Chelsea FC: A Performance of Champions

Article by e-Chelsea Correspondent Lee Beevor

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The game is up Jose. You can say whatever you like, but no one is buying it. This team is in contention for the title; you know it and after vanquishing Manchester City on their own turf, so does everybody else. Make no mistake; the display at the Etihad was nothing short of that of a side that believe they can be champions.

In my blog after the disappointing draw at home to West Ham I wrote of the beauty of football and its unpredictable nature. The game has illustrated this quality perfectly to Chelsea fans, as within a handful of days it has delivered a plethora of emotions. On one hand anger, frustration and disappointment, quickly followed by anticipation, excitement, belief, relief, joy and finally, pride.

Turning to the match itself, my confidence soared as soon as I read the team sheet. Since the FA Cup semi-final when Yaya Toure bullied and bossed our midfield, I have feared Africa’s best player will destroy us. The resigning of Matic and the glimpses shown against Stoke and West Ham, suggested at last we have a man of the stature required to contain Yaya. I thought he would be paired with Ramires, but instead it was Luiz, a move which proved to be a decision of genius.

For me, this was the area in which Chelsea won the match. Luiz contained Silva, forcing him out to the right in a bid to find some space to exert an influence. This left a huge space which was exploited over and over again by the ever willing Ivanovic. His devastating left foot strike that rifled into the net was a surprise, but the fact that the goal came from this side of the pitch was less so.

Meanwhile alongside Luiz, Matic was growing in confidence. On many occasions it was he and not Yaya who won their personal duels. When he broke up play, which was often, he showed he could match Luiz in terms of distribution. With both our defensive midfielders able to pick a forward pass swiftly and accurately, the writing was on the wall for City.

Until Negredo was withdrawn after 56 minutes, City lost the battle of the midfield, partly due to playing two centre forwards. Our forward three of Hazard, Willian and Ramires poured forward at every opportunity at extreme pace. Thanks to the accuracy and speed of our transition from defence, many goal scoring opportunities were created. By the time Pellegrini belatedly changed things with Jovetic to balance the formations; Chelsea should have been out of sight.

After hitting the woodwork three times, I feared the football gods would punish us, as surely City would have a period of sustained pressure. This was, after all, a team that put six goals past Arsenal and Tottenham and had triumphed in all eleven of their league fixtures at home. The fact they could not score owed much to the work ethic Mourinho has instilled in his players and the defensive solidity he has created. The back four have been a settled unit for sometime and with a solid screen in front of them, the only space available was wide on the flanks.

The aerial route was never likely to bear fruit for City. Chelsea’s line-up was reassuringly tall, with four centre backs in Cahill, JT, Ivanovic and Luiz, plus the towering Matic to fend off crosses, corners and set pieces. That was not to say the game passed without alarm, as Cech was required to save brilliantly in order to extend his club record number of clean sheets. With Chelsea showing signs of tiring, Oscar and Mikel replaced Eto’o and Willian, with Ba sent on in stoppage time in place of Hazard. The Special One explained that Ba’s late introduction was to counter the potential threat of Hart, should the City keeper venture forward for a corner. This was to be the final move in a tactical master class from Mourinho.

In the post-match interviews, Jose described the title race as between three horses, two big horses (City and Arsenal), plus one little horse (Chelsea) that required milk and nurturing to perhaps rival the superior horses next season. When the horse you are schooling is Red Rum and keeps on beating its direct rivals, it becomes a little difficult to maintain this illusion. I’m sorry Jose, but like it or not, this was the performance of champions!

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