Chelsea v Manchester United
Last weekend’s disappointing FA Cup semi-final defeat will be all but forgotten if we avoid defeat in this game. A draw or better and we will be crowned Champions of England for the second successive year, and become the first London club to win back-to-back Premiership titles.
Of course Manchester United won’t want to be part of our title-winning celebrations and will do all in their power to prolong the inevitable. With two games still left to play after today, and just a single point needed to make it mathematically impossible for United to win the title, we can afford to lose.
Not that Jose Mourinho will be entertaining such a thought. It is over two years since we last lost at Stamford Bridge, a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on the 21st February 2004. Forty-three games later and we have a record of 35 wins and 8 draws, and have scored 91 goals in the process.
Combine that with United’s away record this season — 12 wins, 35 goals scored, the best in the Premiership — and desire to extend the title race just that little bit longer, and it has all the makings of a classic.
Mourinho has no injury concerns. Eidur Gudjohnsen returns to the squad after missing the FA Cup semi-final through illness, while Petr Cech is likely to return in goal in place of Carlo Cudicini. Maniche is available for selection after serving a three-match ban for a red card picked up during the home win over West Ham.
Prediction: If Mourinho chooses to play to our strengths — flying wingers in a 4-3-3 formation — then there’s no reason why we cannot win. If he decides to field a line-up similar to the one he put out in the first half of last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final — Joe Cole, Damien Duff, Arjen Robben and Shaun Wright-Phillips left out — then I can see us losing.
But in all seriousness, the chances are that Mourinho will set out to earn the draw required to retain the title. 1-1… and a weekend spent celebrating.
Related links:
- Captain looks to Bridge factor to see Blues home
- Kenyon criticises rivals’ lack of focus
- Domestic bliss suits Terry if not the Roman empire
Chelsea 3 - 0 Manchester United · Update
Now that is how you win the title.
I’ve already imbibed a few too many celebratory beers, and I’m going to have a lot more. Don’t expect updates until tomorrow [Sunday] at the earliest.
See Gallas, Joe Cole and Carvalho’s goals here (downloadable zip files), and read Jonathan’s match report here.
Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!
Match reports: BBC Sport; Sky Sports; ESPNSoccernet; Official Chelsea FC Website; The Observer; Sunday Telegraph; Independent on Sunday; Daily Telegraph; The Times; The Guardian; The Independent.
Related links:
- Reaction: This is special club says Special One
- ‘Sad’ Mourinho: I nearly walked away
- Chelsea’s winning season
- Chelsea’s tactical shift
- Mourinho joy at title win
- Champions - and having a laugh!
- Terry: No way I was coming off
- Blues revel in title celebrations
- Just like old times in this brave new world
- Mourinho in bid for acceptance
- Juventus move tempts Gallas
- Rivals downgraded to distant also-rans in merciless title defence
- Mourinho offers England help by resting key men
- Bubbly loses some of its fizz
- Rooney injury cuts across club rivalries
- Understudies hope to land leading role in World Cup cast
- Graphic: The Champions’ Statistics
- Reaction: Cole - Favourite goal, magic day
- Reaction: Lampard - Home record the key
- Robben denies Chelsea exit report
- Posted at 12:29 AM · Permalink · Print · 3240 views · Last indexed by Google on the 10th May 2008
- Tags: Matches, Premiership
Its 3-1 to Chelsea. If we all play attacking football. But knowing JM, he might want to make sure we win at Stamford Bridge.
Im gonna go for 2-1, Man U to take the lead, we get into gear and come back for the victory.
Hopefully the fans can conjur up a great atmosphere, i’ll be there doing my best!
Come on you Blues!!
We can’t afford to loose this title!!! ”I will not allow chelsea secure their second successive premiership without a fight” that is the word from the other looser to the Champions to be: This crown is certified and written Boldly , clearly by the angels of heaven Mourinho is going for a HAT-TRICK
3-1 is impossible.
Considering our current formand Manu’s form and the situation now, 1-1 could be a realistic score. Or maximum a 2-1 for either of the teams.
i hope mourinho goes with the 433.
Cudicini
Ferriera
Terry
Gallas
Del Horno
Essien
Makalele
Lampard
Cole
Drogba
Robben
then we woulndt be so direct like we were agianst liverpool. if joe cole and robben decide to turn up the style, i can see us winning this comfortably.
weeeeeeyyyyyyyyy!!!!!! 3-0 trophy lifted. the world returns to normality
hope rooney is ok, i think he will be, he is still immautre as a person, and i felt his mentality came to light - he spat his dummy. He was the only one on the pitch who seemed bothered all game, and If he were 3 nil up, i think he would have been ok… this remains to be seen though.
No disrespect to rooney, a lot of players are like this, I know how it feels to be injured and be losing, but i feel he’ll be ok in a few days…
WE ARE CHAMPIONS!
WE ARE CHAMPIONS!!
WE ARE CHAMPIONS!!!
And I thought saying 3-1 as the scoreline is being optimistic..
ALL HAIL THE BACK-To-BACK CHAMPIONS CHELSEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To all Cheslea supporters waitinf for a draw!!!!!!!!! We are the beast team in London and in England !!!!!!!!!!! Believe it or not!!!! Tonight I am going to get waisted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on Blues!!!!!!!!!!!!
CHAMPIONS are what we are from last 2 years… Next year its gonna be hatrick.. This is the sweetest than the previous one. Right at the face of Man U. What more could have you asked for than beating man u 3-0 to retain the title.
Go chelsea go..
My men of the match were ricardo carvalho and joe cole. Best performance from all the other players though.
BEST OF LUCK FOR THE NEXT SEASON
What a day, what a match, what a feeling. It’s plenty of Guinness for me tonight. Blimey, even the better half has given me the green light to repeat last night’s Guinness-fest! But Billy put Ronaldo in his pocket and Maka stopped Rooney and every player was truly God-like today.
Right , here comes pint number 1…. I feel an article brewing.
What a great day just got back home from the Bridge! A fantastic atmosphere the crowd got behind the boys today, we gave them a footballing lesson, what more can I say… just more beer and a really bad hangover tomorrow!
I appear to be rather drunk. Match report some time next week - now where did I put that champagne…?
Some interesting stats, and some people have the cheek to call US a longball team
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/a.....53,00.html
What an amazing day, been out celebating most of the night, didnt leave the ground till gone 4. I wasn’t expecting a 3-0 win, but we wre just amazing in all areas of the pitch today, our defenders got stuck in and won the ball, we won every 50-50 and counter attacked to great effect.
Joe Cole’s goal was sheer class, same with Riccy’s goal, made a great tackle to start the move, then ran the whole length of the pitch and finished it off with a superb finish.
CHAMPIONS!!
My head feels like football knocked out to stands. That was really a lot of drinking yesterday. However, I was not as wasted as was last year when we got the title.Just happy to hear it again and WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!
P.S. Wish all the best to Rooney and hope he will recover till World Cup.
We’re the first team to win the Premiership and to beat every other team in a season.
Also two consecutive seasons unbeaten at home!
What a fortress Stamford Bridge has become :)
Congrats one and all! What a performance from the lads. Everyone was at their best!
This is what it’s all about chaps so enjoy it! Makes all the crap we take worth it!
Now, back to nursing my hangover - oh, and apologies to all the random people I was hugging in So Bar after the match!
I think I enjoyed that even more than last season!
And what made it even more enjoyable was the Observer’s mean-spirited collection of quotes to ‘prove’ we are the most hated champions ever. Included Cruyff’s line from last season before the Barca game saying we were boring (remind us what happened next Johann?), whinges from Bryan Robson and Arsene Wenger and David Fecking Mellor, plus abusive text message (I 8 u Blu skum) from Daily Star readers! Quality journalism lads!
Just makes it all the sweeter!
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Bloody good show…
Sweet win over the pretending chasing pack!
They asked for it and they got what they deserved….
Sad not on the day is why the Ref failed to send off Rooney before he got injured…
The ref was crap on the day and I hold him responsible for Rooney’s injury (mad?) The game has rules and these thing tend to even themselves out…
anyhow am sick from all the drink I have been putting in…I actually felt my liver move
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
http://football.guardian.co.uk.....72,00.html.
Yes, I know it’s strange to start a blog with a link but follow this to read a piece by Richard Williams of The guardian. May make you pretty angry or just add to that sense of ‘what do we expect from journalists?’ that has been growing. Reflects what Pete above writes as well.
I have read Richard Williams for several years now and found his pieces engaging, well argued and sometime irritating. This year, he’s pitched his tent firmly in the anti Jose Mourinho field and has made some telling points, barbed but rarely splenetic. But I thought today’s article has finally tipped over into the spiteful. Okay we all know Williams doesn’t like Mourinho and finds every opportunity to attack his attitude. I suppose that we should realise that his desire for Arsenal to carry all before them, with Arsene Wenger being made prime minister and monarch in one fell swoop would have Williams purring. But to take a side swipe at Mourinho for shaking hands with the whole Man U bench in the last minute of the game - and to note that this “was at best patronising and at worst insulting” misses the point entirely. No doubt he would have been apoplectic if Jose hadn’t shaken old Rednose’s hand at all. Mourinho did that because he was on the pitch at the end with his players - and, by the way, he did spend a good 30 seconds with Sir Alex at the final whistle. Didn’t report that, eh?
Then Williams writes “(Mourinho) just cannot help himself and it would take an army of psychiatrists to uncover the cause of him taking the headlines.” Oh really? And who amongst the press would not have charged into a press conference wanting to hear Mourinho’s words. I’m not sure that it is Jose who courted the press: how many players did Richard Williams try to interview? Now Richard, be careful, because I know the answer to that. And which Guardian writer out of all those at the game actively sought Mourinho out to try to arrange an interview to offer some objective view? Certainly not Richard Williams. Honestly, if becomes any more choleric he’ll end up sounding like Brian Glanville!!!
Hugh, I read this as well and thought it no more than a petty and vindictive mean spirited piece of “writing”. I mean the twat even derided JM for his muted celebration of the first goal. His dig at JM for removing Joey Cole was scraping the 4th Estate barrel as well. All he did was give someone else the chance to enjoy the occasion of the game, and yet Williams sees it as yet another snub of Cole. If you saw JM hug JC as he went off you’d see the real relationship that exists there.
But what gets me more is he is allowed to write that drivel on a page that many will have wanted to keep as a record of the day, the achievement and the occasion. That is a slap in the face of every Chelsea fan as well. Note how none of the press wrote a single line of how the press pack were welcomed onto the pitch for the photo shoots. Yeah, I guess having 40,000 people chanting “Wankers” at you must be an embarassing moment at the least.
I’ve just e-mailed a few comments, suggesting that Mr Williams has obviously progressed up the journalistic ladder and should be writing for the intellectual “Tabloids”
I wrote to Williams as well, pointing out how amusing it is that all those journalists who accuse Mourinho of being a self-publicist appear to be the same ones who spend entire games watching his behaviour for things they can complain about. Perhaps an army of psychologists could explain that sort of behaviour.
I also disagreed with him about Cole, the hand-shaking and the medal-throwing, suggesting of the latter that it was a gesture of solidaritary with those supporters who have stood by Jose despite the best efforts of journalists to drive a rift between us. Finally, I asked him to pass on my congratulations to Kevin McCarra, whose criticisms of Chelsea and Mourinho at least come in some sort of context. To his credit, he sent me a very polite reply as follows:
———-
Thanks for your email. I’ve forwarded it to Kevin McCarra, as requested.
It’s my job to watch things and to describe them; you’re at liberty to
dispute my interpretation.
Of course Mourinho said that he chucked the medals into the crowd in the
Matthew Harding as a gesture of solidarity with Chelsea’s most fervent
fans. I chose to set that gesture in the context of the rest of his
behaviour during the day.
I have to say that I thought the business of shaking hands with the United
bench before the end of the match was entirely consistent with what we know
of a man who called Wenger a voyeur, announced Rijkaard’s team for him, and
made baseless accusations that Rijkaard had tried to influence the referee.
A breach of etiquette, in other words.
Mourinho is a terrific coach. It’s a pity he’s also such a supreme egotist.
You have a point about Joe Cole. He had an ice pack on his thigh before the
end of the game; maybe for a haematoma. But I can’t stand Mourinho’s
treatment of him: “He has to learn to play for me and for Chelsea…” etc.
Anyway, assuming that you’re a Chelsea fan, congratulations..
Yours sincerely
Richard Williams
Nick Townshend managed to do a good job in the IoS. Very supportive and good criticisms put in the correct context.
http://sport.independent.co.uk.....361089.ece