1. Play a flexible 4-3-1-2 formation.
Assuming that both Luiz and Cahill are missing for the game, the back four will pick itself - Terry and Ivanovic in the middle with Ashley Cole and Bosingwa as the full backs. The midfield will have to be Meireles, Essien and Ramires. The reason for Lamps' omission would be that the midfield will have to make continuous tracking runs and Lamps would be found wanting in that situation. Besides, he may have a huge impact on the game coming off the bench. Mata would play the attacking midfielder role and up-top, I would have Torres and Drogba. My reasoning for my forward selection will be clear later in the post. Also, the above formation can be used as a potent counter-attacking option by switching to a 4-3-3.
2. Accept that Barca will score at Stamford bridge.
Let's face it, at some point, Barca will score. At some point, Messi will sneak past the defense and place the ball beyond a hapless Cech. Chelsea should NOT set out looking for a clean sheet, because Chelsea cannot keep a clean sheet. If deMatteo accepts that Chelsea will get scored on, he can focus on Chelsea's strength; offense. The Stamford Bridge outfit should be aiming for a win - whether it's by one goal of three - there is no way they will not concede an away goal. And, that is perfectly okay.
3. Play a deep-line on defense
As Chelsea have found out earlier this season (refer to the Arsenal game), they are poor at playing the offside trap. Besides, with the foot speed of the players and the incision of their passing, no one should play the offside trap against Barcelona; it just would not work. By playing a deep-line, Barca should be able to nullify Messi and Iniesta running behind the defense via chipped/dinged passes played by their brilliant midfield. The flipside to this will be - it will give Barca a lot more time on the ball.
4. Let Barca have the ball in their own half + Run Ramires Run
Yes, Barca will have possession. But, as long as Chelsea pressure in their own half, Barca will find it difficult to feed Xavi. And Xavi is the heart of that team. Also, this will allow Ramires to drive at the heart of the Barca midfield. For as talented as Mascherano, Xavi and Busquets are, they are not particularly fast. Facing the young, dynamic midfielder will be something different from anything they have experienced in La Liga.
5. Stop Messi
This one is obvious. But how? In my opinion, it is pointless to man-mark Messi. With the exception of Luiz and Bosingwa, no defender on Chelsea's defense can match Messi for foot speed. And, unfortunately for Chelsea, those two are the team's most positionally unreliable defenders. So, yeah, no man-marking. It would be preferable to play a stopper-sweeper formation with Terry sitting deep and Ivanovic playing stopper; distributing the ball to Meireles.
6. Essien to man-mark Xavi
As mentioned earlier, Xavi (along with Busquets) is the heart of that Barca team. Essien will have to prevent Xavi from running the show. For one night, he will need to be the hard-tackling, no-nonsense monster that he was before all his injury troubles. By playing the ball-winning role, Essien can free-up Meireles to distribute the ball into space behind Puyol, or directly to the target man-Drogba.
7. Get Drogba on Pique and Torres on Puyol
Both of Chelsea's strikers have found some form recently and will need to be on top-form to score against arguably the best central defensive partnership in Spain. Pique (for any gossip queens reading this - he is the lucky bastard waka-waka-ing Shakira) has blossomed into a brilliant defender. His reading of the game and his distribution has earned him comparisons to the legendary Beckenbauer. However, his one weakness is a physical battle. That is exactly what Drogba can provide; Drogba should isolate himself against Pique in every dead-ball situation. Also, Drogba is the best in the world at holding-up the ball (and winning cheap fouls) and this will give Chelsea the chance to get a breather/some possession.
Similarly, Puyol is an excellent defender. His achilles heel is a slight lack of speed. This can be capitalized on by El Nino. As for picking Torres, I believe that this is just the sort of game that he would thrive in. He is a big-game player and will have a point to prove while playing against many of his spanish compatriots. Besides, I would argue that the alternative - Sturridge - has a poor work-rate and would not be able to handle the big occasion. He would be best as a good option off the bench; where he can play without pressure.
8. Capitalize on set-piece situations
Barcelona are fast in every sense of the word. However, they also have a lack-of-height throughout their team (with the exception of Pique and Busquets). Chelsea should be looking at making the most of every corner and every set piece. Similarly, they should be wary of Barcelona taking short corners, as they will be hesitant to cross the ball into the box. Also, while on defense, they should leave Mata and Bosingwa at the half-way line. This will force Barca to stay vigiliant against the counter attack; given Mata and Bosingwa's speed. And, let's be honest, neither of them can defend corners.
9. Play narrow while defending
If Chelsea play narrow and force Barca to play wide, any balls crossed into the box would be comfortable dealt with. Moreover, it would force a certain dani Alves into overlapping positions. Dani Alves is excellent going forward, but his positional awareness on defense is suspect. In other words, having Alves in Chelsea's half may provide the best counter-attacking possibilities for Torres and Mata to exploit.
10. If needing a goal, get Lamps on for Essien, Malouda/Kalou on for Mata and Sturridge on for Torres.
This one explains itself. Also - only use Mikel if someone is injured. The guy is pants.
What do you guys think? Anything you would add/subtract from the list?
