"We'll see if they can knit it together" - Terry Phelan explains what Chelsea needs to do to stop Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinal clash (Exclusive)
Terry Phelan has commented that Chelsea will need to focus on the entire Real Madrid team rather than focusing on a couple of players if they're to secure the win in the Champions League.
Carlo Ancelotti will return to his old stomping ground on Wednesday as Los Blancos look to topple the current Club World Cup Champions.
Quarter-final time! 😀
Who will take a first-leg advantage?
#UCL
The Blues aren't enjoying the best of times as off-field issues have taken centre stage with Roman Abramovich set to leave the club.
They also head into the game on the back of a shock 4-1 defeat to Brentford in the Premier League. Phelan, however, thinks that the loss over the weekend shouldn't be a cause for concern.
During a recent media interaction, the football pundit said the Champions League is different to the Premier League and said Tuchel's men would need to be rigid at home.
"Listen the CL is different from the EPL. It's two games. You're at home, you've got to be nice and strong and rigid at home. You've got to get the win under your belt, get the goals and feel comfortable. We've seen what Real Madrid have done against PSG."
"All out attack, pressed PSG all over the park and PSG, yes they went 1-0 up, but it was a night for Real Madrid. Obviously, a lot of analysts will look at the game, the analysts at Chelsea and Real Madrid will look at different games, different formats and different players."
The former Republic of Ireland international also said the focus from the players should be on stopping the entire team rather than focusing on stars like Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr.
"We'll see if they can knit it together at Chelsea. People are saying they're playing against a team that are aged in midfield with Casemiro, Kroos and Modric. But I think they are some of the best midfield players in football as a unit."
"Up front, they have Vinicius Jr. and Benzema who're scoring goals for fun. I think it's about stopping Real Madrid and not just stopping one to two players. I think if Real Madrid go into a flow, obviously Real Madrid would like to go there at Stamford Bridge and get some sort of a result and then go back to Spain and do some damage there."
"I think it's all about Chelsea isn't it, they've had their ongoing problems with the owner leaving his role. But I think it's upto the players who go out onto the field to turn things around," said Phelan.
Real Madrid will be looking to get revenge on Chelsea for last year's exit from the Champions League
Madrid will be on a mission to get an amount of revenge against Chelsea for their semi-final exit at the hands of The Blues last season.
After playing out a stalemate in Spain, Tuchel and Chelsea outplayed Los Blancos at Stamford Bridge to secure a 2-0 win and proceed to the final against Manchester City.
Next up, Real Madrid at home in the #UCL. https://t.co/7CgwtdahzX
Ancelotti's men come into the game on the back of a 2-1 win against Celta Vigo with Benzema scoring both goals.
If Thomas Tuchel's men are to retain their Champions League title, they will need to keep the Frenchman quiet on the night.
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