Barnsley v Chelsea: FA Cup fifth round – live!
11-Feb-2021 20:02:57 | The Guardian
2 min: Barnsley are certainly keen to get in Chelsea’s faces. Callum Styles, a talented 20-year-old signed from Bury, wins an early corner ...
Barnsley kick-off after both sets of players and staff take the knee. Conor Chaplin gets proceedings started at Oakwell.
Thomas Tuchel has a chat pre-match. “They showed me already on the training ground that I can count on them,” the Chelsea manager says of the 10 players to come into the starting lineup. “They don’t have to prove today in 90 minutes, to show me everything that they are able to. I just want a solid performance and a solid performance. We don’t have expectations too high on them. It would be natural if they lack rhythm and a little confidence. We trust them. We have a strong squad on the pitch and now it’s up to us to adapt to the questions asked of us.”
Everton v Manchester City
Bournemouth v Southampton
Leicester City v Manchester United
Barnsley/Chelsea v Sheffield United
Ties to be played weekend of 20 March
Leicester City v Manchester United
Barnsley/Chelsea v Sheffield United
Everton v Manchester City
Bournemouth v Southampton
The FA Cup quarter-finals draw is imminent ...
Valérien Ismaël talks. “The good thing is I know his [Thomas Tuchel’s] philosophy, which I saw before with Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain,” he says. “It is a big opportunity to see how far we are at with our football and if we can cause any problems for Chelsea. We have to work as a swarm, as usual. We need to work hard and keep the intensity high. It is a chance for the guys to discover a new level of performance.”
What are the local delicacies in south Yorkshire? Valérien Ismaël took charge in October and, owing to the pandemic, is yet to properly meet Barnsley supporters. “It’s a strange feeling because I came to a new country, a new club, and I have not met the fans yet because of the restrictions. I can’t go out because everything is closed. I’m looking forward to when I can enjoy an evening in a pub or restaurant and discover the food culture in Barnsley.”
Thirteen years on: how could we forget?
In 2008, even more than now, Barnsley were unlikely giantkillers. Chelsea travelled to Oakwell having won 14 and lost one – the League Cup final, to Tottenham after extra time – of their previous 19 matches. Since producing the shock of the previous round by beating Liverpool at Anfield Barnsley had scored once in four games, not winning any of them.
Related: 'A night you never forget': when Barnsley stunned Chelsea in FA Cup
My favourite story concerning Barnsley’s manager Valérien Ismaël? Undoubtedly the fact he stumped up £200 to support the local brass band, funds that helped refurbish four creaking tubas:
The sound of a bugler playing The Last Post moved him before victory at Derby last month and again at Oakwell a fortnight later, so when Barnsley Brass appealed for support to refurbish creaking tubas, he donated £200. “I read this comment on social media and that is why, in this Covid time, a very tough time for everybody, I wanted to show togetherness – what we need at this moment – and to try to help. It’s important to support where we can.”
Related: Barnsley's Valérien Ismaël: 'Magath told us to go to the pitch. It was 4am'
We have a goal in the Club World Cup final ...
Related: Bayern Munich v Tigres: Club World Cup final – live!
Team news news: Thomas Tuchel makes 10 changes from Sunday’s win at Sheffield United, but you’d never believe it, such is the strength in depth at his disposal. So, Billy Gilmour is in from the off alongside N’Golo Kante. Hakim Ziyech, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic will operate behind Tammy Abraham. Timo Werner has been rested after his dead leg, while Kai Havertz is injured. Andreas Christensen makes his 100th start for Chelsea, which seems an impressive milestone given he spent two seasons at Borussia Monchengladbach. Victor Adeboyejo replaces Dominik Frieser in Barnsley’s only change.
Barnsley (4-3-3): Collins; Brittain, Sibbick, Helik, Andersen; Styles, Mowatt, Kane; Chaplin, Adeboyejo, Woodrow
Subs: Walton, Williams, Sollbauer, Moon, Odour, Palmer, Frieser, Dike, Thompson
We could do with an upset and where better than Barnsley? The last time these sides met at Oakwell, Kayode Odejayi, the antipode of a prolific striker, headed in the only goal of the game and Martin Devaney, who teed him up with a perfect cross, ended up with a broken nose following a collision with Michael Essien. It was 2008 and Avram Grant’s Chelsea, including John Terry, Michael Ballack, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka, trudged off defeated. This time a £72m goalkeeper in Kepa Arrizabalaga will be in the visitors’ starting lineup. “The good thing for him is that we start new, it’s a new start for him,” said Thomas Tuchel. “I don’t have a history with him and I hope there will be no difficulties, because I don’t see them coming.”
These teams are still separated by just the single division but, while Ismael has got Barnsley looking up, they continue to operate in different stratospheres. But Valérien Ismaël, Barnsley’s head coach, has previously duelled with Tuchel on the touchline in the Bundesliga, when his Wolfsburg side lost 3-0 to Borussia Dortmund. Eight days later Ismaël was sacked. This time, Ismaël and Barnsley will hope they can evoke the spirit of 2008 to toast an altogether different outcome.
Related: Barnsley's Valérien Ismaël: 'Magath told us to go to the pitch. It was 4am'
Continue reading...Read More