Sunday, December 10, 2006

chelsea looks unimpressive (again)

yes they should have won- the two hit posts in the dying moments were heartbreaking- but this team is going backward until they unclog the midfield. playing with 4 central midfield players (any of which i would be happy to see at Man U, except maybe for Ballack- he is stealing Roman's money) is nuts and the congestion it produces is startling. they looked so much more a threat once Robben and swp were introduced (no thanks to swp who continues to waste away into something resembling an MLS player- it shows there is a cost when you sell your soul to the devil for a few pounds). i am not sure what his greatness is thinking about, but this is not working.

1 comment:

The AR said...

One of the best games I've had the pleasure of watching for a while! Great end-to-end action!

It's hard to disagree that putting all the new Chelsea pieces together is still a work in process. There's been little magic in the play between Ballack and Sheva, and I don't get the sense that they are always on the same page. Once Robben came in and started working down the left side, things really opened up for the team. I also think they miss Joe Cole (I sure do). Once he returns and if he's played properly on the other side, I think the Blues will be that much more formidable.

I also agree that SWP has all but disappeared! He was so much more dangerous pre-Chelsea and has shown only a smidgen of his former self in EPL games (though more has been on display in the Champions league games -- didn't he score in the last one?).

Last comment, and this is one I've shared with the Ref on many an occasion: I don't know why players shy away from long range shots as much as they do. Lampard almost scored on one in the first half and Essien's goal . . . . Goal of the year perhaps?! Too many other players in Essien's position would have looked to get the ball into the PA rather than have taken the shot. But think about it: the keeper's not expecting it, probably is off his line a bit, and if the shot is on frame, you've got a pretty good chance of it going in (certainly no worse than the attempt to pass the ball into the PA among all the bodies stuffed into that small area). Anyway, that's my advice: shoot from long range if you've got even the smallest opening!