So, the Anchovy faces rather a conundrum. Anelka and Drogba. The entire team play super well with Anelka up front, and the team play fairly well with Drogba up front. But with Drogba in the center and Anelka on the wing things don't go well. They don't really have anyone to play behind the strikers, and they can't afford to leave Malouda out which means the best bet is to go with the standard 4-3-3, and either Drogba or Anelka in the center, Malouda on the left and Joe Cole on the right.
United like to counter attack, and they seem to prefer playing three in the middle, with an attacking midfielder / trailing striker, which means that Chelsea need to be very disciplined in midfield, and Mikel is going to have to cut out as much of the ball going to the attacking midfielder as possible. Fullbacks are, of course, going to have to stick with the wings tightly, because a lot of play seems to come off them and into the striker, who is likely to be Berbatov.
Now, Berbatov is a fantastic striker but he has the lowest work rate in the world and he doesn't seem to be particularly physical. He also doesn't score many long range driving shots. He does, however, have an amazing first touch and a wonderful pedigree, and with wing players who cross well and an attacking sweatshop named Park behind him to feed him in the box, there's every chance his first touch will make sure his second touch buries the ball.
So, what's the game plan? Well, I have an idea as to what I'd do...
First, to deal with Berbatov I would push my center halves up the pitch. Chelsea like to play with the defenders about 10m further forward than anyone else in Europe, which means that they have a compact team movement, but I would say that they need to do that and possibly a little more to make sure that Berbatov not only has to work much harder off the ball but it will also force him into taking long range shots which are not his forte. Mikel will need to have a game like the one he did against Aston Villa, where he was moving across the pitch a lot to cut out passes, so that he can isolate Park. And he'll have to make sure he keeps an eye on Fletcher too, who likes to get forward when he can.
Chelsea's fullbacks are going to need to be careful. If Zhirkov is caught out of position Valencia will punish him, and we know that Nani likes to cut inside a lot. He can't cross though, and Valencia likes to stay outside for the cross. So, the fullbacks will need to push them up the pitch, and then make sure they keep them on the outside to make sure Nani is forced to cross rather than come inside, and Valencia is forced to cross too late or cut inside on his weaker left foot.
I think if Lampard plays forward, and behind the central striker, he will be able to not only close down on Carrick / Scholes but he will also be able to create for the front three strikers. And Ballack or Deco are going to need to have a rather high work rate, and move the ball quickly.
As for the really difficult part, I have a solution which may not seem obvious and hasn't been tried before, but I think it would work: Malouda - Anelka - Drogba. Malouda is playing so very well this season, he will have lots of space to exploit against Neville down the left wing especially because Neville tends to drift inside towards midfield. I'd put Drogba on the right because he really is a big game player, and his propensity to move centrally will come out irrespective of if he is actually in the center or not. So putting him up against Evra, who attacks too much anyway, means that not only will he have space to move, he'll be able to come inside and lose his marker. It also means that rather than being double marked by the two centre halves, he'll only have a fullback to deal with. And I'd play Anelka up front because his movement is just terrific, he strikes clinically when you lest expect it, and when he moves outside he crosses exceptionally well.
With those three up front, particularly with Anelka bringing Malouda and Drogba inside, and Lampard trailing and pouncing on anything in the box that is lose, I think Chelsea will be able to stretch United thinner than they'd hope.
This is also a forerunner for what I'd like to see Chelsea do next year with an attacking midfielder running the show, and three strikers moving and playing off midfield and each other to demolish defences. And with two second strikers and a target man playing in a second striker role, the line will not be so much led as drawn.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Hard Line
There has been a shit load of talk about Chelsea since their defeat to Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge. Some saying the team are old and beginning to look like AC Milan currently do, others saying that Roman Abramovich is about to reinvest a massive amount of money. Some saying that The Anchovy's days are numbered, but most of it is transfer speculation. And a lot of it is stupid.
I think that if we've learned anything this season it is that you can't buy success. Real Madrid are perfect evidence of that, and I have no doubt that this lesson has not been lost on anyone at Chelsea. But I do think that the other thing which must be learned is that a team will only perform when they have one leader, and when the team is formed and built by that leader. Inter were rubbish last year, and it was mostly because they were not Mourinho's team. On Tuesday, the following players who were bought this season played: Eto'o, Milito, Pandev, Sneijder, Lucio, Materazzi and Motta. Six of those started while Materazzi was a substitution late on. This is the reason Inter look so strong this year, they are Mourinho's team. Just like Chelsea were.
Now, while it is true that consistency is vital to any team, there also has to be progression and growth and this is the key element which has not been present in Chelsea. I personally think this is because there have been too many coaches, all trying to make their stamp by buying players. As they say, too many cooks spoil the broth. For example, Nicolas Anelka. He is a wonderful striker who is too good to leave out of the team, but he is being played out of position and is subsequently only about a third of as effective as he could be. So, for it to work he and Drogba need to be played up front together, rather than Anelka being left out wide. But this requires a third player to play behind the strikers and while Deco played very well in this position at the beginning of the season he picked up injuries and his form dropped. With Joe Cole being injured and then out of sorts, the only options were Lampard and Malouda.
Both were rubbish. And both were fantastic in a different position, which brings in another conundrum: Malouda. He plays so well out wide on the left hand side, and is only average from central midfield, you have to play him up front. Which means Anelka and Drogba can't play as a pair, and subsequently means Anelka on the right wing. The only other option is a straight 4-4-2, but Malouda plays best as a 'second striker' on the left, and even if he were to be pushed back there is no one to play on the right wing.
There are just too many problems with personnel, and this is because there has been no single leader over the last two years. Grant bought Anelka, Scolari bought Deco and wanted Robinho while Hiddink bought Zhirkov (not directly, but you know what I mean). No one knows who bought Turnbull or Sturridge. Sure the core of the team is still there, but the core of the team is Mourinho's and no manager will ever get them to do what he wants them to do because of that.
The other thing I think has been, and is still a major problem within the team is the fact that because they've been leaderless they have needed to create a leader and that leader has been John Terry. Power has shifted from the manager to the players and this is not healthy. Mostly because as a result of scandal surrounding Terry and others, the players have become divided.
So, what's the solution? Well, I think that this is a time for courage. That sounds dumb but what I mean by that is The Anchovy needs to have the owner's backing, and then needs to take a critical look at the team and make some difficult decisions which will probably be very unpopular with a lot of people. I don't know what he will decide but there are three things I'd do, and then there are a few players I'd buy.
First thing I'd do is sell Didier Drogba. The players seem to think they are invincible and Drogba's bad example in the Champion's League can't be tolerated. He seems to be well respected, so if they hit him everyone in the team will be scared. But the biggest motivation behind his sale is simple: The team play better without him. During the ACN Anelka led the line, Malouda played on the left and Joe Cole on the right and the team ripped Sunderland seven new ones, tore Birminham City (best defence in the league at the time) to bits and crushed everyone else they came up against. With Drogba the team seem to be one dimensional, but with Anelka leading the line they have far move movement up front and the team really do just look better in general.
Second thing I'd do is sell John Terry. He's caused a lot of trouble with this whole Wayne Bridge sex scandal shit, and I think he's divided the dressing room. He also has too much say, in my opinion, and by getting rid of him The Anchovy would not only scare a lot of players but would also draw a line in the sand. And let's be honest, Terry's form has been awful of late. Alex is a better defender, and Ivanovic is just as good an attacker. I'd replace Terry with Ivanovic and let Carvalho or Alex follow his lead in the same way they currently follow Terry's.
Third thing I'd do is give the players an option. If they don't like what's going on they can leave. If they're prepared to stick around and be successful and win for the club then they need to follow the manager's lead. I'd also have a stern chat with Ashley Cole, and ask him if he would like to clean his act up and stay or leave now.
After that it is a case of choosing a formation and how Ancelotti wants the team to play, and then responding accordingly. I know how I would like them to play, and who I'd buy but it really is up to him. Personally I'd like to see a 4-2-1-3 formation and with that in mind I'd bring another goal keeper in, and sell Hilaro to push Cech for his number one spot. I'd replace Terry with a center half and possibly sell Carvalho. I'd buy another world class right wing(back) and possibly replace Ashley Cole depending on what he decided to do. I'd keep Essien and Mikel for the holding role, because I don't think Mikel is anywhere near as bad as people seem to think he is (there has been a lot of talk about him being sold). I'd buy another central midfielder because I think that Lampard and Ballack together can play 60 games a season, but they can't make an entire season each. I'd get rid of Deco because he's only been trouble since he arrived, and I'd bring another attacking midfielder in. Then I'd sell Drogba and Kalou and I'd bring in three strikers. Currently the team have four strikers to fill six positions (assuming you want two players per position on the field) but I'd play five for six so that there is space for the younger players to come in but not too much pressure on them to perform.
I would love to bring in David Villa, Sergio Aguero and either Angel di Mara or Miroslav Stoch. Stoch is of course one of the club's current young players on loan in Holland but I don't know how good he is. If he's as good as Angel di Mara then yes, bring him through. Otherwise sell him. I'd like the club to play three central strikers with a lot of movement across the front three, a holding midfielder and a central midfielder with an attacking midfielder moving around to feed the strikers, a static centre half pairing and overlapping wingbacks.
This is of course all my own speculation but we'll see what happens. What we do know is that The Anchovy needs the team to play the way he wants them to and based on his old Milan team and the way Chelsea played while Deco was performing that involved decisive passing, tactical positioning, fluid and fast attacking with disciplined and compact movement. It's up to him as to how he'll achieve that.
I think that if we've learned anything this season it is that you can't buy success. Real Madrid are perfect evidence of that, and I have no doubt that this lesson has not been lost on anyone at Chelsea. But I do think that the other thing which must be learned is that a team will only perform when they have one leader, and when the team is formed and built by that leader. Inter were rubbish last year, and it was mostly because they were not Mourinho's team. On Tuesday, the following players who were bought this season played: Eto'o, Milito, Pandev, Sneijder, Lucio, Materazzi and Motta. Six of those started while Materazzi was a substitution late on. This is the reason Inter look so strong this year, they are Mourinho's team. Just like Chelsea were.
Now, while it is true that consistency is vital to any team, there also has to be progression and growth and this is the key element which has not been present in Chelsea. I personally think this is because there have been too many coaches, all trying to make their stamp by buying players. As they say, too many cooks spoil the broth. For example, Nicolas Anelka. He is a wonderful striker who is too good to leave out of the team, but he is being played out of position and is subsequently only about a third of as effective as he could be. So, for it to work he and Drogba need to be played up front together, rather than Anelka being left out wide. But this requires a third player to play behind the strikers and while Deco played very well in this position at the beginning of the season he picked up injuries and his form dropped. With Joe Cole being injured and then out of sorts, the only options were Lampard and Malouda.
Both were rubbish. And both were fantastic in a different position, which brings in another conundrum: Malouda. He plays so well out wide on the left hand side, and is only average from central midfield, you have to play him up front. Which means Anelka and Drogba can't play as a pair, and subsequently means Anelka on the right wing. The only other option is a straight 4-4-2, but Malouda plays best as a 'second striker' on the left, and even if he were to be pushed back there is no one to play on the right wing.
There are just too many problems with personnel, and this is because there has been no single leader over the last two years. Grant bought Anelka, Scolari bought Deco and wanted Robinho while Hiddink bought Zhirkov (not directly, but you know what I mean). No one knows who bought Turnbull or Sturridge. Sure the core of the team is still there, but the core of the team is Mourinho's and no manager will ever get them to do what he wants them to do because of that.
The other thing I think has been, and is still a major problem within the team is the fact that because they've been leaderless they have needed to create a leader and that leader has been John Terry. Power has shifted from the manager to the players and this is not healthy. Mostly because as a result of scandal surrounding Terry and others, the players have become divided.
So, what's the solution? Well, I think that this is a time for courage. That sounds dumb but what I mean by that is The Anchovy needs to have the owner's backing, and then needs to take a critical look at the team and make some difficult decisions which will probably be very unpopular with a lot of people. I don't know what he will decide but there are three things I'd do, and then there are a few players I'd buy.
First thing I'd do is sell Didier Drogba. The players seem to think they are invincible and Drogba's bad example in the Champion's League can't be tolerated. He seems to be well respected, so if they hit him everyone in the team will be scared. But the biggest motivation behind his sale is simple: The team play better without him. During the ACN Anelka led the line, Malouda played on the left and Joe Cole on the right and the team ripped Sunderland seven new ones, tore Birminham City (best defence in the league at the time) to bits and crushed everyone else they came up against. With Drogba the team seem to be one dimensional, but with Anelka leading the line they have far move movement up front and the team really do just look better in general.
Second thing I'd do is sell John Terry. He's caused a lot of trouble with this whole Wayne Bridge sex scandal shit, and I think he's divided the dressing room. He also has too much say, in my opinion, and by getting rid of him The Anchovy would not only scare a lot of players but would also draw a line in the sand. And let's be honest, Terry's form has been awful of late. Alex is a better defender, and Ivanovic is just as good an attacker. I'd replace Terry with Ivanovic and let Carvalho or Alex follow his lead in the same way they currently follow Terry's.
Third thing I'd do is give the players an option. If they don't like what's going on they can leave. If they're prepared to stick around and be successful and win for the club then they need to follow the manager's lead. I'd also have a stern chat with Ashley Cole, and ask him if he would like to clean his act up and stay or leave now.
After that it is a case of choosing a formation and how Ancelotti wants the team to play, and then responding accordingly. I know how I would like them to play, and who I'd buy but it really is up to him. Personally I'd like to see a 4-2-1-3 formation and with that in mind I'd bring another goal keeper in, and sell Hilaro to push Cech for his number one spot. I'd replace Terry with a center half and possibly sell Carvalho. I'd buy another world class right wing(back) and possibly replace Ashley Cole depending on what he decided to do. I'd keep Essien and Mikel for the holding role, because I don't think Mikel is anywhere near as bad as people seem to think he is (there has been a lot of talk about him being sold). I'd buy another central midfielder because I think that Lampard and Ballack together can play 60 games a season, but they can't make an entire season each. I'd get rid of Deco because he's only been trouble since he arrived, and I'd bring another attacking midfielder in. Then I'd sell Drogba and Kalou and I'd bring in three strikers. Currently the team have four strikers to fill six positions (assuming you want two players per position on the field) but I'd play five for six so that there is space for the younger players to come in but not too much pressure on them to perform.
I would love to bring in David Villa, Sergio Aguero and either Angel di Mara or Miroslav Stoch. Stoch is of course one of the club's current young players on loan in Holland but I don't know how good he is. If he's as good as Angel di Mara then yes, bring him through. Otherwise sell him. I'd like the club to play three central strikers with a lot of movement across the front three, a holding midfielder and a central midfielder with an attacking midfielder moving around to feed the strikers, a static centre half pairing and overlapping wingbacks.
This is of course all my own speculation but we'll see what happens. What we do know is that The Anchovy needs the team to play the way he wants them to and based on his old Milan team and the way Chelsea played while Deco was performing that involved decisive passing, tactical positioning, fluid and fast attacking with disciplined and compact movement. It's up to him as to how he'll achieve that.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Inter Milan 3 - 1 Chelsea FC
Last night Inter Milan knocked Chelsea out of the Champion's League. I'm not angry though because this was not an injustice, like it has been in the past. In fact, I can not be angry because Inter played the way I want Chelsea to play. To be honest, Inter played exactly the game plan I said Chelsea should play for the game. They played 3 central strikers, overlapping wingbacks, an attacking midfielder, a holding midfielder and a central midfielder; a 4-2-1-3. They strangled Cheslea by breaking up midfield play and pushing Anelka and Malouda back, and double teaming Drogba. It was the perfect game which they won by my favorite score line: 3-1.
So, what went wrong? Man for man Chelsea are a better team but last night they were made to look like a bunch of has-been 30 year olds lacking the energy to find the shadows of Inter Milan. Well, they didn't lose tactically. The Anchovy had a decent game plan: play the fullbacks further back, to create stability for midfield, and allow Malouda and Anelka to push forward, Mikel moves 10 yards forward to restrict Sneijder's involvement with the attacking players, Ballack and Lampard mark Cambiasso and Motta and Drogba leads the line.
There was a plan, the team just didn't follow it. In fact, I don't think they wanted to. They were so affected by the fact that they were playing their mentor that they never got out of the "Welcome home" phase. As a result I don't think I saw a single Chelsea player win any individual battles. Every time they went in for a challenge, they lost. Every time Chelsea had possession it was messy and uncontrolled, as if they lacked their confidence in their own ability to beat the opposition.
The truth is, Chelsea haven't yet recovered from losing Mourinho and last night was perfect evidence of that.
The second major problem that was highlighted by last night was Chelsea's lack of options. True, they have a lot of injuries and this limits their options, but there were no real substitutions to make and the options that were available were fairly meaningless. Chelsea took Zhirkov, their least impressive defender, off in order to move Terry out to mark Pandev, Alex to stay with Milito and Ivanovic to stay with Eto'o and then put Kalou up front next to Malouda. They also took Ballack off in order to play a faster, more attacking player there and their only option was Joe Cole. These substitutions were a failure. Joe Cole is not in form and as an attacking player he simply didn't defend enough, and Kalou was left as helpless as the rest of Chelsea's attack simply because the problem was in midfield.
Chelsea were one dimensional, and there was no way to rectify the situation.
The biggest problem which was highlighted was that the Chelsea which played last night was not Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea. They did not play with his DNA, he did not have the options he would have wanted, but most importantly they were not entirely committed to him. They were torn between the reminder of their victory days with Mourinho, and the attacking, decisive minded play The Anchovy demands. They are not his team and there is a lot of work yet to happen before this will be the case. Chelsea need to buy, and sell, quite a few players. They need another goalkeeper and at least one more center half, another holding midfielder, another central midfielder or two and possibly two or three strikers. They need to be about 24 years old, so that they can bridge the gap between the older, current players and the very promising up and coming players in the Chelsea Academy. They need to play the 4-3-3 system the club is built on, but with the balanced attack that Milan had, based on technical brilliance and commitment. They need his DNA, in the same way Inter have the Special One's DNA.
So, what went wrong? Man for man Chelsea are a better team but last night they were made to look like a bunch of has-been 30 year olds lacking the energy to find the shadows of Inter Milan. Well, they didn't lose tactically. The Anchovy had a decent game plan: play the fullbacks further back, to create stability for midfield, and allow Malouda and Anelka to push forward, Mikel moves 10 yards forward to restrict Sneijder's involvement with the attacking players, Ballack and Lampard mark Cambiasso and Motta and Drogba leads the line.
There was a plan, the team just didn't follow it. In fact, I don't think they wanted to. They were so affected by the fact that they were playing their mentor that they never got out of the "Welcome home" phase. As a result I don't think I saw a single Chelsea player win any individual battles. Every time they went in for a challenge, they lost. Every time Chelsea had possession it was messy and uncontrolled, as if they lacked their confidence in their own ability to beat the opposition.
The truth is, Chelsea haven't yet recovered from losing Mourinho and last night was perfect evidence of that.
The second major problem that was highlighted by last night was Chelsea's lack of options. True, they have a lot of injuries and this limits their options, but there were no real substitutions to make and the options that were available were fairly meaningless. Chelsea took Zhirkov, their least impressive defender, off in order to move Terry out to mark Pandev, Alex to stay with Milito and Ivanovic to stay with Eto'o and then put Kalou up front next to Malouda. They also took Ballack off in order to play a faster, more attacking player there and their only option was Joe Cole. These substitutions were a failure. Joe Cole is not in form and as an attacking player he simply didn't defend enough, and Kalou was left as helpless as the rest of Chelsea's attack simply because the problem was in midfield.
Chelsea were one dimensional, and there was no way to rectify the situation.
The biggest problem which was highlighted was that the Chelsea which played last night was not Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea. They did not play with his DNA, he did not have the options he would have wanted, but most importantly they were not entirely committed to him. They were torn between the reminder of their victory days with Mourinho, and the attacking, decisive minded play The Anchovy demands. They are not his team and there is a lot of work yet to happen before this will be the case. Chelsea need to buy, and sell, quite a few players. They need another goalkeeper and at least one more center half, another holding midfielder, another central midfielder or two and possibly two or three strikers. They need to be about 24 years old, so that they can bridge the gap between the older, current players and the very promising up and coming players in the Chelsea Academy. They need to play the 4-3-3 system the club is built on, but with the balanced attack that Milan had, based on technical brilliance and commitment. They need his DNA, in the same way Inter have the Special One's DNA.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Trawling
As a frequent internet trawler I have noticed that there has been a lot of opinion sharing about Joe Cole. As a football fan as well as a Chelsea fan I think he is a fantastic player. In his best season (two seasons ago) he played on the right hand side of a three prong attack at Chelsea, getting into double figures for goals as well as assists. He is well known for being a very good ball carrier and being able to create opportunities and bringing strikers into the mix. He has, of course, struggled since coming back from injury and as a result there have been a lot of people saying he should leave the club, others saying he should take a contract which is below what he wants so he can stay, and most people just being disappointed in his current form.
Personally I would really like to see him stay at the club, but be utilised in a different way. At the moment The Anchovy has been playing Cole behind the striker or strikers, usually on the left hand side. Initially this took the form of being at the tip of the diamond formation, but has since been changed to being on the left hand side with another striker, usually Anelka, playing on the right hand side. While I favor a formation with three central strikers, I do think that Joe Cole could be used deeper in central midfield where he can drift outside as well as play more as an attacking midfielder, which is what he is.
By playing in front of a holding midfielder and next to Lampard he would be required to work harder and move more like a box to box midfielder, but with his natural propensity to drift outside, as well as attack, and his ability to not only hold the ball up but also to thread passes together, playing behind three central strikers would allow him to attack (provided one of the strikers dropped deeper to cover) as well as move outside and play with the fullback while still being able to feed strikers and get into goal scoring positions.
Having said all of this, that position would only work if Chelsea were playing three central strikers. These are the strikers I would like to see being played and appropriately rotated: Drogba, Anelka, Malouda, Kalou, Sturridge, Borini, Mitrovic. I think Marco Mitrovic reminds me of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and he could become a fantastic technical striker. I think it will be interesting to see what happens when Miroslav Stoch returns from loan, as he is proving to be a wonderful left wing striker, and I think Chelsea NEED to aquire Romleu Lukaku because he would be amazing. Gael Kakuta will also be an amazing right wing feeder, but I think Chelsea should play him in the same way as I would like to see them play Joe Cole, hence his exclusion from the above list.
Personally I would really like to see him stay at the club, but be utilised in a different way. At the moment The Anchovy has been playing Cole behind the striker or strikers, usually on the left hand side. Initially this took the form of being at the tip of the diamond formation, but has since been changed to being on the left hand side with another striker, usually Anelka, playing on the right hand side. While I favor a formation with three central strikers, I do think that Joe Cole could be used deeper in central midfield where he can drift outside as well as play more as an attacking midfielder, which is what he is.
By playing in front of a holding midfielder and next to Lampard he would be required to work harder and move more like a box to box midfielder, but with his natural propensity to drift outside, as well as attack, and his ability to not only hold the ball up but also to thread passes together, playing behind three central strikers would allow him to attack (provided one of the strikers dropped deeper to cover) as well as move outside and play with the fullback while still being able to feed strikers and get into goal scoring positions.
Having said all of this, that position would only work if Chelsea were playing three central strikers. These are the strikers I would like to see being played and appropriately rotated: Drogba, Anelka, Malouda, Kalou, Sturridge, Borini, Mitrovic. I think Marco Mitrovic reminds me of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and he could become a fantastic technical striker. I think it will be interesting to see what happens when Miroslav Stoch returns from loan, as he is proving to be a wonderful left wing striker, and I think Chelsea NEED to aquire Romleu Lukaku because he would be amazing. Gael Kakuta will also be an amazing right wing feeder, but I think Chelsea should play him in the same way as I would like to see them play Joe Cole, hence his exclusion from the above list.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Solutions
Chelsea are in trouble. They have two big problems at the moment, and both have the potential to derail the teams efforts to successfully, and in my biased opinion deservedly, win the Champion's League, FA Cup and Premier League. The first problem is simple to identify and potentially dangerous to rectify, and is completely based around John Terry's recent activities.
We all know that he recently had an affair with Wayne Bridge's ex fiance, and it is clear to see that his form has taken a massive dip since the news came out and the entire world started giving everyone their opinion on the matter. I personally don't care what he does off the pitch, but the fact that it has affected his performance is a problem. He needs to be dropped for either Alex, who seems to be suffering from perpetualy 'niggles', or Ivanovic who is playing at right back a lot at the moment.
Unfortunately this will not solve the problem because it seems to be running much deeper than that. The team lack confidence. Against Inter Milan, Chelsea had more opportunities, more possession, more shots on goal but less goals. Granted Kalou should have earned a penalty, but they should have won the game not just drawn. Against Manchester City, Chelsea were by far the overwhelmingly superior team during the first period, but again failed to bury their chances. When a striker doesn't score, it isn't because he can't, it's because he loses concentration or nerve at the last moment. It's because they lack confidence. And it isn't just Anelka lacking confidence, or Drogba, or Kalou, or Lampard or Ballack or Malouda, or Sturridge, or anyone else. It is the entire team.
And this is resulting in the team not scoring when they should, as well as losing 50/50 battles, and subsequently making individual errors which are resulting in goals. It is also creating an upset with the back line, and this is exposing the goalkeepers. Cech was managing the backline to a certain extent, but Hilaro is the substitute and isn't as authoritative. And it is showing. It could cost the team everything if The Anchovy doesn't do something about it.
I don't know what the answer is. I don't know if the club need to strip Terry of the captaincy, and pass it along to Joe Cole or Lampard, or if they need to have some sort of dressing room tear up, or if someone just needs to have the shit beat out of them, but something needs to happen. Personally I think that Terry has had too much say for too long now, and needs to be taken down to size, but whatever happens it needs to happen now because the team have been spiralling downwards since the story broke, and there's no sign of improvement yet.
The second problem is far more complex and far less explosive. It is tactical, and a clinical decision needs to be made. At the beginning of the season Chelsea were playing the diamond, with Lampard at the point, and it didn't work. Then they moved Deco into that position, and it worked better. Then they dropped Anelka back to play the 'Christmas Tree' and it seemed to be doing quite well. But then the team became too predictable and there was a month where they were struggling a lot. Then against Fulham Ancellotti changed the formation to what I suggested at the beginning of the season, playing three central strikers with one withdrawing to create and the fullbacks attacking and playing like wingbacks. A zonally dense 4-3-3. It worked and Chelsea won the game. After that game, the African Cup of Nations withdrew Drogba, Kalou, Essien and Mikel from the squad and Chelsea changed the system again.
Anelka lead the line, and Chelsea played the Christmas tree again, but with the two withdrawn strikers moving out onto the wings, playing alongside Anelka, creating and allowing not only the fullbacks to attack but also smooth and quick interchanging with the midfielders. The new system created lots of space to stretch teams, and Chelsea beat everyone during January. It worked very well.
But with Drogba's return things became far more difficult once again. Anelka is a central striker. Drogba is a central striker. This could be problematic. And now a decision needs to be made. The system has been played as a 4-3-3 with Drogba up front and the wings made up of Anelka, Malouda and on occasion Joe Cole. Against Inter Milan the team played well with the three central strikers again, two withdrawn to create from deeper and move around. Personally I think it worked well and would like to see them go with that formation, but I also think the diamond could work too. Particularly because I think Anelka plays best when he is in the center. Either way, a straight 4-3-3 isn't going to work, and currently isn't working.
Chelsea either need to go for a 'balanced' approach and play the diamond with Joe Cole and Malouda (and Kakuta) withdrawn. Or they need to go for the formation I favour, and would prefer, with Anelka, Drogba and another (Malouda, Joe Cole, Sturridge, Kakuta, Borini etc) playing centrally, working their way outside and dropping deep as required to create spaces and kill the opposition.
These problems need to be sorted out this week. If they don't, United will win the Premier League, Inter Milan will win the Champion's League and only the Lord knows who will win the FA Cup.
We all know that he recently had an affair with Wayne Bridge's ex fiance, and it is clear to see that his form has taken a massive dip since the news came out and the entire world started giving everyone their opinion on the matter. I personally don't care what he does off the pitch, but the fact that it has affected his performance is a problem. He needs to be dropped for either Alex, who seems to be suffering from perpetualy 'niggles', or Ivanovic who is playing at right back a lot at the moment.
Unfortunately this will not solve the problem because it seems to be running much deeper than that. The team lack confidence. Against Inter Milan, Chelsea had more opportunities, more possession, more shots on goal but less goals. Granted Kalou should have earned a penalty, but they should have won the game not just drawn. Against Manchester City, Chelsea were by far the overwhelmingly superior team during the first period, but again failed to bury their chances. When a striker doesn't score, it isn't because he can't, it's because he loses concentration or nerve at the last moment. It's because they lack confidence. And it isn't just Anelka lacking confidence, or Drogba, or Kalou, or Lampard or Ballack or Malouda, or Sturridge, or anyone else. It is the entire team.
And this is resulting in the team not scoring when they should, as well as losing 50/50 battles, and subsequently making individual errors which are resulting in goals. It is also creating an upset with the back line, and this is exposing the goalkeepers. Cech was managing the backline to a certain extent, but Hilaro is the substitute and isn't as authoritative. And it is showing. It could cost the team everything if The Anchovy doesn't do something about it.
I don't know what the answer is. I don't know if the club need to strip Terry of the captaincy, and pass it along to Joe Cole or Lampard, or if they need to have some sort of dressing room tear up, or if someone just needs to have the shit beat out of them, but something needs to happen. Personally I think that Terry has had too much say for too long now, and needs to be taken down to size, but whatever happens it needs to happen now because the team have been spiralling downwards since the story broke, and there's no sign of improvement yet.
The second problem is far more complex and far less explosive. It is tactical, and a clinical decision needs to be made. At the beginning of the season Chelsea were playing the diamond, with Lampard at the point, and it didn't work. Then they moved Deco into that position, and it worked better. Then they dropped Anelka back to play the 'Christmas Tree' and it seemed to be doing quite well. But then the team became too predictable and there was a month where they were struggling a lot. Then against Fulham Ancellotti changed the formation to what I suggested at the beginning of the season, playing three central strikers with one withdrawing to create and the fullbacks attacking and playing like wingbacks. A zonally dense 4-3-3. It worked and Chelsea won the game. After that game, the African Cup of Nations withdrew Drogba, Kalou, Essien and Mikel from the squad and Chelsea changed the system again.
Anelka lead the line, and Chelsea played the Christmas tree again, but with the two withdrawn strikers moving out onto the wings, playing alongside Anelka, creating and allowing not only the fullbacks to attack but also smooth and quick interchanging with the midfielders. The new system created lots of space to stretch teams, and Chelsea beat everyone during January. It worked very well.
But with Drogba's return things became far more difficult once again. Anelka is a central striker. Drogba is a central striker. This could be problematic. And now a decision needs to be made. The system has been played as a 4-3-3 with Drogba up front and the wings made up of Anelka, Malouda and on occasion Joe Cole. Against Inter Milan the team played well with the three central strikers again, two withdrawn to create from deeper and move around. Personally I think it worked well and would like to see them go with that formation, but I also think the diamond could work too. Particularly because I think Anelka plays best when he is in the center. Either way, a straight 4-3-3 isn't going to work, and currently isn't working.
Chelsea either need to go for a 'balanced' approach and play the diamond with Joe Cole and Malouda (and Kakuta) withdrawn. Or they need to go for the formation I favour, and would prefer, with Anelka, Drogba and another (Malouda, Joe Cole, Sturridge, Kakuta, Borini etc) playing centrally, working their way outside and dropping deep as required to create spaces and kill the opposition.
These problems need to be sorted out this week. If they don't, United will win the Premier League, Inter Milan will win the Champion's League and only the Lord knows who will win the FA Cup.
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