One of the things that makes tournament soccer so great is the how quickly you can have a reversal of fortune. The Blues had their date set with their perpetual foes from the EPL in the finals of the Champions League but saw everything slip away almost 3 minutes into EXTRA time. FC Barcelona snatched a remarkable UEFA Champions League semi-final win through Andrés Iniesta's goal three minutes into added time to earn a showdown with Manchester United FC in Rome on May 27. Chelsea FC thought they had done enough to earn a repeat of last season's final as they defended Michael Essien's breathtaking ninth-minute strike with great resilience only for Essien to then err in failing to clear his lines in the dying moments. Lionel Messi squared to Iniesta and he cut his shot skilfully away from Petr Čech to give the 2006 champions – playing with ten men after Eric Abidal's second-half dismissal – victory on away goals and the chance to reclaim their crown, although they will have to do it without the suspended Abidal and Daniel Alves. Since “the special one left, Chelsea has not been able to close the deal and their frustration is beginning to show in their mannerisms off the pitch. Arguing the refs, looking for calls when the issue would have been a moot point if they “manned up” and played some D for four minutes of extra time after holding them scoreless for over 180 minutes of game time. The truth is that the Blues are quickly becoming the best second place finisher in Europe, but without the intestinal fortitude to finish. Does Chelsea need to make a fundamental change in order to return to their old glory let us know here and in the World Soccer Chat rooms?
