SW6Daily

Lionel Messi never scored against Chelsea when Petr Cech was in goal. It is a proud record that spans six Champions League matches, and was put to the greatest test in an unforgettable semi-final tie against Barcelona in 2012. Heading into the first leg at Stamford Bridge, Messi’s tally for the season was 63 goals. “I remember when Roberto (Di Matteo, Chelsea’s interim manager) presented the game, the whole team was laughing,” former Chelsea coach Christophe Lollichon says. “I analysed every single goal he scored. The direction, the positioning, the attitude in one-vs-one situations, his eyes when he looks at the goalkeeper. “At the end, I said to Petr, ‘This guy is so quick technically, his central vision is so perfect. He’s waiting for a very little movement from the goalkeeper to kill him. You have to wait, to wait, to wait, and force him to make a choice’. He said: ‘OK, I like it’. “Messi loves to put the ball between the goalkeeper’s feet, or close to the feet. The goalkeeper always tries something; he moves one foot and Messi immediately reacts. I remember one situation (in the tie) when Messi was very close to Petr and Petr didn’t move, didn’t move, didn’t move. “In the end, Messi kicked the ball towards Petr’s legs and Petr made an ice hockey save. He stopped the ball with his knee.” 📝 @liam_twomey FREE TO READ 🔗 nyti.ms/4vDjCfZ