17 April 2023 , 21:22
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Gary Cahill believes Chelsea must stick to their task and "leave everything out there" if they stand any chance of progressing from their Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid.
The Blues trail 2-0 from the first-leg at the Santiago Bernabau thanks to a goal either side of half-time from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio. It gives Frank Lampard's side a mammoth task to overcome - but stranger things have happened.
Liverpool came from three down to beat Barcelona in the semi-final in 2019, while the Catalan giants recovered from 4-0 behind to win 6-1 on aggregate against Paris Saint-Germain two years earlier.
Chelsea were involved in a similar comeback on route to winning the Champions League back in 2012 when they were 3-1 down after the first-leg against Napoli. However, a Blues side, involving Lampard and Cahill, came back to win 5-4 on agregate in a bizarre last-16 tie.
Cahill, who was speaking on behalf on BT Sport, issued a rallying cry to the Chelsea players ahead of the game. He said: "My message for what it's worth is to go out and give it your all, manage the game in the early stages and leave everything out there.
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"If you leave everything out there, then you can look in the mirror and say 'I've done all I can do'. Leave everything on the pitch and give everything you can give."
Tuesday's game against Real Madrid also represents an opportunity for some players to impress and show why they should be at the Blues beyond the end of the season. Chelsea could be set for a rejig of their squad in the summer transfer window, with a new manager also expected to come in and shuffle his pack.
When asked about whether the Chelsea players may need to prove themselves, Cahill said: "I think so. It comes down to individual pressure and the standards you put on yourself. I knew that managers were going to come and go but if I kept my level I knew I could perform at, I would be good.
(Getty Images)"Some of the players now will be thinking I’m not at the level I want to be. Listen, the manager who comes in this summer will be watching the players, none more so than the game against Real. They will be watching the players."
"It represents a big deal, it represents that you’re playing for a huge club in European football," Cahill continued. "No-one knows more than Frank about that and what it takes to play at a high level and be involved in a Chelsea side year in year out. Ultimately, if people aren’t playing at the level, they leave or get sold.
"That's my experience at the football club, as soon as you're not cutting it, then you're sold and they get the next best thing in. That is the pressure. If I was a player, I would be looking at the individuals and thinking 'am I playing at the level I should be'. I'd I'm not, I would be thinking I’m not going to be here. The pressure is on at a big club and that’s the difference."
A lot has been said about Chelsea's bloated squad this season. Almost £600million has been spent in the past 12 months on new players, with Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Wesley Fofana the three most expensive buys.
Enzo Fernandez led the value at £107million (Getty Images)However, all those players have not been able to jell on the pitch. The Blues currently sit 11th in the Premier League table, having won just 10 of their 31 matches and look set to finish outside the European places for the first time since the 2015/16 season.
Cahill finished: "I think it is so difficult to manage a massive squad full of international players, with egos who think they should start games. To manage that is very difficult because you’ve got to leave a lot of players in the stands.
"I felt a bit sorry for Graham Potter when he came in, because he was managing the squad he had at the time, and then more were being added into the mix.
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"I think it’s a tough job and I think, again, the Madrid game, whoever is selected, will be so motivated out there. I think it will be more difficult for the rest of the season and the league.
"The league is seeing the games out now and getting some planning in place for next season. Even from a players’ point of view, you don’t know whether Frank will be there next year or not, so you’re not sure where you’re going to stand."
BT Sport is the exclusive home of the UEFA Champions League. Watch Chelsea v Real Madrid live on BT Sport 1 on Tuesday 18th April from 7pm. For more info, visit bt.com/sport