Alan Shearer laid into Barcelona’s defensive organisation after Chelsea carved them apart in a ruthless 3-0 Champions League victory at Stamford Bridge.
The former England striker was left astonished by Barcelona’s defensive positioning, which he branded ‘crazy’ as Chelsea exposed them time and again.
Shearer’s comments came as the Blues repeatedly timed runs in behind Hansi Flick’s back line, punishing a high defensive line that never adjusted throughout the contest.
‘They keep on getting done time and time again. Nothing more than Chelsea deserve. They time it to perfection again,’ Shearer said on Amazon Prime.
‘I’ve seen some offside traps in my time, but this is absolutely crazy it really is,’ he added.
‘It’s as if there’s four dummies just stood there and saying “how do you want to do it guys?”. It’s hard to believe at times, I’m lost for words at how easy it’s been for Chelsea to get through and how crazy at times they’re playing it.’
Chelsea took the lead after 27 minutes when Jules Kounde turned the ball into his own net under pressure from a low cross into the area.
Barca’s night deteriorated further shortly before half-time when captain Ronald Araujo was dismissed, reducing the visitors to ten men for the entire second period.
Enzo Maresca’s side made their numerical advantage count after the restart as Estevao doubled the lead with a composed finish after exploiting space in behind the defence.
Liam Delap then wrapped up the scoring in the second half, finishing from close range after another well-timed run as Chelsea continued to slice through Barcelona’s offside trap.
Despite the introduction of Marcus Rashford and Raphinha, Flick’s men never looked capable of responding and were repeatedly caught by simple balls over the top.
Chelsea, who sit second in the Premier League, moved up to fifth in the Champions League league phase after claiming their third win from five matches. Barcelona, meanwhile, now have just two wins from five European games this season and sit 15th.
