If Chelsea can’t beat Fulham at home…
A dour draw saw Chelsea drop two more points at home against Fulham; a combination of little or no creativity and some competent defending saw last season’s FA Cup winners fail to score in their fourth Premiership game in a row. To add insult to injury, Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba was sent off in the second half and will thus miss next week’s game, while captain John Terry suffered a fractured cheekbone after he came off worse in a challenge with Clint Dempsey and will thus miss England’s next two Euro 2008 qualifiers.
Drogba had only just made a shock return after being out with an injury for the best part of this month; after he kicked Chris Baird full in the face he will miss another game. Chelsea fans were not happy with the result, chanting previous manager Jose Mourinho’s name during the match as well as booing the team off at the intervals. Some fans even left in disgust during half time, and this is not a very pleasant time to be at the club.
Before the match dynamic midfielder Michael Essien was ruled out with an injury, while Florent Malouda was left out of the starting lineup by Avram Grant. They could have definitely used his creativity as the three-pronged strike force of Shevchenko, Kalou and Drogba failed to bring about any rewards against a robust Fulham defense. Fulham could have even won the game had a penalty been given when Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim headed against his own hand; Grant will be thankful for small mercies.
Chelsea started off the game well, with Kalou’s shot being pushed onto the post early on from Joe Cole’s low cross. After that though it was a game that would have put many to sleep- with Fulham’s defense easily managing everything thrown at them. Although Chelsea stepped up a notch in the second half; Keller first saving a strong drive from Drogba before Kalou headed just over from Ashley Cole’s cross. Fulham had a couple of good chances in the end to sneak a win- Cech saving Konchesky’s shot with his legs while Kamara missed a gilt-edged chance in the dying moments.
A poor performance by Shevchenko & co, who are already seven points off top place with a game more played- they really have to pick up performances this year.
- Fulham 2007/2008 Away Kit
- Fulham 2007/2008 Home Kit
- Pick 3 survivors out of 5: Fulham, Wigan, Charlton, West Ham & Sheffield United
- Relegation Dogfight: West Ham, Charlton, Fulham, Wigan and Sheffield United
- Manchester United not at their best…yet
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Before the revisionists come out, it should be remembered that Chelsea wasn’t exactly in first place before Mourinho’s departure. I’m not at the point of blaming everything on Avram Grant. We’ll see what transpires.
Mourinho is a very smart guy. He knew that he had taken this Chelsea team as far as he could. Compare their form last season and particularly early this season, with the imperious way Chelsea swept all before them in the Premiership in Mourinho’s first two seasons. Chelsea have been a troubled side all of this new season.
Mourinho wanted out as the club were not prepared to back him on his transfer targets and follow his advice. Abramovich fell into the trap Mourinho set for him, paid Mourinho anything between £12m and £18m for him to go and has left himself with the club in a mess.
Clearly Abramovich and the Chelsea hierarchy did not see a parting of the ways coming at his moment. They did not have a replacement lined up. Avram Grant is a clearly a make-shift, pending Chelsea being able to get a manager of their choice. They might have to wait until next summer. The new man will have to completely revamp the team; get rid of the disgruntled (Drogba, Lampard? and anyone else) and start again.
Next summer could be a spending (and selling) bonanza. Ronaldinho might prove to be another mistake, though. Chelsea should recruit younger, hungrier players and not those already bloated with success: e.g. Shevchenko, Ballack, who are only at Chelsea for a last big pay-day. If Abramovich is not prepared to learn from his mistakes, he will be destined to repeat them. Paying massive salaries to players who have contributed nothing to the team’s recent successes risks unsettling the entire squad. Chelsea’s greatest strength was their team spirit. This was severely fractured by the arrival of Shevchenko and Ballack and their massive salaries. Abramovich needs to understand that team spirit just as important as a player’s ability.
I commend Abramovich on his vision; on wanting to play attractive football. He may need to be patient and appreciate that it may take time (2 or 3 years) to build such a team. Even then the team might be more entertaining than Mourinhho’s teams, but may not be nearly as successful.
Will Chelsea become a new Arsenal or Barcelona or Manchester United (at their best) or just another Spurs?
Did some Chelsea fans really leave at half-time? While drawing and in a champs league spot? Perhaps their white wine was not chilled properly in the corporate hospitality stand… or the chauffeur was clocking off at 3.45?
Surprising to see SWP not making the bench… is he injured/suspended ?