“Chelsea always have it”: Flick hails Maresca’s side’s aggression after blowing Barcelona away

Chelsea claimed a memorable 3-0 win over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues stomped out any threat from the Spanish club with an excellent all-round performance in West London.

Chelsea came with a high and suffocating press, and the structure allowed Enzo Maresca’s side to overwhelm the La Liga giants.

Barca boss Hansi Flick paid Chelsea the ultimate compliment, praising their aggression and ability to keep it up for long spells.

“We have to play a little bit more aggressive,” he said (Hayters Tv). “Especially in the one-on-one situations. Chelsea, they always have it. That’s what I want from my team!”

The Blues were more aggressive in both attack and defense. That proved to be the difference on the night.

Chelsea forced Barca into scoring an own goal early on, and that set the pace for the game.

Estevao Willian scored a brilliant effort, and Liam Delap put the gloss on proceedings.

Several Chelsea players put in outstanding shifts, including Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella, and Estevao.

The Blues have safely climbed into fifth place on the Champions League table, one of the round of 16 automatic qualification spots, and will be keen to hold on to it.

Now, the next objective is to carry this performance into the London derby clash with Arsenal.

The Premier League table toppers have made light work of the Blues in recent match-ups. They are unbeaten against Maresca’s side in seven meetings since August 2021.

In that run, Arsenal have beaten their London rivals five times and drawn twice. The Blues must be desperate to end this miserable spell.

At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea will need to bring their game against a well-structured Arsenal side eager to put some distance between themselves and the chasing pack.

Maresca’s side has shown they can stand toe to toe with any club in the world, and claiming this scalp over the Gunners must be the next target.