EPL Week 3: Chelsea Losing Steam, Draw 1-1 Against Tottenham
September 1st 2008 05:23
After a promising start to their campaign, it looks like the Blues have fallen into their habits of old as they were unable to break through their visitors, the Tottenham Hotspurs.
Gone was Chelsea's control of the midfield along with their crisp passing. Gone were Joe Cole and Anelka's diagonal runs that distracted their opponents' defense. Instead, Chelsea was reduced to long-range shots and hopeful balls to Anelka. What they forgot is that the French striker isn't Drogba. Anelka was never able to hold the ball long enough for his support to arrive, and that's when the long balls did find him. He was invisible for most of the match, almost as if Chelsea were playing without a striker. In my opinion, he's getting a bit too comfortable in the starter role. With Shevchenko and Wright-Phillips gone, youngster Franco Di Santo is Anelka's only competition until Drogba gets match-fit. Needless to say, I can't wait for the Ivorian to reclaim his spot in the starting eleven.
Anelka wasn't the only one going halfway on the field. Joe Cole's performance was relatively subpar today with flashes of his usual self here and there. Deco was also a bit nonchalant. After scoring two goals in two matches, maybe he's starting to think that it's too easy. Someone should tell him that there's still a long way to go. The three players' attitude contrasted sharply with Lampard and Belletti's efforts. The English midfielder spent the first twenty minutes bombarding goalkeeper Gomes with long-distance strikes every time he had the chance, alternating between powerful rockets and delightful chips over the goalkeeper to no avail. As for Belletti, he was just happy to start the game. It didn't matter that he was out of position, playing as a holding midfielder instead of right back. He gave it his all, scoring the first goal of the match (and of the season) at the 26th minute on a corner-kick. After the goal, he raced to the bench to hug his coach, thanking him for the opportunity.
But enough about Chelsea, let's talk about the Spurs for a minute. There isn't much to say about their performance except that they played well enough defensively to hold off Chelsea (apart from long-distance strikes, the Blues rarely tested Gomes from inside the box, their only goal coming on a set-piece). As for their offense, they spent most of the first half wasting their crosses by making them easy for Cech to intercept. Their equalizing goal came out of nowhere right before half-time. A mistake from Lampard sent Darren Bent alone to face Cech. The striker didn't miss his chance, slipping the ball in-between the goalkeeper's legs. Since Chelsea seemed a lot more determined in the second half, sending virtually everyone forward, manager Juande Ramos meticulously refreshed his team's midfield by taking out tired players and replacing them by players with speed. The move canceled Chelsea's primary means of attack with substitutes Kalou and Malouda along with fullbacks Ashley Cole and Bosingwa all forced to limit their offensive runs for fear of being caught on the break.
In the end, Chelsea didn't deserve to win this match and a victory for the Spurs would be a stretch of imagination. A tie is quite fitting for both teams, and Mancheste United can celebrate for the Blues not pulling away with a lead in the standings.
To see the goals, click HERE.
Chelsea's line-up: Petr Cech; Jose Bosingwa, Ricardo Carvalho, John Terry, Ashley Cole; Michael Essien, Juliano Belletti (Salomon Kalou, 75th), Deco, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole (Florent Malouda, 65th); Nicolas Anelka (Franco Di Santo, 88th).
Gone was Chelsea's control of the midfield along with their crisp passing. Gone were Joe Cole and Anelka's diagonal runs that distracted their opponents' defense. Instead, Chelsea was reduced to long-range shots and hopeful balls to Anelka. What they forgot is that the French striker isn't Drogba. Anelka was never able to hold the ball long enough for his support to arrive, and that's when the long balls did find him. He was invisible for most of the match, almost as if Chelsea were playing without a striker. In my opinion, he's getting a bit too comfortable in the starter role. With Shevchenko and Wright-Phillips gone, youngster Franco Di Santo is Anelka's only competition until Drogba gets match-fit. Needless to say, I can't wait for the Ivorian to reclaim his spot in the starting eleven.
Anelka wasn't the only one going halfway on the field. Joe Cole's performance was relatively subpar today with flashes of his usual self here and there. Deco was also a bit nonchalant. After scoring two goals in two matches, maybe he's starting to think that it's too easy. Someone should tell him that there's still a long way to go. The three players' attitude contrasted sharply with Lampard and Belletti's efforts. The English midfielder spent the first twenty minutes bombarding goalkeeper Gomes with long-distance strikes every time he had the chance, alternating between powerful rockets and delightful chips over the goalkeeper to no avail. As for Belletti, he was just happy to start the game. It didn't matter that he was out of position, playing as a holding midfielder instead of right back. He gave it his all, scoring the first goal of the match (and of the season) at the 26th minute on a corner-kick. After the goal, he raced to the bench to hug his coach, thanking him for the opportunity.
But enough about Chelsea, let's talk about the Spurs for a minute. There isn't much to say about their performance except that they played well enough defensively to hold off Chelsea (apart from long-distance strikes, the Blues rarely tested Gomes from inside the box, their only goal coming on a set-piece). As for their offense, they spent most of the first half wasting their crosses by making them easy for Cech to intercept. Their equalizing goal came out of nowhere right before half-time. A mistake from Lampard sent Darren Bent alone to face Cech. The striker didn't miss his chance, slipping the ball in-between the goalkeeper's legs. Since Chelsea seemed a lot more determined in the second half, sending virtually everyone forward, manager Juande Ramos meticulously refreshed his team's midfield by taking out tired players and replacing them by players with speed. The move canceled Chelsea's primary means of attack with substitutes Kalou and Malouda along with fullbacks Ashley Cole and Bosingwa all forced to limit their offensive runs for fear of being caught on the break.
In the end, Chelsea didn't deserve to win this match and a victory for the Spurs would be a stretch of imagination. A tie is quite fitting for both teams, and Mancheste United can celebrate for the Blues not pulling away with a lead in the standings.
To see the goals, click HERE.
Chelsea's line-up: Petr Cech; Jose Bosingwa, Ricardo Carvalho, John Terry, Ashley Cole; Michael Essien, Juliano Belletti (Salomon Kalou, 75th), Deco, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole (Florent Malouda, 65th); Nicolas Anelka (Franco Di Santo, 88th).
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