Champions League: Liverpool 1 - 3 Chelsea
Wednesday, 08 April 09, 06:55 PM · Comments (75)
Match reports
The Guardian, Kevin McCarra: "Liverpool's disbelief must be very nearly as great as their despair. Nobody had anticipated that this Champions League quarter-final could be settled in the first leg, but the position is now all but irretrievable. The plans of the Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink frequently exposed hitherto unsuspected flaws in Liverpool's defensive organisation, to such an extent that the right-back Branislav Ivanovic scored twice at corners."
Daily Telegraph, Henry Winter: "Essien’s marking job on Steven Gerrard drained the life out of Liverpool while Martin Skrtel chose the worst moment to have a shocker in defence. Rafa Benitez’s zonal marking system was also ripped to shreds. The only down side for Chelsea was the booking for their captain John Terry, which rules him out of next Tuesday’s meeting at the Bridge. A tie that had begun so promisingly for Liverpool now looks set for disappointment."
The Times, Matt Hughes: "Ivanovic, 25, is arguably the most unexpected match-winning hero to emerge this season — he had only started one Champions League match for Chelsea before last night, was playing out of position at right back and was involved only because of injuries to Paulo Ferreira and José Bosingwa. “They were my first goals for the club and I’m very happy,” Ivanovic said."
The Independent, Sam Wallace: "The epitaph to Liverpool's Champions League campaign should it end, as expected, at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday will read simply: they marked zonally. It was the spectre of zonal marking that haunted the old Luiz Felipe Scolari regime at Chelsea earlier this season and it proved just as debilitating to Liverpool last night when at corners they twice lost Ivanovic, the hitherto uncelebrated Serb, who scored two identical goals for Chelsea."
Official Chelsea FC Website: "What a way to end a seven-game run without an away win in Europe! Branislav Ivanovic's first two goals for Chelsea plus yet another Didier Drogba strike against Liverpool have put Chelsea firmly in the driving seat."
The goals
6' Torres 1-0
39' Ivanovic 1-1
62' Ivanovic 1-2
67' Drogba 1-3
The preamble
Everything’s been a bit quiet lately. Not only in terms of press coverage regarding Chelsea but also on the blog. Maybe it’s because Hiddink has been the first manager to bring a sense of normality to the club since Roman took over. Claudio’s one season ride was a crazy journey full of highs, lows and cash. Jose arrived and we became the best team in England for two seasons, experiencing unparalleled success. Then the nightmares of Avram and Phil enabled fans to vent their fury on a regular basis. But now, everything’s going fine. There’s nothing spectacular about the way we’re playing but there haven’t been any disasters thus far so we can’t complain really. It looked as if Guus could perhaps turn around a potentially calamitous season which reached its lowest point with a 3-0 embarrassment at Old Trafford, by guiding us to the most unlikely glory in Rome come May. That was the plan until the Champions League draw a couple of weeks ago. Some think that the premier European competition should result in the best sides across Europe facing up against one another in titanic battles between the biggest clubs in England, Spain, Italy, Germany... But that’s a little too much to ask when TV revenue is involved. The Champions League must now involve the top three or even four clubs in the various European leagues and a pointless group stage, the result of which is a slight sense of apathy towards the competition amongst English fans as we again see four English sides in the quarter-finals. So when it’s Liverpool versus Chelsea for the fifth successive season, fans, journalists and even neutrals have struggled to find anything new to get excited about. It’ll be full of head to heads as spine comes up against spine; Cech, Terry, Lampard and Drogba against Reina, Carragher, Gerrard and Torres. “It’ll be tight, nervy and cautious,” said Andy Gray before the match and that was the expectation amongst all of us. But when has football ever been that predictable?
The tactics
How would Guus combat the rampaging Gerrard and Torres? What would he consider to be a good result? A 0-0 would leave us a nervy one-game shootout at Stamford Bridge but going for the away goal could leave us vulnerable to a Liverpool counter attack. In the end Guus made some subtle changes to the 4-3-3 which has usually ended in failure against Liverpool in the Champions League. We went in with a 4-2-3-1 to match up against Liverpool with Essien and Ballack holding, Lampard given a free role behind Drogba and Kalou and Malouda on the wings. Ivanovic was again at right-back to combat the height and pace of Riera with the only negative being Carvalho’s injury, meaning we had to again rely on Alex marking Torres. As the game panned out it was clear that the game would be won by whichever midfield came out on top and it would be up to Essien to mark Gerrard out of the game. Would Guus stick to his pre-match plan to attack Liverpool and look for the away goal? Well in the end he and the team did a lot more than that...
The match
The side appeared focused and determined, ready to ignore that ridiculous Liverpool ritual of singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and wanting to show the rest of Europe that the real Chelsea were back. The Scolari nightmare was well and truly over and we were now ready to beat the biggest and best sides in Europe. This determination was even shown at the toss with Terry contesting the referee’s coin toss, knowing how crucial a role the Kop end can play in the second half of games.
The opening stages saw some cagey sparring until Liverpool burst into life. A lovely back heel from Kuyt sent Arbeloa running in behind a sleeping Malouda down the right wing. His pull back found an unmarked Torres (yep, we thought it’d be alright to leave one of the best players in the world unmarked on the penalty spot), who easily swept the ball home. So we were 1-0 down after six minutes and some of us may have been thinking the worst. That apathy many of us were feeling before the game appeared to be ringing true after our sloppy opening. But in a strange way, that goal was one of the best things that could have happened for us. It woke us up and made the game a lot simpler for us. There was no point hanging back anymore, we had to score. And so we settled down and started passing the ball brilliantly. Almost straight from the restart, a lovely Kalou through ball found Drogba who strode forward onto a one-on-one with Reina. A lack of composure and technique typified his finish as he blasted it into Reina’s chest with the goal gaping. My heart sunk, knowing how few chances we’d get (or so I thought). But we forgot this missed opportunity and continued to play some great stuff. Gerrard was anonymous thanks to Essien’s awesome performance, Malouda and Kalou were having their best games for months and our midfield were bossing the game. Even Drogba was terrorising their centre-backs. It was almost perfect apart from the finishing. Some great play from Ballack on the left wing gave Drogba an easy chance on his left foot from eight yards in front of the Kop. Guus was already celebrating on the touchline, but was shocked to see him blaze it over. It was looking like ‘one of those games’ but then we started to gain a few corners. The delivery was a little hit and miss but we had clearly targeted set-pieces as a way to get that away goal and so it arrived. A Malouda corner was brilliantly headed in from Ivanvoic as he fought his way past the Liverpool markers. That was the least we deserved from a brilliant first half.
The pundits expected the second half to be a much more cagey affair compared to the open and attacking first half. But we were having none of that. We wanted the second goal to kill off the tie and Drogba nearly got it. A lovely Lampard through ball sent Drogba past a stricken Skrtel but his left foot shot was somehow cleared off the line by Carragher. It looked like we’d never get the goals our play deserved. But then Ivanovic popped up again. A lovely Lampard corner was banged in with a bullet header from our free-scoring Serbian and the crowd went wild. Well the Chelsea section did anyway. We were playing beautiful football, Liverpool had offered nothing since the sixth minute and the Anfield crowd were dead. All you could hear were the few thousand Chelsea fans chanting and the performance was verging on perfection. We were passing the ball around with ease, Essien was patrolling midfield like a rampaging bull and our defence was sweeping up their weak attacks with ease. All we needed was Drogba to be rewarded for his hard work upfront and that duly came just past the hour. Cole fed Ballack who showed his class with a great through ball for Malouda down the left wing. He sent over a perfect cross for Drogba to sweep home. It was a great goal which summed up how well we were playing. The only negative on the night was a yellow card to Terry which rules him out of the second leg but some see that as a blessing in disguise, getting his suspension out of the way before that Barca tie! John came out after the game complaining about Alonso’s antics in getting him booked, something we’ve seen from the Spaniard on many an occasion. But that could hardly take the gloss off a famous victory for the boys. As good as the 4-1 in 2005? It has to be considering the occasion.
The good
- The team performance. Absolutely awesome. We played them off the park and deserved to score those crucial away goals. If we can play like that for the next eight weeks then anything is possible.
- The tactics. The 4-2-3-1 change was an inspired tactical switch from Guus. It enabled Essien to mark Gerrard out of the game, whilst having Ballack next to him patrolling that dangerous space between our defence and midfield. Lampard was also given the freedom to support Drogba and even the wingers played well.
- Guus Hiddink. The first manager to outwit Rafa in the Champions League? I’d have to see yes. Not even my hero, Jose, could achieve what Guus did tonight. The less said about Avram’s role in beating them the better!
- Branislav Ivanovic. Why would we sell him? Andy Gray was shocked at his pace and power on numerous occasions in the first half but we weren’t. He was a rock tonight. Not only because of his two brilliant headers but also thanks to his disciplined and relaxed defending. Awesome from the Serbian.
- Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda. Yep, they both played well. That’s not a typo, as they supplied width, pace and even a final ball.
- Barcelona. Flicked over at half time and well, how do you stop them? Messi is a genius and is the only player in recent times able to be ranked alongside Maradona and Pele.
The bad
- Liverpool. Invincible in Europe? Yeah right. If you really go at them then you can expose them for what they are; a two man team with little else. A pathetic showing from them tonight.
- Alex. I just don’t like him. Too slow, too cumbersome and was caught out for their goal. Ivanovic looks like Beckenbauer compared to him.
Player ratings
- Petr Cech – 7/10 – Had little to do but cleared up and claimed crosses with little fuss.
- Branislav Ivanovic – 9/10 – A rock. Nothing beat him all night and his two goals have probably sent us though. A brilliant prospect.
- Alex – 5/10 – Harsh I know but I don’t care. He’ll always switch off once in a game and he’s definitely our Titus Bramble.
- John Terry – 7/10 – His yellow was extremely harsh but was as solid and committed as ever.
- Ashley Cole – 7/10 – Definitely the best left-back in the world and he’s starting to show it on a regular basis. Only let Kuyt in once all night and that was partly John’s fault.
- Michael Essien – 9/10 – How we’ve missed him. Man-marked Gerrard to perfection and almost ran midfield on his own.
- Michael Ballack – 7/10 – He may be slowing up, but his experience and class were crucial tonight. A Champions League specialist perhaps?
- Frank Lampard – 7/10 – Made two defensive errors but seemed to enjoy his free role in behind Drogba. A personal favourite who I’d never crticise.
- Salomon Kalou – 7/10 – Can’t remember him making a mistake. Ran purposefully and hardly found a cul-de-sac to get lost in all night.
- Florent Malouda – 7/10 – Yep a 7. A lovely assist for Drogba and even broke into a sweat at one point. His left foot also provides some much needed balance.
- Didier Drogba – 8/10 – With his shooting boots, he would have got a 10. But he terrorised their centre-backs nonetheless and we still need him. Anelka looks a weak backup by comparison.
- Guus Hiddink – 10/10 – A tactical genius? Saw their set-piece and midfield weaknesses and exploited them to perfection. We won’t have him next season but he’s the best caretaker I’ve ever seen.
Man of the Match
You can choose between Essien and Ivanovic. Both were awesome tonight and they look like being the future of Chelsea after this summer's clear-out.
Conclusion
All the apathy and boredom some of us were feeling before the match was dispelled as soon as we saw how well we were playing. We controlled the game and 3-1 was flattering on Liverpool in my opinion. We missed a host of chances and should have scored more. It’s not yet over but if we can’t defend three away goals then why would we deserve a place in the semis? Messi and Co. surely await and I can’t wait. The Champions League is about the best in England facing off against the best in Europe and they don’t come much better than Barcelona at the moment. It’s frustrating that we wasted the first two thirds of the season under Scolari but winning the Champions League is looking a little less fanciful after tonight. I’m still buzzing after this famous victory and we now have the momentum. We were undoubtedly the best English side in Europe this week and we appear to be peaking at just the right time.
Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!
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75 Comments · Add yours
Nice review! I was watching the game in a shitty bar in North Carolina. Essien did not let them walk alone.
KTBFFH
Awesome match, great review - except the usual rant about Alex. Let's get that out of the way. I know you don't like him, but picking on him every time takes some gloss off from your otherwise great reviews. And for the goal, he was at fault, but only partially.
But let me not spoil the fun. It was a great match, something the team deserved, something that was due for a long time.
Like others, I had been a bit apathetic lately, but not any more.
We are almost there, now all we have to do is play out the return leg. Just play it out. Barca awaits.
For me, Essien was the key. He cut the umbilical cord to Torres (just read it somewhere). But when Drogba wasted two glorious chances, my remote flew to the wall. Only to be picked up and put together when Ivanovic ran around three players to put that header in.
Malouda showed up. Though he still seems lazy, at least he had put a very good performance tonight. A restrained Kalou played his part. He was hacked down twice harshly. Then, it just got better.
There was two weak moments though - both right after our first two goals. But I can live with it.
Cheers!
Great review Habs.
I'd rather be lucky than good. Tonight Guus displayed why everyone thinks he's so lucky- because he's really, really good.
I like his comments afterward- that he thought we matched up very well against Liverpool's weaknesses, and he went to attack them. Rafa moaned about defensive errors, and Guus merely replied "No, I meant to do that."
I'm sad to say I didn't get to see the first half. I'll be watching it later for sure!
Tonight was simply Chelsea at their best. Defensively secure, opportunistic, attacking, and most of all, confident. I felt so much schadenfreude watching Pool aimlessly pass the ball around for the last 10 minutes. As they are undoubtedly our bête noire, it felt so good to slay the beast in its lair.
I enjoyed how the press like to think Ivanovic is some sort of dark horse, or at least portray that as the story of the evening, but I think all of us here know how valuable he is. We'd be mad to sell him, and if we do it should only be at exorbitant prices. I would be very happy to see Ivanovic and Mancienne spend the rest of their careers at Chelsea.
I liked the Drogba/Anelka sub. But for a step one way or another, Anelka might have had a few bursting runs on goal. Nothing like having a deadly poacher on the team who likes nothing more than to punish teams who press for goals. I have a feeling Anelka has at least one magic moment up his sleeve to come this season.
The run in for this season will be quite a ride. Win or lose, things will undoubtedly be interesting. I'm expecting Man U to lose to Arsenal, and Pool ideally to at least draw them at home. Meanwhile, we should keep clicking. Who isn't on form in the side right now?
Oh, and Alex has to go. He isn't the solution for our future. Someone will take him- he's an upgrade for most teams out there, perhaps even someone like Arsenal. But we need more Ivanovic in the side.
Alex, despite his apparent lack of mobility/ability, wasn't a 5 tonight. You said the defense swept up all there attacking moves and Alex was part of that defense. I would have given him a 6 at least.
Reply to mike12:
Their, not there... I need some sleep...
Great result. The marking for the second goal was atrocious, if Ivanovic hadn't scored, Alex was right behind him waiting. Not a red defender in sight.
i saw this on another website and found this really funny... thought i'd share with everyone here...
MISSING PERSONS AD
Name: Steven Gerrard
D.O.B. 30 May 1980
Occupation: Semi Professional Footballer (Only turns up occasionally)
Last Seen: In Michael Essien's pocket
(Thanks Chelsea Dave)
Very well written match report, thoroughly enjoyed it. Just one thing, am I missing something, or is this the fourth time in the last five seasons that Pool and Chelsea have met and not the fifth successive one? I heard the announcer on ESPN2 sat the same thing but I am almost certain that they were both knocked out in the Round of 16 in 2006.
Reply to Vadim91:
They met in the group stages 2005/06
I am ecstatic, still! I didn't expect it, but always knew we are capable of this kind of performance, which is why it's disappointing that we don't always show up as we did yesterday. I am so happy for the team, you could see a sense of belief returning. Essien was wonderful, and Ivanovich a revelation. Everybody played well, even Alex. Kalou, and Drogba were wasteful in front of goal. The defending is greatly improved, as is Malouda's play. Maybe we shouldn't sell him after all. I am so happy today!
Guus speaks very well and I enjoyed his comment on how the team could smell Liverpool's weaknesses and set about exploiting them. It reminded me of a candidate in last weeks Apprentice who claimed that, when he woke each morning, he could taste success in his spit.
I'm a bit concerned because sitting here typing I can't smell or taste anything ...
Reply to Joy:
'Maybe we shouldn't sell him after all'.......
OK, let's not get carried away.... If he performs like that for the next 2 months, he deserves to stay. Otherwise, I think there are better options.
As for Stevie Gerrard..... To quote another famous Scouse good-for-nothing:
"Best Player in the World........ My Arse!"
Im Chelsea till I die, I'm Chelsea till I die, I know I am I'm sure I am I'm Chelsea till I die!
Today...I will be mostly like a Japanese soldier who walks out of the jungle to discover the war is over.
That's right folks, I didn't watch it 'live'. I didn't even watch the Barca/Bayern game as everything has been thrown into sharp relief by the loss of a friend who's the same age as me (that always hits home hard). So, in light of the fact that a rather sombre funeral is going ahead today I did what any yellow bellied, cowardly bottler would do and watched the original Terminator in full HD and wall shaking Cinema sound. For just over 2 hours I was cocooned in a world of nostalgic sci-fi, the mobile phone turned off, the main phone unplugged.
It was very much my own little world.
Then within a nano-second of plugging the phone back in ChelseaBob rang me to simply sing one line to me "Whose that team they call the Chelsea" before putting the phone down and presumably popping down to the local hostelry for a touch of celebratory refuelling. I knew then that we must have done OK.
Realising that the battle was over, blinking in the dim lights of the low energy bulb glow of my living room, I settled down to watch the replay knowing that ChelseaBob's cue was the signal that everything was OK.
What a performance! I'm with Nick on this - that is possibly the best we've played since Jose left. Great passing, great tackling, hatfuls of chances which if taken would have resulted in a rout, and the awesome sight of a dispirited Liverpool huffing and puffing to no avail. Fantastic.
Like others, I now revert to type, to the bi-polar afflicted Chelsea stereotype espoused by The BakerMan on his continually fantastic 606 show (Tuesday nights - check it out on iplayer)and am looking to see what could go wrong or how we could throw it all away. Still, until then I have The Masters and Bolton to enjoy. It's the little things that keep you going.
Oh, and haven't I said all along that Ivanovic was one of the best we've got. Carvalho-like were the actual words as I recall...
I will not write much as this review is so biased it is not worth commenting on
Lampard 7 with a self professed love for a poor display by one of our creative midfielders...We would have been scalped had it not been for Essien. He scores a 5 for appearing in the blue shirt.
Alex 5. Are you mad? Have you seen Torres so quiet?
Kalou 7. Okay you must be drunk or heard the match on radio. Blind alleys anyone?
I am a chelsea fan and hoped to get a worthwhile reading..thanks for the link to Kevin McCarra's link.
Mark do you have something better?
I see the trolls are appearing again, there's always someone who wants to piss on the parade.
Vait 1 min.
Ve beat LiverPloo, Liverploo beat ze Manchester, and ze Mancehster beat ze Barcelonea.
Zat mean ve are ze best club in ze vhole vorld.
Reply to Jose4Chelsea:
Disingenuous at best, but closer to fucking rubbish.
I'm as cynical as the next, but Lamps played superbly barring a mistake in defence.....but I guess you perform your job perfectly every time.
Alex was more than a 5 but was well out of position for their goal...again...people make errors (part of the human condition) and Kalou deserves credit where its due. He took a bollocking from Ballack and learned from it and was a pain in the red arse all night, and linked well with Drogba.
Habs....good stuff......well thought out and well written. I disagree with the Alex comments and score but you continue to call it as you see it mate.
Oh, and had Arsenal or Manure scored that 3rd goal can you imagine the collective cock waving coming from the press?
Thank God Mrs Fiftee decided she wanted to stare doe-eyed at Lamps last night. I was all set to watch the 'battle' at the Nou Camp but she was lusting after some English superstar midfielder and aren't I glad that's the case!
Simply awesome. Really not much to add. Michael Essien is a complete machine, I'm not sure we realised just how much we missed him until he puts in a stint like that. I imagine Stevie Me cried himself to sleep last night....
Was impressed with the wide men, but would be good if we had options beyond Malouda and Kalou as you know one will have a stinker next week. If only Riccy Q wasn't cup-tied.
With JT suspended, I'd play Branko and Carvalho (if fit) in the middle and Bosingwa at RB. Score once on Tuesday and that's it, I can't see Liverpool scoring four. But I'm not saying it's over - as Habs mentions in his report "...when has football ever been [that] predictable?"
Suddenly things look a lot brighter on the Chelsea horizon. Guus keeps making it harder and harder for us to accept he doesn't want the job (and I still dont want Ancelotti).
Anfield a fortress? Sandcastle at high-tide methinks......
Well I've had a little browse on some of the Poo blogs this morning to see what the reaction is, and this little gem deserves praise...
"Well we were well and truly bitch slapped last night. I cannot remember the last time we were so comprehensively outplayed. Well done to Hiddink and Cheslea they got it right on the night and wanted it more than us. That really stuck in my throat to actually say that, but truth is what it is. Terry Payne, ex English and Southampton player, commentating over here had the best quip of the night. He said the Chelsea players would have to be body searched when they left Anfield to see which one had Gerrard in his pocket.
Little to add really, still basking in the glory of one of the best performances I've seen from us in years. Sublime passing, quick, clever and strong in midfield, Drogba tore Carragher and Skirtl a pair of new arseholes and Alex and JT did as well as anybody at keeping Torres quiet. Ivanovic had Riera in one pocket and Ashley did the same to Kuyt.
We would be proper mugs to let Ivanovic go - i've yet to see him have a single performance in any position that isn't very good-excellent.
Astonished to see such a brilliant, mature, tactically smart performance from Essien in that holding position, he destroyed poor Stevie; and Lampard was absolutely superb bar those two strange errors. Ballack was quiet, but also played the best two passes of the night.
And terrific stuff from Kalou and Malouda, whose workrate was brilliant.
So proud to be a blue today. Fuck history, fuck trophies, the odd night like that is all proper football fans ask for.
Was lookin at some Liverpool blogs last night and they pretty much all held their hands up and said they'd been well and truly rogered by a better team on their home patch. (if you really want a giggle, check out some of their pre-match boasting - 'drogba is a one season wonder, we'll win 3-0 but I'd take two' etc).
This was a better performance than the 4-1 under Jose.
Reply to Jose4Chelsea:
Look, Habs has expressed his opinion and as you might know point of view of anybody is subjective, so to call this review biased is little bit silly.
From the other side he mentions TSO in his review only twice and this is already big progress.
I agree that Lampard did not deserve 7 for this game. He has made couple of mistakes with his back passing, which sent shivers down my spine. Drogba missed couple of 100% chances, but it all means nothing when we win 3:1 at Anfield!!!!
KTBFFH
Reply to PeteW:
Hear hear Pete, trawling the blogs was rather fun.
This was possibly the best we've played in 2 years if not 3. Magnificent and one would rather hope that the team
a.) Doesn't think its all over
b.) Gets a huge confidence boost and now remembers just what they can do.
'Which brings me to the crowd………boy were the Chavs up for it! 30 mins or so before ko a huge group of chavs marched up Anfield road singing their nausiating “one man went to mow…..bullshit, nevertheless it was a show of strength I had not seen from them before (and I have been present at all the CL games against them and a good few of the league games since they became a “big” club) It even got a bit tense outside the Anny Road, with a few shovings and yells going on around by the Away fans end.'
Another from the Scousers, even giving our fans some credit (well, we did sing them off the park yet again). Incidentally, if reading the repeated use of 'Chavs' sends a shiver down your spine at its crassness, perhaps we could stop our own habit of giving the Scousers silly nicknames.
It's like waking up on Boxing Day with hazy memories of riding a new bike but wondering if it actually happened. Did it really happen? Did Santa really bring me a BMX?
Yes, yes he did. It wasn't a dream! Still struggling to believe it though.
Like Tony, I'm already worrying about next Tuesday. Such is the life of a Chelsea fan.
Splendid report as always, Habs. Do agree with several others that Alex probably deserved a slightly higher score. Other than that, pretty much spot on. Maybe a 7.5 or 8 for Lamps. ;)
At last the Myth of the KOP has been exposed, will Liverpool and the Kop and their singing really want to play us now every year in the CL? Will Barca want to play us in three weeks? Will Man-U? CHELSEA WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At last something to feel really positive about!! (though one caveat was Balack...i still think we should not keep him) sotty to Ballack lovers , thanks but no thanks, even Malouda and Kalou stepped upo their game but Ballack was for 95% his usual slow clankering Tank....
Sorry for the typos! BLOG EDITORS....Please bring back correction facilities !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*peers out from under pile of beer cans*
Hangover quite bad. Probably feel better than Stevie does this morning which is keeping me going.
Reply to Clive:
That would be Essien. The kop have been remarkably gracious, doesn't quite add up! Something's off
Reply to PeteW:
Why isn't Essien mentioned amongst the best midfielders? That man is brilliant in any position. Remember when he played alongside Terry in 07?
Well I've not had the "waking up in the shower" moment yet either so I guess it must have really happened.
One minor point - did I really hear Sky's pundits expressing astonishment that anyone would try to mark Gerrard out of a game and claiming it had never been done before? I recall Muamba doing it quite successfully for Bolton for an entire first half this season or last, before they conceded a goal close to half time and their manager ch
anged formations.
It feels so good I'm not even letting The Currant Bun running with the "Ancelotti Says Yes to Chelsea" story get me down....Oh Hell, I've just read that Galliani says Ancelotti is going nowhere in the summer, so it must be true ;-)
Reply to Greenlight:
It's all in the man management, i think. Yesterday everyone played as well as we know they can. I think Malouda will continue in this vein. He really has been unfortunate that his time at the club has been one of flux!
Much respect to Ivanovich for stepping up when his time came
Essien was indeed a ball of pure energy; a player almost impossible to match on that kind of form.
A word on Frank though; his role last night seemed to me to be as much about keeping tabs on Alonso and cutting down his options (which I think he did well) as anything else. He's done similar with Fabregas too on occasion, yet it is a side of his game that rarely gets a mention.
Kudos to Ivanovic too; probably as many Wikipedia searches for him today as there were for Macheda after his last gasp winner at the weekend.
Watching the French cop series Spiral on BBCi late last night (shown on BBC4 - not quite The Wire, but better than Taggart) there was a scene where they catch this drug mule. A cop is assigned to sit with him in the toilet until he shits his cargo and the guy isn't letting go. So when his superior comes to check on progress, the cop gets in an argument with her about his terrible assignment and the mule seizes his opportunity while they're distracted and shits on the floor. Then he grabs the shit-covered dope and shoves it back in his mouth as the cops try to wrestle it off him.
It put me in mind of last night's experience. Not only did the commentators sound like they were eating shit sandwiches but I just had to turn the radio on afterwards and listen to Alan Green and Mark Lawrenson summing up. Forced to fill about 20 mins of air time, they had to dissect the game for listeners. It was a treat. Just try eating shit sandwiches and trying to soberly analyse a game like that when you are hurting that badly. Every time they said Chelsea you could imagine the stuff running down their chins.
Ah! Who was it said it is not enough to win... someone has to lose?
I forgot to mention, I was pleasantly surprised by the good things Messrs Redknapp Jnr and McAllister had to say about us on Sky last night.
Blues outnumbered in the studio 2-1 with Ruud in our corner, but they were very honest in their assessment.
Do we actually know if Stevie Me's been found yet?
See you guys in the semis. Barça were absolutely unstoppable last night - LINK
The hidden hand of blatter and platini will come
to haunt thee against barca .we cant have an English vs English final once more,expect the unexpected against Barca ,dubious penalties Dodgy refeering ,offsides and all that crap, they are the favourites what do you expect?
Yeah, the 12th man of one of Barca's pet ref is more troubling than the over-rated Kop.
Very excellent performance.
Does anyone know if the team will be challenging Terry's yellow card? It didn't look like it should have been a card to me. It may not matter much if Ricky is fit, but still.
Most sensible people have all agreed that Essien wrapped Stevie Me quite neatly in his trouser pocket last night.
Just some more trawling throught the sites of the self-proclaimed, most passionate, and knowledgable fans in the world. this little gem, it made me laugh....
"I think some players had off days but one player had a very very flat day. Stevie G was pancake flat. My opinion is he was either injured or sick.
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However if he was injured he wouldn’t have lasted the distance, so I think he was just sick. Many saying he was kept quiet by Essien but that’s just shit, Essien spent most of his game outside our box. Not chasing SG. SG had no thrust and thats what was missing from our little part of the the footballing world.
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SG is famous for penetration and thrust, today he had neither, thats why I think he was sick.
Reply to Chris:
You can't challenge yellow cards, only reds.
I second your view, Habers: after last night's performance (which is the best I can remember in a long while), we would be loony to let Ivanovic go in the summer! I've been wondering all season why he's not been starting over Alex, as we saw fully what we can do in the similar romp against Villa in October and continues to score at international level for Serbia.
He has to be in the starting XI next year IMO - more reliable than Alex at CB without question, and I'd especially prefer him at RB over Bosingwa against Barca if we make the semis (which we really should now).
Imagine it: Ivanovic, Ricky, JT and Ash in the back four protecting the ever-lovable Cat in the Hat... It puts a huge smile on the face. The FA Cup and Champions League are distinct possibilities now. If only we'd had Hiddink in November, then we could be in the running for the Treble!
...Mind you, the way United are going!
Bi-polar Chelsea fan watch:
Not only are we worried about next Tuesday, but we are already worrying about dodgy refs in the semis. PeteW, I give you a 5 out of 5 on my new rating scale. It's starts with impossible optimism and descends into pathological negativity...
1: over the moon, going to win the treble
2: could just nick the Champs Lge (and maybe FA Cup)
3: not counting chickens yet, wary of conceding early goal against the Poo (official club position)
4: if manage to see off Poo, we'll not be good enough to beat Barca
5: we're doomed, Fifa and Eufa will instruct refs to officiate against us, Roman will be imprisoned and we'll end up relegated in a season.
Reply to dannybrod:
Hehehehe, great hopes, greater anxiety; it's never a smooth ride. But if it were, this morning wouldn't have been as fantastic
At least we can now rule out
6. We'll be knocked out of FA Cup the following Saturday by 94th minute Gallas goal.
My bipolarity is veering wildly between visions of us being the only English side in the CL semis -- and I honestly think if that happened I'd be so drenched in happiness I wouldn't mind watching us get totally dismantled by Messi et al -- and the unspoken dread that fills us all (no need to mention it but it begins with Torres scoring an early goal next Tuesday and ends with penalties the same night).
Anyone else getting a tad irritated by all the "out of the shadows' stuff about Ivanovic? Granted, he wasn't seen much after being signed, but he did play a few games earlier in the season and it was blindingly obvious then that he's a proper player -- which given the number of international caps he has for a rather good team shouldn't actually be that surprising. And I can't really see why there's a media fuss about JT missing the second leg when anyone who watches football should be able to tell that Riccy is his equal at the very least (not when it comes to bulldog British never say die backbone etc etc etc but fingers crossed we won't be needing any of that next Tues).
I do like the thought that the Greatest Fans in Human History might have been hunched over their programmes before the game and salivating about the apparent "weak link" on the right side of our defence though.
Reply to dannybrod:
I believe that you've just give a perfect description of the average Chelsea fan's thought process over the six second period after the whistle went last night!
Reply to limetreebower:
It is not going to be Galls.
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Awesome stuff! Nothing feels better than thrashing the dirty little Red Scousers at their backyard! Loved the Where's your famous atmosphere chants by the away fans. Shut them up for good!
Only way Scousers earn money is through taxes of hard-working people & the only way they win is by scoring ghost goals and penalty shootouts! F**k off Red Scousers - trophyless for 2 yrs in a row. Fat Spanish waiter tactical genius? Yeah right! Best team in Europe to hold on to leads? Hmm...
Drogs scored again in a big match and again v the Red Scousers! Cant wait for the Semis and to thrash Barca and their Argie diver.
Brilliant management by Guus & performance by the lads, esp Drogs, Ivanovic & Essien... this QF reminds of the Euros last yr when Russia, under Guus, thrashed the "invincible" Dutch side 3-1 (and the score was flattering to the Dutch, just like it is for Liverpool in this match).
KTBFFH!
Reply to TrueBlue:
Er, were you abused as a child? You seem a tad abusive, and the abused tend to become abusers.
Slight apology about the Alex rating may be due. But i always get nervous when he's playing. He's always going to make a mistake and despite being solid for most of a game, he'll switch off at the key moment and then you'll pay for it. I accept that he can be an alright backup but with Ivanovic and Mancienne waiting for a chance, why keep him?
I'd maybe bump him up to a 6.
Just two points to add:
1- They really did miss Mascherano last night as Lucas was pure crap. His return on Tuesday may not mean a whole lot mind, as he is not a big attacking threat. The combination of us having Essien and them not having Mascherano on the night made a huge difference.
2- It also has to be said that the ref did a magnificent job, which is not what we are used to getting up at Anfield or at OT for that matter (regardless of what one thinks of JT's yellow).
Reply to haberdashers:
Yeah, I'm about there with you. By definition, everyone has to be at least a 6, if not a 7 for this game. I'm of the opinion that Alex isn't up to snuff (just barely) but think of it this way...
We just demolished the "best team" in England right now, and the team that was mentioned with Barca as the best team in Europe. We did it in their own house.
They didn't play poorly, we were just that much better than they were.
How can anyone on the team not receive at least a 7? This isn't beating up on Boro here. How anyone can argue that Lamps needs less than a 7 is beyond me. We orchestrate a demolition... and our playmaking midfielder was sub par? Really? Ballack keeps the midfield quiet and has a great pass to Malouda for the Drogba goal, and he doesn't look good?
Come on people, the team is in top form. Stop kibitzing.
OK so all those who were saying we were out and would lose - please eat humble pie.
I knew, i bloody knew it and i love Essien so much it makes fifty's love of david villa seem like a 16 year old girls school crush.
Why do they not just praise us for being excellent - WHY do they have to find blame. We were better - end of.
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I've been looking at the chalkboards and you can clearly see.......
Seriously lovely stuff last night - a victory like this lives long in the memory - its what its all about. Lets hope we complete and I see some of you at the Congreho Loco at the Port Olympiqe Barcelona in a few weeks
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Not such bad sentiment, in my view.
Gerrard has undoubtedly been big for his team. Lampard equally so. Had Mascherano been on last night we would have seen a head-to-head comparison. Face it, Lucas is no Essien.
That said, I'm totally fine with no Mascherano last night... I'm sure Frank will take the wins over awards from the press.
one small comment,
Winning over Liverpool at their ground feels better than an all-night sex
"looking for the coat"
Sorry admins, couldn't help it
Fellow Blues...I am sure everyone enjoyed the win last eve just like i did...Awesome display from the whole bunch.. a collective effort..Defence was rock solid except for the initial hiccup, awesome midfield, great finishes up front eventhough we could have gone for more..a well deserved win...
Having read the review i have to say that Alex and Ballack in particular was better than rated. He showed no sign of slowness last eve..I thought he was better than my favourite Lampsy..Guys lets acknowledge them for wat they deserve as they also are a part of Blue family..
“To the Regiment, I wish I was there!”
As they used to say with glasses raised on the superb comedy “Early Doors”.
What a game to have been at Anfield for. Spoke to a friend who was up there, he said it was massive. And after 10 or 15 minutes it got quieter and quieter in most parts of the ground. He was hoarse…..says it all really.
On cfc.net there was speculation on one thread that in the run up to kick off Sky played about with the sound levels ‘cause all that could be heard were Chelsea fans. Quite interesting that according to one “insider” they allegedly place more mikes near the Kop and areas of selected other grounds. Not a shock really.
@ Habs
A good read, I’m sure you enjoyed writing it. I think you were a bit harsh on Alex and fair play for reconsidering. I am with you on the fact that he engenders a certain nervousness but instead of dropping his head after their goal he stuck to the task.
I spent the whole game waiting for Torres to nip in for a brace to leave our hopes in ruins. Watching on the box when you can’t see up the pitch I kept expecting the long ball to be dropping at his feet with Alex and Terry 10 yards in his wake.
Looking back we dominated, it just never felt like that at the time.
Yes they missed Mascherano, but we got little sympathy earlier in the season when key players like Essien were missing.
Reply to dannybrod:
I wrote this on the previous thread..
"Regret of the evening
Not listening to Radio 5 as I went down the pub and watched it on the telly so missed hearing Lawrenson and Green weeping quietly."
You've painted a fantastically graphic picture of what I missed. Superb.
I'm always restrained around friends and family who support other teams but it does worry me the amount of delight I take in the obvious discomforture of our beloved meeja.
Reading the fulsome praise in the (Manchester)Guardian, the thought occurred that they were overdoing it just to take revenge on the 'Poo for destroying their beloved Mancs a few weeks back.
Indeed it was noticeable how the comment sections were full of mancs delighting in our win with very few contributions from Chelsea fans.
Why? Look no further than your #47. The pleasure of victory mixed with the pain of worry that it might just be too good to be true. We're all bouncing up and down that scale at a frightening rate.
Insanity.
Perhaps in the run up to Tuesday we should start all posts with the number that best sums up our mood at the time of writing?
And there's still a game at Bolton to start worrying about.
Where's Fiftee? We'll need smelling salts and a couple of sturdy cushions for him...
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Reply to KaiserJonny_II:
Not sure weather to be happy that our own local Torres is coming along,(if it's true) or worried that Shevchenko Version two is on the Horizon...
Reply to KaiserJonny_II:
I like Villa, but I'm not sure that I'd want to spend 50M on a 27 year old. Surely there has to be a younger striker out there with potential for less money.
Still, he is undoubtedly devastating when on form. Will he have the inverse Torres problem in the EPL- where his game is better suited to internationals, whereas Torres does better with Prem defenses?
Guus also is pimping his Russian players- he thinks Pavlyuchenko should come to Chelsea.
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In that Villa article there is also a mention of Ancelotti coming to Chelsea. A few other papers are claiming the deal is done. I don't have strong feelings one way or the other, but I'd be happy if the deal is done early. He should have a serious say in the players bought and sold over the summer.
My only worry with Carlo is that he has played with a relatively aging Milan side. Few players have come through to crack the starting 11, but the ones who have (Kaka, Pato, Gourcuff) are spectacular. Perhaps that is why he is leaving- he doesn't want to rebuild Milan.
Kaka to Chelsea? When Carlo is officially named, how long does it take for the rumors to start?
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Makes nice reading!
Reply to Be_Champions:
I Agree that he is a tad overpriced for his age, and he will undoubtedly attempt to acquire the No. 7 Shirt- clearly, a bad sign.
But, if he can be the exception to the curse, there are few better players to have in the No. 7.
Reply to mike12:
Apart from the no.7 shirt curse, i'd love Villa to turn up. Ancelotti seems like our next manager and the journos will soon come up with the inevitable Kaka and Pato stories. The Ancelotti debate can wait but this summer should be great. Roman seems willing to put the cash in once again, so if Guus can say goodbye with a CL triumph, Chelsea will be back on the up after the Avram and Scolari nightmares. It seems that Buk may have been telling the truth when he said 5 in, 5 out and 1 superstar ths summer as well as a new coach.
27 years old and with Valencia wanting £45m it is a lot of money. He has proved it at the highest level though, and is hopefully still young enough to adapt to the Premiership.
I would much rather see us spend the £45m on Silva, who we could hopefully get for around £30m and the other £15m on a 20 year old gamble.
Be ace to sign Silva and Sergio Agüero I think that would really revitalise the team.
Drogba (31), Agüero (20), Silva (23), Fat Frank (30), Ballack (32), Essien (26).
Average age 27. Sounds right to me :D
Its just like playing football manager!
Reply to Benjami:
If you're a Chelsea supporter why do you refer to Frank as fat? Just wondered.
Its endearing
Reply to Benjami:
Yes, who wouldn't want to be called fat?
We played football.
Yes, we had all the PL attributes of power and commitment, drive and determination, but we played football and they couldn't match us.
Porto did it on Tuesday and Barca, unsurprisingly, did it too. Could this be the start of something?
Still it's only half time; but we're in control of the tie and our immediate destiny is in our own hands.
My night went rather rather well (even had time for a cheeky little punt before kick-off).
The guest ale was great and I sat beside a group of guys who then felt obliged to pretend that they weren't really supporting poo, which made for even more fun as the goals started going in!
Everyone deserves at least an 8.5.
The papers were awash with zonal set-piece excuses that seemed to ignore the many chances made in open play.
Kalou was working wonders until he was splattered over the Anfield turf and I can see why Arse would be so keen to get him.
Alex looks ungainly and a bit sluggish at times but he is a very good player and if he's always around when we concede it might just be because he's always aware of the impending danger.
Frank was finally allowed the luxury of making a few mistakes which was probably just what he needed - he is human after all, and I'm sure that getting those out of his system will be a great relief.
And on it goes.
Maybe everyone deserves at least a 9.
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Betty
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