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Dismal Blues Part 2
Why Chelsea’s oldest players aren’t the club’s main problem
The popular jab at Chelsea all season has been the collective age of their players – that they’re too old to hack it anymore and that wholesale changes are needed. Critics may be right about the wholesale changes part, but Chelsea’s aged players aren’t the primary problem.
As I mentioned yesterday, the Wigan and Fulham matches were a real beat-down for this fan even though Chelsea beat Wigan and tied Fulham. I guess having two matches so close together just magnified the aspects of Chelsea’s play – and the players – that have annoyed most of the season. I didn’t have a week between games to forget the team’s problems and become an optimist again.
I hate to pick on Fernando Torres first (because he has been drubbed by critics throughout his year and a half at Chelsea) but my fan patience has expired with him. I like the guy, have rooted for him to succeed, and wish he would be a Chelsea superstar. But if it hasn’t happened by now, it’s probably not going to happen. His is a particularly frustrating case because you can see potential there, but it’s never realized beyond occasionally sharp passes and crosses. He works hard, but the effort rarely pays off with shots on goal (or goals period). Torres takes overly long strides with the ball, predictably barreling straight at defenders, in a halting style that yields constant turnovers. Didier Drogba on the other hand, while not having his best season, is much more threatening with the ball (he’s also Chelsea’s second highest scorer this season). He still causes problems for defenders – Torres does not. Drogba has been woefully underused this season, presumably in an effort to get Torres out of his slump and fully integrated with the team. It’s not working. Drogba needs to start every remaining game. I don’t know what he’s being saved for at this point, as every game is critical. Torres seems like a decent guy, but for the club’s sake he should be sold.
While I’m thinking about forwards, it’s also time for Salomon Kalou to go. Kalou has never quite clicked over to the consistency Chelsea needs. I appreciate that he has earned some extra late season game time by virtue of his Champions League goal at Benfica, but he’s done nothing since to merit this much pitch time. Kalou makes too many ill-timed passes and often holds onto the ball too long.
Daniel Sturridge should start every game at forward with Drogba. Sturridge has been the victim of too much lineup tinkering the past few months, which stifled the hunger and goal-scoring savvy he demonstrated early in the season.
At midfield, critics have been cranky toward Frank Lampard because of his age (33) but Lampard is the team’s top scorer this season! That despite playing less than he ever has at Chelsea. Lampard has occasional giveaways and unwise fouls, but he isn’t the weakest link in the Blues’ midfield. Raul Meireles is. I’ve never been thrilled by Chelsea’s acquisition of Meireles. His passing is average, he fouls too much, and his shooting is atrocious (no, I’m not forgetting his end-of-match blast against Benfica). He’s just not reliable enough. I’d much rather see Michael Essien (who’s still only 29) back as the consistent midfield commander.
Ramires has also annoyed lately. He’s in danger of falling into the Kalou category of not quite good enough. I love his tireless hustle, but it doesn’t make up for his awful amount of turnovers! I’m not ready to throw in the towel on him yet, but he needs some goals or assists to boost his stock.
It’s time for Chelsea to revamp, but getting rid of Terry, Lampard, and Drogba isn’t the answer. Those three are no longer in their prime, but Chelsea is still better when they’re on the pitch (or at least no worse). Why would a team get rid of those assets (their top two scorers this season in Lampard and Drogba) as long as they’re still healthy?
When this season began, it seemed Chelsea was in the process of integrating young players with the “old”. What happened to Romelu Lukaku and Oriol Romeu? We saw Romeu quite a bit before Christmas, but I don’t understand why the heavily touted Lukaku hasn’t been granted more run-outs.
This off-season, Chelsea needs to take the long-haul approach to rebuilding, which means no more mid-career, Torres-type acquisitions. Instead, they need to milk the remaining seasons from their veterans while weaving in dynamic youngsters. Youth is the ticket! That strategy may not yield immediate trophies, but the delayed gratification would be worth it.
What players do you think Chelsea should relinquish this summer?
Chump-ions League
Chelsea continues dreadful form in 3-1 loss at Napoli
I thought the 2-0 loss at Everton a couple weeks ago was the low point of Chelsea’s season. The team looked absolutely lifeless. Most disturbingly, they showed no fighting spirit. Everton looked exactly the way I wish the Blues would – aggressive, hungry, and energetic. After the Everton match, the rumor mill kicked into high gear about Chelsea locker room turmoil and especially how long it would be until AVB gets shown the door. I was going to explore all that in the wake of the Everton match but it was too depressing. Chelsea looked so bad it was hard to know where to start. Plus, I had my hands full at my day job as my soccer team made it to our state’s final four playoffs (alas, we lost in the championship game). So I decided to wait it out, hoping for a Blues turnaround in the FA Cup against Birmingham City and in their Champions League visit to Napoli. Guess I shouldn’t have waited it out.
For now, I’ll skip over the 1-1 draw with Birmingham in the FA Cup. I mean, it’s bad enough, but at least they get to try again in the replay. The Napoli game this past Tuesday was terrible. Except for the few minutes Chelsea was up 1-0 in the first half, they never looked like they might win. What is it about every team Chelsea faces this year getting one or two players to slip in behind the Blues defense? It happens every game, usually more than once. It’s maddening! Even worst, Chelsea very rarely generates similar opportunities. To be sure, Chelsea still owns the middle of the field, but in the final third, the Blues are completely predictable. Savvy opponents just cram the box and are content to let Chelsea pass around the perimeter until someone gets impatient and lobs a ball into the middle where one or two Blues are surrounded by an army of defenders! Even the slippery Sturridge who was so effective earlier in the season is going through a dry, bland spell.
Some pundits are questioning AVB’s starting lineup choices against Napoli, but that’s not the reason Chelsea tanked. The Blues just didn’t play well. They haven’t played well for about two-thirds of the season. Champions League play was the last hope for Chelsea to take this season’s lemons and make lemonade. Now they’re hanging on by the thinnest of threads in all competitions. Poor AVB is probably on his way out, and like Carlo Ancelotti last season, it’s not all his fault.
With each week of the season my expectations for Chelsea slip further. Now it’s starting to look like the most they have to play for is a Champions League slot for next season. It’s a grim time for Chelsea fans, but tomorrow’s a new day. Maybe a big win over Bolton will bring some much-needed hope!
Why Always Man U?
Referee assists Chelsea in squandering three-goal lead
It was basically sickening on Sunday. As soon as Rooney predictably rammed home his second PK of the afternoon I knew the match would end in a draw. Even though Chelsea still led 3-2 at that point, I’ve been around the soccer block too many times to think that the Blues would actually be able to hold off Manchester United for the rest of the match. I was right. Javier Hernandez, that little Man U rascal who is incomprehensibly allowed to wear his cutesy nickname on the back of his jersey rather than his real name, tied the game with a wickedly timed run and header. I hate that I’ve turned into a Chelsea version of a Chicago Cubs fan this season, but Chelsea has choked a few too many times this campaign to retain much optimism in big games (or little ones actually).
What makes last Sunday’s 3-3 draw all the more painful is that for the first hour or so things were falling into place so beautifully! Sturridge showing some speedy signs of life and scoring the opening goal (so what if it was officially a Red Devil own goal?). Then Juan Mata’s hair-raising volley smash on the end of Torres’ cross to kick off the second half! Then David Luiz’s well-timed header goal just moments later! It was all too good to be true.
About those PKs against Chelsea… the first one was probably deserved. Sturridge got a little over-zealous. But the second one against Ivanovic a few minutes later was a ridiculous call! It wasn’t a penalty. Normally I think Howard Webb is one of the world’s better refs. And I don’t envy anyone who has to attempt to officiate matches as big as this one. But Webb had a very off day. Besides the penalty decisions he was wildly inconsistent all afternoon, toward both sides. Top-flight soccer simply must have instant replay for calls inside the penalty box.
I saw the Man U game as a last opportunity to rescue Chelsea’s dismal season – that maybe a victory would spark some life into the sputtering squad and help ensure they at least retain a Champions League spot for next season. Now, the forecast is still very uncertain. They will have to scrap for every remaining point.
Adding to the on-field woes is the recent chatter about locker room disharmony and players having issues with AVB. Piled on top of that are the rather ridiculous rumors (or are they?) of Jose Mourinho wanting to return to Chelsea. What a mess! It would be a mistake to dismiss AVB this early. He’s made some iffy calls along the way, but it’s not his fault the season has gone so poorly (just like Carlo Ancelotti shouldn’t have been blamed for last season’s shortcomings). I don’t know that Mourinho would be able to turn things around any more effectively. Chelsea needs stability right now. They should give AVB two more seasons before reassessing.
What do you think about Andre Villas-Boas’ management this season? Should he be given more time? Feel free to weigh in below…
Blues Cruise
Chelsea enjoys 3 – 1 victory over Everton
It was good to see the Blues back in action after the lengthy international break. I’m not much of a fan of the international breaks by the way. I understand their necessity and I don’t have a better solution to offer, but I’d rather not have them interrupting the season.
Chelsea put in an excellent performance against Everton yesterday. It was a mostly comfortable victory – one that actually reminded me of the ‘09/10 EPL title winning Blues. This season’s Sunderland, Bolton, and Everton wins are reminiscent of Chelsea’s more dominant phases of the past several years. Things are looking up. If only they hadn’t let Man U get the better of them!
Conceding a late goal to Everton slightly marred the day. Defensively, sometimes it’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of security with a three-goal lead, but Chelsea really needs to seal those leaks in preparation for tougher days ahead. Petr Cech must be banging his padded noggin against his locker lamenting the lack of clean sheets this season.
One major confidence booster for Chelsea and its fans is the current lineup depth. It sure is heartening to see the likes of Malouda and Anelka warming up as substitutes! It’s an embarrassment of riches really. I think Chelsea has the best depth in the league right now. Look at the guys who weren’t playing yesterday: Torres, Luiz, Alex, Meireles, Lukaku. The TV cameras even gave us a glimpse of Michael Essien in the stands, still out with his knee injury. Here’s hoping Essien can rejoin the squad for the second half of the season!
Other thoughts from the game…
Bosingwa has surprised and impressed me this year. He has been quite a reliable right back from preseason on. However, if I’m being picky, his crosses into the box, or pass selection at the end of positive runs down the wing, are often hasty and sloppy.
Hope Ramires’ knee injury suffered when netting Chelsea’s third goal just turns out to be a knock. He has been Chelsea’s Energizer bunny this season and would be missed if he has to sit out long. Ramires could turn into a long-term star for Chelsea.Juan Mata is looking like a genius signing thus far. He is all over the field, offensively innovative, with great passing and deft ball handling.
Likewise, Daniel Sturridge continues to impress. Chelsea needs to wrap him up with a long-term contract.
Drogba had a bit of an off day, but he’ll come around. He was still involved through his strong physical presence and made several key passes. I still think he should start alongside Torres once Fernando returns from his three-match red card ban.
It was a good weekend for Chelsea fans and a positive primer for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Genk!
Thoughts on Chelsea’s performance against Everton? Feel free to share below…
Champions League Blues
Chelsea settles for a point against Valencia
I’m still smarting from Chelsea’s draw at Valencia in Wednesday’s Champions League group stage match. Chelsea seemed in utter control of the game. The Blues played well – not great – but their effort seemed to be more than enough to secure three points. But they only got one point thanks to an 86th minute PK scored by Valencia after Kalou hand-balled on a Valencia corner. Very frustrating.
Chelsea never should’ve been in danger of drawing as they had some seemingly easy scoring opportunities swatted away in the second half by Valencia’s acrobatic goalkeeper Diego Alves. Ramires had one such opportunity. I’m growing frustrated with Ramires because he seems to have trouble finishing. I love his endurance, work ethic, and willingness to ram the ball ahead, but he really must come through with his finishing.
Finally, Frank Lampard got the better of Diego Alves when Malouda sent a smart diagonal pass through the box which Lamps lethally one-timed into the back of the net with one of his trademark grass-scorchers. It was a great goal and a well-timed “shut up” to the over-eager soccer pundit boneheads who’ve lately been trying to read a lot into Lampard’s recent time on the bench for Chelsea and England. Giles Smith had some great things to say in Lampard’s defense in his weekly Chelsea blog. I agree with Smith that Frank still has much to contribute to the team.
Now back to that Kalou hand-ball in the game’s dying minutes… wow. Seriously? I’ve been impressed thus far with AVB’s handling of the squad, but it was definitely a mistake to insert Kalou. When I saw Kalou warming up alongside Drogba, I had a feeling AVB was going to go with Kalou because Kalou hasn’t seen much playing time lately, the game seemed to be in the bag so it might be a good chance to show Kalou some love, etc., etc. But it was the wrong game at the wrong time to show Kalou love. Why not just let the veteran Lampard see out the game? What on earth was Kalou, a striker, supposed to contribute in the last eight minutes? It seemed to be one of those political moves managers feel obliged to do at this level – giving run-outs to players who have lately been out of the rotation.
Balancing playing time is surely one of the trickiest aspects of managing a club with Chelsea’s talent. But Kalou should’ve remained on the bench. AVB understandably didn’t toss Kalou under the bus in his post-match comments, but I will: what was Kalou thinking? He wasn’t match-sharp and he ran out there and blew a perfectly good win. Sure, it’s early in Champions League play, but those squandered points could certainly come back to haunt! I’ve always had doubts about Kalou – the necessary consistency just doesn’t seem to be there. If I had to pick anyone to consider off-loading come January, it would be Kalou.
Anyway, it’s back to Premier League play tomorrow for Chelsea at Bolton. The pesky Manchesters are still refusing to lose domestically, so a win over Wanderers is a must for Chelsea!
What do you think – am I being too harsh toward Kalou?