To put it bluntly, Liverpool deserved to win. We were lucky to draw. So what? Got a vital point at Anfield. After the match, Rafa would be the proud manager and Jose would be the happy manager. In the premier league rat race, I’d always prefer to be the happy manager, especially after a match in places like Anfield. If I seem to sound apologetic, let me clarify: I’m laughing my ass off at the scousers, that we got a point there. This was the same place which eliminated Chelsea from champions league through a goal that never crossed the line. So, Liverpool played better but I’m not at all ashamed to come away with a valuable point.
I did go to this pub which had scousers all arund. I had to patiently watch the match amongst shouts and cheers of “come on stevieeee” and “shoooot johnnyyy” etc. It was nice to come out of the pub with a smile on my face, of course after shaking hands with them and wishing them good luck. As it was seen in a very high pressure viewing environment, I mat not have caught the finer points of the match but I’ll write about the impressions that lasted in my mind.
Liverpool played exactly how a big team would play at home. They were playing high tempo, pushing us constantly and at the same time playing with a disciplined and organised back four. I was surprised to see Essien start as the right back. I should only guess that Alex was not fit enough to play more than half hour or something. Also the performance of the genuine right backs in the squad is not quite convincing which made Essien move back. The Torres goal was a very clear example of why Essien can not equal a genuine quality right back. His positioning was too awful that it looked like he forgot his role for a moment. Don’t get me wrong. Essien is an awesome player and has the heart to play wherever his manager wants him to play. If you see that goal again, Essien pushed up and was staying quite up the pitch and realised very lately that he created huge space behind him. Gerrard intelligently capitalised that for a superb through ball. Even after this, we could have prevented the goal. Ben Haim was bit slow and hence allowed Torres to position himself at a shooting angle and Ben Haim was ball-watching when Torres did his little tricks and finished it superbly.
I thought these players had a bad match – Ashley Cole, Drogba, Malouda, Ben Haim, Essien and SWP. Too many bad performances for an away match against a ‘big-spending’ title contender. That’s always been Chelsea’s resolve. We come out with something even in those matches which we call as horrible Chelsea performance. On the other hand, Liverpool were very energetic and attacking, and may be played their best football of the season so far. With their best football and our poor football today, it ended up at 1-1. No complaints.
In the second half, things did start brightly for us. We started creating more meaningful chances in the second half. I had a feeling that all Chelsea players were trying to find Drogba’s head or feet, which is not warranted. We have a good strikers in Pizarro and Kalou and also sharp shooters in Malouda, SWP and Joe Cole. The Drogba-centric game actually limited our options and made it easier for Liverpool to handle us. And then came the moment. In normal speed, I thought it was a penalty. After seeing the first replay, I thought that the referee was a bit harsh on Liverpool. After seeing more and more replays, I don’t think it was that bad a decision after all.
See what Jose has to say about the penalty.
The only thing I want to say is that in the box there is no advantage law, so because the ball went to Didier and he was alone, there is no advantage law. If the referee sees a foul it’s a penalty, so when Malouda opens the legs to let the ball go to Didier, and is kicked from behind, I think it’s a penalty.
Clearly Malouda was not trying to shoot the ball. He was only trying to let the ball go through this legs to reach unmarked Drogba. As Malouda was trying to do this piece, Carragher barged onto him to make Malouda lose the balance. As Jose says, there is no ‘advantage law’ in the penalty box.
And he went on to say this:
We came here to win the game, I think we showed that with the team we started the game. Many of you think Chelsea comes here and plays Makelele, Essien in midfield, three or four in midfield, but no, we tried to win and we tried for 85 minutes. ‘In the last five minutes I’m honest and I say when they play Crouch, Kuyt, Babel, Torres, in that moment I have a giant in my bench, and when I see that giant going in I say “come on its your time”. I close the door and go home with a point, it’s two points Liverpool doesn’t get. Yes in that time I know Arsenal draw and Man United lose so I think it’s positive but it’s fair to say Chelsea tried to win the game like Liverpool did.
To talk on the positives, we scored in a penalty! Not trying to be mean, but we had to score this penalty to exorcise our spot kick horrors of recent times. If your last penalty was a goal, it always gives you that confidence. It was nicer to see Lampard getting that goal. Lampard, invariably shoots his penalty to the left and very rarely to the right. Even this time, Lampard went for the left but not a blast to the top left but a blistering drive to the left bottom. Reina must have thought about the law of averages and Lampard’s missed spot kicks to the left side but Super Frank had the guts to send it once again to the left.
How sweet can this day be? Man Utd losing the derby!!! After two draws, the Man Utd blogs were all flowing with so damn furious comments and a huge amount of negativity has crept into them and their beliefs. The blogs and the comments are a good measure of the overall morale and mentality of any team’s performance. Right now, Man Utd is suddenly facing a low, with Ronaldo, Nani, Anderson and Tevez in the team. And you know what, they have their first choice keeper and central defenders intact too.
We are quietly marching towards the summit of the league table. Teams like Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal etc certainly lack the consistency now that’s required for a league title. Liverpool can still draw with teams like Villa, Fulham while Chelsea would coolly pick up three points and march on. So, after three matches, I’m still able to say that this could be Chelsea’s season.
109 Responses - Add your comment!
is anyone watching this? please update all….can cant watch live
1-0 down n looking in very bad shape now….
Not getting any live stream myself. I know from live updates that liverpool just went up thro Torres. Liverpool completely dominant for now. Here is the line up-
———————————————Cech——————————————
—-Essien—————-Haim——————————-Terry————–Cole
—————————————-Mikel———————————————
—————————————————-Lampard—————————
–SWP————————————————————————-Malouda-
————————–Drogs————————————-Kalou————–
Liverpool Possession – 68%, Chelsea – 32%. @ 25mins
here is what am picking up- hope it helps.
Foul by Michael Essien (Chelsea) on Alvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool). Michael Essien (Chelsea) booked for unsporting behaviour. Direct free kick taken right-footed by Jermaine Pennant (Liverpool) from left wing, passed. Shot by John Arne Riise (Liverpool) drilled left-footed from left channel (25 yards), save (caught) by Petr Cech (Chelsea).
9:25
Goal kick taken long by Petr Cech (Chelsea).
8:08
Defending throw-in by Steve Finnan (Liverpool).
7:25
Shot by Fernando Torres (Liverpool) drilled left-footed from right channel (25 yards), missed right. Goal kick taken long by Petr Cech (Chelsea).
6:17
Foul by Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool) on Tal Ben-Haim (Chelsea). Direct free kick taken left-footed by Petr Cech (Chelsea) from own half, resulting in open play.
5:52
Shot by Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) drilled right-footed from right channel (25 yards), blocked by Frank Lampard (Chelsea).
4:59
Cross by John Arne Riise (Liverpool), blocked by Florent Malouda (Chelsea). Corner from left by-line taken short right-footed by Jermaine Pennant (Liverpool).
4:15
Shot by Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) mishit right-footed from left channel (35 yards), defending throw-in by Ashley Cole (Chelsea).
2:52
John Arne Riise (Liverpool) caught offside. Indirect free kick taken left-footed by Petr Cech (Chelsea) from own half, resulting in open play.
2:02
Foul by Didier Drogba (Chelsea) on Daniel Agger (Liverpool). Direct free kick taken right-footed by Jose Reina (Liverpool) from own half, resulting in open play.
1:16
Defending throw-in by Alvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool).
0:46
Shot by Didier Drogba (Chelsea) drilled right-footed from right channel (25 yards), missed left. Goal kick taken long by Jose Reina (Liverpool).
Goal by Fernando Torres (Liverpool) right-footed (bottom-right of goal) from left side of penalty area (12 yards).Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea. Assist (pass) by Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) from left channel.
14:18
Foul by Florent Malouda (Chelsea) on Alvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool). Direct free kick taken right-footed by Jose Reina (Liverpool) from own half, passed.
14:01
Defending throw-in by Steve Finnan (Liverpool).
13:43
Defending throw-in by Michael Essien (Chelsea).
28:26
Defending throw-in by Michael Essien (Chelsea).
27:07
Cross by Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), header by Didier Drogba (Chelsea) from right side of penalty area (12 yards), over the bar. Goal kick taken long by Jose Reina (Liverpool).
26:22
Attacking throw-in by Michael Essien (Chelsea).
25:54
Attacking throw-in by Michael Essien (Chelsea).
25:24
Attacking throw-in by Michael Essien (Chelsea).
24:13
Header by John Arne Riise (Liverpool) from centre of penalty area (12 yards), save (caught) by Petr Cech (Chelsea). Foul by Alvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool) on Salomon Kalou (Chelsea). Direct free kick taken right-footed by Michael Essien (Chelsea) from own half, passed.
23:23
Foul by Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool) on Michael Essien (Chelsea). Direct free kick taken left-footed by Michael Essien (Chelsea) from own half, resulting in open play.
22:56
Inswinging corner from right by-line taken left-footed by Florent Malouda (Chelsea) to far post, clearance by Steve Finnan (Liverpool).
21:13
Foul by Xabi Alonso (Liverpool) on Florent Malouda (Chelsea). Free kick drilled right-footed by Didier Drogba (Chelsea) from left channel (25 yards), hit wall.
20:06
Foul by Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool) on Mikel John Obi (Chelsea). Direct free kick taken right-footed by Tal Ben-Haim (Chelsea) from own half, passed.
17:53
Foul by Mikel John Obi (Chelsea) on John Arne Riise (Liverpool). Direct free kick taken left-footed by Daniel Agger (Liverpool) from own half, passed.
17:03
Foul by Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea) on John Arne Riise (Liverpool). Direct free kick taken right-footed by Xabi Alonso (Liverpool) from right channel, resulting in open play.
torres n kuyt are having a great match till now….n gerrards been impeccable……gosh tough time till now….
drogba’s been getting few rare chances…but nothing yet…lets hope….
why isnt shevchencko playing???
37:27
Liverpool 61% Chelsea 39%
much better from chelsea……terry should have scored…getting closer now….
anyone?
Pizarro for kalou is a good change dont you think?
Chelsea possession increased to 48% now. @ 44 mins
By the way, Alex is on the bench
43:37
Attacking throw-in by Michael Essien (Chelsea).
42:35
Foul by Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) on Mikel John Obi (Chelsea). Direct free kick taken right-footed by Frank Lampard (Chelsea) from left channel, resulting in open play.
42:18
Attacking throw-in by Ashley Cole (Chelsea).
42:12
Attacking throw-in by Ashley Cole (Chelsea).
41:20
Goal kick taken long by Petr Cech (Chelsea).
40:33
Defending throw-in by Ashley Cole (Chelsea).
In AC Milan in 6 years he played 212 games, and scored 196 goals until being traded to chelsea…
Possession is almost 50 50 now
why is the worlds second best striker Shevo, sitting on a bench, can someone fil me in?
put Sheva in…
well he is not even in the bench dude….it seems he hasn’t fully recovered from his injury yet….but i guess u wud b seeing pizzaro in the second half…
Sheva is not even sub … JM have to replace Kalou with J.Cole or Pizarro cos he’s playin terrible … or to put both of them
i think pizarro really deserves a look in the second half going by his recent performances……
mourinho is anyways very shrewd with his subs…as he emphatically proved in the last derby.
I think kalou is playing very bad and when he have options he failed. Put pizarro because he is more regular
yes, Prats, I fully trust Mour to turn things around in the second half. Just keep watching, the special one will do it. But for those watching, can you give us our player’s assessment?
I hope Carvaliho and bridge come back soon and Alves comes to chelsea soon
Blue , as u wished ,
Kalou out , Pizarro in .
unfortunatly , we don’t play fast because we don’t have any fast and sharp player anymore except SWP .
The blue half of manchester has done it doday. Let the Blues inflict further pain on the Red army
the reds are again taking the game upon us….we need to find an answer soon…
YESSS!!!!!GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL…..
the websites say its a poor decision….like i care wen its chelsea….go blues!!!
Gooooooaaaaallllllll
Lamps with a penalty… good work
A draw is more convenient than loose, but maybe we can score another? Possesion is a pron for us.
The grond is rocking with chants of JOOOOOSEEEEEEE MOURINNNNNNNHOOOOOOOO. Listening to BBC now.
You can feel from Allan Green’s commentary that he is gutted that we have scored. What is he on about? Liverpool went to CL finals without even scoring a goal against us two seasons ago. Get a life, Allan!
Allan is going on and on about Essien receiving a second yellow and still not being sacked. is that true guys?
Joe Cole on for Essien
joe cole on….
Sorry Joey for SWP
ten more mins…wat say mourofessien??
Final change- 6 minutes to go. Alex on for Malouda
4 min of injury time
yes . please can anybody tell what happen with essien did he really receive 2yellow or what?
cos when ref shown the yellow card just essien/torres was there ???!!
No, Essien didn’t recieve two yellows. Terry got one though.
hmmm…got a point…but we really played bad…same long ball game…Drogba is a wrestler, no skills, no pace….mikel also had a poor game today.
crap performance!!!!!! we played poorly. liverpool deserved to win no doubt. we need to improve tremendously.
liverpool made us look mid table team. thats it, no further comments.
liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
but chelsea were way better.. great away result
Chelsea will top the barclays in 2 more games (or unless man City drop points)
Chelsea 4 ever;True blue
We are too reliant on the second half to dig ourselves out of trouble.
can’t complain when we get gifted a penalty but rob styles made some strange decisions today
I thought ashley cole was outplayed by pennant as well- don’t know why benitez subbed him off.
Luck luck and more luck
Luck luck and more luck terrible performance
i dont agree that mikel had a bad game .. he was our best player today ..
positives from today – (very few) Essien, SWP
negatives (too many) – sloppy perfrmance, poor passes, john mikl obi, tal ben haim
just watched Jose’s interview – too good. typical Jose mourinho.
interviewer – u think u were fortunate with penalty?
jose – i dont know. but many times u r unfortunate especially in this stadium:).
anyways i m not at all satisfied with our today’s performance.
guyz 1-1…
first time i see a ref against chelsea’s rivals….
ohhhh thank god…
this season looks good for us….
but benhaim disappointed me….
but everythin will be fine ..by next week…
hope ballack returns,carvalho returns and czech to his clean sheet habbit
hey guys no penalty but you must have a little bit luck at football enyway the point is that we are +5 points from Manchester Unt. !!!
thanks to ref. we came out form that hell with a sweet draw.
, Ref. was crazy , he was not good today. he made so many bad decision in favor of liverpool but he compensated for use with a penalty kick and Essien 
.
we were lucky. Draw is a great result at Anfield.
to be honest, that penalty was not penalty , and Essien was sent off but he played
it is interesting when he sohwed second yellow card to Essien , no one , NO ONE , not even Liverpool fans , or Liverpool players said anything.
by the way , you guys should Forget Manchester , know we should think about Manchester CIty and Liverpool more.
Jose backs referee , for first time .
Today , Mikel was great, this kid plays like high experienced players.
Malouda did not play well but he gave us a penalty . SWP was good. Ban Haim , well he played good, I believe he did not mistake , Torres was very good. Ben Haim ( Free ) Vs. Toress ( $20) so … but i think he won’t start as CD anymore.
I think chelsea should buy a right back or use Diarra/Ferreira instead of using essien in that position , we can use Essien some where else this player is too good to play as right back . we are wasting him.
Pizarro was good , next game he should start, Kalou should sit on bench .
next game :
—————–Cech——————–
Ben——-Alex———-Terry—-Ashly
—————-Essien——————
——–Lampard—–Mikel————-
SWP——————————-Cole-
—————-Drogba———————
Ben or Ferreira or Diarra
anyone where is Claude
so it was a lucky game? were we overrun? good to hear about a controversial decision in our favour for once…..
Hi Guys, any match at Anfield is always going to be difficult. A great team gets good result even in such difficult matches. two seasons ago we nicked a one nil there thro Joe Cole but they clearly dominated. Playing there is tough. I am happy. All great teams have such off colour days. At least we came back with a point. Can they come to SB and get that? I doubt.
Alex came in- am glad. He should have started in my opinion.
Oooopppssss, that was me@64
Maysam @61,
Next team should be
———————————————-Cech—————————————-
—Haim—————–Alex———————————-Terry————–ACole
————————–Mikel———————–Essien—————————
——————————————Lamps—————————————-
——-SWP—————————-Pizarro——————————-Drogs
What about that for a 4-3-3?
my sentiments exactly………Anony
Lucky point for us No doubt..
jose has to sort out our defence..it looks too shaky..Torres’s goal was way too soft..very bad work by Ben haim
Bad decision by the ref to award us a penalty..who cares:)..we scored from it n got saved..
Positives:- CHELSEA can only get better when carvalho returns to partner terry
LIVERPOOL gave their maximum..they cant play any bettr than this..
Chelsea has to sort out that defence..this is the worst defensive start to a season under jose mourinho..we’ve let in 4 goals in 3 games..not the rock solid chelsea of old..have to improve defensively..
LIVERPOOL is very dangerous this season..I strongly believe this season could b the closest ever in the EPL..
ARSENAL is playing well too..Lehman is committing too many blunders in goal though
UN ITED are playing great football too..thankfully no luck on their side
CHELSEA’s mathematics is simple..score 70 to 75 goals in the season..concede maximum 20..We’ll definitely win the league..
ie 90 points should be the benchmark..Chelsea can do it..but the defence has to stop letting in easy goals
What goes around, comes around!!!
Scousers where art thou? Do you remember 2nd May 2005. Ball that never crossed the line? Ohh…yes you won the CL just because of that…
I sincerely hope, we win league this time. L’pool comes 2nd. And they are just a point below us. Im sure they will feel the same we felt 2 years back..
WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND!!!!!
TrueBlueInd,
Remember that this is the first season we are playing without a holding mid in front of the back 4. We are still yet to adjust to that. My proposal for a readjustment (post 66) that will see us sacrifice some width against stronger teams but solidify the midfield is worth looking into. Mourwill find answer no doubt. Besides, We are yet to have Riccy and Terry play together. That is another significant factor. But hey, would you rather we traded places with Manure??????
or should we do the following adjustment rather? Some kind of 3-3-2-2
———–Cech——–
—Terry–carvalho–TBH——
-SWP——–Mikel———-Cole
——-Lampard—Essien——-
——-Drogba—–Pizarro——–
If you have watched the match, how fair the following assessment looks for our lads?
Cech – 6 No worries, maybe lacking a bit of form, but still easily #1
Essien – 5 We miss him in midfield but better than glen johnson.
TBH – 6 Some solid defending but shoulda been better for the goal.
Terry – 8 Defended the box well, led the team and looked sharp.
Cole – 7 Got forward well no major problems, though one sloppy moment
SWP – 7 Battled manfully, whipped in some good crosses.
Mikel – 7 looks assured and should develop with more games.
Lampard – 8 Good penalty, good all round midfield display.
Malouda – 6 less effective than i would’ve hoped.
Kalou – 5 Did his best but looked less effective than Pizarro.
Drogba – 6 Some nice moments, battled well mostly.
Subs:
Pizarro – 7 again looked good for the EPL and will improve.
Cole – 6 Didnt see much of him but some nice link up play.
Alex – 6 Nothing to say.
MourofEssien
Fair assesment..
But i think essien deserves more than a 5..n Ben haim doesnt deserve 6
I think Jose should try alex along with terry for the next game..alex has come in with a better reputation than ben haim..he should be given a chance..
I would like to see this team out for the next game
Cech
Ferreira……….Alex…………Terry …………..Ashley
Essien……Lampard…..Mikel
SWP………….Drogba………….Malouda
Subs:Pizzaro, joe, kalou,Cudicini,Ben haim
i think this team can defend better and has the ability to attack as well
who did write this article ? BC ?
he said SWP had bad day , SWP was good .
i have just a interview with Benetiz after their game last week ,
He said , nobody knew Veronin is a good player and we bought him and now they say he is good , he had a stupid smile on his stupid face while he was saynig these words.
He is crazy , all world know that Veronin is a good player . he talked about him as if Bentiz discovered this player
I think ALex is the hugest player in chelsea he is BIG.
Horrible performance. Right Back is the side where we are conceeding from. I think we are wasting Essien in that place we could have far better having johnson there and Essien in the Midfield. Just because Johnson is bad we cant have essien there. It is wasting his skills there. Entire chelsea team was absent where was the possesion and the passing skills. Only SWP is good thing that we have seen this season. I hope other players wake up.
first get rid of all players who don’t know how to pass ball…drogba tops the list….how the hell you can attack when u can’t move the ball and that’s why he resorts to long balls.
last 7-8 mins it was literally between Cech and LPool…lpool attacks,cech kicks ball to reina,reina kicks back,lpool attacks…and so on..even if aim is to waste the time, then what is a better option….passing the ball within defense in safe areas or kicking the ball to opposition.
Giridhar : yes, that’s what i said , you are right.
Manish: what do u except from only striker?. take ball dribile every player and score.
last 8-7 minutes Drogba was not striker , pizarro was sole striker. by the way chelsea was playing 9 0 1 , how do u except him to do so ?
1-1 is very good ,
Maysam, do you think Drogba does so even when we are playing attacking game…never…he is just not capable of it…only thing he can do is shoot the ball…he is always culminating point of any attack, he never contributes to making an attack….get rid of your
blue glasses….accept when we play shit and appreciate when we play well.
the one who wrote this is Blue Devil i guess
Yeah we didnt play the best but you gotta look at the positives I guess. Before the season we were saying if we are within 5 points Of Manure by the time we start getting our best team on the field we should be happy. Considering we are 5 points above them I think we are doing pretty damn good.
Plus we were playing away at Anfield, one of the toughest grounds to play at. I think we should give credit were it is due. Liverpool played quite good uptempo footy, with their expensive new team, in front of their very parochial home crowd. They were obviously up for it as well and highlighted this game as a key to their season, as they were prepared to risk their captain with a busted toe. To get a point (while playing well below par) is a great effort I reckon.
Chelsea are certainly a victim to its own success. Guys, get a life. Not even Brazil plays great game every time. And please let us stop this habit of labelling how good or bad a player is after one match. C Ronaldo, had a torrid time against us in the FA Cup but is still highly rated. What of Henry? That is the name of the game. Let us start moaning only when this is becomes the constant pattern. It is true that we have now become very expectant because of our team’s great performance over the last three seasons, but please lets be realistic too. Am mightily glad with the point and am more happy cos we can only improve.
And whatever attacking game we play, Pizarro should play, that’s all.
Anderson and ronaldo and rooney didnt play.get your facts straight!
[...] poor goalkeeping. It’s definitely not a bad result – especially after Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all dropped points – but Arsenal will be hoping for three points over Manchester City next weekend [...]
Had Essien been able to play his position, Chelsea would have won this match. He is not a right back nor central defender and should not be used as one. This is not the result that I hoped for. But, one point is better than none.
my sentiments exactly, johnarejr but if we had played with someone else at right back, we may have been much more vulnerable.
cmon guys that was a big point compare the way we play we have to be satisfied cos Anfield is not a easy place to win so be happy … we gonna be CHAMPION this year … by the way half of our team is still out
AHHHHHHHH, too many comments to read. I hope I’m not repeating anyone. I saw this at 2 AM, ’cause I couldn’t watch it live. So I don’t know if that had any effect on me, because I thought we deserved a point.
For the last twenty minutes of the first half, and the first twenty-five minutes of the second half, we were dominant. I don’t understand why our best midfielder keeps playing in defense. Mourinho knows our RB’s suck. He stuck Essien in there, and it’s a shame. Had Alex/Carvalho been fit, I think we would have won the match, with Ben Haim at RB, Essien in the midfield, and Ben Haim at RB. Soon enough we’ll have Alves, so no worries yet. It’s a shame, we haven’t had a clean sheet (or a goal from the left flank).
The penalty was a lenient call but I think it was a foul. Carraghar plowed into Malouda who was mid-air at the moment, causing him to fall. The referee was right there, so I think it’s not a manner of he didn’t see it, etc.
It was a shame the referee had a horrible game. I think Liverpool had a very promising start, very dominant up till the goal, and then for about ten minutes it was back and forth, then all Chelsea.
Terry was immensly unlucky not to score off Lamp’s brilliant freekick.
Of all our players, Kalou was once again worst. I realize he’s 22 or something, but he’s sooooooooooooo wastefull! He has a good move here and there but by no means do they justify the mistakes he makes–or the starting role. He needs to sit the next game, Pizarro made such a large impact as soon as he came in that Kalou seemed invisible.
Pizarro should have done better off SWP’s brilliant cross, though. Just heading towards goal would have caused Reina a great headache.
Our performances were mediocre, but Liverpool were terrific. Their youngster Babel was brilliant for the 10 or so minutes he played. Gerrard was top class like usual, I would have him in any World XI. And watching Riise, my mouth was watering because Alves is that sort of player. He’s everywhere, everytime, with a great shot, control, and passing. Riise was very good, and I can not wait till we finalize the Alves deal and have a solution for RB.
SWP outshone Malouda, who wasn’t bad himself. Mikel can still improve his form. Lampard is improving. Ben Haim was solid for 95 minutes, but unaided by a RB (not Essien’s fault–HE’S OUT OF POSITION!) he couldn’t hold off Torres. Terry is a rock. Ashley Cole was quiet. Cech was great, he didn’t make any mistakes and could do nothing about Torres’ perfect strike.
All in all, it’s a good point. It was horrible to see our long-ball-to-Drogba approach the last thirty minutes, when we looked outclassed by Liverpool, but our defense made up for it, handling quite a few shots from Gerrard, Kuyt, and Babel well and showing that even missing half the defense, we can defend like champions.
I have the impression after this game that Liverpool, if they can keep this level of play consistantly, are in with a good shout for second place.
We’ll see. I’ve written as much as BC (sorry?) but I only commented once, so it’s all good.
Sorry, the foul on Malouda was by Finnan, nor Carraghar.
Maka signs a one year extention.
It is quite interesting how the game went, strange refreeing, poor performances, however i think we should take it easy on the players especially some who have given so much like the drogs, essien, mikel and lamps. Sometimes it is impossible to perform to ur best or even ur minimum but atleast we can see their commitments. Anyway I believe we can only get better as the games come.
Manish : I don’t wear any blue glasses , If i would so , I did not predict ( Liverpoo 1-0 Chelsea ) or i did not say we were lucky that we got 1 point .
Dorgba was like other players , not very good , not very bad. I like his style. he is a pure striker.
Question: If Chelsea can’t get Alves, is there a right back anywhere that we can obtain that can play well enough that Essien can be a midfielder and only a midfielder?
I think Haim will do fine at the RB. He will not give us less than Gallas was giving us there.
I believe Ferreira is a good choice , and after him Ben Haim or Diarra . Haim and Diarra are in the same level in that position , but Ferreira is better than them because he has this ability to go forward and do some good corsses.
I wonder why Mourinho does not use Ferreira , he is probably injured .
Maysam, wait till you seu see haim there and am sure you wil change your mind. paolp is decent- his problem is lack of consistency.
Guys, I think kenyon must be reading this blog and other chelsea sites. The overwhelming sentiment is that Alvez at over 20m plus is over the odds and the club should drop the idea. Alvez now says he has not heard from Chelsea since. Methinks, we should drop the idea and give opportunity to haim to play there, helped by Diarra and Paolo. We can cope.
MourofEssien : I know Haim is a good player , I like Ferreira better than Haim becasue i THINK he can go forward and cross better than Haim.
It’s a mistake to let Alves go. Now that we’re this close, we should close the deal. I’d hate to have another season with Ferreira our main choice. He’s not been good enough, even though he’s our best RB.
i heard that Chelsea make a new bid for Alves – 24.5 mil pounds .. maybe is too much but i think that we need him
Why isn’t Chelsea making a bid for Morten Gamst Pederson, Blackburn Rovers?
Gamst will be just as good as Malouda, SWP or Cole if you are willing to think long-term?
not a bad result at all against a gr8 team… i was a penalty, carragher bought malouda down
I think chelsea were extremely lucky with that draw and just so you know i think that wasnt a penalty and the majority of people who care don’t either…just so you know… anyway good luck with grant and the preiership…