Chelsea Blip-O-Meter Reading
Chelsea Blip-O-Meter reading: 5.6
64+10 = 74 points
Two points from three games? Is this a classic Chelsea Autumnal Blip?
74 points equates to second or third place.
Which is not a bad result considering we have almost completely rebuilt both team and core tactics. Terry’s injury looked serious, meaning the on-field team after his substitution looks like being the basis of our starting XI:
Cech; Azpilicueta, (two of) Luiz/Cahill/Ivanovic, Cole/Bertrand; Ramires, Mikel; Mata, Oscar, Hazard; and, er, Torres (although Sturridge may get a run soon).
Yep, no Terry or Lampard. We have witnessed the changing of the guard – but without any fanfare and without egos being unduly bruised.
Our basic formation is, in practice, closer to 2-4-3-2 than 4-2-3-1, with our full-backs general pushed forward into midfield. This is fine against most teams – as few play with genuine wingers. It has been asking for somebody to take our full-backs on out wide, get behind them and put in some decent crosses to a decent centre-forward.
Remember, we have been playing with an out-of-position centre-back as makeshift right-back for most of the past few seasons. Credit to Ferguson for taking the gamble and starting both Valencia and Young and exposing our system’s weakness out-wide (something that was beyond Guardiola).
But it required them defending deep and playing the ball wide quickly, which they did well.
Once we regained our composure we regained control of the midfield and were slowing turning the screws on their shaky defence.
This is until events spiralled out of control thanks to Mr Clattenberg.
If anything good has come out of this, it may be that Azpilicueta should now become our regular right-back.
Meanwhile Torres guaranteed run of starts likely has ended. This will be Sturridge’s opportunity to show whether he is good enough to do the job. Torres conversion rate really isn’t that of a striker. Now, he may be playing as a “false 9”, but the fact is whenever he bears down on goal I’m not expecting any end result.
I remain with my back firmly against the back of the couch. And more often than not my apathy is rewarded. When the ball is at Mata’s feet (or Hazard, or even Sturridge) I find myself instinctively leaning forward in anticipation.
OK Mata missed a couple against Liverpool as did Hazard, which left us vulnerable to a nicely worked sucker-corner routine. But the fact remains that their conversion rates are in the acceptable range. At some point, someone, somewhere is going to have to put Torres out of his misery and replace him with a striker that strikes.
Despite leaking at the back, then we will be close to unbeatable.
Only Manchester City should be a genuine challenge in the League until next January (just as well as we’ve got some serious European Cup challenges ahead) when we entertain Arsenal (who may have finally splashed some cash by then).
But such was our lacklustre performance last season that we dropped fifteen (15) points in those same fixtures. Get them all back this season and we will be looking at a Premiership standard 89 points. Funny as it seems, if you knock off the cannon fodder ruthlessly – you can lose some to your rivals. But to do that you really need an equally ruthless striker.
Posted by Steve Simmonds
| Match | PointsAvailable | 11/12 | GF | GA | GD | 10/11 | GF | GA | GD | Par ± | Pts±YTD | GF±YTD | GA±YTD | GD±YTD |
| Wigan (a) |
2 |
2-0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | +2 | +1 | -1 | +2 |
| Reading (Bolton) (h) | 4-2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3-0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | = | +2 | +2 | +1 | +1 | |
| *Newcastle (h) |
3 |
2-0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0-2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | +3 | +5 | +4 | -1 | +5 |
| QPR (a) |
3 |
0-0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0-1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | +1 | +6 | +4 | -2 | +6 |
| *Stoke (h) | 1-0 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 1-0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | = | +6 | +4 | -2 | +6 | |
| *Arsenal (a) |
2 |
2-1 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0-0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | +2 | +8 | +6 | -1 | +7 |
| Norwich (h) | 4-1 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 3-1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | = | +8 | +7 | -1 | +8 | |
| Tottenham (a) |
2 |
4-2 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 1-1 | 9 | 6 | 3 | +2 | +10 | +10 | 0 | +10 |
| Man Utd (h) |
2 |
2-3 | 21 | 9 | 11 | 3-3 | 12 | 9 | 3 | -1 | +9 | +9 | +2 | +8 |
| Swansea (a) |
2 |
1-1 | 22 | 10 | 11 | 1-1 | 13 | 10 | 3 | = | +9 | +9 | 0 | +8 |
| Liverpool (h) |
3 |
1-1 | 23 | 11 | 11 | 1-2 | 14 | 12 | 2 | +1 | +10 | +9 | -1 | +9 |
| WBA (a) (AVB Sacked) |
3 |
0-1 | 14 | 13 | 1 | |||||||||
| Man City (h) | 2-1 | 16 | 14 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Fulham (h) |
2 |
1-1 | 17 | 15 | 2 | |||||||||
| West Ham (Wolves) (a) | 2-1 | 19 | 16 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Sunderland (a) | 2-1 | 21 | 17 | 4 | ||||||||||
| *Southampton (Blackburn) (h) | 2-1 | 23 | 18 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Aston Villa (h) |
3 |
1-3 | 24 | 21 | 3 | |||||||||
| Norwich (a) |
2 |
0-0 | 24 | 21 | 3 | |||||||||
| Everton (a) |
3 |
0-2 | 24 | 23 | 1 | |||||||||
| *QPR (h) | 6-1 | 30 | 24 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Stoke (a) |
2 |
0-0 | 30 | 24 | 6 | |||||||||
| Arsenal (h) |
3 |
3-5 | 33 | 29 | 4 | |||||||||
| Reading (Bolton) (a) | 5-1 | 38 | 30 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Newcastle (a) | 3-0 | 41 | 30 | 11 | ||||||||||
| *Wigan (h) | 2-1 | 43 | 31 | 12 | ||||||||||
| *Man City (a) |
3 |
1-2 | 44 | 33 | 11 | |||||||||
| WBA (h) | 2-1 | 46 | 34 | 12 | ||||||||||
| *Fulham (a) |
2 |
1-1 | 47 | 35 | 12 | |||||||||
| West Ham (Wolves)(h) | 3-0 | 50 | 35 | 15 | ||||||||||
| Southampton (Blackburn) (a) | 1-0 | 51 | 35 | 16 | ||||||||||
| Sunderland (h) | 1-0 | 52 | 35 | 17 | ||||||||||
| *Tottenham (h) |
2 |
0-0 | 52 | 35 | 17 | |||||||||
| *Liverpool (a) |
3 |
1-4 | 53 | 39 | 14 | |||||||||
| Swansea (h) | 4-1 | 57 | 40 | 17 | ||||||||||
| Man Utd (a) |
3 |
1-3 | 58 | 43 | 15 | |||||||||
| *Aston Villa (a) | 4-2 | 62 | 45 | 17 | ||||||||||
| Everton (h) | 3-1 | 65 | 46 | 19 | ||||||||||
*Di Matteo coach