Every football fan is baffled by Chelsea's erratic home form this season. If they really want that Premiership title, they must win simple games at home like against West Ham. Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola, as manager of West Ham, must be very proud to get away with a point at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have to buy a natural right-winger. Joe Cole is left-footed so he should stay on the left. Joe Cole should not be switched to the right to accomodate the lousy Florent Malouda or Salomon Kalou who's originally a striker. Michael Ballack may be a superstar from his Bayern Munich days but playing in centre-midfield for Chelsea, he had been very average. Chelsea got him on a free transfer but his wages are one of the highest in the Chelsea ranks. If I own Chelsea, I would get rid of Michael Ballack.
Ok, Nicolas Anelka's goal was sublime. It will take the whole of the 08/09 season to convince me that Anelka is not a French @#$%.
Iain Macintosh of The New Paper said : "Scolari seems reluctant to accept that Chelsea are a much better side with Didier Drogba in the starting line-up. Whether it is through loyalty to Nicolas Anelka or a reluctance to change his tactical set-up, it is starting to develop into an irritating blind spot. Anelka is a master finisher, as he showed when he slipped the equaliser past Rob Green, but he offers nothing in terms of link-up play and doesn't suit this system. When faced with an organised defence, Chelsea's midfield simply log-jam behind him, unable to find a way through. Put Drogba on the pitch and you can beat them in the air. Leave him on the bench and you have to sit and watch as every cross or long pass is headed away. In the first half, Chelsea created very little. It is no coincidence that, with Drogba on as a half-time substitute, they dominated the second period." Didier Drogba will prove that he is a much, much better striker than Anelka.
Under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea never lost at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. Under Avram Grant, Chelsea never lost at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. Under Luiz Felipe Scolari? 2 home losses in the Premier League under his belt so far. Before this match, people are talking about Arsenal being a team in crisis. They beat Chelsea away. What crisis?
Scolari played a weird formation against Arsenal. It seemed like a 4-4-2. The problem was the 4 midfielders were all central-midfielders. Ballack, Mikel, Lampard and Deco. Whatever it is, it took 2 world-class strikes from Robin Van Persie to down Chelsea. Funny thing is, Arsenal play well against giant teams like Manchester United and Chelsea but crumble against physical sides such as Stoke City and Hull City.
I'll stress this again and again - Chelsea SHOULD win every match they play. They have the best players in the world and one of the best managers in the history of modern football. For them to lose is totally unacceptable. I boldly predict that if Chelsea does not win the Premiership or Champions League this season, their rich owner Roman Abramovich will leave Chelsea. Chelsea will then become what they were before Roman - mid-table and the occasional Cups.
Iain Macintosh of The New Paper said : "Was this the Arsenal side that we're told lack character and mental fortitude? The team that are crying out for genuine leadership and are ill-served by the appointment of young Cesc Fabregas as captain? From the jaws of despair, they snatched both pride and points, though even Arsene Wenger must wonder how they did it. On performances alone, this should really have been a draw, but what a difference that winning goal makes. It gives the Arsenal fans hope that their season isn't yet over, but it increases the pressure on Scolari by another notch. All the beautiful football in the world won't save him if this continues."
Sometimes I wonder if trying to play beautiful football may end up Chelsea winning nothing. If I were a fan, would I want my team to play ugly football and win trophies or I want my team to play beautiful football and win nothing? Think about it.
Manchester City has to get a new manager. Mark Hughes is still a beginner, he doesn't have an impressive track record and though he won many trophies as a player, what has he won as a manager?
Is Robinho really worth the tag as Britian's most expensive footballer of all time? He should be winning matches single-handedly for Manchester City. I expect him to dribble the ball pass 5 defenders and score past the keeper with ease. There will be wholesale changes at Manchester City when the transfer window opens. Manchester City is officially the new Chelsea. All they need is a top manager who will attract the world's top players.
The main point of this match is that human Lucifer, Cristiano Ronaldo getting sent off after two yellow cards. The first yellow card after a tackle, he clapped the referee. You don't clap the referee, you Satan! That infuriated the referee. Then, when he handled the ball with his hand, the referee, with no hesitation showed Ronaldo the red card.
After Ronaldo is sent off, Manchester City couldn't even capitalize on it. As a result, Manchester United stay close in touch of the leaders. They are playing possum again. Towards the end of the season, they'll have a string of consecutive wins and look set to win another Premier League title. Who can stop them?
Gary Lim of The New Paper said : "In the 68th minute, as a corner was floated in, Ronaldo looked odds on to make a good connection. Oddly, he put up his hands, as if to protect his face, and handled the ball. Replays showed that he wasn't pushed. Webb reached for his pocket, and out came the red. Luckily for Man United, the 10 men held on to the 1-0 lead to take the three points. A huge talent like Ronaldo will always be provoked in a match. I can almost hear Fergie bellow 'for goodness sake, protect the man,' like it is some kind of Aids awareness campaign. But it's no use when Ronaldo doesn't stop incurring the wrath of opponents and their fans by diving at the slightest touch, or rolling all over the turf faster than a Golden Wheel Spider when fouled. The least he can do is help himself, which he didn't."
Chelsea were surprisingly toothless against Newcastle United. Everyone expected them to dismantle Newcastle at home but they just couldn't. There is no reason Chelsea couldn't beat dumb teams like Newcastle. They are owned by a Russian billionaire with billions of Pounds and all their players are world class so by right, they should win every match.
Chelsea is still top of the Premier League though with Liverpool just below them, same points seperated by goal difference. I'll break down Chelsea's departments :
Goalkeeping : Petr Cech is a goner after getting that kick on his head. He is no longer one of the best goalies in the world. Soon, Chelsea will replace him with a better goalkeeper.
Defending : Terry and that man who replaces Carvalho, along with Bosingwa is superb in defence. However, Ashley Cole is a crap left-back.
Midfield : Lampard and Deco are really worth every million spent. Mikel keeps it tidy in the middle.
Attack : Florent Malouda can just freak off back to France. His crosses are useless and he can't even take corners properly. Joe Cole on the right-wing is ok. Contrary to what most people think, I feel Nicolas Anelka is not a top sriker at all. Sure he is currently the topscorer, but even Noh Alam Shah can bury those chances he scored.
Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari said after this match : "Newcastle were very good. They played for a draw and got one. They didn't come here to play for a win - just a draw. They were better than us because they were only thinking about a draw and got one, while we were thinking about a win and didn't. Newcastle did not have one shot on goal in 90 minutes. We had 70% of the possession but we didn't score a goal. If we had scored, maybe we would have scored three or four but we lost two points."
I tell you why your team didn't score. Nicolas Anelka is crap.
