Unlike one time Dad of The Year and ex-England’s bravest Lionheart, Chelsea are struggling to play away. I realise you’re reading this not even a weekafter they brushed aside Gary Monk’s best effort in the battle of the Seas, and that result, somewhat annoyingly, undermines this a little bit. But, hopefully, you’ll happily allow me to turn that 5-0 stomping on its head and use it as a negative, yeah? Good.
Following the aforementioned drumming, Chelsea, in classic Pantomime Villain mode, took to Anfield. And I say “took” in the most generous possibly way, perhaps “were let loose upon” is more appropriate – they arrived not as league leaders on the back on a thrashing, but as a team of hatchet men who seem to have spent most of the interim period between the matches watching BT Sport’s ‘The Crazy Gang (feat. John Fashanu’s imagination)‘. The Blues left lucky to be on equal terms with Rodger’s redmen, but why? They have the ability to turn teams over at home and on Saturday, not for the first time, demonstrated that they can do it away as well. Surely the likes of Fabregas, Hazard, Matic, Willian and Costa prefer to just play football, rather than the occasion. Okay, maybe not Costa.
It’s frustrating as a fan, that nearly every other week Chelsea labour to victory, providing few truly enjoyable moments and make enemies, both on the pitch and in the stands, before piling back onto the coach to give everyone the Vs as they make a swift exit, José’s press conference nonsense (there’s surely a book in that) still ringing in their ears. Then the following week, take a team to the cleaners at Stamford Bridge playing beautiful football and raising a smile. Here lies the route of my frustration, because it’s unnecessary.
Back to the game at Anfield, if you will. None of the players seemed comfortable with how the game plan developed; the second half saw Chelsea sit back and invite Liverpool to come at them. Eventually, Sterling danced through both midfield and defence running, as ever, like he’s drying his nails, with no one really knowing what to do. This simply should not be the case, with the squad Chelsea boast they have no reason to fear anyone, in my opinion. The other night, men wearing blue were playing the rules rather than the sport; Costa was heckled and booed like the onstage heel he was acting, whilst Ivanovic dealt with Liverpool’s left side by forcefully bending the rules like everyone’s least favourite bouncer. Almost from kick off, Chelsea’s players were stopping the game at every possibly point and taking their own sweet time to allow it to recommence. Some might call it tenacious, I think, on occasions it stumbles upon embarrassing.
Despite labelling it frustrating to support, it has it’s perks. Chelsea tend to win. And I understand, on occasions, that playing like you hate football is necessary; Anfield last season and a certain night in Munich spring to mind. But at the same time, there have been a few instances this season where, away from home, Chelsea have left their footballing prowess in the capital and it’s cost them. Particularly in Manchester and the North-East (I refuse to talk about Spurs). It could be argued, it was Sunderland that day who wanted football to die a death, but they’re Sunderland, and Chelsea at home probably isn’t a game you’d expect the likes of Adam Johnson to shine as much as Drill Sargent Lee Cattermole. The point being made, is that Sunderland, and with the greatest respect, Manchester United (currently), need to consider some games as winnable and some games as ‘not-losable’, do Chelsea need to adopt those precautions? Could the unstoppable Stamford Bridge front line continue it’s fine work at The Stadium of Light and beyond, almost definitely.
Chelsea seem to lack ambition away from home. The performances at Old Trafford and The Etihad pay testament to this; happy to sit on 1-0, kill the game and introduce the fun vacuum that is Mikel, thus inviting the opposition on and dropping 2 points in the last quarter of the game – leaving no time and no attackers to mount any response. Rather than cheap tricks, I’d love it if they took to our rival’s stadiums with gusto; chest out, ball at feet but, above all, ambition. It begs the question, is winning everything? Furthermore, do Chelsea actually need to goad the opposition, pressure the referee and set out only to distinguish their opponents game, rather then burn it to the ground, to win?
Feel free to disagree, but with both a fully fit squad and some very impressive form, Chelsea had no right to play the way they did on Tuesday. Liverpool are not even the ghost of the team they pretended to be last year, and facing a full strength Chelsea should not have looked the better team. Mourinho’s men are an evolving entity, but it’s time they took it to the next level and played away as they do at home. It’s time to stop the show and play the game. I love watching Chelsea play football, I just wish they loved it to.
There is a saying Chelsea does not lose we learn. I think Jose has come to this conclusion we should see them attacking and pressing teams high up the pitch as if they are playing at home in the near future.