Premier League: Chelsea 6 - 0 Manchester City
Match reports
Independent on Sunday, Steve Tongue: “A lot of water has flowed under Stamford Bridge since Eriksson took tea with owner Roman Abramovich in the summer of 2003 to discuss becoming manager of Chelsea. Jose Mourinho was given the job and the rest is history; or was until Avram Grant took over eight matches ago. Six of them have been won, the last five in a row, and for the home team’s supporters it was all glorious fun yesterday as the little-regarded Israeli lived up to his promise to produce a brighter style of football.”
Sunday Times, Joe Lovejoy: “The king is dead, long live the king. Chelsea’s fifth win in a row, by a crushing margin, was the most convincing proof yet that there is life after Jose Mourinho. Not just life but fun, as his successor Avram Grant demands. Didier Drogba’s two goals underline the fact that normal service has been resumed at Stamford Bridge. There has been speculation that English football’s most potent centre-forward would like to follow his erstwhile mentor out of the door marked exit, but there was no sign of that here, Drogba scoring two goals and terrorising the City defence with a towering performance that left England’s Micah Richards abject in embarrassment.”
The Observer, Duncan Castles: “This was an exhilarating encounter: Chelsea powerful, coherent and swift in their attacking; Manchester City precise on the counter and real contenders for 45 minutes. If both defences were ragged and rarely capable of shutting opponents down, it only added to the enjoyment of a game that matched Avram Grant against form opposition for the first time since usurping Jose Mourinho last month.”
Sunday Telegraph, Roy Collins: “The Special One? Who needs him when Chelsea have Avram ‘The Alchemist’ Grant, who erected a Big Top in SW6 before encouraging his entertainers to fill it with more goals than in any match during Jose Mourinho’s reign as manager, gaining the added reward of inflicting the highest professional defeat on humiliated City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.”
Official Chelsea FC Website, Christian Collison: “Chelsea showed we are truly back in the championship fight today after thumping Eriksson’s Manchester side. Cech was hardly called into action thanks to the strength of our back line despite missing John Terry. Great game, brilliant result.”
The goals
16′ Essien 1-0
31′ Drogba 2-0
56′ Drogba 3-0
60′ J. Cole 4-0
75′ Kalou 5-0
90′ Shevchenko 6-0
The good
- This may be a very long list! First, the performance. Magnificent doesn’t cover it. Every player deserves a bouquet for putting in such a dazzling display. Every tackle was fought for, every loose ball was chased after, every pass was timed to perfection. I haven’t seen this passion and desire for some time and it felt good. I want more… much more of this. World class. Just like watching Brazil. Exhibition football. Arsenal? Who they?
- Frank Lampard. Lean and mean, he truly looked like the best attacking midfielder in the world. And where did he suddenly get such a turn of speed? Has he been having a touch of the old extra-curricular with Darren Campbell when Sheva’s back was turned? He set up the first goal with a superb pass, weighted like a Tiger Woods putt, and the pass for the second was simply breathtaking. It couldn’t have been better for Drogba if the ball had a golden bow tied around it, served on a silver salver by the gorgeous pouting Jennifer Aniston. No really, I mean it. If not playing for England does this to him, then please Frank… listen to Tony… retire from England and let Stevie ‘Goldenbollocks’ Gerrard have the pressure because by God there won’t be a Chelsea fan in the world who would complain if it meant seeing more displays like yesterday’s.
- Didier Drogba. If he carries on like this, rampaging through defences, fighting every corner of the pitch for every ball and generally looking like a £50m player then this will be the season when he is crowned the number one player in the world. Honestly, Roman should be crawling across fields of broken glass with his cheque book open to keep Drogba with us. He is simply the absolute best player anywhere in the world at the moment.
- Michael Essien. Surprisingly poor in a few games this season, but boy was he back to his best yesterday. The phrase “midfield general” barely covers just how good he was. His passing was supreme, his awareness was awesome and his tackling was precise. Perfect.
- Paulo Ferreira. I’ve been a big critic of the man because his drop in form last season was so dramatic. For all the world I thought he’d be gone and so poor was he at times, I’d have packed his bag and seen him to the taxi. It seems clear that his dip in form was a crisis of confidence that stemmed from a fall out with Jose Mourinho. Yesterday, he was simply the best left-back in the country. We have the best two in Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge, but if Paulo did this every week it’s hard to see how either would get in the team. He was utterly perfect in every sense, great tackling, great vision, the personification of calm and truly exquisite passing, crossing and wing play. World class.
- The crowd. The Matthew Harding Lower was buzzing and the feel-good factor was added to by some video footage at half time of great Chelsea goals from the 1950’s until today. You know when things are going well because we taunt fellow Chelsea fans in other areas of the ground. It was good to hear The Shed singing their old routines about being the “west side / white wall / middle of The Shed”, and being taunted by us lot singing about being the “North Stand of The Bridge”. Even the West Stand piped up; however I think the East Stand will only ever sing if they are all covertly infused with hallucinogenic drugs!
- The goal fest! About bloody time too. I loved Mourinho, but you can’t help think he would have instructed the players to hold at 2-0 and then strangled the game. It’s too early to know if this is the influence of Avram Grant or Henk Ten Cate, or whether the players just felt they owed us all something special, Frankly I don’t care, I just want to see us put more teams to the sword like this.
The bad
- Mike Riley. Yes, the referee again. I know it can be a hard thankless job but honestly the levels of ineptitude are shocking. One only had to witness Mark Clattenburg’s utter nightmare last week. Riley missed two nailed on penalties, booked Lampard after Micah Richards had clattered him and then tried to punch his lights out (temperament problem anyone?), and booked Essien for a most innocuous challenge. His assistant flagged a ball out of play that never even grazed the line, let alone go over it. Has the uplift in status to highly paid professionals made any difference to the standards? In a word, no!
- No Shaun Wright-Phillips! Not even on the bench! A poor way to treat someone who has really started to lift in confidence and his value to the team. Florent Malouda was also mysteriously omitted from the squad, but he has a long way to go in my eyes to show the sort of commitment Wright-Phillips has.
- Manchester City - especially Javier Garrido. They were bad, very bad. But one can’t help think that this was caused by them being utterly outclassed by a rampant Chelsea who would have steamrollered anyone yesterday. That doesn’t excuse Garrido though who was basically missing in action for large parts of the game. Alan Hansen destroyed him on Match of the Day last night and rightfully so.
- The largest team photo being removed! For those who don’t know it was along the wall that divides Stamford Bridge from the Oswald Stoll Mansions. Part of it is used for this blog. I know that Russians are keen on re-writing history in order to delete someone’s details but this is a bit drastic isn’t it? It was a rather unique thing to have and I can only hope it’s been taken away to be updated rather than removed permanently.
- I bought my lovely youngest daughter some stuff in the shop. She wanted a pink hoodie and a cap. Why is that bad? £13 for a bloody cap in the Megastore? Daylight robbery. I’m not even sure Uncle Ken Bates was that greedy.
Player ratings
- Petr Cech: Never looked in any real danger but made one or two assured saves - 8/10.
- Juliano Belletti: A revelation since his arrival. A really classy player who made some superb tackles and wing runs - 8/10.
- Alex: I’m almost tempted to say John who?! Near faultless display and a real bonus for us - 8.5/10.
- Paulo Ferreira: This not a typo! He merits a perfect 10 for his display. Well done - 10/10.
- Ricardo Carvalho: Calm, assured, superb. Welcome back. I never fear for us when he’ s playing. Must be worth £25 million at the least - 9/10.
- Frank Lampard: Yep, another 10 for what was a perfect display that would only have been topped by a goal. Even had the confidence to showboat a bit - 10/10.
- John Obi Mikel: A rash tackle or two didn’t detract from yet another mature display that belies his youth - 8.5/10.
- Michael Essien: Is Tony going mad I hear you ask? Never ever gives perfect scores and then three come along at once (well look down to see the fourth!). Read the bit above in “The good” and that says it all - 10/10.
- Joe Cole: Taunted Garrido mercilessly and scored a lovely goal. Ran the right wing like a real magician and was inspirational at times - 9/10.
- Didier Drogba: Utterly superb, better than Thierry Henry because, unlike Henry, Didier’s head never drops. The first goal was good, but the second was down to sheer determination and pig headed stubbornness because he refused to believe Hart had saved from Lampard and a goal was the only true justice at that point - 10/10.
- Salomon Kalou: Nicely taken goal and caused problems but is still very frustrating to watch and made one or two howlers, but to mark him down when he scored a good goal would be disingenuous of me - 8/10.
- Andriy Shevchenko (sub): Did well enough in his 10 minutes or so but has clearly lost any pace and so can no longer be the main striker. However he still knows how to control a ball and to pass so maybe he should accept that he could play a Mark Hughes type role - it’s got to be worth a thought. Took his goal superbly and despite any rumours of deceit and mutiny the players looked genuinely happy for him when he scored, and the crowd response was also very warm. He always politely acknowledges the crowd, and even gave his shirt to an adoring female fan at the end - 7/10.
- Claudio Pizarro (sub): Only got about 15 minutes but did enough to cause problems and was a tad unlucky not to have scored - 7/10.
- Overall team performance: 9.8/10 - Honestly… it was that good. If you missed it then you missed the best game of the season and for some time.
Man of the Match
Now, do you see the issue here? I have given four players a perfect 10 and believe me, I am a harsh critic, as some of you may know from previous reviews. Any of these four could be named as Man of the Match and in each case it would be well deserved. However, in the interests of diversity, and knowing that Lampard, Drogba and Essien have earned this honour several times I have decided that it was Paulo Ferreira, and believe me, last year I never thought I’d be selecting him. What swung it was the fact that he was being played out of position and yet you would have thought he’d been a left-back his entire life. Whatever it is that’s changed in his life, long may it continue. Take a bow, Paulo my boy, take a bow.
Final thoughts
Was anyone really thinking this would happen? From the dismal Fulham display to the sublime one yesterday seems a million miles. I still harbour a thought that I’ll wake up tomorrow and that it will be Saturday and this is all a dream. My youngest daughter, Natasha, came yesterday for the first time since she was 5 years old (she’s now 12). She could have been a lucky charm, but one thing is for sure, she saw a thrilling display of passing and moving football, backed up by power and passion that will live in her memory forever. She was utterly mesmerised and loved every minute. Obviously I have to tell her it isn’t like that every week, but that games like this are like good golf shots. They erase the memory of the previous bad shot in an instant and remind you of why you go to football and subject yourself to such a rollercoaster of emotions.
It’s too early to eke out just how much of this recent run is Grant’s doing, and there is no getting away from the fact that ten of the thirteen who played yesterday are Mourinho’s acquisitions. However, if he and the new backroom team really are responsible for taking the shackles off the players and allowing them to express their talents more freely then they are to be congratulated. Some in the press will say this was more down to Manchester City being poor, but they were third in the table on merit and you can only beat what’s in front of you, and we all know that this was a long overdue performance and scoreline. I can’t remember the last time we scored six in one game, and to be honest if we’d converted all our chances then we would have been in double figures. For now, I am happy to wallow in the warm glow of being a witness to such a comprehensive spanking and I truly hope this is a sign that we are on our way back.
Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!
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- Posted at 03:59 PM · Permalink · Print · 3298 views · Last indexed by Google on the 16th May 2008
- Tags: Alex, Andriy Shevchenko, Avram Grant, Chelsea, Claudio Pizarro, Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, Frank Lampard, Javier Garrido, Joe Cole, Jose Mourinho, Juliano Belletti, Ken Bates, Manchester City, Mark Hughes, Michael Essien, Mike Riley, Paulo Ferreira, Petr Cech, Premier League, Ricardo Carvalho, Roman Abramovich, Salomon Kalou, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Sven-Goran Eriksson
But Drogba and Lampard play well because they are for sale for last big contract of careers no? Abramovich he sells them in January yes?
Got up at the crack of dawn to watch this one. Felt like s**t. No longer. This has been the best feel good performance I’ve seen in years. Not the perfect game, though. Man City had good chances to get into the game in the first half (Ireland’s miss towards the end of the half should have made it 2-1) so the defense needs some work. However, some of Chelsea’s play was as good as anything I’ve seen from Arsenal this year. Frank’s pass to Drogs for his first will live in my memory for years. Sublime. What a turn around. We’ve some relatively easy opposition coming up so let’s see if we can keep this up.
As for selling Frank or Drogba, words fail me.
So many people had something to moan about when times were tough. Cat got your tongue?
As I mentioned Tony I missed the game and a mate got my ticket (ex-mate now) But I did watch the whole 90 minutes on Football First and you’re spot on with your review, but I would have given my Man of the Match award to Drogs just for the sheer terror he caused their defence.
So much for us going unnoticed and sneaking our way up the table, if we continue like this, alarm bells will be ringing everywhere, but lets hope they ring the loudest in Manure and the Gooners dressing rooms!
A memorable game. As I’ve always thought, it’s not just about winning, there’s got to be some joy and excitement as well and yesterday we got in abundance.
My vote for MoM also goes to Paulo, outstanding. As for Frank, sublime. He got a rousing reception from the Mathew Harding when he trotted across to take his first corner of the second half.
And not only has the team management changed for a more exciting future, even the graphics department has got a makeover with fancy 3D arrows rotating in and out for each substitution.
The atmosphere was great. I also took my daughter yesterday and this will live long in her memory, as will unfortunately the chants for Mike Riley!
I enjoyed the game so much that in the evening I made my wife suffer the full re-run on Sky followed by Match of the Day. And I’ve managed to persuade her that she didn’t really want to go for a weekend away in the Peak District so we’ve cancelled that and we’re now going to Wigan!
Would have liked to have heard a song for Avram and/or Roman at the end but I’m just an ageing romantic.
I am eating my humble pie right now…Frank Lampard was the midfielder I knew he can be and hats off that was brilliant midfield play… Essien too came to the party and so was Mikel… Man City may have been bad but we have played bad opposition and never scalped them like this…so I am totally happy…
Lampards cross to Drogba…now if this bloke was doing this every week….He would not be second rated behind guys like Ronaldinho…If this means it is the after effect for not playing for England…Frank you have been there concentrate on Chelsea and make History…A quadruple? A champions league medal…A first for Chelsea…be the history…
Essien’s defence spilting passes to Shevy and Kalou just brilliant…he did it twice through the same defender… His goal movement and finnish…awesome…
I am realising a change in our play format. We are not winger reliant we are a passing reliant team…so if any team is looking at the Mourinho notes will surely have a beating like the one handed out to Man City…
Drogs is going to become The King at the Bridge…those displays the passion and hunger…out of this world…
The defence has played five games without conceding and all this without Terry…I am having an evil thought here!!!!!
Now Leceister. Please more of the same…Thanks in advance.
Makes me laugh how people are still reluctant to acknowledge Grant’s influence regarding the turnaround in recent results and performances.
If Mourinho had been replaced with Capello, Lippi or any of the other obvious candidates, they’d be hailing him as the new messiah after the last five results…Yeah, it’s still early days but give the guy some credit eh?
The problem with Grant is that nothing he has done in the past provides any evidence to suggest that he makes teams play well. So there’s no reason to think this has anything to do with him. Likewise, there’s no reason to think it doesn’t — perhaps he really is a natural purveyor of Total Football. We just don’t know yet. If the team goes on playing like that, then absolutely I’ll eat my words and hail him as a genius. The problem is that it’s pretty hard to believe that he was installed by Abramovich because RA somehow knew (unlike everyone else) that he was a genius; all the evidence suggests he got the job because he’s teacher’s pet. Which, in my book at least, means that it’s fair enough to be pessimistic at first. (Also I don’t like the way he’s making digs at what it was like “before”: any older Chelsea fan knows that the number of trophies Mourinho brought us makes him the greatest manager in our history by the proverbial country mile, and he doesn’t merit snide remarks from someone with Grant’s record.)
That said — “give the guy some credit” — absolutely. Something seems to be going right, so good for him. But as Tony says, it’s obviously too early to say more than that yet.
About the free-flowing football we’re playing at the minute. Never forget that Ten Cate is doing training sessions and preparing tactical systems. Why we start being flowing just after his appointment. Neverming Grant. I do…
Teachers pet? Limetreebower, do you really suppose Abramovich and the rest of the movers and shakers at Stamford Bridge would make such a critical decision based on friendship? Unlikely when you give it a bit of thought or take into account RA’s ruthlessness in achieving what he has in life.
They appointed Grant because they believe he’s the right man for the job. Simple as. And right here, right now, it’s looking like they made an inspired choice.
Also, unlike yourself, I like the way he “Makes digs” at the way we played before. IMO, it shows he’s not afraid to follow in the footsteps of the great man and shows his determination to make big changes, like attacking constantly in a game instead of trying to sit on a one goal lead…More power to him!
So glad to hear some due praise for Paulo. I have to say my first thought was that, despite his excellent play, he’d still be getting panned on here. Glad to see that’s not the case. Kudos to Paulo and let’s hope he continues in this form.
Yesterday was wonderful. I’ll savor this one for the next few days.
Quite how much is down to Grant and how much is Ten Cate’s influence is open to question; the career histories of the two tell their own stories in terms of the type of football they practice.
Grant may well be feeling feisty enough to take a dig at the way we played under Mourinho, and based on yesterday and his tenure in charge thus far he may well feel that he is justified in doing so given the doubts that surrounded him - he certainly has every right to feel proud of what he has managed to do thus far.
However, he should remember that the group of players he now manages achieved a great deal under JM and neither their record, nor the manner in which it was achieved, should be belittled.
Arrigo Sacchi had it spot on when he said that great teams go through three basic stages of development; first, you teach them to stop losing. Second, you teach them to win by whatever means, whether ugly or beautiful, and instill that as a mindset that runs throughout the team. Then, and only then, do they worry about winning with style.
The solidity, winning mentality and team spirit that Grant is able to build upon is largely down to one man - Mourinho, who did a pretty decent job of the first two stages. Irrespective of your view on him or his footballing ethos, or indeed your position in the club, it should be respected and not the subject of a few cheap jibes.
Aside of anything else, as any hardened football fan will tell you, premature gloating has a nasty habit of coming back to bite you on the arse if you aren’t careful.
Well said JD. I hope my point was clear and without wheeling out my hoary old Pulp Fiction quote again from Mr Wolf, it seems to me that the whole of Stamford Bridge was pretty much in the same place yesterday regarding AG. It is too early to tell, and one Swallow does not a Summer make. He won’t get a song until we see this as the norm rather than the exception. What was different yesterday was that the players seemed to be smiling and enjoying themselves and the last throes of Jose’s reign seemed to lack a lot of this. We had no histrionics at decisions from the ref, even when they were wildly wrong. Is this because JT was missing, or is it a different attitude running through the club?
Whatever it was it was nice to see, and if nothing else the AG appointment has taken us out of the constant headlines as the 4th estate loses interest in us and no longer has a target to mis-interpret. I rather like the idea of us quietly moving up on the rails and winning with no fuss or controversy about our style. Whether this will happen remains to be seen, and I am not ready to throw a street party or hang out the bunting just yet. I’m merely revelling in the moment and hoping we don’t get a reality check in the near future.
A good weekend with Arsenal and Liverpool drawing (the best result for us really) and Spurs losing again (always a joy).
Just one small addition - a group within the MHL started singing Jose’s name midway through the second half, and such was the muted response from the rest that it was replaced almost immediately with a Zola song! Proof if ever needed that the footballing world moves on very quickly indeed.
Personally, I don’t see it as gloating or being disrespectful. He’s stating facts. No more, no less. He also said in the post match interview, that he doesn’t like to talk too much and that he prefers to do his talking on the pitch.
I ‘aint here to denigrate Mourinho, who does indeed warrant His place as THE greatest of all Chelsea managers. But he’s gone now, and the next time we see him he’ll be the enemy, trying to oversee our downfall. So my allegiance is to Grant now, not someone from the past.
That’s football for ya!
Come on the Chels’
I just savour the moment…
Interesting to reflect on the future but I am on the moon at the minute…
I just want us to be top of the table and go through in all competitions.
I could NOT forget the job done by Mourinho…
BTH although i did enjoy the game as a whole , the marginal utility was reached from the 3rd goal. I did not celebrate any subsequent one. Another fact is that I was more excited when we win by short margin as we travail and the feeling is even greater…
To be honest, may be out of habitude, I like winning ugly.
My main interest is WINNING not other things…
Limetreebower and Jonathan Dyer, spot on. I’m relifed that Chelsea in finding its way again and hope it keeps that way. It’s too soon to give all the credits to Avram, because no one makes a team in 4 weeks. Although he has wan, at least some respect and the benefit of drought. Ask me in 12 moths if it was confirmed or not, for the moment it’s too soon. One thing I can say, even if it gets confirmed in one year the Avram is a genius as a trainer, I’ll never forget TSO and the time he spent with us. No one should try to belittle or delete those good memories. Let’s create other good oness and brake new records if possible but the past belongs to our history and no one should mess with it.
Really impressive performance, and I for one am happy to give some credit to Grant.
All eleven players paid their part, and for me the Man of the Match had to be Lampard, although I agree it was very difficult to choose.
Nice to see Arse and the ‘Dippers’ cancel each other out this morning, and with Arse / Man U and Blackburn/ Liverpool next weekend, we could be right back in the race by next Sunday night.
Well done to all involved…. Expect the Lovejoy bloke at ‘ The Times’, who has clearly nicked my “The King is Dead, Long Live the King” quote from last week!
The cheek of some people!
Ok so clearly it’s premature for many to sing a song for Avram.
Would you be willing to hum it and we can add the words later.
Also a quick chant for Roman wouldn’t go amiss. He’s taken a bold decision and so far it’s paying off. Come on, just one quick chorus!
we are back in action comrades! we know Mourinho organised a winning team for us and we should always be respect him and pay respects to him for that but this is now and lets also give credit to Avram and Ten Cate. we looked not only Mourinhoeque effective and tight, we looked beautiful on the ball. we always want to win, in style is secondary but we seem to be doing both and who can complain. i sometimes feel that Mourinho inhibited a free spirit among players i think he perhaps even intimidated some players. this weekend players looked freerer and even happeir. Avram must be doing something right. lets give him credit. Jose Musumba, you said the jury was out on Avram, what is your view so far? as for me, i want us to hit Arsenal with the same style and shut up their poetic high school boys with their own poetry.
I just hope this scoring form carries on over to Wednesdays game. Its not often I can afford to go to games, so had to take advantage of the ticket prices. Fingers crossed.
Did anyone listen to the game on Radio 5? Has anyone seen that showboating pass of Lampards that was supposed to getting played everywhere? I cant find it.
Credit Jose Musumba for admitting he was wrong on Lampard, and a lot of us are going to have to do the same with Grant if he keeps this up. I still have huge doubts - namely whether Grant has the tactical skill to get us through the big games and the kudos to attract top players - but it’s certainly good to see us knocking down the rabble like nine pins again; Mourinho had the never-so-die attitude so deeply ingrained in the team, they had simply forgotten they could play any other way. No longer.
However, I’m not sure whether any team other than BArcelona has come to the Bridge and played as openly as City in the past three years: also, the lack of Mourinho on the bench has teams looking at us without fear, and at the moment we can take advantage of that cos our players are very, very good.
Unfortunately, this result might have blown our chance of lulling the opposition into a false sense of security!
With Lampard, i get the sense that losing the security of Mourinho and his England spot have given him a kick up the arse and reminded him that there is so much more to his game than goals. When he joined us, a lot were suspicious (i thought he was overpriced and overrated and overfed) and Ranieri stuck him on the right wing, but Lampard worked hard and forced himself into central midfield with a string of performances, passing, shooting, tackling everything that were simply breathtaking - something he then maintained for three seasons. He’s back to that sort of form. Perhaps he needs to feel he has something to prove, to get the best out of him?
Well done Chelsea.
I know looking over the garden fench isn’t advised, but my first reaction was this 6-0 thumping was better then Arsenal’s 7-0 thumper! As it was against a form side (admittantly a poor performance from them) in the Premiership, not the early stages of a cup comp.
Initially i would mark this as Henk Ten Cate’s work. He is the difference in the team between to aforementioned fulham game and Saturdays ravaging! We’ll no more about our beloved club and their title hopes in the new year.
I hope we keep this amasing style for the rest of the year at leaset, and beyond if possible.
K/T/B/F/F/H
I would say that given the quality of opposition (beat United, unlucky to lose to Arsenal) this is the best result any of the ‘big four’ have had this season in either the Prem or the CL (second place would be our win at Valencia! Third, Arsenal 3 Seville 0).
Just like to add to the chorus of praise for the excellent all-round performance, best match I’ve seen for a long time, and as Peter said above it was reminiscent of the Barcelona match a couple of years back in many ways, passing, movement and pace in the attack with excellent finishing, credit to Citeh for coming and playing rather than sitting deep with a cagey counter-attacking 4-5-1. A big thing is the confidence which seems to be returning and perhaps that explains the more expansive approach we’re seeing emerge. Ten Cate will have also given the players the faith in the technical support they now have, if some doubted AG’s ability, and as a doubter myself I’m happy with the way the team’s playing and the results so credit to him to, though he’ll need to show significant consistency (and the odd major trophy or two) before I’ll sing his name =)
I’ve gone from the dark depths of a few weeks back, thinking we’d end up being lucky to get a euro-spot this year, to having a feeling we’ll win ol’ big ears now. Confidence eh?
I said at the start of the season that I felt this season would produce Champions with the lowest points tally since Arsenal went unbeaten a few years back - basically because teams outside the big 4 had improved more than we had. Well, maybe that was wrong after watching the way we destroyed City. It was fabulous to watch the boys clicking like that! Let’s give credit to Grant, Cate, Clarke and Mourinho, as they have all played their part.
Nevertheless, it is only one game so I don’t want to start making predictions of which trophies we could win at the end of the season. Arsenal won 7-0 last week and then just about escaped Anfield with a draw.
The good news is that yesterday’s match at Anfield showed that, despite Richard Keys virtually orgasming when describing Arsenal’s football (remeniscent of Clive Tyldesley over Ronaldinho in the Barca match a couple years ago), both sides have big weaknesses at the back for others to exploit, yet both struggled to create chances until late on. Neither looked like convincing title winners for me. Hopefully Man Utd will get a point at Arsenal next week and we can get right back in it.
Frank Lampard may not be featuring in the England team but for now, he looks very sharp.
He is one of the driving force behind Chelsea and Avram Grant will do well to keep him for the next few seasons.
What gets me about Keys and Gray is the incessant arse licking they give Gerrard. he scored a good goal yesterday but didn’t do much else and showed a tantrum like fit of pique at being subbed last week as if he has no right to be subbed. Against Russia he was dire. Honestly whyen he plays you’d think there was no-one else of any worth around, but then they doubled up with Fabregas as well yesterday.
Still, I suppose it means that whilst we barely warrant a mention we can just go about our job like we have been and hope to cacth the others a bit blindsided.
Rob - lamps trick was indeed brilliant and I am amazed it wasn’t on MOTD. It will almost certainly be on the ‘Showboat’ section on Soccer AM next Saturday.
Re Grant - of course he is teachers pet. He is ludicrously under-qualified and inexperienced and only got the job because he has been sucking up to Abramovich for the past two or three years. The regime at Chelsea is a joke and every decision is based on the whims of one man. However, the performance on Saturday was exceptional, and whilst I am loathe to say it was down to Grant (it clearly wasn’t - he has inherited an entire team and we are still playing the same tactical system as before, albeit in a less cautious fashion - plus JD’s comments about building a winning team above are spot on) if we do continue to smash four or five past teams at the Bridge then I, and everyone else, will no longer care about the bizarre nature in which a complete nobody found himself in the hotseat and will sing his name.
It will take time however and I don’t think that is particularly surprising.
I thought that it showed the Premiership that we have something which no other team does, and that is raw energy and power. Admittedly Man City’s midfield was non-existent, but how can a team cope when you have the power of Essien and Lampard in the midfield, and Drogba rampaging up front?
Arsenal were excellent yesterday, but they have played some real sh1te this season, and we have had a tough run, playing both United and Liverpool away. However, you put our power against that team and they will not be able to cope, despite their skill.
As for Drogba, I am not saying he is the best player in our team (Cech would have to be that), but he is completely irreplaceable. There is no other striker in the world who plays with that aggression and power. The way he took his second goal was not only clynical but showed everyone what he is about. I really hope that we continue in this fashion. Bring on Wigan!!
Think that game for game (and swapping Birmingham for Sheff U) we are up pointswise on same fixtures last season.
The problem i’m sure we all see is we’ve already had a big slip up and lost lots of points, it’s usual for teams to do this later on in the season and i’m worried. We can’t afford to drop points again this season as we hope other teams will. If this is turns out to be the case Avram and Henk will be praised and maybe we’ll perswade Didi and Frank to stay.
K/T/B/F/F/H
To Southside Bucky
I know Grant from 1990, he has won league in Israel, but never did anything on International level. That is why people can rightly assume that his appointment is about to be “teacher’s pet”.
Re the Teachers Pet aspect. You’ve got to be able to get along with people as well as do a good job. If you’re as rich as Roman why put up with an employee who won’t implement your strategic objectives and is a constant thorn in your side? Life’s too short. What’s wrong with recruiting people you think you can work with?
I think it’s a bit premature to judge Grant just yet but it’s also clear that some people are so besotted with TSO that they’ll never be able to give Grant credit. Re Anthony’s comment that Grant inherited an entire team the same could be said of TSO, the real spine of the team, Cech, Terry and Lampard was in place pre his arrival. In fact I think you could argue the point that our decline in the last 12 months has arisen as TSO started to impose his imprint on the squad.
Perhaps there’s less to this football management lark than they’re letting on then eh? ‘Cause he’s just made a very experienced manager (domestic and international) look an utter tool!
“I know Grant from 1990″…Sheesh!
re Fred: Tactically, the reason the City midfield so under performed was that Lampard was assigned to harrass Hamann mercilessly so that this latter’s substitution in the second half was entirely due to his complete absence in the game, which of course, by this time, was well and truly lost. Without the distribution from the back which Hamann has supplied all season, their front midfielders such as Elano had no ball. Frank did an exceptional job here and of course, since Hamann plays very much at the back of the midfield, it meant that Frank was naturally more forward than usual. I thought it a very astute tactical decision.
Let me shock some pals out there…Do you know that Mourinho has not lasted at a club for more than two seasons…I have worked out the reasons why…JM thrived on surprise and once the cat was out of the bag did anyone realize the buys he was making????
He is a tactical genius but does not have the eye for scouting talent. To all those who say Grant inherited a great team from Mourinho…not doubted but I wonder who was paying the bill and how many quality players we lost because of him and how many trashy players we have had to let go of…
Grant offered us what Mourinho failed to do…fun at winning…yes with all due respect he brought us history or is it he??? I guess it is only fair to say that the “boss” paid the required amount to come over. Is this the egg chicken conundrum???
I am yet to gve my assessment of Grant, but for a person to take us through this trying period(yes ven before Ten Cate) and deliver us to the fourth place while every one had written us off…makes me wonder how dim your cells are for not acknowledging this…
I had had enough of Mourinho when we went to Aston Villa and kept rushing John Terry into the opposition…Nothing personal to John but he is not a ball player…he can defend but will not know what to do with the ball on the ground inside the oppositions later quater of the field..How JM failed to see this experimenting with it time and time again baffled me.
His touch on Joe Cole initially worked for us as we became an engine that just crushed our opponents…Drogba played ugly and was under utilised… Ten Cate may be responsible for this development but the reins are with Grant…Fact! Whether you like it or not…The way you only realize the change of play at this time after it has been evident from the beginning baffles me…
I am also wondering what kind of joking sessions JM allowed to go on in the camp for players to constantly joke about professional business…What kind of coach would not let a player train from the ground that was wishing him to improve his game (Shevy training on a tennis court)…I loved the man but it was time to change…
Not only was our image sordid before all even if it were I in Roman’s position JM had to go…bad press, negative football and insolance…come on people…no one is ever bigger than the club…JD, Tony et al please appreciate the facts as they stand. His ego was bound to kill the club.
I started supporting this club not because of the bad press and am doubting we were bound to win our children over with JM at the reins…
The king may be dead but the Legacy continues…good riddance.
I will hum the Grant song when I get convinced that what happened can be sustained…I rest my case!
Mark
I take your point, but until Moruinho arrived, we hadn’t won the league in fifty years. Of course he had a lot of money to spend, and he inherited a decent (although bloated) squad, but I don’t think that achievement should be underestimated.
He then won it again.
At the highest level mentality is incredibly important. Look at Arsenal - they are now developing a steel that they have been lacking in the last couple of years despite the quality of their players and now they actually look like they might win something. JM instilled that desire from day one.
Spot on Jose Musumba…captured my thots (especially on that ‘Terry the Striker’ stuff)
It baffles me how some people find it convenient to ascribe the teams change in fortunes to Lampard’s return to the squad but fail to apply the same logic to AG taking over the reigns from JM…
Good thing this whole transformation is not happening after the January window otherwise some would have ascribed it to the possibility of ‘new additions’ to the team, and then go on to tell us how JM would have achieved same if he was not stiffled from bringing in players of his choice into the team…
Truth must be told….JM did a lot for the team…took us where we’d never been…’dreamland’ but even dreams do change. The team’s play was getting stiff and tight in JM’s last days (possibly due to the abscence of DD and lamps) and something needed to be done. Roman showed that being a billionaire and staying one must entail some shrewdness and courage. He saw the need for change and was bold enough to take the plunge knowing fully well the consequences on the psyche of the fans et al…
The whole idea is not whether we can continue to win….but whether we can continue to win in a BETTER way, and the SAME team is proving by the day that it is possible…This, if we really must be fair to ourselves must, to a great extent be attributable to the CHANGE in the technical crew…My only fear is whether the players would not burn out before the season’s end at the rate they playing
Something is cooking at the bridge, something with a very very luvly aroma….and i think i know who the chefs are….and so do you (if you want to be sincere to yourselves)
Another victory on wednesday and 3 points from wigan would be really nice to say the least.
Always blue!
All together now…AVRAM GRANT’S BLUE AND WHITE ARMY! (Repeat at least twenty times)
Bit of a shame his name won’t fit La Donna E Mobile.
The aria should really be “Gli tifosi sono mobile”.
The most obvious point of difference in the way the team is playing over the last few weeks, is that they have stopped the urge to play 25 passes along the back four before they attack.
Now whether this is due to JT’s absence, or whether it is a directive from the management only time will tell, but for me it provides the side with some urgency and naturally if you move the ball quickly, you catch the opposition out of position.
The best sides in the league have the ability to move defence to attack very quickly and if we are able to add that quality to our ‘we don’t lose’ attitude, then we have some very exciting times in store.
I reckon we might be meeting Jose a lot earlier than everyone expected……..
Valencia have just sacked their boss. I think Jose might just fancy having a crack at that job, especially with us to play! Imagine his satisfaction if he managed to put one over on Roman.
Also, Rosenborg have also sacked their boss…. Has their ever been a Champions League group where 3 of the 4 managers got the flick?
Alex totally with you mate…
We were known as the long ball Chelsea…does anyone realize the variety we bring with us to the match front???
This approach began against ManU well yes it was not polished yet and would need time for team to realize that hoofing the ball upfront was never going to work for us… and it is a pity to say that it was JM’s way of play. True Drogs is a big lad with lots of energy to fend off players but he is also a very intelligent player with an abundance of skill that we have not yet seen…
I have been watching his videos of matches played while in France… His game was way above what we have seen todate.
Essien is another under utlized player. I do not know about skills development under JM for the young talent but am sure when we get to see SWP again (which I know is very soon)we will see the threat that he is meant to be… I feel that JM did not mould our players into skilled players rather into units to support his machine…(I know this may rise afew debates but it is true) I do not ever remember Ferreira playing like he did in our last match…Joe Cole show boats but is a lethal player…I can just imagine if Robben had remained a little longer… Avram has inherited a team that was over confident and the reason I think we lost the premiership and the Champions league last season. A change was eminent.
JM is not like Wenger nor Ferguson who have been moulded into a culture at those clubs…he sought to transform the Chelsea culture into his image…I had a problem with that.
We kept wailing how badly we were being looked at and how our players were being mistreated…I guess this was partly down to the fact that we had a “sugar daddy” but also due to the arrogance that JM put forth… I guess he served his purpose like we all do in the world today but he was not indispensable…
The funny thing about statements coming from Chelsea fans is that all this transformation is down to Ten…how lon has been here people how long???? It is not just the fact that Chelsea’s supposed “saviour” had left it was that a suspected “traitor” was confirmed.
The only person i guess who would take the entire blame should have been the owner - Roman. But can he be a traitor when he seeks what is in his/our best interest????
JM will always be remember but Chelsea will live on for ever…
We now have a chance to close in on the top two on 5 points seperate us which could come down well to 3 by this weekend. I am not going to blink an eye and hoping the team can white wash Wigan this weekend…Two more goals for Drogs, 1 for Shevy, 1 for Lampard, 1 for Kalou, 1 for Alex, 1 for Carlvalho, 1 for J Cole….etc etc and none conceded…watching this space!!!
Come on Chelsea Come on Chelsea Come on Chelsea
My my my, how quickly some forget.
Let’s see whether Grant can bring us five trophies in three years before we all start sucking each others’ dicks.
I’m hugely impressed by what he has done so far (even if he has less charisma than Ian Porterfield or even Rafa Benitez), but there is a long way to go and a rebuilding that needs to take place. Leeds reached the European Cup after Revie left; Arsenal won the ECWC under Stwert Houston after George Graham left - great teams do not die instantly (especially when their best players have just returned from injury).
As for Mourinho’s struggles towards the end of his reign, this surely has a lot to do with the complete lack of support he was given by the rest of the club. Insecurity breeds nervousness, which feeds into the club and the way the players’ perform. The removal of JM has unblocked those arteries, but who knows what the long term impact will be.
But criticism of Mourinho’s training sessions? This is a man widely accredited with revolutionising training methods in Europe. Show some respect.
‘Good riddance’. No true Chelsea fan would say that to the man who changed the mentality of our football club and made us realise we could win. I have to ask Jose Musumba, how long have you actually been a blue?
i find it ridiculous when a person asks,”how long have you been a chelsea fan?” for the obvious reason that none of the bloggers /fans was there when chelsea came into being!if man u hadn’t won the trebble it may not have established a fanbase …
get the logic ! we are but part of the relative chelsea fc history..
fans are ever joining and some are leaving based on the success of the club unless you were there in 1905 when the club was being founded to date then you are more justified to ask
So you haven’t been a fan for very long then Dickson. Fine, that’s all I wanted to know.
Man U established their fanbase in 1999 did they? Bloody hell. I despair, I really do.
Soccer consumers, gotta love ‘em.
DICKSON wrote :
….we are but part of the relative chelsea fc history..
fans are ever joining and some are leaving based on the success of the club ….
It may make them “fans” in a generic footballing sense, in the same way that I have “customer choice” in buying either an Aston Martin or a Ferrari, when in reality I’ll never be a customer of these two marques. What it doesn’t make them is supporters. Supporters do not drift in and out of teams based on the criteria of success. It’s far deeper than that. My mate ChelseaBob has been a season ticket holder and supporter since 1954, which means he, more than most has seen nothing but a “nearly man” culture sitting alongside the backhanded compliment of “glamour club” with only fleeting glimpses of success - he is a true blue, not some airy fairy, prawn sandwich eating, upwardly mobile, bandwagon jumping, glory hunting nobody who sees their attachment to Chelsea as nothing more than a tool to enhance their own misguided and sad view of what box to tick in order to get social recognition.
Peter……..I share your despair…I really do.
Is that true Peter? Man Utd established their fanbase less than 10 years ago. Well you learn something new everyday. ;-)
Nothing at all wrong with being a younger fan rather than an older one, of course. (Being a bit of a twit is a different matter entirely, which we needn’t get into at the moment.) But I think the point some of us are getting at is that anyone who has followed Chelsea for more than (say) five years will realise that last year was *not* a bad year — good God, remember how we filled the streets after the 1997 FA Cup win? and that was just one cup, we won two of them last year — and that José was an unbelievably successful manager, whatever the methods he used to achieve those results. It’s actually very difficult to win trophies, and for decades Chelsea fans would have sold their tea-towel-toting grannies for even a sniff of silverware.
If the new regime can do what it says it will do — play like we did last Saturday every day *and* win things regularly — then I’ll be ecstatic. But please, let’s not think that it’s just normal. Everyone oohs and aahs over Arsenal (rightly, if we’re honest) but they won b*gger all last year. Do you think their fans thought that was ok because they were playing shexhy football?
limetreebower
Do you think their fans thought that was ok because they were playing shexhy football?
Man where have you been…the buggers are filling that stadium at the most pricy tickets in the UK while we who are meant to have trophies on our cabinents have had to lower our prices to get in a few more… if this is not clear enough for you then….
To Peter
You said” But criticism of Mourinho’s training sessions? This is a man widely accredited with revolutionising training methods in Europe. Show some respect.” If you have been reading well I have acknowledge his achievements but even great leaders have their flaws and that is what you have failed to see. No one is perfect!
And you added that”‘Good riddance’. No true Chelsea fan would say that to the man who changed the mentality of our football club and made us realise we could win. I have to ask Jose Musumba, how long have you actually been a blue?” Like I have said before when something good goes bad throw it out! How plain can I get.
I loved Gullit’s style, loved
the Italian’s Vialli’s drive, loved some of Ranieri’s football and definately loved most of Mourinho’s tactics and game plan but all these will remain in Chelsea’s history while the club lives on… If you are so in love with Mourinho would love to hear which side you will be on if Mourinho decides to take up the post at Valencia… No man is bigger than the club you so claim to love! Good Riddance!
Face it Jose…You’re a closet Gooner.
Interesting that that should come from some one with a name “Southside Bucky”.
Wonder which part of the south you are referring to?????
Do try stand up comedy!
Anyone remember someone who used to bang on about how Lampard was only doing what Mourinho was drilling into him, and how he was doing what Ranierri was drilling into him bef before that?
During the 2004/2005 season Lampard starting to make everyone sit up and take notice, and it wasn’t becqause he was scoring bundles of goals, it was because because of his range of passing and the intermittent long range goals.
It looks like now JM is gone, Frak Lampard is being detoxed.
Battersea born and bred Jose.
With the telly off and my front door open, I can hear the roar of the crowd when we score (if the wind’s in the right direction).
Glad you appreciated my little joke…You know I wouldn’t really insult you like that don’t ya?
Before I join in the excitement about Arsenal, are we talking about the same Arsenal that haven’t actually managed to beat Chelsea at all in the 3 years that JM was at the Bridge!!! The same Arsenal that certainly haven’t played Chelsea off the park with their dazzling football.
The reality with football is that you are only as good as the opposition allows you to be… Teams come to Chelsea and shut up shop. Citeh tried to do something different and got spanked for their trouble.
If Arsenal are electrifying when we meet later in the year, I will change my opinion, but until they beat us, I don’t see why I should.
Quite right Greenlight, the only time they had a little period of dominant play was in this years Carling Cup final when they scored first. When we equalised you could see the little kids collective heads drop, and once we took the lead they spat their dummies out, plus threw all the toys from the pram.
And if some people have poor memories I’ll remind them of our display at the “new library” this year after they went 1-0 up and us down to 10 men, we played some very good football, and it was pretty much one way traffic in the second half, and alas only managed the draw as we all know which finished off our title hopes.
I also recall in that game that the Arsenal supporters (because they’d won a shit load of trophies that season) oh wait no they didn’t, were singing Liverpool’s name most of the time as they had just knocked us out in the semi of the CL.
What does that say about them? as they seem to derive pleasure from any team that can beat us, because they couldn’t.
Oh happy days!
I just realised that you can sing the new manager’s name to the tune of “la donna e mobile” — all you have to do is make a small adjustment to reflect what might really be going on:
Avram Grant! (Henk ten Cate)
Avram Grant! (Henk ten Cate)
Avram Grant! (Henk ten Cate)
Avram Grant! (Henk ten Cate)…
For those who are ultra-sceptical about the new messiah of free-flowing football, we can sing “his” name thus:
Henk ten Cate, Stevie Clarke!
Henk ten Cate, Stevie Clarke!
Henk ten Cate, Stevie Clarke!
Henk ten Cate, Stevie Clarke!
While those on the other side of The Great Debate, for whom the only thing that matters is that we ditched the most successful manager in our history, can serenade AG thus:
He’s not Mourinho!
He’s not Mourinho!
He’s not Mourinho!
He’s not Mourinho!
When I was in the Blues Bar recently, watching the Bolton beamback, someone sung Avram to the Batman TV series theme. It goes
“nana nana nana nana nana nana nana nana AVRAM”
For those not familiar with the tune it’s at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQBobrCBTNI - just replace BATMAN with AVRAM
Clive…Greenlight…. et al
Some people are making it sound like arsenal is the benchmark for football….this is not the case!
Thanks to JM we’v got plenty of fighting spirit and discipline in the team. This has helped (and continues to help) us in our approach to matches and has earned us plenty of respect (if not fear) from our opponents…
What some of us are saying is that we can ‘IMPROVE’ on this by adding some flair and a little more ‘attack-mindedness’ to the power and discipline thats already in the team. Just imagine a robust chelsea adding flair to its play like we did against city and you’ll understand what we are talking about, and realise that arsenal would be nothing near the chelsea dream team we’r looking at.
We’r looking at a HYBRID team of attacking flair, power and discipline…and its only in the aspect of flair that a comparison is usually drawn to arsenal, ‘cos as far as power and mental discipline is concerned, very few teams in the world can match JM’s chelsea….(now inherited by Grant et al, whether anyone here likes it or not)
Always blue.
Well, let’s just see how long will the power and mental discipline last without JM.
I’m not saying it won’t, I’m actually hoping it will, but winning leagues is not about winning games in style. It’s about winning games week in week out, independently of style.
Hell, you can even win 80% of the games in style, crushing the oponents easily, but if you lose the remaining 20% of the games… no trophies.
To win a league with style, that’s the jackpot. But how many times can you hope to win the jackpot? MU did it last year. How were they the year before that, and also this year in spite of all the money the spent after a season like last year?…
It’s easy to create an entertaining team as long as you have the money to buy entertaining players. But to turn that into a consistently winning team, that’s a whole different subject.
Look at Real Madrid. They do entertain, but do they win consistently?
Arsenal took a different view and they are definitely looking good right now, but let’s see how they handle their glitch - which will come, as sure as death or taxes.
I’d forgotten to mention this but The Observer Flops of The Day on Sunday was composed entirely of Man City players!
Anyway, here;s a good read from Simon Hattenstone in today’s Guardian, which for me sums up perfectly the mentality of the true supporter.
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/co.....38,00.html
Hattenstone article did raise a chuckle or two. Don’t mind him - he detests us, but is at least one of the few hacks that will openly admit it.
Leicester tonight then. One Erland Johnsen, there’s only one Erland Johnsen…
Tony,
I saw the Observer scores, but they’re based on scores given by fans, and I doubt even the steeliest Citeh fans would have enjoyed Saturday. If the boot was on the other foot and we’d be trounced 6-0, I doubt we’d rate any Chelsea players above 3/10
Not that it bothers me……although I have missed JD’s match reports recently. Any reason JD ???
Anyway, hope for more of the same tonight, and SWP and the fringe players playing with something to prove !!!
As long as Leicester havent re-signed Steve Guppy that is…..
Afternoon Fifty,
Hideous disease called work getting in the way of the more important things in life, sadly…!
What are you saying Fifty, Tony’s reports not good enough??? ;-)
And there’s me thinking a Guppy was a tropical fish.
pweh! Thanks Leicester for the game Shevy 2 more goals hmmm not bad training after all…Thanks Shevy that is why you remain special in my books
What a game what a game!!!!! One sure rollercoaster…
Ben Haim was off today but tactical changes made the day…No extra time and Essien and Malouda got a run out…
The goals were rather a bit soft…
None of us went to the game. Oops!
I’m waiting to see the highlights on TV in 20 minutes. Managed to listen to second half commentary on the radio.
I’ll post links to match reports etc. in a little while.
Also thinking about implementing a new comment system quite soon. Should improve things.
To be honest, goals against Leicester and a team that were 5-0 down and out isn’t really a convincing advertisement for someone who was once on of the greatest assasins in Europe…
At least, it’s not a glowing advertisement where i come from anyway..
can anyone see Shev lasting beyond January at the bridge?
should read “for someone who was once ONE of the greatest assasins in Europe…”
Jose Musumba…… Actually Jose, ‘Shevy’ scored 1 and Frank scored 3……
Perhaps Frank should be the one ‘that remains special in your book!’
Nah… Didn’t think so!
Well, I guess a win is a win, and it’s great to still be in the competition.
As we all know though, the problem with exciting expansive football is that it allows gaping holes in the backline.
And whilst I am first to acknowledge, that we played a slightly weakened team tonight, there will be far better teams than Leicester that come to the Bridge and score goals.
The reality is that rather than being a side that is either defensive minded or attack minded, we need to become a team that can quickly switch from one to the other.
Then, we really will be the side that I’m sure all fans want us to be.
peter
fanbase in the context that it have won the hearts of many at that particular point(1999) of their success ..come to think about it why is it that the clubs with the most trophies have the biggest following ?