Dani Alves has voiced his opinion that Chelsea lost to Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League semi-finals because they showed fear.
The Premier League side led 1-0 in the second leg at Stamford Bridge after a scoreless draw in the first encounter and appeared to be on their way to the final when Barca were reduced to 10 man.
However, Andres Iniesta's stoppage-time strike eventually sent the Catalans through, and Dani Alves feels that Chelsea only have themselves to blame.
"There's no doubt that was the hardest game we've played. People say Chelsea would have won if it wasn't for the referee, but what can we do about that? I think that [in 2009], Chelsea didn't reach the final because of fear," Dani Alves stated to The Guardian.
"The team that have a man more, at home, winning 1-0, should have attacked us. Chelsea lacked the courage to take a step forward. Instead, they took a step back and they paid for it.
"When we saw they were not attacking us, we realised they had renounced the game. They were satisfied with 1-0, they were satisfied but forgot that at 1-1 we were through. All they did was get rid of the ball."
Both sides meet again on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge for the first leg of this season's Champions League semi-final encounter, which kicks off at 20.45CET.
The Premier League side led 1-0 in the second leg at Stamford Bridge after a scoreless draw in the first encounter and appeared to be on their way to the final when Barca were reduced to 10 man.
However, Andres Iniesta's stoppage-time strike eventually sent the Catalans through, and Dani Alves feels that Chelsea only have themselves to blame.
"There's no doubt that was the hardest game we've played. People say Chelsea would have won if it wasn't for the referee, but what can we do about that? I think that [in 2009], Chelsea didn't reach the final because of fear," Dani Alves stated to The Guardian.
"The team that have a man more, at home, winning 1-0, should have attacked us. Chelsea lacked the courage to take a step forward. Instead, they took a step back and they paid for it.
"When we saw they were not attacking us, we realised they had renounced the game. They were satisfied with 1-0, they were satisfied but forgot that at 1-1 we were through. All they did was get rid of the ball."
Both sides meet again on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge for the first leg of this season's Champions League semi-final encounter, which kicks off at 20.45CET.
Goal.com will be running a dedicated LIVE! on Tuesday and Wednesday from 16.00-00.00BST to keep you up to date with all the latest about the Champions League semi-finals, while also offering you the chance to discuss with our team of experts how a combined Bayern/Madrid XI could look like, and what Chelsea must do to shut out Lionel Messi and stop Barcelona.