EPL Week 5: Clash of the Titans – Chelsea Versus Manchester United (1-1)
September 22nd 2008 16:08
This is going to sound blasphemous but, it looks like Sir Alex Ferguson is starting to employ Rafael Benitez's line-up rotations. After deploying a midfield that left me thinking “WTF?” against Villareal on Wednesday, Sunday's line-up – though a bit weird – made perfect sense tactically. Putting Hargreaves and Park on the wings to cancel Bosingwa and Ashley Cole was a brilliant move by SAF, but now I'm starting to wonder – since when did United become a defense-minded team?
When the only real opportunity your team gets in open-play turns out to be your only goal thanks to the opposing goalkeeper spilling the ball, and then you end up defending for the last fifteen minutes of the game - that doesn't sound too much like a team that's confident in its capacities. The defending champions still haven't found that spark that turns every match into an entertaining feast for spectators. Van der Sar, who looked a lot more confident than last week, got injured in the first half-hour. When his replacement came on, the defense did everything to prevent Chelsea from getting a shot on him. Neville is just too damn slow, and I was surprised that the Blues didn't exploit that weakness to their advantage. Watching Berbatov play feels like watching Robbie Keane with Liverpool – the guy still doesn't know how to mesh in the team's hard-working culture. When he loses the ball – and that happened often thanks to harmless shots that had no real purpose except giving the ball back to Chelsea – he just stands around, waiting for someone else to get it. I really missed Tevez in front. He would've bit at the defenders' ankle like a mad dog.
On a more positive note, Park and Jonny Evans did a terrific job in their respective positions. Park ran like a mad man all around the pitch, I was disappointed when he got substituted for O'Shea in the final quarter-hour. Chelsea may have never lost at the Bridge but United have never lost when the Korean midfielder starts a game, so I guess a draw was to be expected.
Chelsea had more trouble going in this game. Their fullbacks were effectively pinned down by Park and Hargreaves. For once, Lampard was completely invisible during the match. I guess Deco's presence has already had an effect on the Blues' midfield because with Ballack, they looked a lot less threatening. Up front, Anelka was back to his old antics, wasting shots like Berbatov at the other end. I guess he was frustrated by not being able to enter the box. Defensively though, this was Carvalho's match once again (although he had to leave the game at the 12th minute due to an injury). His tackle in the 18-yard box denied Fletcher a clear-cut chance in the fifth minute of the game. That single move probably changed the whole complexity of the game. Imagine if United were up 1-0 at the Bridge five minutes into the game. They could've won by adding a second goal but they also could've lost like they did last week.
A 1-1 draw was a fitting end to this highly contested match. Both teams wanted to win. Manchester United's seven yellow cards is a testament to their desperation right now. A loss for them right now is simply unacceptable. Chelsea, on the other hand, are having a great time. They know what they have to do, and they just do it. They would've been happier with all three points but, considering they were down 1-0 until the 79th minute, anything to keep the gap between them and the Red Devils will do.
Chelsea's line-up: Petr Cech; Jose Bosingwa, Ricardo Carvalho (Alex, 12th), John Terry, Ashley Cole; John Obi Mikel, Michael Ballack (Salomon Kalou, 73rd), Frank Lampard; Joe Cole, Florent Malouda (Didier Drogba, h-t), Nicolas Anelka.
Manchester United's line-up: Edwin Van der Sar (Tomasz Kuszczak, 31st); Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra; Owen Hargreaves, Paul Scholes (Cristiano Ronaldo, 54th), Darren Fletcher, Park Ji-Sung (John O'Shea, 74th); Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov.
When the only real opportunity your team gets in open-play turns out to be your only goal thanks to the opposing goalkeeper spilling the ball, and then you end up defending for the last fifteen minutes of the game - that doesn't sound too much like a team that's confident in its capacities. The defending champions still haven't found that spark that turns every match into an entertaining feast for spectators. Van der Sar, who looked a lot more confident than last week, got injured in the first half-hour. When his replacement came on, the defense did everything to prevent Chelsea from getting a shot on him. Neville is just too damn slow, and I was surprised that the Blues didn't exploit that weakness to their advantage. Watching Berbatov play feels like watching Robbie Keane with Liverpool – the guy still doesn't know how to mesh in the team's hard-working culture. When he loses the ball – and that happened often thanks to harmless shots that had no real purpose except giving the ball back to Chelsea – he just stands around, waiting for someone else to get it. I really missed Tevez in front. He would've bit at the defenders' ankle like a mad dog.
On a more positive note, Park and Jonny Evans did a terrific job in their respective positions. Park ran like a mad man all around the pitch, I was disappointed when he got substituted for O'Shea in the final quarter-hour. Chelsea may have never lost at the Bridge but United have never lost when the Korean midfielder starts a game, so I guess a draw was to be expected.
Chelsea had more trouble going in this game. Their fullbacks were effectively pinned down by Park and Hargreaves. For once, Lampard was completely invisible during the match. I guess Deco's presence has already had an effect on the Blues' midfield because with Ballack, they looked a lot less threatening. Up front, Anelka was back to his old antics, wasting shots like Berbatov at the other end. I guess he was frustrated by not being able to enter the box. Defensively though, this was Carvalho's match once again (although he had to leave the game at the 12th minute due to an injury). His tackle in the 18-yard box denied Fletcher a clear-cut chance in the fifth minute of the game. That single move probably changed the whole complexity of the game. Imagine if United were up 1-0 at the Bridge five minutes into the game. They could've won by adding a second goal but they also could've lost like they did last week.
A 1-1 draw was a fitting end to this highly contested match. Both teams wanted to win. Manchester United's seven yellow cards is a testament to their desperation right now. A loss for them right now is simply unacceptable. Chelsea, on the other hand, are having a great time. They know what they have to do, and they just do it. They would've been happier with all three points but, considering they were down 1-0 until the 79th minute, anything to keep the gap between them and the Red Devils will do.
Chelsea's line-up: Petr Cech; Jose Bosingwa, Ricardo Carvalho (Alex, 12th), John Terry, Ashley Cole; John Obi Mikel, Michael Ballack (Salomon Kalou, 73rd), Frank Lampard; Joe Cole, Florent Malouda (Didier Drogba, h-t), Nicolas Anelka.
Manchester United's line-up: Edwin Van der Sar (Tomasz Kuszczak, 31st); Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra; Owen Hargreaves, Paul Scholes (Cristiano Ronaldo, 54th), Darren Fletcher, Park Ji-Sung (John O'Shea, 74th); Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov.
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