- Chelsea were the home team and were at virtually full strength
- Man Utd on the other hand were the away team and were short both first choice centre backs and Dimitar Berbatov (whether he would have started or not is a moot point)
- Chelsea had scored 20 goals in their 5 games leading up to the clash with Man Utd.
- Man Utd have won the last two Premier League titles and this was a chance for Chelsea to make a statement that they are the are ready to reclaim the title
Man Utd sure frustrated Chelsea on Sunday-5 across the middle generally has that effect on Chelsea-even at Stamford Bridge. It should have been obvious what tactics Man Utd were going to employ-so I would question why Deco started the game-and was left on for so long when he was virtually anonymous throughout-and so there may have been a case for starting (gulp) Mikel in the middle to try and match up physically with Fletcher and Anderson. What was also obvious was that the diamond formation favoured by Ancelotti is not going to find it easy to break down teams that arrive at Stamford Bridge with a 'what we have we hold' mentality (anyone else remember Chelsea's difficulties in beating Hull City in the opening game of the season?). And I am still bemused by the amount of time Nicolas Anelka spends outside the box and in deep positions. He is a talented footballer for sure, but is at his most dangerous when in the box-the fact that his either encouraged to drop back or else feels the need to do so does not sit well with me.
With Deco ineffectual, where was the creative supply going to come from within the Chelsea midfield? Joe Cole might have been introduced sooner, but in my view, what is really requiored to break teams down is more width. An orthodox 4-4-2 would be nice-maybe not when playing Man Utd lining up as they did, but certainly against lesser teams. Joe Cole on the right and Malouda or indeed Zhirkov on the left with some combination of Essien/Lampard/Ballack/Mikel in the middle please!
The way the game played out on Sunday will put some spring in Man Utd's step. Their sense of injustice at the manner of the defeat as well as the fact that their second string centre back pairing managed to render both Drogba and Anelka relatively ineffective will serve as tremendous motivators for the next few games (home to Everton, away to Portsmouth and West Ham and home to Villa) which should see them get back on track pretty quickly. There was plenty of bad blood stirred up during the Stamford Bridge game-the April clash at Old Trafford should be interesting for that reason alone, but it also comes at a point in the season where it could have a significant bearing on the destination of this year's Premier League title.
Chelsea now face Wolves at Stamford Bridge-a game which will hopefully see them regain their recent scoring form-and then travel to Arsenal, where I hope to see a better Chelsea performance than the Man Utd game, and indeed a better game. Nothing about Sunday's game really would entice you to watch Premier League football. The news that Jose Bosingwa faces 3 months on the sidelines and the ongoing concern around Ashley Cole's fitness won't help Chelsea-aside from their defensive abilities both full backs play a key attacking role in the diamond formation favoured by Ancelotti. Chelsea have adequate, if not ideal, cover for the right, the left is more of a concern, unless Zhirkov manages to return from his latest injury setback.
Winning when not playing well is always the trick bro. Granted Chelsea were rubbish but they can grind out a result (most of the time). Utd have been doing that for years; remember the Arsenal game where they were played off the park but Diaby's o.g turned it for them. Utd were missing some big players on Sunday but I think at a fundamental level they're just not as good as they were; the Liverpool game showed that. Arsenal still look good but I still think Chelski will be the most consistent team (not saying they'll be the best to watch) between now and May. As long as it means the Utd scum don't win the league then more power to them.
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