PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: SWANSEA CITY V CHELSEA
The requirements are clear as Chelsea head to Wales for the conclusion of our first semi-final in this competition for five years. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton get set for the second leg…
TALKING POINTS
Having firmed up our league position by beating Arsenal in the Barclays Premier League, Chelsea now face two very different cup tests in five days. Our west London neighbours Brentford await in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Tonight, though, the Blues attempt to buck the trend of history and reverse the two-goal advantage taken away from Stamford Bridge by Swansea City a fortnight ago. In the Londoners' favour is the fact that four of our most recent six domestic away results would be sufficient to make the Capital One Cup final at Wembley on Sunday 24 February.
|
KEY STAT |
The competition records show that winners of the first legs in semi-finals are far from definite finalists.
Cardiff City overturned Crystal Palace's 1-0 lead at this stage of last year's competition and the previous season both eventual finalists, Arsenal and Birmingham, were trailing after the first leg. All, though, played their second leg on home soil.
Likewise Manchester United in 2009/10, Arsenal in 2005/06, Liverpool in 2002/03, Tottenham in 2001/02, Birmingham and Liverpool in 2000/01, Chelsea and Boro in 1997/98…
The Blues, however, might take inspiration from 2004/05, when José Mourinho's side travelled to Old Trafford for a second leg after a stalemate at Stamford Bridge and triumphed in Manchester by two goals to one. It was the first time Sir Alex Ferguson's team had tasted defeat in a semi-final and an enormous confidence boost which led to the first silverware of the Abramovich era being acquired.
Never the less you have to go right back to 1987 to find the last instance of a side coming back from a first-leg home defeat to reach the final - and the successful side, Arsenal, needed a 2-1 replay victory to overcome Spurs after losing 0-1 at Highbury and winning 2-1 at White Hart Lane.
It is often said 2-0 is a dangerous lead. According to football lore the side leading think the win is in the bag and the trailing team, with nothing to lose, take unusual risks; if a goal is pulled back the 'big mo' is all with the comeback crew.
It is unlikely Swansea will be overconfident after their win at Stamford Bridge. They know Chelsea missed chance after chance to score - the statistics showed the Blues dominated the game and had 24 shots on Gerhard Tremmel's goal, while Swansea scored with their only on-target strikes against reserve keeper Ross Turnbull.
Both the Swans' goals were gifts, highly unusually, from central defender Branislav Ivanovic. The Serb, Chelsea to his marrow, will be desperate to make amends tonight in South Wales. Many teammates in the Blues side tonight will also have played in last season's FA Cup and Champions League triumphs.
Chelsea know what is required: win by a minimum of two goals. Are Chelsea capable of scoring two goals in Wales? It is a margin that has been achieved no fewer than 13 times this season, more than half of those occasions away from Stamford Bridge. The Blues have also ended the unbeaten home runs of Everton and Stoke this season.
The Welsh side do not have the same range of cup semi-final lanes down which an edgy supporter's memory might wander for reassurance. This is just the third major semi-final in their history, the previous two in the FA Cup coming in 1926 and 1964.
In 1926 they lost out 0-3 to a more-experienced Bolton side who eventually lifted the trophy. Preston North End were the 2-1 victors at Villa Park in 1964; then called Swansea Town, the team was full of typically Welsh surnames that are absent today.
They did win a Championship play-off at Wembley in 2011, but a big question tonight is not how the present Swansea side's nerve is before kick-off but whether it will hold up during the match itself, especially should Chelsea score first.
Away goals only count double after any extra time is played. The additional 30 minutes will only be required if Chelsea are leading by two clear goals when the 90 plus stoppages are completed. A 2-0 Chelsea victory after extra time is the only scoreline that would result in a penalty shoot out.
The winners tonight will play fourth-tier Bradford City, who progressed at the expense of Premier League Aston Villa on the other side of the draw. The Pensioners have never met the Bantams before in this competition.
Chelsea have progressed from the last three semi-finals and have won the League Cup four times, most recently 2006/07 when we saw off Arsenal by the same scoreline as on Sunday in the league: 2-1.
That weekend victory earned our ninth league double over Arsenal and the first since 2009/10.Prior to that our twin successes came in 2005/06, 1969/70, 1968/69, 1964/65, 1963/64, 1960/61 and 1946/47.
Frank Lampard's penalty took him to 195 Chelsea goals, and he has hit six in his last nine games - the last three from the spot.
The Gunners, potential rivals for a top-four finish, face West Ham tonight in the Premier League and have so far taken one league point in January, leaving them 11 points behind the Blues with 16 matches remaining.
|
KEY TWEET |
Click on tabs above for more briefing.
