In this series, I review my in-ground experience throughout the campaign, this time for Lille at home. It’s split into two columns, one for home games and the other for away days. I run through various topics from atmosphere to a game review and give some unique observations directly from stadiums up and down the country.
Lille (H): Pre-Match Prediction
It barely felt like any time had passed since the previous game away at Crystal Palace when I made my way to the ground for this one. That last minute winner, while enjoyable at the time, showed quite how subpar our performances had become over the past few weeks, and as such I was slightly pessimistic.
Of course, it’s important to remember that for all the doom and gloom over the performances themselves, this was the fourth competition in February alone. For any other club, to be competing in the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, League Cup and Club World Cup within 25 days would be monumental.
That’s without even mentioning the fact we actually won the latter competition, giving us the chance to sport the ‘Club World Cup Winners’ badge on the shirts. Perhaps then, my initial mood was unjustified, but I’m not sure many would have disagreed given the relatively touch-and-go nature of recent showings.
Nevertheless, I still had a pre-match prediction to write, and it was as follows:
‘It’s good to be back in the Champions League again. There’s something about hearing that anthem as the teams come out, regardless of what stage of the competition it is that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and the crowd sing that little bit louder throughout the game.
As a result of our second-placed group finish, it means this home leg is only the first of two parts. That can sometime make for an almost unsatisfactory result, whatever way it goes. Win, and you still haven’t fully got the job done yet. Draw, it’s still anybody’s game. And lose? Well, that being disappointing goes without saying.
Still, I think even with the stuttering form as of late, Lille shouldn’t be too difficult an opposition. We’ll probably make it harder for ourselves than we need to, but I’m still expecting a fairly comfortable victory to take into the second leg. Let’s go 2-0, with a goal from Thiago Silva too.’
Seat Review
As I have for all of our other Champions League home games so far this season, I was in an upper tier for this one. Had it been a so-called ‘bigger’ tie, or even if it had been the second leg, I may instead have opted for elsewhere in the stadium, given the fact the atmosphere in areas such as the Matthew Harding can’t be matched.
However, as it was, I thought I’d stick with my European nights tradition, and remain in the East Upper. Of course, as I’ve mentioned before, being further up does bring many benefits too. The most obvious one is that of the excellent view of the action wherever the ball is on the pitch – more than can be said for some seats.
I was sat in Row 15, which is around halfway up the stand, and although it may have been more preferable to be further towards the front, it was hardly up in the gods either. Plus, being in seat 96, I was almost exactly on the halfway line, allowing me the luxury of not forcing my neck in one direction for 90 minutes.
As usual, for those who are unfamiliar with the layout of Stamford Bridge, I’ll explain my position from the point of view of the main broadcast camera. This time, it’s fairly simple, as I was practically behind said camera, just a little higher up, so my view couldn’t have been much better.
Chelsea 2-0 Lille: Game Review
Unlike what it feels like many of our recent matches have been like, it was by no means a slow start to this game by the Blues. It was an electric first 10 minutes as players burst forwards with pace and tenacity, in quite the contrast to previous showings.
That was rewarded just right minutes in, when Chelsea won a corner which was swung in by Hakim Ziyech from the left hand side. His delivery was met with ease by the head of Kai Havertz who nodded home to put the hosts one up.
Unfortunately, the remainder of the first 45 minutes were relatively uneventful, with the tempo of the game reducing quite drastically. Lille themselves had a few long range attempts but they didn’t trouble Mendy, and Chelsea were ahead at the break.
The second half was also relatively tepid in how it began, with a lack of urgency being evident once again. A few attacking opportunities came and went, and the game almost appeared to slow down yet further around an hour into the game.
Out of nowhere though, in the 63rd minute, N’Golo Kante received the ball in his own half, a little ahead of our own defensive third. The Frenchman then raced forwards with the ball, continuing on until he put it into the path of Christian Pulisic through on goal.
He then put the ball into the back of the net, finally giving the Blues the two goal cushion they had been craving for so long. Many hoped there might be a greater lead for the second leg, but there were to be no more goals as it finished 2-0 to Chelsea.
Things you don’t see and hear on TV
I hate to start this section with a negative, but I do want to comment on the atmosphere at this game. While it was not the worst I’ve ever heard at Stamford Bridge, I did expect more for a knockout Champions League game, especially given the fact we are the current holders of the trophy too.
For me, I think the reason lies not with genuine fans being unable to create sufficient noise, but instead the fact there are so few genuine fans in the stadium. A quick glance at the ‘displaced seats’ section on the ticket information page for this match on Chelsea’s website shows just how many tickets are allocated to UEFA and sponsors for a game like this.
There are obviously contractual obligations to fulfil, but it does still leave a sour taste that there are many loyal fans who may miss out in place of someone with barely a passing interest in the game. Anyway, moving on from that semi-rant, let’s talk about the more interesting observations I had during the match.
As mentioned in my most recent ‘Cobham Commutes’ column, there was a new chant on show after our trip to Abu Dhabi. It was good against Palace, but on the odd occasion when the whole ground joined in, to hear the acclamation of ‘Champions of the World’ was pretty special.
Another interesting perk to my seat position, which I didn’t mention in the earlier section, was the various famous faces I spotted near to me. David Baddiel, part of the famous ‘Baddiel and Skinner duo’, was a few rows in front, and just a few seats along was TV presenter Jeremy Vine too.
The final thing to point out was the poignant tribute to music legend and Chelsea fan, the late Jamal Edward’s MBE. He tragically passed away recently at the age of 31, so in the 31st minute there was a minute’s applause for him, which was warmly received by all.
Post-Match Reaction
As I said a little earlier, everybody knew that whatever the result in this one, nothing would be set in stone given the fact there is a second leg still to be played. That said, a 2-0 lead will give the Blues a decent amount of confidence when they travel to France in a few weeks’ time for the away game.
Looking at the wider picture, it was another fairly underwhelming performance in what is turning into a slightly concerning pattern as of late. That said, while there’s still a very long way to go, it’s another positive step towards the potential retaining of the biggest trophy in club football too.
But before that, there’s the small matter of a trip to Wembley – see you Sunday.
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