I have to agree with red dave, Chelsea are in serious disarray. Previously, I thought that they would snap out of it but I am no longer convinced of this. Last year their seaon was also in trouble and they pulled themselve together but I think the revival was largely down to spirit and organisation. They can't paper over the cracks this year.
I remember after maureen left and they came to OT, they played better than I thought. Every player was committed and they pushed us hard. At no point this season have I seen chelsea put in such a display against their title rivals. If Chelsea could not get motivated for today's match, when will they ever be motivated? The season is more than half way done!
I really think they need to get rid of a number of players and get some new blood at Stamford Bridge. I know that some will blame the absence of Carvalho, Essien and Joe Cole but if memory serves me correctly both carvalho and joe cole were injured during last season and Chelsea were still able to play better than they have recently. Essien also spent a significant amount of time at right back last season, so I don't think that we can blame his absence entirely on the dire midfield displays we have seen from Chelsea.
For me, Kalou and Malouda need to be sold as they have limited football abilities and have failed to show any spirit or commitment in a blue shirt. Drogba needs to be sold. He is nothing but a disruptive influence at this point. They should've sold him to Inter even at a below market rate and bought another striker. However, I get the feeling that Kenyon and Roman are desperately trying to balance the books and are holding out for a massive bid for Drogba.
I think Chelsea have a good defence but their midfield and forward line are disappointing to say the least. Lampard is their best midfielder but he can't do it on his own and he was unjustly red carded today. For me, Ballack and Deco are too old and lack pace. I would not say that they are not trying but their bodies are not up to the task and they don't seem to be able to work with each other. While watching the game today, I noticed that when one of their midfielders got the ball, the other midfielders were not making themselves available to receive it and so the relevant player tended to get caught in possession. No one wanted to take responsible for driving Chelsea forward. Chelsea barely got any corners or freekicks because they hardly got forward. Liverpool were good defensively but Chelsea could have done better.
What puzzles me is where is their youth policy? Do they have no one in reserves that they could play? When Roman first came I thought that was one of their main objectives to develop a first class youth system. Didn't they spend millions on building a new academy and isn't that why they employed Arnesen to find young talent to develop?
Cech has never been the same since his injury. He has been making simple mistakes for some time.
Anyway, sorry for the long post but I think Chelsea need a number of new players before they will be in a position to win the league. They may win a cup but that is because they may be lucky and get mediocre opponents. I will be interested to see how they handle Juventus.
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