Chelsea 3-0 Birmingham: Back on top (it was easy)
I said it was a must win game and Chelsea came up with the goods once more. It was an outstanding display by the boys and put an end to Birm...
https://www.chelseadaft.org/2010/01/chelsea-3-0-birmingham-back-on-top-it.html
I said it was a must win game and Chelsea came up with the goods once more. It was an outstanding display by the boys and put an end to Birmingham's run of good form. Let's be honest here and I mean no dis-respect to Birmingham at all, apart from a couple of early shots on goal and a Cech save in the second half they never looked like scoring.
Chelsea scored early and straight away our initial reaction is to think "Kick on now and get more" and we did in emphatic style!. We looked assured at the back, had fluidity on our midfield where Deco played really well in the Anchor position once more and posed a constant threat to Birmingham with our natural width provided by Malouda and Anelka.
It was great to see Lamps banging more goals in and he took them superb. The quick look up at others around him before he received possession of the ball from Ballack for his first goal makes him stand out from others. The positional sense he has is first class and he knew he could take a touch, compose himself and strike the ball to the bottom corner as he had the time and space to do it. As the ball came into him, he did take a touch, a quick look up and bang into the bottom corner, Joe Hart had no chance (as he didn't with all three goals) and no defenders had time to get near him, which is hard to believe considering the threat he poses in or around the box.
Lampard's second goal was different class again once more. Deco of all people broke down Birmingham possession and drilled a ball out to the right hand side for Malouda. Birmingham had men caught up field and Malouda had time and space to attack their defence. With the decoy run from Sturridge taking one of the defenders away it left a simple option for Malouda and that was Frank Lampard. As soon as the ball broke to Malouda, Lampard was on his bike. He bust a gut to get level with play and the choice for Malouda was simple. He laid the ball off to Lampard who took a touch with his left foot to control the ball and then drilled his shot left-footed hard and low passed Hart to make it 3-0.
This was Lampard back to his best (or well on the way to getting there) and this is a bad sign for the rest of the Premier League. Some people argue that he hasn't been at his best or started off to well but he has been effective in play with the ball at his feet without scoring goals.
One person that impressed me the other night was Joe Cole. He was outstanding, it was his composure on the ball and skill that saw him glide past Bowyer with ease and he while into the box under pressure he still had the composure to look up, see Malouda in the box and stand up a cross towards the back post for Malouda to head home unchallenged from 8 yards.
Joe was immense and his presence on the pitch now is growing from game to game. I have argued on here before that I prefer him to play before Deco and he is finally beginning to prove his worth. Let's just hope that he can continue to get back to the form that we all know he is capable of.
It was a great performance against the in-form side in the Premier League and a performance that put us back on top of the Premier League with a game in hand. Back where we belong!
CAREFREE & KTBFFH (AT THE TOP OF THE LEAGUE) EVERYONE!
Chelsea scored early and straight away our initial reaction is to think "Kick on now and get more" and we did in emphatic style!. We looked assured at the back, had fluidity on our midfield where Deco played really well in the Anchor position once more and posed a constant threat to Birmingham with our natural width provided by Malouda and Anelka.
It was great to see Lamps banging more goals in and he took them superb. The quick look up at others around him before he received possession of the ball from Ballack for his first goal makes him stand out from others. The positional sense he has is first class and he knew he could take a touch, compose himself and strike the ball to the bottom corner as he had the time and space to do it. As the ball came into him, he did take a touch, a quick look up and bang into the bottom corner, Joe Hart had no chance (as he didn't with all three goals) and no defenders had time to get near him, which is hard to believe considering the threat he poses in or around the box.
Lampard's second goal was different class again once more. Deco of all people broke down Birmingham possession and drilled a ball out to the right hand side for Malouda. Birmingham had men caught up field and Malouda had time and space to attack their defence. With the decoy run from Sturridge taking one of the defenders away it left a simple option for Malouda and that was Frank Lampard. As soon as the ball broke to Malouda, Lampard was on his bike. He bust a gut to get level with play and the choice for Malouda was simple. He laid the ball off to Lampard who took a touch with his left foot to control the ball and then drilled his shot left-footed hard and low passed Hart to make it 3-0.
This was Lampard back to his best (or well on the way to getting there) and this is a bad sign for the rest of the Premier League. Some people argue that he hasn't been at his best or started off to well but he has been effective in play with the ball at his feet without scoring goals.
One person that impressed me the other night was Joe Cole. He was outstanding, it was his composure on the ball and skill that saw him glide past Bowyer with ease and he while into the box under pressure he still had the composure to look up, see Malouda in the box and stand up a cross towards the back post for Malouda to head home unchallenged from 8 yards.
Joe was immense and his presence on the pitch now is growing from game to game. I have argued on here before that I prefer him to play before Deco and he is finally beginning to prove his worth. Let's just hope that he can continue to get back to the form that we all know he is capable of.
It was a great performance against the in-form side in the Premier League and a performance that put us back on top of the Premier League with a game in hand. Back where we belong!
CAREFREE & KTBFFH (AT THE TOP OF THE LEAGUE) EVERYONE!
It was very easy for Chelsea. Thankfully at the end of the season we won't be measured on our defeat against Chelsea / Utd etc. I have enjoyed our run, but it ended at the champions elect IMO, and no disgrace there.
ReplyDeleteAll the best to Chelsea, you'd be worthy winners of the league with the football you play.
Kev