Chelsea 4 - 1 West Ham United: wings clipped, Hammers battered…
While Jose may be worried about the recent arrival of bird flu on British shores, he seems to have started enjoying his ongoing game of chicken with Sir Alex Ferguson. The moody but magnificent Portugeezer finally broke his self-imposed silence with a classic Mourinho press conference on Friday. The message was simple; we’re coping with the ‘pressure’ of being seven points clear just fine thanks, and we’re certainly in no mood to give up our grip on the Premiership trophy. Catch us if you can.
This was all well and good, but Sunday’s indecently early game against West Ham was undoubtedly crunch time. With our current form looking less than impressive, anything other than a win and the gap could be down to just four points by close of business up at Old Trafford with a High Noon showdown against an inspired looking United due at the end of the month. After a few timely reminders about it being fifty years since the Busby Babes took the league title away from Chelsea, now was not the time to be blinking in the face of history.
The corresponding away fixture against the Hammers at New Year was arguably the last time that Chelsea looked like a title winning team. The ensuing months have seen everything from a battering up at Boro to a limp surrender in the Nou Camp, with points dropped on the road at Villa, Fulham and Birmingham. Even in the vast majority of games where another three points had been secured, the Blues haven’t looked as assured and dominant as they had during last season’s steamroller-ride to the title.
Something had not been right down at the Bridge since just after the Christmas decorations came down and the longer the malaise went on, the more questions were asked. Had we taken our eye off the ball having gone so far ahead so early on? Was the weight of expectation on the manager and the team too great? Had we gone too long on autopilot to kick ourselves back into gear when the heat came back on?
Add to this the rumours of dressing room unrest, players wanting out in the summer and the black cloud hanging over Jose himself, the good ship Chelsea has been pitching and rolling enough to make even the hardiest of us feel a little seasick in recent weeks.
So a reaction of some sort was needed. A Herculean effort. The spilling of blood, sweat and tears; a dogged fight to the last. More guile and killer instinct than we showed against Birmingham and more, well, everything than we displayed down the road at Fulham. Damn it, even if this badly-timed blip does mean that we’re going down, let’s at least do it fighting. A proper ‘Butch and Sundance’ style finale with Terry and Lampard facing the hail of bullets in place of Redford and Newman. Or something more in keeping with our recent efforts and the ensuing coverage in the media; the dénouement of ‘Thelma and Louise’ with Robben and Drogba in drag driving a 1985 Ford Fiesta off Putney Bridge into the Thames at low tide.
But no, less than twenty minutes into yesterday’s game and it looked even worse than that. Trailing 1-0 after a bright start thanks to some shocking defending, and now we’re down to ten men following Maniche’s over-the-ball tackle on Scaloni. It can’t end like this, can it?
You could almost hear the stonemason chipping away at our gravestone.
“April 9, 2006. Here lies Chelsea’s 2005-6 title challenge; ruthlessly slain by a crap Scouse referee with a slightly effeminate gait and a West Ham centre half who was just very, very ginger.”
As epitaphs go, it might well have been factually accurate but it would hardly have been fitting for a team that had sat atop of the Premier League table for eighteen months. But with the sending off, something happened; a turning point, the straw that finally broke the camel’s back. The sense of indignation and righteous anger amongst everyone Blue inside the Bridge was palpable. Not just in the context of the game, but in the light of everything that had been slung in our direction in recent weeks.
You’ve slated us, taunted us, laughed at us, branded us cheats, you’ve brought charges against us whilst ignoring the actions of others and worst of all, you’ve suggested that we might not quite have what it takes to be anything more than just a flash in the pan.
Well now we’ve had enough. Now we’ll show you exactly why we’re champions and that we intend to remain so for a little while longer yet.
Then at last came the one thing that seems to have been forgotten in the maelstrom that has threatened to consume Chelsea of late; the football that got us to where we are today.
With Mourinho resisting the temptation to change things around in the aftermath of Maniche’s dismissal, the oddly winger-free (how much would that decision have been questioned had the outcome been less favourable?) and now depleted side went about West Ham with such an incredible sense of purpose that had Chris Foy given Alan Pardew the opportunity of putting an extra player on the pitch, he probably would have declined to save his twelfth man the embarassment.
Within little more than ten minutes, West Ham had been on the receiving end of a couple of sucker punches that they clearly weren’t expecting from out-of-form, ten man Chelsea. Drogba ran on to a Lampard through-ball and after his initial shot had been blocked by Collins, guided the second chance shot through the helpless Gabbidon on the line.
Two minutes later and West Ham were, for all intents and purposes, dead and buried with a big defiant Blue flag shoved firmly up their complacent Cockney backsides. Drogba’s cross took a slight deflection and found its way onto Crespo’s boot; the Argentine made no mistake from close range to end his recent barren spell.
The best centre-back partnership at the club not only stood firm, but added their four-penneth to proceedings in the second half. Terry’s superbly struck drive finished the game as a contest ten minutes after the restart and Gallas, unlucky when providing an off-the-bar assist for his captain, celebrated his return to the side by slotting home from a yard out following Drogba’s flick on.
“It’s so easy, with ten men…” bayed a jubilant Stamford Bridge. It would have been difficult to find a West Ham fan who disagreed; most of them were on their way back to Fulham Broadway at that point.
The woodwork and the officials prevented the Blues from giving the scoreline a more emphatic feel, but any type of destruction of West Ham is always highly enjoyable and the opportunity to remind our old friend Teddy Sheringham of his true popularity down in West London was an added bonus. A bit of a roller-coaster start, but overall a brilliant day that restored the collective faith in all things Chelsea.
In amongst a stunning team effort where every player on the pitch contributed selflessly to the cause, two individual performances stood out; those of Drogba and Makelele.
Our much-maligned striker played the kind of game that made his record-breaking price tag seem almost reasonable. He hassled, battered and intimidated his way through a superb performance of the type that Messrs. Senderos and Hyypia still have nightmares about. He only went to ground when he was tackling (of which he did plenty) and was involved in literally everything that Chelsea produced; had you nipped out for pint at half time it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see him shifting a few barrels of ale around just to keep himself occupied until the restart. Quite which Didier Drogba will turn up at Bolton next Saturday remains to be seen but the more he has been criticised of late, the better his performances have become. More of the same please DD.
And then there was Makelele; an absolutely stunning performance. It says everything that pundits now frequently refer to the holding midfield position as ‘the Makelele role’. There is little more you can add about the man who has made playing one of the least glamorous positions on the pitch into something of an art form; watching him play like he did yesterday is as mesmerising as watching a great striker in form or an in-form winger terrorising full backs. Despite our numerical disadvantage, he tackled, intercepted, shielded and distributed in such an imperious manner that he rendered West Ham’s normally impressive midfield lynchpin Nigel Reo-Coker only marginally more effective than he would have been had he stayed at Upton Park for the day. There must surely be a wry smile on Claude’s face every time he thinks of the ‘Galacticos’ at his former club and their collective medal haul since his departure back in the summer of 2003. A truly unique football player and in the opinion of many, one already firmly established in the ranks of Chelsea’s legends.
A good day’s work all round; the blip emphatically dealt with, the ship steadied and the gap to United remaining at seven points with five games to go. The race is far from over yet, but another three points and one more game gone as the number of opportunities for Ferguson’s men to catch us has decreased further. Fergie is adamant that United can do it, stating that we have tough away games to come at Bolton and Blackburn and a final day encounter with Newcastle at St. James’s Park where the retiring Alan Shearer, the player he once tried to sign, will look to say goodbye to the Geordie nation with a victory. All very true of course and whilst the headlines are Ferguson’s given that he has led his team superbly and put them in a position that finally gives the nation a title race, it should be remembered that United cannot afford to drop a single point and still have to visit the Bridge at the end of this month.
A superb day was rounded off and indeed summarised perfectly whilst sitting on the tube home. A lone, hollow and rather lethargic voice with a slight East End twang rang out across the carriage.
“We hate Chel-sea and we hate Chel-seaaaaa…”
A few wry smiles were cracked; that’s you and most of the English speaking world, my friend. But it won’t stop us and in some strange way, I’d even go as far as to suggest that it has helped us quite a bit of late.
- Posted at 04:38 PM · Permalink · Print · 3015 views · Last indexed by Google on the 16th May 2008
- Tags: Chelsea, Jonathan Dyer, Matches, Miscellaneous, Premiership, Stamford Bridge, The Hammers, West Ham United
4-4-2. Is this the future: discuss.
A quick response to Jonathan’s paeon to the genius Claude!! Spot on - this man has to be the best midfield player in that role I have ver seen - and like you I’ve seen more than a few. Saturday encapsulated for me the sheer quality, brilliance, tactical nous and brains of the man. Just over 30 interceptions, similar tackles and passes. Only one pass astray on Sunday and then he won the ball back. And barely broke real sweat - but his mind must be like a razor, clinical in all that he does. Remember those tw*ts on TalkSport (!?) who said they didn’t rate him?? What bowlarks - and it shows how little some of those screaming jackasses know about the game.
On a couple of occasions this year I’ve watched him very closely and am convinced that he must read a game better than anyone i’ve ever seen - including Bobby Moore. Equally I am sure he just works out how opposition players are likely to turn, shield the ball and pass because, in those games, he intercepted, tackled, disposessed no less than 80 times!!
How Real Madrid let him go is an absolute mystery - but goes to show that RM are not a good club! Anyone else would have paid him megabucks without batting an eyelid.
What wil we do when time finally catches up with him? For me, absolutely THE player of the last three years - and will be remembered by all of us for a long time. Hall of Fame?? Too bloody right.
Cheers hugh - was an amazing performance from our number 4. Cloning is surely the way forward to ensure that the legend of Maka lives on.
Pete - encouraging that we can switch to another formation so effectively given that one of our problems this season has been teams working out how to play us at our usual game. Doesn’t bode well for the wingers though!
Thanks Jonathan for another good piece!
http://www.teamtalk.com/footba.....52,00.html
The Muppet of Psychological Warfare is only trying to still keep a defiant face in the face of the obvious. Now, he’s reduced himself to doing our remaining opponents’ team talks for them under the misguided belief that he can rouse them to stop us. As far as I recall, Bolton were already on a losing run when United visited and took all the points, and, in spite of the reputation of Big Sam’s men as bruisers or hard opponents, Chelsea would overran them by burdening them with their fifth defeat in a row. In other words, any team that do not hold fear for United, hold no fear for Chelsea.
Ferguson should call up Mark Hughes to wrap Bellamy in cotton wool, to keep him fresh and fit solely for our visit. It would also help to drown the Ewood Park pitch in water. But when the smoke clears (if any spark from them is possible), Ferguson’s frustration would be written all over his tomato-face. Imagine him reminding the world that the St James’s Park meeting with Newcastle would be Shearer’s last game. So? Does the man have any dog in this fight? Shearer and his troops can bring their A-game on the day, but their A-game won’t be enough to stop Chelsea, whether or not we still need the win to guarantee the title then. Ferguson can dream of coming to Stamford Bridge to pick up a win, but he would only be coming on that day to, before or after the match, coronate the Kings of the King’s Road. He and his caravan will have the humiliation of returning to Manchester thoroughly deflated. In other words, Fergie’s honeymoon will end after Good Friday, because from then on, when he takes a look at the fixture list, it would be squeaky-bum time for him, not for us.
Mourinho does not have to do team talks for Martin Jol, McClaren or even Curbishley’s teams. They know what they’re individually fighting for in their upcoming games against the Red Devils. Fergie should concentrate on those games, rather than being concerned with the outcomes of ours. In any case, just so he understands, for the umpteenth time, we say Chelsea will do what they have to do to RETAIN the title, whatever Ferguson and his people do.
That’s a guarantee from Mourinho and he can take it to the bank!
the chelsea effect is one of the most weird things in football since a long time ago….
all people hate what mourinho does, what chelsea does….
but most important thing is that this team continue to make such a diference not only in the sport´s view but most of all in their approach to the human side and social side.
chelsea looks like a big family…united, strong, with tolerance to defeat and specially with the competence and creativity that make them unique.
this time was the tactics…with a new design and a structure very near the structure used in f.c. porto , chelsea (and mourinho most of all), wipe the “visionaires” and brilliant minds that thought that they have already understand the way of football and how the sistem works.
The perspective of a 4-4-2 with a tendency to build a flexible but strong internal miedfield was a lesson that mourinho is far more conscient of their fragilities or the advantages that opponents are building by study the way the team works.
But this was a lesson specially to those who think chelsea is all about money….
the way the team fought and help each other is the dream of every social group of every community…football teams, institutions, nations, familys, corporate enterprises …….
chelsea its about black guys, white guys, with diferent qualitys work for the some thing as well working for the individual development as player but specially as a human being.
tactically brilliant …
social construction amazing…
and the joy of wining without the joy of see the others lose….
an example of effort and strength….
I like the JT/ William combo at the back with Super Claude in front of them making a power pyramid in defense. We can rely on them while we push forward looking for goals.
I like 4-4-2 but maybe with Joey on the left side of midfield instead of Maniche so that we have a bit of width if we need it remembering that DD occassionally pulls out there too.
Clearly we’re more of a goal threat with out 2 strikers on the pitch. I think one of the reasons DD was so effective was that he had some support in front of goal. He sucks in defenders with his strength and creates openings for other players to finish off.
I think we’ve hit upon a combo that will bring home two trophies for us.
That was a stupendpous effort. I think the Maniche dismissal may jus be the spark to further thr fire in boys’s belly to push us to Premiership glory. Thee always comes a time when things begin to drift, we lose a bit of momentum, a bit of edge perhaps but there come these moments when your chips are down, when the wolves around manchester and elsewhere begin to howl and these are the times when the heroes come out guns blazing, heads up, eyes focussed full steam ahead and none can withstand such force, such will - the will to succeed - succeed againt all odds: the refrees, the press , the red goofs .
Maniche may have unintentionally contributed a lot to this campaign than he probably realizes. The flood gates which were getting clogged are now free once again and West Ham just got blown away in the floods.
Its all about getting the balance right in terms of how the players complement each other on the particlar day and MJ ( Mourinho,Jose - sounds better i think) certainly pulled off a brillinant coup by lining up both of Chelsea’s potent strike force to showcase a display to delight the Stamford faitfull . Bravo DD ! Bravo Mourinho !
Mourinho may chose to bring back some of our underperforming wingers in the next couple of mathces but the 4-42 attach formation does seem well suited to lead us to victory in the battle for the premiership. Big Sam , Fergie the scum , Tinface Roeder: Enemies of the blue force - watch out - the chelsea juggernaut to the title, to glory has begun.
My thoughts on 4-4-2. The extra man in midfield gave Maka more options and space, which resulted - as has been noted - in a superlative individual performance. Oppo teams had clocked that putting pressure on him helps nullify the whole team. Remember also that Jose started off playing 4-4-2 here and only brought in 4-3-3 because of circumstances (as I recall). If we’re really going to sign Ballack, and keep Lampard, we’re going to be playing 4-4-2 a lot more next season (especially as Maka’s legs start to go and he needs more support).
It also brings out the best in Drogba, one of the most undervalued players (by supporters) I’ve seen at Chelsea. He puts in more legwork than any striker ever - including Vialli, Hughes and Speedie. Personally, I’d rather see Eidur as the second striker. Any views?
One of our less gifted fans was on another site the other day complaining that Drogba was winning defensive headers in our box during open play - ‘i want my striker up front scoring goals’ he moaned. It beggers belief that after nearly two years some of our fans STILL don’t get what Mourinho and this team is all about…
Inspired writing, Jonathan! You do justice to a rousing performance by the blues. 4-4-2 is definitely the future, it’ll reduce the reliance on the midfield for goals, and make us more effective at the front. There will be no more holding up the ball, by the lone striker, to allow time for the wingers or midfielders to get into position.
Drogba’s performed as we know he can, if he can be consistent, the future will be a deeper shade of blue.
I agree with pedro on the question of team spirit: Good players can be bought, but a good team can only be built; and it’s a quality that only a handful of teams possess to the degree that Chelsea does.
I think a little caution is required here regarding 4-4-2 as being the future. Let’s not get too carried away with one rousing performance. Remember we only actually played that formation for about 15 minutes against West Ham. After that it was 4-3-2. So Makalele didn’t actually have an extra man in midfield with him. In fact you could argue he had two less men, if you see our normal formation as 4-5-1. Remember, West Ham were extremely poor and virtually waved the white flag once they realised our players were up for it. I don’t think Bolton, Blackburn, or Man Utd will do the same somehow.
Let’s also remember how at the start of last season we drifted 5 points behind Arsenal whilst employing the 4-4-2 formation. Many of us complained at the lack of natural width it gave us then. We won a lot of games 1-0 however, so it was a solid formation. It does rely on Didier winning a lot of balls played in the air, and maintaining possession. It also relies on the full backs having the freedom to bomb forward. This didn’t happen early last season, as Ferreira and Bridge seemed to be restricted by a concentration on their defensive duties. If this changes (and I believe playing Gallas at centre half with JT will give the full backs more confidence to charge forward) then this could work well. Certainly Didier and Hernan seemed to work well together and form an immediate understanding. Hopefully also we should get more possession amongst the forwards, so Crespo should see more of the ball.
I think also it gives the option should we manage to be ahead in matches in the second half, to withdraw Crespo and bring on Robben to play up front with a view to some lightning counter attacks against some weary defenders when the opposition have to come forward.
The only thing that worries me is whether our midfield will be able to create enough chances for the forwards. With Claude and Essien in midfield it would be extremely solid, but I would play Joey Cole instead of Maniche to give a little more creativity. Lamps of course will provide a goal threat, and provide raking passes to Didier. Essien will need to make more of his charging forward runs, and perhaps show a little more composure in front of goal (his finishing is somewhat reminiscent of Arsenal’s Danish floodlight threatener of the ’90s, Johnny Jensen).
But what is most encouraging was the great unity and team spirit shown, and the fact that the boys can adapt to different formations as required to take advantage of each given opponent’s weaknesses. This may prove usefull against the Scouse reds in the semi-final.
One last point, no more booing of any Chelsea player - please!
Come on you blues!