Italians in pole position Written by: fpnews Posted on: April 11, 2019 Cristiano Ronaldo returned from injury to score his 125th Champions League goal, though Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw by Ajax in the first leg of their quarter-final in Amsterdam.
Cristiano Ronaldo away goal gives Juventus the first-leg edge
Tottenham Hotspur away kit 2019/20: Leaked image shows iridescent crest on a dark blue shirt Spurs are set to have an intriguing jersey on the road next year as Nike continue to their
New Tottenham 2019/20 kits: Leaked image gives fans first
No comments:
Post a Comment