First half was not good from us. The defense looked completely off the pace, especially Cahill. Hutch looked like our most solid defender, but they looked like they can break our offside trap at will, though their goal was fairly lucky. Offensively we couldn't manage to anything at all, only shot on target came from a 40 yard Lampard FK. Lukaku's positioning and runs were abysmal, and just like the first match, the three behind him seem to be too far up the pitch when we are in possession which forced Lampard and Mikel to play long balls that Romelu is clearly unable to hold up. Hazard looked nothing like the previous match and lost the ball way too often. De Bruyne and Lampard were our best players in the half. Second half we had Essien and Mikel in the double pivot so it's natural to say that we retained the ball much easier; the former was bossing the midfield (Like an African dictator, as someone on here put it :lol; ) but on the offense only Marin seemed to be able to do something; one particular chance was brilliantly done where he dribbled three defenders into the pen area and should have had a pen after being impeded by the keeper. That changed fast when we brought in Cole, Malouda, and more importantly Piazon. The goal was a great one-two between him and Rambo, topped with an excellent finish. Defensively, we looked sooo much more organized with JT on, PSG only had one clear cut chance in the second half which they squandered. Malouda on the other end missed our best chance to win it from 8 yards out. MOTM Marin. Hazard: Some of his touches ooze class, but as I said he was no where near as effective as he was in the first match. Lukaku: :banghead: Movement was terrible, can't hold the ball up, couple with his usual abysmal first touch resulted in us not creating a single chance in the first half. Josh: Came on for the last 30 mins, looked his usual composed self, played some excellent intelligent passes and recovered very well every time we lost the ball. But still he was bullied off the ball a couple of times by the opponents. Piazon: He might be playing as a left winger with the youth squad, but his movement is that of a striker. He did look a bit nervous at times, but some of the runs and movements he does are both instinctive and classy. The goal he scored was only one of many runs he made, but unlike Malouda, Ramires was able to find him in the box. The finish was exquisite as well. De Bryne: Was everywhere in the first half: good stamina and excellent work ethic. His defending is a real asset for the team. Unfortunately, on the offense he had very little to work with. His link-up with Hazard was the highlight of our first 45 mins. Hutch: Looked by far our most solid defender in the opening half. He came under a lot of pressure but managed to handle it every time. I really think he a viable option at RB, I would trust him in any game. Kakuta: Was just trying too hard. He always tracked back, but his defending is terrible. On the offense he tried to do too much at a time and ended up not doing anything at all. Marin: Looked very sharp since coming on. Quick feet and excellent change of pace to beat defenders easily. Was the only one who was genuinely looking to create something for long periods of the second half. In short, a man of the match performance by the little German. Hope that gives you a better idea about the match
