Chelsea F.C. - F.C. Barcelona rivalry
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The Chelsea F.C.–F.C. Barcelona rivalry is a rivalry between London-based professional association football club Chelsea Football Club and Barcelona based Association football club Football Club de Barcelona . Chelsea play their home games at Stamford Bridge, while Barcelona play their home games at Camp Nou.
Since both clubs belong to different leagues there have been few encounter between the two clubs with most matches being played in European club level competitions i.e. the UEFA Champions League.
The rivalry began after both clubs encountered new found success in their respective leagues namely the English Premier League & La Liga. After having gone through the 90's with mediocre to moderate success for Barcelona and several mid-tier finishes at Chelsea both clubs transformed themselves in the 2000's. This was under the leadership of Joan Laporta[1] for "Barca" and Roman Abramovich[2] for "the blues'. The rivalry is not limited to the pitch either with both teams vying for many of the same players over several transfer seasons.[3]
Overall, there have been 17 games being played during the rivalry's history, with Chelsea winning five and Barcelona winning six having won six matches while six have been draws for a grand total of 17 matches. This does not include Friendlies. Chelsea's record win was a 4–2 victory at Stamford Bridge in the a UEFA champions league match in the 2004-05 edition[4] wile Barcelona's record win was a 5–0 victory in a Europa League match of the old format competition during the 1965-66 edition.[5]
History[edit]
Early 2000's[edit]
The rivalry began back in 2000, the Blues were perennial underdogs in all competitions. Barcelona were led by Louis van Gaal at the height of his popularity.[6] Because of this, few thought Chelsea would beat the Spanish side 3–1 at Stamford Bridge. In the second leg, Chelsea pushed the tie into extra time. A red card for the Blues gave Barcelona the chance to turn on the afterburners. Because of the man advantage, they won 5–1. The seeds of a rivalry were planted.[6]
The landscape for the Blues changed completely before the two sides played again. Roman Abramovich purchased the club and used his financial power to make Chelsea more than perennial underdogs. Jose Mourinho came in and used the clubs recent status to create a culture of “us against the world”. It was rare for Mourinho’s Mark I Chelsea to lose to anyone, but lose they did. An own goal cost the Blues early. In addition, Didier Drogba was sent off. Unlike in 2000, however, the Blues held on and only lost 2–1. That played right into Mourinho’s hands.[7] Mourinho galvanized the side, using the loss as a rallying cry. Consequently, the fortress at Stamford Bridge held firm, and Chelsea overthrew their Spanish opponents. Chelsea won 4-2 and advanced.[6] This was the last match before Messi made his comments about the rivalry. Prior to the 2006 matchup between Chelsea and Barcelona, then 19 year old Lionel Messi said some Barcelona players hate Chelsea more than anyone else. In addition, he even compared the rivalry to the hotly contested Boca Juniors/River Plate rivalry in his native country.[8]
The next set of fixtures remains the most controversial. By this point, Jose Mourinho had left the club and Guus Hiddink was the interim manager for the remainder of the 2008–09 season. His Blues managed to hold Barcelona at the Camp Nou. There was all to play for at Stamford Bridge.[6] Time after time, Chelsea were denied clear and obvious penalties. A 93rd minute Andres Iniesta goal saw Barcelona advance on away goals.[9] Club legend Drogba famously called it “a disgrace”. He was banned alongside teammate Jose Bosingwa for behavior after the match. This set the stage for the 2012 semifinal between the two teams. [10] The matches referee Tom Henning Øverbø had one of the worst referee performances of all time, admitting his errors in a subsequent interview in 2018.
2010's[edit]
In 2012, Barcelona were without a doubt the best team in the world with some even calling them the best club team ever. Chelsea, at the time, were in a crisis. Andre Villas-Boas had been sacked earlier in the season and Roberto Di Matteo was placed in the hot seat. In was a surprise that Chelsea even made it to the semi finals that season. [11][6] At Stamford Bridge, the Blues held firm. Drogba scored just as the second half began to give Chelsea the lead. Few expected them to survive the trip to Camp Nou. Barcelona were perceived to have an easy route to the finals despite the loss while Chelsea were perceived to have none. The first half at Camp Nou justified that view. Gary Cahill came off injured early into the match. John Terry foolishly earned a red card by kneeing Alexis Sanchez in the back. At halftime, the Blues were down 2-0. The Blues came out for the second half with a renewed energy. Ramires scored his most famous Chelsea goal as the half began. As the final whistle was about to blow, Fernando Torres broke away and scored with seconds left. As a result, Chelsea had pulled off a miracle.[12]
Subsequently scandals of Barcelona tapping up players came to light, however this was not limited to players contracted to the blues.[13][14] This was compunded by the fact that during the 2022-23 pre-season, after the immediate sale of the blues to new ownership, Barcelona despite claiming to be cash strapped, indulged in financial creativity to pursure many of chelsea's targets namely Raphinha and Jules Koundé. All this while signing Andreas Christensen on a free transfer, instigating a trasnfer for Marcus Alonso and pestering César Azpilicueta.[15]
Head-to-head results[edit]
| Season | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965/66 | FC Barcelona | 2–0 | Chelsea | Camp Nou | Europa League |
| 1965/66 | Chelsea | 2–0 | FC Barcelona | Stamford Bridge | Europa League |
| 1965/66 | FC Barcelona | 5–0 | Chelsea | Camp Nou | Europa League |
| 1999/2000 | Chelsea | 3–1 | FC Barcelona | Stamford Bridge | Champions League QF |
| 1999/2000 | FC Barcelona | 5–1 a.e.t | Chelsea | Camp Nou | Champions League QF |
| 2004/05 | FC Barcelona | 2–1 | Chelsea | Camp Nou | Champions League R16 |
| 2004/05 | Chelsea | 4–2 | FC Barcelona | Stamford Bridge | Champions League R16 |
| 2005/06 | Chelsea | 1–2 | FC Barcelona | Stamford Bridge | Champions League R16 |
| 2005/06 | FC Barcelona | 1–1 | Chelsea | Camp Nou | Champions League R16 |
| 2006/07 | Chelsea | 1–0 | FC Barcelona | Stamford Bridge | Champions League GrpA |
| 2006/07 | FC Barcelona | 2–2 | Chelsea | Camp Nou | Champions League GrpA |
| 2008/09 | FC Barcelona | 0–0 | Chelsea | Camp Nou | Champions League SF |
| 2008/09 | Chelsea | 1–1 | FC Barcelona | Stamford Bridge | Champions League SF |
| 2011/12 | Chelsea | 1–0 | FC Barcelona | Stamford Bridge | Champions League SF |
| 2011/12 | FC Barcelona | 2–2 | Chelsea | Camp Nou | Champions League SF |
| 2017/18 | Chelsea | 1–1 | FC Barcelona | Stamford Bridge | Champions League R16 |
| 2017/18 | FC Barcelona | 3–0 | Chelsea | Camp Nou | Champions League R16 |
Notes:
- This list does not include Friendlies.
- Source for matches prior to 2000: World Football
- Source for Matches post 2000: UEFA Champions League
References[edit]
- ↑ "Laporta hace suyos los éxitos de Sandro Rosell | Barcelona | elmundo.es". www.elmundo.es. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ↑ Atkin, Elizabeth (2022-03-03). "Everything you need to know as Roman Abramovich sells Chelsea FC". Metro. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ↑ Arora, Udhav (2022-07-29). "How Barcelona bullied Chelsea in the 2022 summer transfer window". Barca Universal. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ↑ UEFA.com. "Chelsea-Barcelona Head-to-head | History | UEFA Champions League". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ↑ "Chelsea FC - Record against FC Barcelona". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Chelsea-Barcelona Head-to-head | History". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ Bristow, Thomas (2017-12-11). "The incredible comments Messi made about Chelsea prior to 2006 clash". mirror. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ "Angry Messi: We hate Chelsea". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ "Ovrebo opens up on refereeing Chelsea vs Barcelona in 2009". Tribuna.com. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ "'It's a Disgrace': How Drogba's Barcelona Outburst Anointed Him a Legend Long Before Bayern Heroics". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ "Di Matteo joins Chelsea backroom". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ "Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea (agg 2-3)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ Garganese, Carlo (2022-01-04). "Furious Juventus accuse Barcelona of tapping up Morata". www.footballtransfers.com. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ Garganese, Carlo (2022-01-04). "Furious Juventus accuse Barcelona of tapping up Morata". www.footballtransfers.com. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ www.express.co.uk https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1645621/Chelsea-retaliate-Barcelona-Jules-Kounde-premier-league-transfer-news. Retrieved 2022-07-26. Missing or empty
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