I don't like cricket. Or cricket scores.

When all is said and done, I prefer my team to win games 1-0 or 2-1 than by the odd goal in 7 or 9. And I never like losing. Still, Chelsea played their part in an entertaining and open game, and even in defeat there were signs that point to an intriguing and encouraging future at Stamford Bridge.

I didn't expect Chelsea to win. Indeed, I feared slightly for them based going to Old Trafford given what I'd seen from both teams so far this season. My fear was somewhat justified - Chelsea's defence (and I use the word defence in the wider sense of the word, not just the back 4) was pretty poor for much of the game. The game was crying out for Mikel to play in a screening role. And I'm sorry, but to me, John Terry ishttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif waning - if for no other reason than he doesn't seem to have the organisational ability that your captain and number 1 centre back should have. As well as that, Michael Cox points out here that Chelsea's passing out of defence was seriously deficient to that displayed by the Man Utd centre backs - my view that either Alex or Luiz should start is reinforced by this stat. The next position I would target in the transfer market is right full back - Bosingwa just isn't good enough defending or attacking to justify his position in the starting XI in my mind. And I wonder about Chelsea's eagerness to sign Alvaro Perreira - was this to cover the left side of midfield or as a replacement for Ashley Cole?

I don't mean to dwell on the past - but we never looked this ragged under the Special One. There's been too many games now when we've looked defensively suspect - Sunderland and Aston Villa at the Bridge last season come to mind quickly - and ok, the line was probably right for Man Utd's 1st goal today and we should have got the offside decision, but how often did Man Utd look like scoring aside from that? And, as I wrote yesterday, we've conceded to some pretty average teams. Clean sheets need to become a habit again.

Again, I ask the question - what is Frank Lampard's role in this team. Of the 3 that started in midfield, Meireles provides the creativity, Ramires provides the energy - what does Lampard bring to the table? His goal threat is considerably less than it was, and he doesn't have the range of passing or defensive qualities to sit deep. He needs to re-invent himself to remain relevant.

It was also a rude awakening to the Premier League for Juan Mata who was too often not willing/able/aware enough to work back when Chelsea lost the ball. I have no doubt that he will be an excellent signing, but he needs to pull his weight when Chelsea don't have the ball!

As for Fernando Torres...

1. He finally showed what he is capable of when the ball is put in front of him (a 'vertical ball' as AvB would say) - it was an excellent finish and hopefully a sign of things to come (more on that later of course...)
2. I wonder about his choice to square for Ramires in the 1st half. Many would laud his unselfishness, but I want my number 1 striker to be selfish. Would a more confident Torres have taken the chance himself?
3. Yes, his miss towards the end of the game was shocking - it's a great pity his goal didn't come after this rather than before it, and came at a key moment in the game. I can only hope that he takes the positives with him from this game.

Finally, yes there were decisions that went against Chelsea today, but hey, these things seem to even themselves out, e.g. Rooney missed the generously given penalty. If we'd taken our chances (Ramires, Torres), we could have come away with a point. But for a change, I have a 'glass half full' outlook. We created a bunch of chances. Fernando Torres scored 1 and could have had a hat-trick. AvB made a bold decision at half-time that by and large worked. We are only 2 months or so into a project that will hopefully lead to more than a Premier League title. The future is bright. The future is Blue.