Blues Reprieve

Chelsea lives to fight another day with 3-0 defeat of Bolton

After a slow but safe first half, the Blues came out of their shell early in the second half as David Luiz curled a sweet shot past Bolton’s baby-faced keeper.  Critics have often (unfairly) made Luiz the fall guy for Chelsea’s defensive woes this season, but he played a relatively conservative game Saturday, choosing his forward romps wisely, none more so than the one that opened Chelsea’s scoring.  Chelsea’s defense was less leaky overall and Bolton never seemed very threatening.

On the offensive front, the Blues still tried to squeeze too many passes into low percentage situations (Luiz was guilty of this via multiple long-balls from the back).  In the first half, Chelsea also continued their trend of faulty finishing.  They too often play as if theses chances will materialize indefinitely.  But after the break, they firmed things up in front of goal, with Drogba and Lampard adding an additional vintage goal each.  For all the talk about Lampard’s age this season – and considering how many times AVB has left him out of the starting eleven – it’s ironic that Frank is the Blues’ leading scorer this season.  Lampard’s not through yet, and especially with Terry out injured, he should start every game for the rest of the season as Chelsea’s captain.  He has earned it!

So, looks like AVB will get to keep his office at least another week or so.  As he should.  Perhaps he was too inexperienced to be given the Chelsea job, but he’s certainly paying his dues this season.  Maybe he’s made some mistakes, but I’ve advocated patience from the start.  Chelsea needs stability, and changing managers again, especially during the season, would be an unnecessary setback.

What do you think – would Chelsea benefit from yet another managerial change?