Chelsea Blip-O-Meter Reading
71+0 = 71 points
Chelsea Blip-O-Meter reading: 2.5
The phoney war is now officially over. No more bomber missions dropping propaganda leaflets – The planes have been loaded with high explosives.
To let us know that last night was officially “The First Day Of The Chelsea Future” we saw something that we cannot have witnessed for close to a decade: a run-on side without either Terry or Lampard (the former didn’t even make the bench).
And we didn’t miss either of them.
Luiz and Ivanovic may well be first picks before the end of this season, while Meireles has already written his name on the team-sheet in indelible ink. Sturridge is now fulfilling his promise. As for Mata? Arjen Robben after a summer in the gym taking steroids.
It doesn’t leave a lot of spots on the team sheet, does it?
In a typical Chelsea conundrum, we have finally found our Number 10 “Provider” – the only thing is he appears to have swapped shirts with our Number 9.
Villas-Boas has got us playing something resembling a game of passing and movement. Much of this can be attributed to our most recent signings. The movement of the ball from our end of the pitch to theirs ahead of the save from Sturridge early in the second half was the sort of thing that has you ignoring your cup of Twinings English Breakfast Tea in delight.
So now we move on to Old Trafford and The Manchester United Private Equity Fund Ltd.
A couple of weeks ago I was rather more bearish about the trip than I am today. I suggest that Sir Alex de Govan knows that beating a shambolic Arsenal 8-2 is no indication of what may happen on Sunday. Going out like a bullet from a gun is all well-and-good over 100 metres but simply sows the seeds of a major “hitting-the-wall” crisis down the way in a marathon.
It’s a marathon – Not a sprint
And before we reach the finish line expect more run-on sides without Terry and/or Lampard.
| Match | Available | 11/12 | GF | GA | GD | 10/11 | GF | GA | GD | Par | PtsYTD | GFYTD | GAYTD | GDYTD |
| Stoke (a) | 2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | = | = | -1 | -1 | = |
| WBA (h) | 2-1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6-0 | 7 | 1 | 6 | = | = | -5 | = | -5 | |
| Norwich (Blackpool) (h) | 3-1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4-0 | 11 | 1 | 10 | = | = | -6 | +1 | -7 | |
| Sunderland (a) | 2-1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4-2 | 15 | 3 | 12 | = | = | -8 | = | -8 | |
| Man Utd (a) | 3 | 1-2 | 16 | 5 | 11 | |||||||||
| Swansea (West Ham) (h) | 3-0 | 19 | 5 | 14 | ||||||||||
| Bolton (a) | 4-0 | 23 | 5 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Everton (h) | 2 | 1-1 | 24 | 6 | 18 | |||||||||
| QPR (Birmingham) (a) | 3 | 0-1 | 24 | 7 | 17 | |||||||||
| Arsenal (h) | 2-0 | 26 | 7 | 19 | ||||||||||
| Blackburn (a) | 2-1 | 28 | 8 | 20 | ||||||||||
| Liverpool (h) | 3 | 0-1 | 28 | 9 | 19 |
Posted by Steve Symmons
