Bayern Munich vs Chelsea
8pm - 8/8/20
Champions League Last 16 2nd Leg - Allianz Arena, Munich.
On Friday Chelsea returned to the ground where they enjoyed the greatest night in their history. On that May evening 8 years ago, the Blues line up boasted experienced club legends like Drogba, Cech, Cole and even Lampard himself. Their line up last night was that of a youthful one, at the beginning of Lampard’s transition period. Abraham took Drogba’s place up front, while Mount and Hudson-Odoi did their best to emulate Mata and Lampard. There wasn't to be another historic night at the Allianz Arena however for Chelsea, as they were reminded of the work required, both on and off the pitch if they are to return to the heights of May 2012 again.
The Chelsea squad that travelled to Munich included 11 academy graduates. 17-year old Lewis Bate and 18-year old Armando Broja & Ian Maatsen among others were called up by Lampard due to a host of injuries and suspensions as Chelsea played their final game of this most unusual of seasons.
Already facing a 3-0 deficit from the first leg last March, Chelsea knowing they had to score first at the very least, got off to the worst possible start following two defensive errors, a familiar feature with the Blues this season. Serge Gnabry sliced open the Chelsea backline to release Lewondowski, who was brought down by Willy Caballero. The Polish striker dispatched the resulting penalty as Chelsea found themselves a goal behind inside 10 minutes. Things went from bad to worse on 25 minutes when Kovacic was disposed of cheaply in midfield. This cost Chelsea deeply as Lewondowski found Perisic who cooly finished.
Bayern were totally outclassing the Londoners. Christensen and Zouma struggled to contain Lewondowski and Perisic, Emerson looked out of his depth in a rare start, while Davis returned to haunt Reece James down Bayerns left channel. Although this was Bayern's first game in over a month, there were no signs of complacency as Chelsea trudged around the Allianz Arena playing their 8th match in 30 days. Lampard confirmed that his side would be taking a 12 day break before pre-season begins. Well-needed one would think after their display.
There were small, yet positive signs of the potential this Chelsea side possess, as Hudson-Odoi skipped past Thiago before finding the net from outside the box. However Lamapard threw his hands in the air in disbelief as Abraham’s foot was judged to have been offside. Chelsea earned their first goal of the 2 legs on half-time, as Abraham pounced on a rare Neuer mistake to tap in from close range. A small consolation as Chelsea entered damage limitation mode in the second half
Although Chelsea began the second half well, Bayern bullied them off the ball at every turn as they sought to expose the Blue’s fragile defence again. Tolisso volleyed in from the 6 yard box before Lewondowski rounded off a powerful performance with his 53rd goal of the season, an exceptional tally for the 31-year old.
Although they attempted to give a decent account of themselves, Chelsea were completely outclassed by the Germans, and were reminded yet again of the gap in quality between the two sides as Bayern have their sights on a treble. Hansi Flick’s side traveled to Lisbon full of confidence for a quarter final tie with Barcelona, who also progressed after overcoming Napoli.
Having seen his club exit the Champions League at the last 16 stage for the fourth time in a row, Lampard accepted Bayerns dominance in his post-match interviews, “It is a good exercise for us, to look at a team like Bayern and the Champions League experience they have in their ranks, hundreds of appearances through their team, and we had young players in their debut seasons” Lampard said.
In a reflective mood post-match, Lampard praised his young players for their resilience and character, and looked ahead to the future at Stamford Bridge, “A game with this high-level opponent is going to stretch you and strain you, and it will be an experience for Reece and Callum and Tammy and Mason. What I saw is young players staying in a game, showing their quality and fighting until the end”
So after 363 days, Lampard’s maiden season in charge of Chelsea comes to an end. Bearing in mind the departure of Eden Hazard and Chelsea’s transfer ban, most Chelsea fans would agree that it has been a positive season overall. The introduction of academy products like Mount, James and Gilmour to the first team combined with Lampard’s warm relationship with supporters has created a feel-good factor around the bridge again, which has been absent for some time. There is no doubt that there is much to improve, particularly in defence as Chelsea endured their worst goals conceded tally since 1990. Kepa, who cost the club 71 million Pounds looks likely to be on his way out this summer, following being dropped twice this season by an impatient Lampard. The arrivals of Werner, Ziyech and potentially Havertz has Chelsea fans thrilled also. The upcoming 10 week summer transfer window could make or break Lampard's squad. This season has been a rebuild one could argue, but next season legitimate pressure will begin to mount. One thing is for certain, there is never a dull moment at SW6.