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Bad day at the office
Saturday's match against Wigan was an embarrassment for Chelsea, but Ancelotti was right when he said they deserved to lose.
I'm not going to waste any time protesting Cech's red card - I think the ref made the correct decision. Rodallega was brought down in the penalty area, and Cech didn't get anywhere close to the ball. And the subsequent penalty was well taken. The worst part of that whole incident is that Cech will now be banned for the upcoming games against both Liverpool and Villa.
What was most worrying about Saturday's game was Chelsea's performance in the first half. They looked lacklustre and let Wigan constantly take the game to them. Bramble's goal was a defensive disaster. No one was marking him, and he had all the space in the world to score an easy goal. And Wigan were unlucky not to score at least two more that half.
As last weekend's performance against Spurs showed, Chelsea can play great football when they think they've got a challenge ahead of them. But they have a nasty habit of getting complacent whenever they're playing slightly lesser opposition. Wigan had been beaten 4-0 by Arsenal's B-team just a few days earlier, and in that context it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking they're a walkover. But there aren't any easy games in the premier league anymore. If you only play your best when you're playing a top 6 side, you won't win the league.
So far this season, Chelsea have dug out narrow one-goal victories over Hull, Stoke and QPR - teams that they could be beating convincingly if they played their best football. So Man U are back at the top of the league. Looks like we're in for another tight season. Chelsea still have the better chance of winning if they can hold their nerve. But that's a big if.
Posted by Frank Lampard on 06:17 AM •
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It was frustrating not to be able to see that match. I heard Rodallega was outstanding all game.
As a Liverpool fan, I’m a little nervous that this will give a superior Chelsea side extra motivation while also easing the pressure on them for Saturday’s game. Is Hilario any good? I don’t know much about him.
Comment #2: Marc on 09/28 at 11:25 AM
Hilario had a long stretch as the lead goalie at Chelsea two seaons ago - after Cech had that really nasty collision and ended up unconscious on the pitch (which is why he always wears that headgear now). Amazingly, Cudicini then also got injured, handing Hilario - the third string goalie - an 18 match stretch in goal that season. He did pretty well, all things considered - but he’s definitely a second string keeper.
I think you’re right. Chelsea will be psyched for Sunday’s game. They suffered from the Wigan problem again in Europe tonight - eeking out a one goal win over a far inferior cypriot team. But they’ll step up a level for the Liverpool challenge. Should be a good game!
Comment #3: Frank Lampard on 09/30 at 06:53 PM
It should be an interesting battle - considering Liverpool is also talking up how much better they’ll play on Sunday.
I say liveblog for this game!
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Well, hi Frank! Glad to see you’re willing to be honestly critical of your own team
it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking they’re a walkover
This is obviously the tendency of top-of-the-table teams, and I think what really kills them is when those “lesser opposition” teams realize what’s going on - that this big, intimidating team is sitting back, not playing their best, taking for granted that they are the “better” team - and they pull out all the stops and start playing their asses off and catch them off guard. Now, a team like Chelsea should be able to easily respond to that and squash it…but ego can be a bitch sometimes. They may end up having to fight hard and scramble a little…and I think they get ticked off that they’re having to scramble, which can lead to sloppy performances. Just because a team might not be as good overall doesn’t mean they won’t be able to take advantage of your laziness.
In the Liverpool v Hull disaster, for a bit in the second half when the score was 3-1, Hull started to take some control, hold possession, and were looking like they might be able to eke out a draw of they kept it up. Liverpool was looking a little slow and sloppy, as though they thought “Fuck, we’re up by two and this is a crappy team in the drop zone, we’re gonna chillax a little”. And Hull saw that and started battling a little. But…Liverpool took the momentum back (and what momentum…that goal by Gerrard, holy crap) and put the smack down. Hard. Ouchies.
Like you said - no easy games. Ain’t it great?