Chelsea went to the Vicente Calderon and defended well to earn a clean sheet but they have gained no advantage in the tie
They came, they saw, they defended. This was a performance of so little ambition by Chelsea that it would be a surprise to find one person who enjoyed it other than Jose Mourinho and his staff. The Portuguese planned for this one without key attackers Eden Hazard and Samuel Eto'o and so there was never going to be an all-out siege on the Atletico Madrid goal. In that respect, a diligent display from the Chelsea number was rewarded with a clean sheet.
Above all else, parity remains in the tie.
But it's not that simple. The limited scope of Chelsea's intentions at the Vicente Calderon represents a huge gamble for Mourinho and his team. It is one thing defending stoutly at home in the first leg of a Champions League tie before attempting to nick the second, it is another thing altogether to attempt the pattern in reverse.
Mourinho has won the Champions League twice - with Porto and Inter - and on those occasions he played every first-leg knockout tie at home. He knows how to win the tournament but he has never done it in this order.
Chelsea have taken heart from their 0-0 draw but Atletico, despite failing to erode those English foundations, will be more pleased with the outcome.
A home clean sheet is the most important element in any Champions League knockout tie. In the quarter-finals, three of the four teams who went through avoided conceding in their own back yard. That zero beside Chelsea's name rather than the one next to Atletico's counts for more.
Atletico, themselves, are not an electrifying team. This was not a just case of Chelsea stifling them and disrupting the rhythm of their game. In honesty, they lacked the guile and intuition to break down what was in front of them. It showcased their attacking limitations when faced with a puzzle like Mourinho set.
source: goal.com
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