5 subplots to the Chelsea vs Barcelona round of 16 tie

FC Barcelona v Chelsea FC - UEFA Champions League Semi Final
Torres scoring the winner the last time these two teams met in the Champions League

#4 Who will be Chelsea's left wingback to deal with Messi?

Barcelona v Chelsea - UEFA Champions League Semi Final
Jose Bosingwa famously dealt with Messi in the 2009 Champions League semi-final

With any team playing against Barcelona the left fullback position or the left wing-back position becomes incredibly important. With Barcelona's talisman Lionel Messi usually operating on the left side of the front three, the left fullback usually has a tough task.

In Chelsea's case, the left fullback at present is likely to be Marcos Alonso. Although he is very adept going forward, defensively he gets caught out sometimes. Chelsea have other options too. If all the centre-backs are fully fit, Antonio Conte can ask Cesar Azpilicueta to operate on the left side of the defence. Victor Moses and Davide Zappacosta can also play in that position if asked.

Guus Hiddink in 2009 famously shifted the right-footed Jose Bosingwa to the left-back position to stop Messi from cutting from the left and the move paid rich dividends. Antonio Conte can also play the same trick and ask right footed Azpi to play in that position.

No matter who plays, it is going to be extremely intriguing to see how he performs against Lionel Messi over the course of 180 minutes.

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