Chelsea take on Real Madrid tonight and Joe Cole has some clear tips for Thomas Tuchel. Whilst Chelsea's defensive record has taken some hits, most recently with their 4-1 defeat to Brentford, they still have a solid backline. The trio of Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, and Antonio Rudiger have been selected by Thomas Tuchel to take on the threat of Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema.
Speaking pre-match on BT Sports, Cole took a closer look at the potential mismatch between Thiago Silva and Vinicius Jr. "Vinicius is a danger for Real Madrid," he said.
"If I was Thomas Tuchel, I think that’s one of the reasons why he’s gone back to a back three. The link-up between Benzema and Vinicius is great, you cannot let Vinicius run at you, you may have to double up.
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"Keep him as far away from Thiago Silva in one-on-one situations, get Rudiger and Azpi, James to get tight and stop him at the source. Madrid will want to break away but I question whether they’ll have the legs in midfield when they do break away, to get up the pitch."
Despite this advice, Thiago Silva might be better as the last man. He is less prone to making bad decisions and giving away fouls in dangerous areas. When the two teams last met, Silva was holding down the Chelsea fort in the middle of their back three. Joe Cole remains confident that Tuchel's team will be able to handle Carlo Ancelotti's side once again.
He added: "We watched the game last year, the semi-final. Chelsea fielded a youthful team, a strong team, tactically better. Nothing much has changed at Real Madrid, and Ramos has come out the team too. Chelsea are still at that level, maybe slightly better. I fancy Chelsea tonight."
Sharing the panel with Joe Cole was Rio Ferdinand, who also shares the same sentiment. He claims that Chelsea's defence is still the best in the league despite last weekend's shock result against Brentford.
"When you consider that since Tuchel has been here, this team have been the best defensive team in the league in terms of clean sheets compared to anyone. So, they are a well drilled team and the result at the weekend has no reflection on this game," he said.
