Chelsea Terrace Talk – Irish Examiner Article By Trizia

At half time on Sunday I was already planning this article based on the theme of missed opportunities and bemoaning the lack of positivity from our tactics, but luckily, our two form players have saved you all from another eight hundred word whinge.
 
The players entered the field of play to the ground echoing to the sound of “one England Captain” and JT played his part beautifully with some excellently timed tackles, a few elegant interceptions, and he pickpocketed James Millner so gracefully on at least two occasions leaving the City player literally looking around him to try & fathom what had happened to the ball that had been at his feet.
 
Capello may not have gone about this the right way, but that is not Terry’s fault and anyone with the good of the England team at heart (& that includes the players) should just accept that JT is the best man for the job and move on. I understand that Ferdinand will be upset & rightly so, but he should act like a man & not a spoilt brat, after all, his increasingly frequent injuries are probably what led to the decision in the first place.
 
It’s not a popular move with the press and Terry now needs to be whiter that white as I’d imagine there is somewhat of a bounty on his head. There will be journo’s assigned to follow his every move looking for the smallest of misdemeaanor to blow up out of all proportion. Still, JT has learnt the hard way so he will only have himself to blame should he cock it up.
 
But let’s get back to last Sunday. Personally I think Chelsea deserved to win the game as City had come to the Bridge with no more ambition than a mid-table team – and an approach to match. The first 15 minutes apart, they made little effort to push forward and seemed to settle on playing for a draw very early on. You can’t do that in the top four, especially when your position is so fragile – even Tottenham have worked that one out.
 
All that said, we still did ourselves no favours for long periods of time by seemingly totally forgetting we had a number nine on the pitch. The sympathy of the crowd is still very much with him as there was more than a few grumbles and quite a few boos when he was substituted, especially as the likes of Kalou and especially Malouda could be argued were having worse games. Unlike Torres, Kalou was receiving the ball often and in good positions but then squandering chances. Yet often Torres was the most obvious recipient for a ball yet was overlooked for an unlikely shot or a less well-positioned team mate. This needs to be addressed and quick.
 
It could be argued that Torres needs to be more commanding or vocal on the pitch – after all if Drogba were in a prime position but failed to receive the ball, you can bet serious money that Didier would deliver a verbal lashing. But then Torres doesn’t strike me as that kind of man – perhaps it’s time he was?
 
What must be most hard to take is that Luiz, a centre back, half the money and relatively unknown here in England has made such an impact to the Chelsea team and has scored two very important goals to boot. He has all the qualities that make him an instant fan favourite. He looks distinctive – he obviously can play a bit; he’s a bit reckless – he likes to mix it and he celebrates like it really means something. Not only does he make you smile when you watch him but he’s one of those players that reminds you why you love the game. He’s a player that everyone is talking about – not just Chelsea people, but the press and opposition fans – a rough diamond.
 
As for Ramires – many Chelsea fans had prematurely written him off within a few games. His slight frame and initial games had him labelled as “lightweight” He has proved those impatient fans wrong and how. He seems to be everywhere on the pitch at the same time and his goal against City was just pure box-office.
 
So we may have left our run for the title too late but I would like to give Arsenal an almighty scare as I think second is certainly within the realms of possibility. We have regained a momentous amount of ground, and not even playing at our best – we just need to ensure that it is not a short term revival.
 
A storming end to the season would be a fitting tribute to Ancelotti who seems to be a gonner no matter what he achieves or where we finish. It’s a shame because although he does have his foiables I believe he has done enough to earn another term at least. Also the team need stability at that level – that’s how dynasties are built. It’s gearing up to be a hell of an end to the season – who would have thought it at Christmas? We’re winning our big games – and at this time of the season, they’re all big games. That needs to continue to make this a truly memorable season and hope that there are some high profile trips elsewhere and then…well…you never know what could happen. Come on Chelsea.