I was totally surprised and am utterly unafraid to admit it.
I attended Stamford Bridge last Tuesday evening for what I presumed would be a cagey and cautious opening 45 minutes of professional football. Instead, I had my imagination extended higher than a builder’s overdraft by a turn of events that nobody could have even dared contemplate would, or even could, occur.
How can two of the greatest teams in the world concede four goals each? It is a rhetorical question, simply because there is absolutely no merit in seeking the answer. Every now and then there comes along a game of football that will step outside all the accepted perimeters of reason and Tuesday provided one of the finest examples of this most welcome conundrum.
Driving back to North London after the game I confronted my naivety. I had been very busy in the days before the game and had paid little if any attention to the game itself. I received a late offer of a ticket, and even missed the first five minutes of the game, but almost before I had settled into my seat I knew immediately that something was up. The game was open, wide open, but I was still completely unprepared for what was to come.
European football is completely different to its domestic cousin. The essential beauty of pro football is that while the laws of the game are the same the world over, subtle differences are capable 
of producing enormous adjustments in the minds of the performers. The Champions League reflects this variation on a theme perfectly. Chelsea have a vastly experienced manager and wonderful players, and yet they were hesitant and uncertain and quickly devoid of confidence in that opening 45 minutes. How can this happen?
Well, a sudden and unexpected first leg away win in the Champions League produces initial delight, which, in the build-up to the return leg, is quickly replaced by anxiety. Irrespective of how good or experienced a team is the thought of blowing a two-goal lead at home, and the derision that would accompany such a calamity, plays on the mind of all concerned. It is virtually impossible to play a ‘normal game’ because normality has been swept aside by the brilliant result gained in the first match. The quite raucous chorus of boos and catcalls cast in the direction of the Chelsea players as they exited the pitch at half-time demonstrated the veracity of this unique situation.
Whenever I attend a live match I try to ensure I arrive early, watch the teams warm up and attempt to gauge the type of game the teams will play. This heightens my personal sense of anticipation and I find it interesting to see how right, or wrong, my thoughts were. Well, even had I the time to follow this well-practised routine at the Bridge on Tuesday, I would have been wrong. I would have been unsurprised by a draw, which is more common than you would realise in these circumstances, or maybe a 1-0 win for either side but I was absolutely staggered, and delighted I might add, by the 4-4 scoreline. It was an amazing evening.
'Amazing' however, is not the word I would use to describe the Chelsea supporters. First off, I must admit I have never liked Stamford Bridge. Traditionally it was a pretty ramshackle sort of place with a cabbage patch in the middle. While the improvement 
in the ground and the team are impressive, the Chelsea faithful - if I may call them that - give me that distinct feeling that they are unsure as to what is really going on. The lack of even half-decent songs or chants encourage me to believe that they feel they are living in a sort of dream world and they worry that the whole thing is eminently capable of evaporating right before their very eyes. Chelsea fans need their team to offer them inspiration before they spring into action.
The contrast with the visiting fans was vivid. There is tradition and great belief attached to supporting Liverpool and the complete harmony between the team and its supporters is always the most notable aspect of watching this club in action. They always illustrate to me the importance of supporters. Supporters are the lifeblood of every good club and once they have trust in their manager and players there is little that cannot be achieved.
The determination of Rafa Benetiz to win total control of football matters at his club emphatically underlined the commitment and belief he has to the importance of continuity, which offers us another contrast to the situation at Chelsea FC, certainly with regard to the managerial position. Liverpool won’t win the Champions League this time around but you know that they will be in contention year after year. Can we comfortably state the same for Chelsea?
