Sunday, August 28, 2005

sunday papers spurs away

Independent:
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Chelsea 2
Del Horno punishes Mido's indiscretion
By Steve Tongue at White Hart Lane
Four games into the season and the rest already appear to be playing for second place. Tottenham, starting yesterday's derby as the best of the rest, forsook that position with their habitual defeat by Chelsea, this one hastened by the sending off of their Egyptian striker Mido with only 25 minutes played. The contest was spoiled by that decision - deemed a reckless challenge with the arm - but even given their encouraging start to the season, Spurs would have been hard pressed to end a wretched run now stretching to 31 League games without a victory against their London rivals.
The champions, meanwhile, have yet to concede a goal, and in reviewing their campaign thus far, Jose Mourinho was counting the number of chances offered by his miserly defence on the fingers of one hand - thumb not required. Unquestionably, they are stronger than last season, when the single Premiership defeat came against Manchester City, 34 matches and almost 12 months ago. Asier del Horno, the victim of Mido's challenge, is a more accomplished left-back than Wayne Bridge, Shaun Wright-Phillips showed his value in running at a tired defence and Hernan Crespo is much more confident than in his previous spell at the club. Then there is Michael Essien, the most expensive of them all, already knitting snugly into a tight midfield triangle with Frank Lampard and the peerless Claude Makelele.
In the circumstances it was not the day to judge the home side, though even Martin Jol, their manager, snorted at the suggestion that Spurs might be worried Chelsea were running away with the title again. "It's not my concern, it's maybe Arsenal's concern," he said.
At Blackburn in midweek, with Jermain Defoe, Edgar Davids and Michael Carrick all rested, Jol's team had been the Tottenham no-shot Spurs, fortunate to escape with a scoreless draw. Not surprisingly, that trio were restored, but to far less effect than in the previous home game against Middlesbrough.
As both managers agreed, Spurs started brightly, while causing no greater anxiety than Defoe's fierce strike from 20 yards and Michael Dawson's header past a post. Then two important decisions by Rob Styles went against them midway through the first half, both of which he appeared to have got right. First Teemu Tainio sent Davids haring towards goal, only to have his heels clipped by Essien on the edge of the penalty area. The verdict was a yellow card, as there was a covering defender, and a free-kick teed up for Andy Reid but charged down by Damien Duff.
Within five minutes Mido, for the second time in the game, led with his forearm in going for a high ball with Del Horno and left the defender on the floor holding his head. There was a long hiatus as the volatile striker declined to leave the pitch, Spurs' players protested and Chelsea's recorded their displeasure, John Terry collecting one of the game's six yellow cards for his vehemence.
After that, not even Defoe could prosper on his own in attack against Terry and William Gallas, and seven minutes before half-time Chelsea supporters were chanting "It's so easy at the Lane" after their side took the lead. Lampard, making an astonishing 150th successive Premiership appearance, swung over a corner from the right, and Del Horno - showing no ill-effects now - headed powerfully down inside a post. Gallas, fortunately for Chelsea, failed to make contact as the ball went past him, since he might well have been given offside. The other question, as so often, was why no defender was stationed on the post.
At half-time Tainio, again something of a square peg in the round hole out on the right of midfield, made way for Aaron Lennon, the youngster signed from Leeds in the close-season, whose first contribution was to slash a shot high into the crowd as Terry headed out Carrick's free-kick to him. His dart into the penalty area on the hour offered greater possibilities but Terry, injured when Dawson fell heavily on his leg, pulled off a crisp tackle. The howls for a penalty underlined the home crowd's frustration.
Spirit kept Spurs coming forward, but the visitors, passing smoothly, remained unflappable. Bringing Crespo and Wright-Phillips off the substitutes' heated seats for Didier Drogba and a quiet Joe Cole emphasised once again the resources available to them, and the Argentinian striker might have scored with his first touch. He met Paulo Ferreira's fine low cross at the near post, Paul Robinson saving with his leg, then blocking the follow-up from his England colleague Wright-Phillips.
Another couple of minutes and Chelsea had a second goal in any case. The troublesome Wright-Phillips hit the ball square and Duff defeated the goalkeeper by hitting a volley awkwardly down into the ground and up into the net. There would have been a similar third goal 10 minutes from time but for Robinson's instinctive parry as Crespo met another dangerous cross by Wright-Phillips, who will have impressed the watching Sven Goran Eriksson more than Cole. The greater concern for Eriksson ahead of Saturday's international in Wales will be whether Terry makes a full recovery from the bang on his knee.
"We had the feeling we could do something today," said Jol, who felt a yellow card would have sufficed for Mido. "Sometimes 11 men against 10 doesn't mean the 11 win," Mourinho countered. It does when the 11 are in Chelsea blue.
Four games into the season and the rest already appear to be playing for second place. Tottenham, starting yesterday's derby as the best of the rest, forsook that position with their habitual defeat by Chelsea, this one hastened by the sending off of their Egyptian striker Mido with only 25 minutes played. The contest was spoiled by that decision - deemed a reckless challenge with the arm - but even given their encouraging start to the season, Spurs would have been hard pressed to end a wretched run now stretching to 31 League games without a victory against their London rivals.
The champions, meanwhile, have yet to concede a goal, and in reviewing their campaign thus far, Jose Mourinho was counting the number of chances offered by his miserly defence on the fingers of one hand - thumb not required. Unquestionably, they are stronger than last season, when the single Premiership defeat came against Manchester City, 34 matches and almost 12 months ago. Asier del Horno, the victim of Mido's challenge, is a more accomplished left-back than Wayne Bridge, Shaun Wright-Phillips showed his value in running at a tired defence and Hernan Crespo is much more confident than in his previous spell at the club. Then there is Michael Essien, the most expensive of them all, already knitting snugly into a tight midfield triangle with Frank Lampard and the peerless Claude Makelele.
In the circumstances it was not the day to judge the home side, though even Martin Jol, their manager, snorted at the suggestion that Spurs might be worried Chelsea were running away with the title again. "It's not my concern, it's maybe Arsenal's concern," he said.
At Blackburn in midweek, with Jermain Defoe, Edgar Davids and Michael Carrick all rested, Jol's team had been the Tottenham no-shot Spurs, fortunate to escape with a scoreless draw. Not surprisingly, that trio were restored, but to far less effect than in the previous home game against Middlesbrough.
As both managers agreed, Spurs started brightly, while causing no greater anxiety than Defoe's fierce strike from 20 yards and Michael Dawson's header past a post. Then two important decisions by Rob Styles went against them midway through the first half, both of which he appeared to have got right. First Teemu Tainio sent Davids haring towards goal, only to have his heels clipped by Essien on the edge of the penalty area. The verdict was a yellow card, as there was a covering defender, and a free-kick teed up for Andy Reid but charged down by Damien Duff.
Within five minutes Mido, for the second time in the game, led with his forearm in going for a high ball with Del Horno and left the defender on the floor holding his head. There was a long hiatus as the volatile striker declined to leave the pitch, Spurs' players protested and Chelsea's recorded their displeasure, John Terry collecting one of the game's six yellow cards for his vehemence.After that, not even Defoe could prosper on his own in attack against Terry and William Gallas, and seven minutes before half-time Chelsea supporters were chanting "It's so easy at the Lane" after their side took the lead. Lampard, making an astonishing 150th successive Premiership appearance, swung over a corner from the right, and Del Horno - showing no ill-effects now - headed powerfully down inside a post. Gallas, fortunately for Chelsea, failed to make contact as the ball went past him, since he might well have been given offside. The other question, as so often, was why no defender was stationed on the post.
At half-time Tainio, again something of a square peg in the round hole out on the right of midfield, made way for Aaron Lennon, the youngster signed from Leeds in the close-season, whose first contribution was to slash a shot high into the crowd as Terry headed out Carrick's free-kick to him. His dart into the penalty area on the hour offered greater possibilities but Terry, injured when Dawson fell heavily on his leg, pulled off a crisp tackle. The howls for a penalty underlined the home crowd's frustration.
Spirit kept Spurs coming forward, but the visitors, passing smoothly, remained unflappable. Bringing Crespo and Wright-Phillips off the substitutes' heated seats for Didier Drogba and a quiet Joe Cole emphasised once again the resources available to them, and the Argentinian striker might have scored with his first touch. He met Paulo Ferreira's fine low cross at the near post, Paul Robinson saving with his leg, then blocking the follow-up from his England colleague Wright-Phillips.
Another couple of minutes and Chelsea had a second goal in any case. The troublesome Wright-Phillips hit the ball square and Duff defeated the goalkeeper by hitting a volley awkwardly down into the ground and up into the net. There would have been a similar third goal 10 minutes from time but for Robinson's instinctive parry as Crespo met another dangerous cross by Wright-Phillips, who will have impressed the watching Sven Goran Eriksson more than Cole. The greater concern for Eriksson ahead of Saturday's international in Wales will be whether Terry makes a full recovery from the bang on his knee.
"We had the feeling we could do something today," said Jol, who felt a yellow card would have sufficed for Mido. "Sometimes 11 men against 10 doesn't mean the 11 win," Mourinho countered. It does when the 11 are in Chelsea blue.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sunday Times;
Tottenham 0 Chelsea 2: Del Horno earns his spursJoe Lovejoy at White Hart Lane TOTTENHAM have not beaten their west London rivals in the League since most of the present team were in short trousers, and the run will go into its 16th year after a Chelsea win that was not quite as routine as the scoreline might suggest. First versus second at kick-off, the summit meeting had all the makings, and play was spikily competitive until Spurs were reduced to 10 men by Mido’s dismissal after 25 minutes. The striker had to walk, just like an Egyptian, after flattening Asier del Horno with his forearm while challenging for the ball in the air. Some referees would have settled for a yellow card, but Rob Styles, opted for red. Mido was furious. Eleven versus 11 was a good contest, 11 v 10 was not and, nothing if not efficient, Chelsea soon profited from their numerical advantage.
Del Horno, fully recovered from Mido’s attentions, put them ahead after 39 minutes when he headed in a corner from Frank Lampard, who will have enjoyed his 150th consecutive appearance, and Damien Duff added the second, a tad fortuitously, after a textbook delivery from Shaun Wright-Phillips, whose cameo as substitute can only have impressed Sven-Göran Eriksson, who was at the game. Ditto Paul Robinson, whose athleticism in goal spared Spurs more of a beating.
Brimming with confidence after their bright start to the season, Spurs fashioned the first two goal attempts, which saw Michael Dawson threaten with a good header and Jermain Defoe strike a 20-yarder with impressive power, but straight at Petr Cech. Didier Drogba responded with a free kick of similar velocity, but his direction was found wanting, too, and Tottenham quickly resumed the initiative, creating an opportunity which triggered the first controversial incident.
Teemu Tainio played Edgar Davids through to the 18-yard line, where he was deliberately tripped by Michael Essien. The instinctive reaction was that Davids had been denied a scoring opportunity and that a red card was appropriate, but fortunately for Chelsea and their record signing the referee spotted that the last man was not Essien but Del Horno, on the cover, and settled for a booking.
To Spurs’ chagrin the free kick, taken by Mido, was charged down. Controversy reared its contentious head again after 25 minutes, when Mido challenged for the ball in the air recklessly, with his forearm raised, and made painful contact with Del Horno’s head. It must have been a borderline decision, but this time Mr Styles opted for a straight red, when yellow would probably have sufficed. Mido, clearly shocked by the verdict, took an eternity to leave the field, and appeared to be in tears.
Spurs were still nursing a sense of grievance when Chelsea made their extra man count, Del Horno heading in Lampard’s corner from 12 yards. No team can afford to take on the defending champions and League leaders with 10 men, but Spurs possess grit as well as style these days, and they made a decent fist of it until the second goal, after 72 minutes, put even a point beyond them. Just before that they needed an improvised save by Robinson, using a boot, to deny Hernan Crespo, whose side-footed shot at close range was his first kick after replacing Drogba midway through the second half. Chelsea had also sent on Wright-Phillips, and after accelerating to the byline on the right, the England winger cut the ball back nicely for Duff to score with a scuffed, bouncing volley. Spurs were out of it now, and it took a second outstanding save by Robinson to prevent Crespo from making it 3-0, from another Wright-Phillips cross, with 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
And so to international matters. Eriksson will be relieved that a sizeable England contingent emerged unscathed here. These two teams could provide half his starting line-up against Wales next Saturday.
STAR MAN: Michael Carrick (Tottenham)
Player ratings. Tottenham: Robinson 7, Stalteri 6, Dawson 6, Gardner 6, Kelly 6, Tainio 5 (Lennon h-t, 7), Carrick 8, Davids 6, Reid 6, Mido 4, Defoe 6.
Chelsea: Cech 7, Ferreira 6, Gallas 6, Terry 6, Del Horno 7, Lampard 6, Makelele 6, Essien 6, Duff 7 (Huth 89min, 5), Drogba 6 (Crespo 68min, 6), Cole 6 (Wright-Phillips 63min, 7)
Scorers: Chelsea: Del Horno 39, Duff 71
Referee: R Styles
Attendance: 36,077 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Observer:
Mido's moment of madness lets Del Horno take full advantage
Tottenham 0 - 2 Chelsea
Amy Lawrence at White Hart LaneSunday August 28, 2005The Observer
'It's so easy at the Lane,' crowed the Blues fans. It was, although it might well not have been if Tottenham had not seen their best-laid plans ripped into a thousand pieces midway through the first half. All their promise fizzled out the moment their maverick attacker, Mido, was sent off for raising an arm dangerously.Until that point, Chelsea hadn't been having a particularly enthralling day at the office. As soon as Jose Mourinho's team perked up sufficiently to breach Tottenham's defence for the first time this season, there was never any danger of the points going anywhere except back to Stamford Bridge. It was a kick in the teeth for Spurs, who had been looking forward to the rare pleasure of taking part in a top-of-the-table dispute. Unusual circumstances, same old outcome.
Having rested Edgar Davids and Jermain Defoe for their midweek trip to Blackburn, it was no surprise Tottenham were back to their strongest possible line-up for the visit of a team who have heaped such unmitigated misery on them in the past 15 years.
It was a sign of Spurs' improving status that Chelsea, too, were at full power. And they needed to be, as Martin Jol's men began with a plan to do a good deal more damage than park a bus in front of their own goal - as Mourinho famously claimed they had done a year ago during Jacques Santini's short and not particularly sweet spell in charge, when they secured a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.
Now Spurs forced the early running, with Mido, Michael Dawson and Defoe having chances. Chelsea, conversely, were out of sync. Passes went astray and rhythm was askew, with Michael Carrick catching the eye as he set about disrupting the champions.
Tottenham sensed something historic was on and Davids quickened the pulse with a run that was rudely interrupted by Michael Essien inside the D. The Ghana midfielder was cautioned, despite the Spurs fans noisily baying for red. From the free-kick Andy Reid's effort was blocked. But Spurs were encouraged.
Their mood darkened shortly after, however. In the 25th minute, Mido was dismissed for catching Asier Del Horno with his forearm. It was a foolish gesture from the Egyptian as he leapt for a high ball together with the Spain left-back. Referee Rob Styles was well placed and was left with no choice. An ill-tempered mêlée was predictable, but didn't alter the outcome.
This was a serious blot on Jol's masterplan. Creating chances against Chelsea is hard enough with a full complement of players. Losing a creative outlet doubled the size of the task. Defoe alone against Chelsea's thick blue line didn't have the look of a particularly fair contest.
But, it must be said, Chelsea were hardly troubling Paul Robinson. Typically of their fortuitous season so far, they went ahead with their first decent effort on goal. Frank Lampard's header was met by a stooping header from none other than Del Horno, whose angled effort went in off the far post.
So, to their palpable frustration, ended Tottenham's sequence of clean sheets. Could they somehow respond by upsetting Chelsea's defensive record? Carrick had a go in first-half stoppage time, curling in a tantalising free-kick, but Petr Cech was equal to it.
It was difficult to avoid the nagging feeling that Chelsea would be content to pass the ball among themselves for the entire second half. That was all they needed to do and they were more than capable of doing it.
Mourinho's men were not a great deal livelier after the break, but predictably dominated possession. Tottenham needed a flash of inspiration. Defoe broke and teed up young substitute Aaron Lennon, who skipped into the penalty box before tripping at the last. Cries for a penalty cascaded down from the masses, but Styles was unmoved.
Of course just what Tottenham didn't need was a couple of fresh and motivated Chelsea subs. Shaun Wright-Phillips and Hernan Crespo took no time in finding their range. Crespo's flick provoked a particularly sharp save from Robinson, before Wright-Phillips jinked into the box and squared the ball for Damien Duff to bundle in. Thank you and goodnight.
Wright-Phillips teed up Crespo for a chance goal that would have put a gloss on the result, only for Robinson to beat the ball away.
How typical of Tottenham for their renaissance to be scuppered against their bogey team. At some point next season these two teams will meet here and it will be 19 years since Spurs last beat Chelsea in the league at home.
Man of the match
Shaun Wright-Phillips: This game was another example of Chelsea playing well below their best. Their offensive play was lacking sharpness and invention. Wright-Phillips may have been only a substitute, but he offered the most enlivening moments. His energy, driving runs and tempting crosses ensured that Chelsea wrapped up the points.
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Telegraph:
Chelsea feeling their way By Roy Collins
Tottenham (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 2
Former striker Les Ferdinand was back on the White Hart Lane pitch before the match to relive all our yesterdays, a favourite preoccupation among Spurs supporters, citing the club's Worthington Cup triumph of 1999 as the greatest moment of his time with the Lily Whites.
That served to highlight how ambitions have risen at Tottenham since Martin Jol took over as manager after a few months of last season. Supporters and players alike are now daring to talk about Champions League football and, more than a tad fancifully, even a Premiership title bid, while a queue at the megastore longer than the one at the bagel stand was a healthy sign of renewed belief.
There have, of course, been more new dawns at Spurs than most people care to remember, though, despite defeat here, there is still a feeling that this one will last beyond lunchtime. It is hard to gauge, since they are still missing key players and this game was as good as over by the 24th minute, when referee Rob Styles sent off Spurs' Egyptian striker Mido for throwing an elbow in an aerial challenge with Asier Del Horno.
A few minutes earlier, the Spurs bench had been screaming for Chelsea's Michael Essien to be shown red after he had crudely interrupted a passing movement between Edgar Davids and Teemu Tainio by upending Davids on the edge of the box. But, once again, the gods, or maybe the devil, smiled on Chelsea, Essien escaping with a yellow card while Mido, who insisted that he was going for the ball, looked harshly treated as his elbow connected with Del Horno's back.
Tottenham were carrying enough emotional baggage into this game, having not beaten Chelsea here since 1987, to survive such a handicap so early into a contest in which they had made a promising start. And even if Mido's dismissal turns out to be another early season red card that lasts only as long as it takes the Football Association to look at the video over their cornflakes on Tuesday morning, it will be no consolation to Spurs.
Chelsea are formidable enough opponents against 11 men, so, when he waved his red, Styles might as well have awarded them all three points. Not that the rest of the first-half play reflected their numerical superiority and to add to Tottenham's sense of injustice Del Horno headed the opener in off a post.
"It's so easy at the Lane", chanted Chelsea supporters. But, although their team maintained a measure of control, they still gave the impression of an outfit feeling their way into the season. Seeing as they have taken maximum points from their opening four games, that is a worrying sign for those aiming to seize their championship crown.
The sheer depth and quality in their squad is what makes it so unlikely that they will suffer the mythical blip that their rivals have been waiting for since the start of last season. When Joe Cole was shown only a yellow card for a challenge that seething Spurs fans thought should have been red, manager Jose Mourinho yanked him off and sent on another £23 million replacement in Shaun Wright-Phillips. Almost as an afterthought, he sent on Hernan Crespo in place of Didier Drogba.
We had been hoping to see Chelsea at least tested by the pace, skill and shooting ability of Jermain Defoe, who will start for England against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday. And, with Robbie Keane itching to be summoned from the bench, there seemed every prospect of Chelsea having one of their more uncomfortable afternoons here.
The dismissal of Mido, however, inevitably blunted Tottenham's ambitions, particularly those of Davids, though Defoe did release substitute Aaron Lennon, 19, for a thrilling run that unfortunately ended with him losing control of the ball and his feet just inside the area. Another promising moment for Tottenham.
Chelsea, though, who never like to go to gung-ho, are great at controlling games when they are in front and a second goal from Damien Duff ended any thoughts of a comeback, again a slightly fortunate strike as he tumbled over while striking the ball and it squirmed past England goalkeeper Paul Robinson. If anyone feared that he might be turning into David James, he quickly made a fine close stop from Crespo.
As players of both sides now head off to international duty, the clubs can reflect on their respective starts to the season. Although Chelsea will clearly be the happier, there is no reason for Spurs to pack away their latest dreams just yet.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Thursday, August 25, 2005

morning papers baggies home

Guardian:Lampard far too strong for Albion
Chelsea 4 - 0 West Brom
Kevin McCarra at Stamford BridgeThursday August 25, 2005
Chelsea went to the top of the Premiership with an easy-going rout. Rivals should evidently not have been encouraged by their muted efforts in two previous matches. When West Brom failed, in the 80th minute, to force the ball away cleanly from the substitutes Arjen Robben and Hernan Crespo, Frank Lampard pounced to score his second goal. Neither he nor any of his team-mates had betrayed the slightest haste in their work.
When nothing much is happening on the field the composition of Jose Mourinho's side is a useful topic with which to while away the time. During the quiet spell before Lampard's opener in the 23rd minute, the manager's team-sheet was under discussion. The half-dozen alterations from Sunday's lineup for the win over Arsenal did not bring Ricardo Carvalho to the fore.His rehabilitation was partial after his criticism of Mourinho's squad rotation policy - the centre-back featured among the substitutes. This, however, was the one area in which West Brom could vie with Chelsea, and Geoff Horsfield, scorer of both goals in the weekend victory against Portsmouth, was not included.
These deliberations had no spectacular consequences. Michael Essien, beginning a game with Chelsea for the first time since his £24.4m transfer from Lyon, was studious in his desire to make a good impression. Unfortunately for Thomas Gaardsoe, it was Didier Drogba who acted without restraint.
His late challenge crunched studs into the centre-back's knee yet did not draw even a booking from the referee Mark Halsey. The Dane was to wince again, at his own mistake that triggered a Chelsea goal. A pass to Neil Clement was miscued and Shaun Wright-Phillips freed Drogba on the right. His cut-back was dummied by Essien and converted with a low shot by Lampard.
Team-mates joined him in celebration by miming the cradling of a baby, so marking the birth of the Lampards' daughter.
After the single-goal wins over Wigan and Arsenal, Mourinho's men had scored twice by the interval. Better still for the manager, they had done so efficiently, converting the only genuine chances they had found. From Bryan Robson's perspective, however, there had been fatal sloppiness on each occasion.
In the 43rd minute, the left-back Paul Robinson fancied that he could shepherd the ball behind, but he had not reckoned with the persistence of Wright-Phillips. The midfielder took possession before directing the cut-back to Joe Cole for an easy goal.
It would have been a relief for the scorer, with his England ambitions in mind, to illustrate his worth in one of his intermittent outings. Mourinho was gladdened as well, seeing that his first major shake-up had not disrupted the side's performance.
Glen Johnson must have been astounded and grateful to get an opportunity. The right-back's efforts with England in Denmark last week suggested that his Chelsea education ought to include remedial lessons, but he was comfortable last night, setting up Cole for a drive that flew marginally wide early in the second-half.
Without seeming to whip themselves on, Mourinho's side were on the verge of savaging the visitors. A Cole cross after 61 minutes found the head of Drogba and compelled Chris Kirkland to a fine parry. Play continued and Essien would have scored from a Wright-Phillips pass had it not been for a block by Robinson.
There was by then an incessant fluency to the home side. A wearying West Brom fluffed a corner in the 68th minute and Asier Del Horno forced the ball into the goalmouth, where Drogba was waiting to shoot home.
At such a juncture, managers begin to give players a rest. At Chelsea, however, this entails introducing Crespo, Robben and Damien Duff. West Brom will not be the last to feel helpless at this ground.
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Independent:
Lampard the daddy of them all as Chelsea go top Chelsea 4 Wba 0 By Sam Wallace Published: 25 August 2005 He may be a new father who has spent most of the week caring for the latest addition to his family, but Frank Lampard went back to the responsibilities he knows best last night with two goals that have propelled Chelsea to the top of the Premiership - and moving them off may prove difficult for the rest.
Squad rotation was supposed to be the preserve of Jose Mourinho, but Bryan Robson showed last night that it is a policy that can work just as effectively at the other end of the Premiership as well, leaving out five of the side that beat Portsmouth at the weekend.
The West Bromwich manager would be reluctant to admit it but a derby against Birmingham City on Saturday offered a far more realistic prospect of three points than a trip to the champions and it was a journey he made without Geoff Horsfield, Darren Carter, Zoltan Gera, Steve Watson and Kevin Campbell. A ruthless new approach to the business of surviving in the top flight and the irony was that, for 22 minutes at least, it appeared to be working nicely.
Mourinho had given Michael Essien his first start at the expense of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Joe Cole was back from his temporary exile and in the spirit of forgiveness, Ricardo Carvalho, the original squad-rotation rebel, returned to the bench. For the opening stages these two newly assembled sides afforded each other barely a glimpse of goal, and then Robson's team collapsed without warning.
Thomas Gaardsoe hit a poor pass to Neil Clement and when he failed to control it, Shaun Wright-Phillips, making his first Chelsea start, stole in to feed the ball to Didier Drogba. The striker crossed for Lampard who finished from close range.
The second came two minutes before half-time and arrived when Paul Robinson lost Wright-Phillips on the goal-line on the left flank of the area allowing the winger to cut back towards goal and cross for Cole to finish.
He is in the team for now but Drogba struggles to advance his case with every missed opportunity and although he finally beat Chris Kirkland in the 68th minutes, there should have been more before then. As the siege massed around West Brom's goal in the second half, Kirkland saved superbly from a Drogba header and then picked himself up to stop Essien from burying a loose ball.
Another mistake by Gaardsoe on 65 minutes allowed Cole to slip the ball through for Drogba to run clear on goal but he could not out-sprint Clement. The Chelsea striker forced home his side's third on 68 minutes when Asier del Horno found the striker two yards from goal.
The fourth was Lampard's second and owed much to the perseverance of Arjen Robben who, tackled twice, regained possession and, with Hernan Crespo's help, found the England midfielder eight yards from goal.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cudicini; G Johnson, Gallas, Terry, Del Horno; Makelele; Wright-Phillips (Duff, 79), Lampard, Essien, J Cole (Robben, 69); Drogba (Crespo, 71). Substitutes not used: Cech (gk), Carvalho.
West Bromwich Albion (4-5-1): Kirkland; Albrechtsen, Gaardsoe, Clement, Robinson; Greening (Ellington, 71), Scimeca, Chaplow, A Johnson (Inamoto, 60), Kamara; Kanu. Substitutes not used: Kuszczak (gk), Moore, Earnshaw.
Referee: M Halsey (Lancashire).
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Sun:
Chelsea 4 West Brom 0 WHOSE THE DADDY ... Lampard By SUN ONLINE REPORTER
FRANK LAMPARD showed he was the daddy with a double-strike as Chelsea romped to an easy win over West Brom at Stamford Bridge.
Lamps' wife gave birth to a baby daughter, Luna, earlier in the week.
And the beaming England midfielder celebrated his first goal with a gleeful cradle-rocking celebration in front of the Chelsea fans.
Lampard said: “It has been best week of my life. This has put the icing on it. I am so proud. I heard the fans singing my daughter’s name. She’s only three days old. It took me three years before they started singing mine.
“I have been staying at the hospital with girlfriend and the baby. I can’t say I’ve had the best sleep but I’m so proud.
“The manager has been fantastic. I didn’t train on Monday and the manager asked if I was okay. Nothing was going to stop me playing. I’m really proud of scoring my 50th goal.
“John Terry and I decided before the game how we would celebrate. I’ve seen it done before but I couldn’t resist it.”
The recalled Joe Cole and striker Didier Drogba netted the other goals for Jose Mourinho's table-toppers.
Blues boss Mourinho cound not care less about his side's league position.
He said: “We are top because Manchester United and Charlton didn’t play. It doesn’t matter for me - what matters is my team’s improvement. We played better, used the ball and scored goals.
“We had a solid defence and our midfield was very good. I am very happy. But for me it is not really about being top.”
Baggies boss Bryan Robson conceded his side had been well beaten.
He said: “We created our own problems in the first half. The way we set about the game was good but gifted Chelsea their first two goals.
“When you give goals away like that to Chelsea, there is no way back with their defence. They didn’t create much in the first half and didn’t break us down. We gave them the goals.”
Robson now believes Chelsea’s only real rivals for the title are his old side Manchester United.
He added: “Chelsea play the same way they did last season only they are stronger. I think everybody sees them as the team to beat. There’s only Manchester United who can challenge them.”
Chelsea were pedestrian in the opening quarter and Drogba missed from six yards before Lampard showed him how to do it on 23 minutes.
The midfielder made no mistake from close range after the club’s £24.4 million man Michael Essien had stepped over Drogba’s cross to allow him a clear shot at goal.

The Blues went up a gear just before the break and they were rewarded with a second two minutes before the interval.
Wright-Phillips chased what appeared to be a lost cause on the right flank but Paul Robinson allowed the £21million winger to rob the ball and pull it back for Cole who netted from eight yards.
The visitors were under the cosh for most of the second half as Chelsea played the ball around with increasing swagger and authority.
Chris Kirkland made a terrific one-handed save on the hour to deny Drogba after a cross from Cole. Robinson made a brave block on the follow-up to deny Essien.
Drogba did net on 67 minutes when he stretched out a foot to prod home Asier Del Horno's cross.
The magnificent Lampard grabbed his second 10 minutes from the end.
Substitute Arjen Robben won the ball and it fell kindly for Lamps to fire home a low right-foot volley from eight yards.
CHELSEA: Cudicini 6, Johnson 6, Terry 6, Gallas 6, Del Horno 7, Makelele 6, Essien 7, Lampard 8 J Cole 8 (Robben 6), Wright-Phillips 7, Drogba 7 (Crespo 6). Subs not used: Cech, Carvalho, Duff.
Goals: Lampard 23, Joe Cole 43, Drogba 68, Lampard 80. WEST BROM: Kirkland 7, Albrechtsen 6, Gaardsoe 5, Clement 6, Robinson 5, Greening 5 (Ellington 5), Scimeca 5, Chaplow 5, Johnson 5 (Inamoto 6), Kamara 6, Kanu 5. Subs not used: Moore, Earnshaw, Kuszczak. Booked: Kamara.
DREAM TEAM STAR MAN: FRANK LAMPARD (Chelsea). He’s on another planet.
Att: 41,201
Ref: M Halsey (Lancashire).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Chelsea flex their musclesBy Trevor Haylett (Filed: 25/08/2005)
Chelsea (2) 4 West Bromwich Albion (0) 0
After 12 days of the Premiership season, Chelsea have played three, won three and scored six goals for no reply. For sure, their title defence has been decidedly average so far.
It was anticipated that they would make a raft of changes after Sunday's win over Arsenal but West Bromwich almost matched them on that count: six to five. Were the visitors making a point about the size of their own squad after recent signings?
On his first start, Michael Essien was eager to get on the ball and was always seeking out the forward pass.
A poor defensive error by West Bromwich on 22 minutes allowed the champions to settle down with the comfort of a goal. Thomas Gaardsoe failed to find Neil Clement with a square pass and the distress signals immediately went up. Shaun Wright-Phillips played it into Didier Drogba whose cross was helped on deftly by Essien, leaving Lampard with the simple task of directing his shot inside Chris Kirkland's near post.
The pressure increased and two minutes before half-time Wright-Phillips went past Paul Robinson tight to the byline and in position to find Joe Cole who swept home.
Apart from Cole, Wright-Phillips and Essien there were also first starts of the season for Glen Johnson and Carlo Cudicini. For a goalkeeper trying to remind everyone of what he can do it was not the best of games in which to return. For all their honest endeavour West Bromwich failed to put Cudicini to work.
All the action was at the other end. Cole took Johnson's pass and hit a shot across goal, Drogba stretching in vain for a touch.
A sublime piece of footwork from Drogba then set Essien free but his pass to the surging Wright-Phillips was over-hit. Shortly after Kirkland distinguished himself with a superb double stop, firstly from Drogba's header and then from Essien's low drive.
He was beaten again in the 68th minute when a corner was not cleared and Drogba finished off Asier Del Horno's driven centre.
The reality of Albion's first defeat had long since set in and Bryan Robson's defence wilted again to allow Lampard his second goal after Arjen Robben's trickery had caused more havoc.
Team details
Chelsea (4-1-2-3): Cudicini; Johnson, Terry, Gallas, Del Horno; Makelele; Essien, Lampard; Wright-Phillips (Duff 79), Drogba (Crespo 71), Cole (Robben 69). Subs: Cech (g), Carvalho.West Bromwich (4-5-1): Kirkland; Albrechtsen, Gaardsoe, Clement, Robinson; Greening (Ellington 71), Scimeca, Chaplow, Johnson (Inamoto 60), Kamara; Kanu.Subs: Kuszczak (g), Moore, Earnshaw. Booked: Kamara.Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).
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Times:Lampard to the fore as Chelsea hit peak formBy Tom DartChelsea 4 West Bromwich Albion 0 TO CHELSEA, the embarrassment of riches, to West Bromwich Albion, the embarrassment. After two snatched 1-0 wins, the Barclays Premiership champions strolled to the top of the table last night, finding their stride and their scoring touch against a side that came hoping for a goalless draw and left soundly thrashed. Defeatist and defeated, Bryan Robson, the West Bromwich manager, later espoused the sort of arch-pragmatism that may be realistic in the face of Chelsea’s overbearing superiority but sounds dispiriting, especially at this early stage of the season. Pessimism is not supposed to spring eternal in August.
Only one of these clubs is good enough to rotate players with as much abandon as if this were a Carling Cup tie, not a league game, and still win. Fifty per cent of the players who lined up yesterday did not start at the weekend. West Bromwich made five changes, Chelsea six, even though both had won their previous matches.
The concept of a first XI grows ever more elastic. With selections such as these, before long it will snap and the orthodoxy that a settled side breeds success will gather dust. Chelsea’s squad is deep enough successfully to employ extensive match-by-match refurbishment; Robson theorised that this fixture was all but a lost cause before kick-off, so his selection was made with a view to the game against Birmingham City on Saturday.
“It’s impossible for your players to recover 100 per cent for a Saturday lunchtime game after playing on Wednesday. I had that in mind,” Robson said. He played Kanu as a lone striker, adding Nathan Ellington to the forward line in the second half only after the contest was long over. “I didn’t think we’d create too much against them. If you open the game up, Chelsea are great at killing you on the counter- attack,” Robson said.
Still, those West Bromwich fans who had spent nearly £50 on a ticket might have appreciated at least one shot on goal, though José Mourinho, the Chelsea manager, endorsed Robson’s attitude. “I think they couldn’t do better. I think they had no chance,” he said. That was true once bad defending had punctured Albion’s spirit, donated two first-half goals to Chelsea and effectively ended the match.
Frank Lampard scored the opener, his 50th goal for the club, and a baby-rocking celebration ensued. Lampard’s fiancée, Elen Rives, gave birth to their daughter, Luna, on Monday. Perhaps it shows how cosmopolitan football has become. Players used to be “over the moon”; now they name their babies after the Spanish word for the planet.
Joe Cole added a simple second shortly before the break and the second half was a canter for Chelsea, with West Bromwich repeatedly exposed at the back. It is no use adopting a defensive mentality if you cannot master basic defending. Didier Drogba and Lampard, who said afterwards that this week has been the best of his life, added two more goals.
Carlo Cudicini, in goal in place of Petr Cech, would have expended more energy jogging up and down the touchline as a substitute, while Ricardo Carvalho, restored to the bench after his outburst last week, would hardly have touched the ball if he had come on.
Mourinho praised Cole — “he spoke on the pitch, not in the press” — and was right to be pleased with his team’s performance. In his first start, Michael Essien was energetic and attack-minded, and Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips were especially impressive. In contrast to Robson, Mourinho rotates from a position of strength. “If you have a Bentley and an Aston Martin in the garage and you go to work in the Bentley every day for six months, you are not very clever,” Mourinho said. “I have a lot of good players and you have to use them in a balanced way.”
Damage limitation? One wonders if Robson’s brazenly pessimistic/realistic outlook damages the credibility of the Premiership. This was not much of a contest once Chelsea had scored and the fixture had not captured the imagination of the paying public. Stamford Bridge was not full: the only sell-out was on the pitch.
CHELSEA (4-1-2-3): C Cudicini — G Johnson, W Gallas, J Terry, A Del Horno — C Makelele — F Lampard, M Essien — S Wright-Phillips (sub: D Duff, 79min), D Drogba (sub: H Crespo, 72), J Cole (sub: A Robben, 68). Substitutes not used: P Cech, R Carvalho.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION (4-5-1): C Kirkland — M Albrechtsen, T Gaardsoe, N Clement, P Robinson — J Greening (sub: N Ellington, 71), R Scimeca, R Chaplow, A Johnson (sub: J Inamoto, 60), D Kamara — Kanu. Substitutes not used: T Kuszczak, D Moore, R Earnshaw. Booked: Kamara.
Referee: M Halsey. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Monday, August 22, 2005

morning papers arsenal home

Guardian:
Chelsea make the most of Drogba's good fortune
Kevin McCarra at Stamford BridgeMonday August 22, 2005The Guardian
Having trounced the opposition last season Chelsea, for the sake of variety, have now taken to teasing them. For the second week in a row the champions have performed drably before winning 1-0, almost despite themselves. Didier Drogba settled the encounter with a goal characterised by luck and, as in the Community Shield, a capacity for paralysing Arsenal's young Swiss centre-back Philippe Senderos with apprehension. Chelsea, none the less, would not have struck terror into many hearts with this display, unless rival managers quake at the thought that a great improvement by Jose Mourinho's squad is an inevitability. While the Stamford Bridge players wait to retrieve their best form, they were able to while away an afternoon by beating Arsenal in a league fixture for the first time in 10 years.
Arsène Wenger, therefore, marked his 500th match in charge of Arsenal by shedding three points to Chelsea for the first time. But he was much too annoyed by proceedings to slink into self-pity. He was a picture of discontent in front of the dug-out, muttering to himself and gesturing in exasperation. If a new Arsenal really is being raised by him, Wenger has to pace the floor during its teething pains. There are some compromises in the Frenchman's thinking as he reacts to Chelsea's domination. His Arsenal were defensive. Wenger had actually turned to what might have been termed the Keegan Protocol. Last season, while in charge of Manchester City, Kevin Keegan had used an attacker to stifle Chelsea and glean a draw from Stamford Bridge.
Claude Makelele is the starter motor of Mourinho's team, but the ignition kept cutting out in that game as Antoine Sibierski carried out his sabotage mission. Wenger wanted Robert Pires to undertake a similar job yesterday, but he had to be reassigned to the wing following an early injury to Freddie Ljungberg. Robin van Persie came on but did not hamper Makelele much.
The Frenchman and others guaranteed that Chelsea were marginally the better of two sides who succumbed to mediocrity. In the first minute, Frank Lampard released Damien Duff and the Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had to be smart in his response to touch the ball away from the area. A corner ensued and Asier Del Horno's header was prevented from reaching the net only by the chest of Ljungberg. This passage of play was misleading, though, since it did not herald any kind of barrage by Chelsea. It could even have been the visitors who opened the scoring after 12 minutes, but Ljungberg lashed high from an angle.
As champions, it will always be Chelsea who are under under review, and they will be judged strictly. While Lampard, for instance, ran and crossed well in the 42nd minute for Arjen Robben to hit a bouncing finish against the head of Lehmann, there was some disquiet about the midfielder.
Here, as at Wigan, he bore no resemblance to the enterprising plunderer of defences who was so admired last season. It could be that he is still to reach peak condition after a foot operation in the summer and there may even be an extra pound or two on the frame of a man who had acquired a lean look over his sea sons with Chelsea. Mourinho, though, will not be anxious and he must be more perplexed by the fashion in which Hernán Crespo conducted himself. Anyone who thought the Argentinian would be galvanised by his beautiful winner at Wigan has failed to appreciate how tortuous the psychology of this striker really is.
He was listless for as long as he lasted and when a questioner suggested that Crespo had lacked support the manager's contempt for such an explanation was unmistakable.
Drogba, despite his harrying of Senderos in the Community Shield, had surprisingly been named among the substitutes, but that may only have seen the neurosis in the 20-year-old Swiss expand as he awaited the introduction of his nemesis.
Drogba, by and large, was not intimidating and Mourinho probably trembled merely with frustration when the Ivory Coast international sliced a first-time shot foolishly off-target. After 73 minutes, however, Lampard chipped a free-kick into the right of the penalty area and Arsenal, possibly aiming to operate an offside trap, did not get the benefit of a decision too tight for the officials to guarantee that the geometry had been assessed perfectly. The attacker deserved to be allowed to proceed.
Senderos, as he did for the opener in Cardiff, had let Drogba elude him by a couple of yards. The ball then bounced against the outside of of the attacker's knee and, with Lehmann wrong-footed, Chelsea had their lead.
The most disappointing aspect of Arsenal's efforts was they never looked liable to score before or after that breakthrough by Drogba, even if Ashley Cole did claim to have been bowled over in the penalty area early in the afternoon.
Chelsea should take pride in that and also in the pairing of John Terry and William Gallas. During the 21 matches of Mourinho's tenure in which the Englishman and the Frenchman have been together at centre-back, they have conceded only two goals. Maybe the excellent Ricardo Carvalho should not be so confused by his current exclusion from the line-up.
Even if they did not require to do so, Chelsea could have scored a second in stoppage time after Senderos had knocked the ball into Drogba's path, but the shot went straight to Lehmann.
Michael Essien, Chelsea's record signing, had made his debut by then as a substitute. The Ghana midfielder dispossessed Cole and the left-back was booked for the foul that followed.
Essien had helped Chelsea see out the match with a narrow lead intact. He may do rather a lot of that in the years to come.
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Independent:
Chelsea 1 Arsenal 0 Mourinho's functional champs win the battle of Drogba's knee By Sam Wallace Published: 22 August 2005 Last week it was the glorious left foot of Hernan Crespo that proved Chelsea's decisive act, yesterday it was the less subtle talents of Didier Drogba's right knee. The margins of victory are becoming ever finer for Jose Mourinho but the occasion of his club's first league win over Arsenal in almost a decade carries a significance that will resonate throughout the Premiership.
Chelsea started the match as the champions and they finished it having quelled one of the country's last outposts of serious resistance. Only Manchester City now remain unbowed by Mourinho's Chelsea revolution and judging by Arsène Wenger's reaction to defeat on the touchline, in his 500th match in charge of Arsenal, this also proved one of the most painful. He stomped tormented around the perimeter of this game, despairing at the details of a performance that failed to conform to his masterplan.
This was not quite the early chapter of the Premiership that would give us the vital clues to its eventual plot. Chelsea were as indomitable in defence as their reputation dictates but once again the attacking edge to their fleet of wingers was ponderous. Arsenal, still adapting to life without Patrick Vieira, were adequate but they did not excel and for Wenger the fear must nag that defender Philippe Senderos is starting to wilt under the responsibility of his task.
For much of this game, Arsenal proved themselves crisper passers of the ball, more prepared to pick away at the complexities of Chelsea's defence than, as their opponents did, launch their best attacks through the air. But it was to Arsenal, and Wenger's discredit, that the aerial approach of Mourinho's that they have so derided proved their ultimate undoing. Unlike their victory at Wigan last week, Chelsea could not summon a moment of definitive brilliance, but they won the battle with Drogba's knee.
There was a hint of offside about the goal the Ivory Coast striker, introduced as a half-time substitute, scored on 73 minutes but it owed much more to the disintegrating concentration of Senderos. The young Swiss defender was too far from Drogba as Frank Lampard's free-kick drifted over.
It was the worst of first touches, it was the best of first touches. Thierry Henry would, no doubt, have dragged an equivalent ball into his stride before picking his spot but lesser mortals have to exist on more modest talents. Drogba appeared to have shaped to control the ball as he entered the area but instead it cannoned off his knee and wrong-footed Jens Lehmann who let it run past him at his near post.
Wenger was not the only anguished bystander. Mourinho's edginess was evident when he admonished his physio for over-eagerness in tending to an injured player as Chelsea defended a corner. The Chelsea manager did not even include Joe Cole or his latest rebel, Ricardo Carvalho, on the bench. The Portuguese defender cut a forlorn figure as he wandered around the pitch after the final whistle.
Without him, Mourinho's defence looked as intimidating as ever with Asier del Horno at left-back his outstanding performer. The Spanish international has a ruthless abandon in the tackle that has already endeared him to Stamford Bridge and he almost scored with a header from a corner in the second minute that Freddie Ljungberg was forced to shuffle off the line.
The Swedish international was on the end of Arsenal's best attack of the first half when Alexander Hleb switched a pass out to Henry on the left and Ljungberg crept in at the back post to shoot over the bar. As Arsenal settled in midfield and pushed back Chelsea's initial pressure, Ljungberg smashed into an advertising hoarding and eventually had to be replaced by Robin van Persie.
From the bench before the hour Mourinho was able to summon Shaun Wright-Phillips and debutant Michael Essien and it was the England winger who had the more obvious impact. He is one of the few wide players capable of reducing Ashley Cole to wild, ill-timed tackles and in the build-up to Drogba's goal the strain was beginning to show on Arsenal's left flank.
Drogba's goal was not a strike of great beauty, and in the context of a game that never really ignited, it is difficult to tell whether this display has saved his career or cast more doubt - he missed a great chance on 55 minutes. But Mourinho's creed is victory - by long ball, by glorious dipping long-range shots or by opportunist knees - and it is a creed they have embraced whole-heartedly at Chelsea.
Goal: Drogba (73) 1-0.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Ferreira, Gallas, Terry, Del Horno; Makelele; Duff, Lampard, Gudjohnsen (Essien, 58), Robben (Wright-Phillips, 58); Crespo (Drogba, h-t). Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Huth.
Arsenal (4-4-1-1): Lehmann; Lauren, Toure, Senderos, Cole; Ljungberg (Van Persie, 25), Gilberto, Fabregas (Flamini, 85), Hleb; Pires; Henry. Substitutes not used: Almunia (gk), Bergkamp, Cygan.
Booked: Chelsea Makelele; Arsenal Van Persie, Cole.
Referee: G Poll (Herts).
Man of the match: Del Horno.
Attendance: 42,136.
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Sun:
Chelsea 1 Arsenal 0 DIDIER DROGBA'S fluke put Chelsea in the driving seat for the Premiership title.
The Blues striker could not believe his luck when he miscontrolled the ball with 17 minutes left only to watch it bounce off his shin and past Jens Lehmann.
That gave Chelsea their first league win over the Gunners in 10 years.
But more importantly, it gives them the early initiative in the championship race.
The gulf between the two clubs was highlighted even further by the three substitutes which Jose Mourinho brought on - costing more than the entire Arsenal squad.
Drogba's effort made Arsenal pay for a shocking lack of concentration by Philippe Senderos.
The Swiss international's confidence was clearly affected and only Drogba's indecision in front of goal saved him from further punishment after an awful attempted back-pass in the final minute.
Last season, Chelsea had defeated Manchester United by a similarly narrow margin in their first home game, causing Sir Alex Ferguson to reflect that his side never truly recovered.
Arsenal must now make sure they do not similarly allow their morale to suffer.
Just as worryingly for the Gunners is how they enjoyed much of the possession but only carved out a few half-chances.
Alexander Hleb was handed his full debut on the left flank while Robert Pires played in behind skipper Thierry Henry.
But it was Chelsea who made a storming start, almost seizing the lead within the first two minutes.
Frank Lampard's through-ball sent Damien Duff scampering through the centre, but Lehmann was out in a flash to dive at his feet and block the opening, with Senderos clearing behind.
Freddie Ljungberg cleared off the line from the corner after Lehmann had only been able to take the sting off John Terry's powerful header.
After that fiery opening, the game settled down and Chelsea seemed to be paying the price for picking Hernan Crespo over Drogba.
Arsenal began to dominate possession with Henry steering one shot wide and Ljungberg firing another past the far post from a tight angle.
That was the Swede's last meaningful act as he was then forced off injured after just 24 minutes, with Robin van Persie replacing him and Pires being switched out to the right flank.
Van Persie offered more of a direct attacking threat, but it was Chelsea who threatened next as Lehmann blocked Arjen Robben's close-range shot with his face.
Once Drogba replaced Crespo, the game really fired into life.
The Ivory Coast ace blazed his first half-chance wildly into the crowd, before Shaun Wright-Phillips and Michael Essien came on.
There was little immediate improvement as Arsenal still pressed, with Gilberto's header being grasped by Petr Cech, while van Persie flicked a volley wide.
However, Arsenal lost the plot when they failed to react to Frank Lampard's free-kick.
Drogba left Senderos in his wake and beat Lehmann from close range with probably the most bizarre goal he will ever score.
That should have prompted a late assault by Arsenal but Henry, who had one shot pushed around the post by Cech, was still a lone figure up front.
It was instead Drogba who should have scored again only to aim his effort straight at Lehmann after Senderos' slip.
It is early days, but it is already advantage Chelsea.
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Telegraph:
Gold reserve puts Chelsea ahead By Henry Winter (Filed: 22/08/2005)
Chelsea (0) 1 Arsenal (0) 0
Chelsea's substitutes are worth so much that their arrival should really be announced to the Stock Market as well as to Stamford Bridge. Yesterday, before a crowing West London audience, £70 million of talent emerged from the bench and one of the trio, the £23 million Didier Drogba, scored a winner off his knee that was rich in fortune in every sense.
Drogba had just sent spectators in the Matthew Harding upper stand diving for cover with a wayward shot, but the muscular Ivory Coast international lacks nothing in perseverance, particularly when the startled Philippe Senderos strives to mark him. Racing on to Frank Lampard's 73rd-minute free kick, Drogba was almost pushed into its path by poor Senderos. The ball hit Drogba's right knee and diverted past the wrong-footed Jens Lehmann, gifting Chelsea the three points and their first league triumph over Arsenal for 10 years.
If nightmares ever disrupt Senderos' sleep, it is sure that the looming figure stalking his slumber will be Drogba, who also terrorised him in the Community Shield a fortnight ago. Sol Campbell would not have been out-muscled so easily.
Frustration followed the visitors all the way back to north London. Their urbane manager, Arsene Wenger, complained about the long grass, claiming it was designed to slow Arsenal's passing style and hold the ball up when Chelsea launched long balls. And to think Chelsea fans sing about the joy of mowing meadows.
For Arsenal, cheekily welcomed as "the runners-up" at the home of "the champions", it confirmed that Senderos loathes robust opponents, that they will miss Patrick Vieira's physical presence and leadership and that when Thierry Henry is marshalled by someone as mobile as William Gallas, they lose a colossal percentage of their goal-scoring threat.
Yet some of Arsenal's accurate passing was pleasing on the eye, if failing to scare the champions' defence, a unit strengthened by the excellent Asier Del Horno.
The Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho, will particularly delight in the sight of a substitute, Drogba, making such a significant impact. After a week in which Ricardo Carvalho and Arjen Robben had whinged about their need to start games, the uncomplaining Drogba provided a vibrant reminder that everyone has a part to play in the Chelsea power show.
It reflects the cosmopolitan nature of the Premiership that Drogba was not even the best Ivory Coast player on view. That honour went to Kolo Toure, an Arsenal centre-half as assured as Senderos was shaky. Toure tackled superbly, including one sliding classic on Crespo, and used the ball intelligently, embarking on one run that almost brought reward.
It defied belief that the man-of-the-match bubbly was taken home by Lampard, not Toure. Lampard has yet to find his imperious stride yet, though he almost forced a goal after two minutes by guiding a corner on the head of Del Horno. Freddie Ljungberg cleared off the line. Robben also threatened, firing in a shot that crashed into Lehmann's face, but the visitors enjoyed first-half chances of their own through Ljungberg and Robert Pires.
Drogba came on for Crespo at the interval and began his familiar hounding of Senderos. Largely dis-appointing fare was enlivened when a further £45.4 million of Roman Abramovich's munificence charged on in the spritely forms of Michael Essien and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Essien, whose international clearance had been filed in time, kept it neat and simple in right central midfield, focusing mainly on breaking up Arsenal moves, including two bruising tackles on Cesc Fabregas. Wright-Phillips was particularly lively, running enthusiastically at Ashley Cole.
If Robben is to start on the bench on Wednesday against West Brom, Wright-Phillips certainly deserves a game. But poor Joe Cole. After starting for England in Copenhagen last week, the midfielder found himself joining Sven-Goran Eriksson in the stands at the Bridge yesterday.
Drogba's lucky strike reflected that rotating some players can work, though it would be surprising if Mourinho tinkered with his spine of Petr Cech, John Terry, Claude Makelele and Lampard in important games. After Drogba's goal, Arsenal sought vainfully to impose their undoubted technical class but they found Terry, Gallas and company unyielding. Wright-Phillips even put in a marvellous challenge on Henry.
Arsenal's captain kept being ushered into culs-de-sac by Gallas, though he still managed to test Cech with two stingers. Toure continued his magnificent form in defence but Senderos and Ashley Cole were struggling. Drogba almost exploited more largesse by Senderos while Cole then cynically fouled Essien.
So Chelsea comfortably held on and their 39th successive unbeaten home game breaks a record set back before most of the Pensioners were even born. This was not how Wenger had hoped to celebrate his 500th match in charge of Arsenal, watching his team bow to Drogba, Wright-Phillips and Essien. Even an alchemist of Wenger's class can do little against such deep gold reserves as Chelsea's.
Match details
Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cech; Ferreira, Gallas, Terry, Del Horno; Makelele; Lampard, Gudjohnsen (Essien, 58); Duff, Robben (Wright-Phillips, 58); Crespo (Drogba, h-t). Subs: Cudicini (g), Huth. Goal: Drogba (73). Booked: Makelele, Gallas.Arsenal (4-4-1-1): Lehmann; Lauren, Toure, Senderos, Cole; Ljungberg (Van Persie, 25), Gilberto, Fabregas (Flamini, 84), Hleb; Pires; Henry. Subs: Almunia (g), Bergkamp, Cygan. Booked: Cole, Senderos.Referee: G Poll (Tring).
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Times:
Fortune favours the wealthiestBy Matt DickinsonChelsea 1 Arsenal 0
SOMETHING ALWAYS TURNS UP AT Chelsea these days, whether it is an outburst from the manager, a boast from the chief executive or, most recently, a whinge from the dressing- room. There has not been a dull day at Stamford Bridge for months now but, just when it seemed like this might be a hugely disappointing exception, the ball bounced off Didier Drogba’s knee. The manner of the winner was enough to make Arsenal, and perhaps Manchester United for that matter, wonder how they are going to stop the Barclays Premiership champions. If it was not already hard enough competing against the billions of Roman Abramovich and the wiles of José Mourinho, they are discovering that Lady Luck has signed for Chelsea.
Undeserving of their three points at Wigan Athletic last week, they were little better against cautious visitors yesterday. It was not a pretty sight in West London — even after the departure of the hairy-backed streaker.
Rescued by Hernán Crespo’s thunderous late shot at the JJB Stadium, they maintained their 100 per cent record when Frank Lampard’s quick free kick reared up on to Drogba’s knee in the 73rd minute. Arsenal cursed their misfortune but, in Abramovich’s mind, it was probably the sort of luck that you buy when you spend a couple of hundred million pounds constructing a football team.
With the goal came a shift in perspective. A troublesome week for Mourinho, which had seen Ricardo Carvalho publicly humiliated and dropped from the squad for insubordination, suddenly looked more than satisfactory. “It reminds me of how we started last season,” the Portuguese said, ominously for his title rivals. Like last year, they are struggling for goals but, with Asier Del Horno a sturdy addition at left back, have now kept two clean sheets.
Mourinho can expect much more from Frank Lampard and Arjen Robben, among others. He has such a vast array of playing resources that Joe Cole did not even make the bench. Glen Johnson is lucky to get a seat in the stand these days and the biggest threat to the manager may yet come from inside the dressing-room even though he appears to have supressed the first signs of rebellion with his schoolmasterly treatment of Carvalho.
Mourinho used his programme notes to deliver another lecture to the Portugal defender who had complained about his omission at Wigan.
“One of the many reasons why Chelsea were champions last season was because . . . nobody had selfish feelings,” he said. “When after the first Premiership game this season — not after ten, 15 or 20 games — when Ricardo doesn’t respect the essence of the group then he needs to learn it.” An afternoon in exile may have done the trick.
Robben has also made dissenting noises but, for now, Mourinho is judging him on how he plays (he was replaced before the hour mark for the second week running) rather than what he says. “You can’t compare [his case to Carvalho],” the manager said. “He says he doesn’t want to be on the bench but he just expresses his opinion. It doesn’t make me change my mind and he will be on the bench [against West Bromwich Albion] on Wednesday.”
As well as allowing Mourinho to talk from a position of strength (doesn’t he always?), Drogba’s goal ensured that reviews of Arsenal’s performance had to be hastily altered. Instead of sensibly controlled, Arsenal suddenly looked limited with Thierry Henry very peripheral.
They had not come to defend as they did against Manchester United in the FA Cup final but Arsène Wenger admitted that there was a collective lack of conviction. “We had a lot of possession but lacked incisiveness,” the Arsenal manager said. “We need a fraction more belief. The players should realise we can do much better and believe in it.”
Wenger is entitled to think that Alexander Hleb, bright and busy throughout, can take heart in defeat but he must fear for Philippe Senderos. The Switzerland defender, 20, looked comfortable against Crespo in the first half but became a liability once Drogba appeared at half-time. Still haunted by his battering from Drogba in the FA Community Shield, Senderos was paralysed by anxiety.
He was not solely culpable for the goal when it was Lauren who played Drogba onside, but he presented the big striker with an easy finish late on. The forward’s weak lob went straight into Lehmann’s arms and Chelsea supporters will remain equivocal about their £24 million signing. One fan who berated Drogba for a miss early in the second half was on the receiving end from the striker after his kneed finish.
Mourinho was happy to play down the significance of such an early victory over one of his title rivals. “If I was Arsenal, I wouldn’t panic,” he said, but then he could afford to be magnanimous.
Fortunate it may have been but this was Chelsea’s first league win over Arsenal for ten years.
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Monday, August 15, 2005

morning papers wigan away

Guardian:
Crespo's cruel strike undoes peerless Wigan
Kevin McCarra at the JJB StadiumMonday August 15, 2005The Guardian
Wigan's ascent to the Premiership may be mind-boggling but it was Chelsea who hardly knew where they were. The champions found their bearings only for a split-second and yet that instant of perfection ruined the entire day for Paul Jewell's freshly promoted side. All the same there was no luck to Hernán Crespo's goal.The vindictiveness was in the timing, with three minutes of stoppage time nearly completed. After Didier Drogba had scrapped for possession Crespo gathered 20 yards from the target at an angle on the right. The superlative Arjan de Zeeuw hovered in front of him circumspectly, expecting this attack to shrivel like all the others.The Argentinian was even obliged to manipulate the ball on to his weaker left foot but he still steered it as precisely as he intended, high past the right hand of the goalkeeper Mike Pollitt. Apologies took precedence over celebrations for the Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who seemed to be begging Jewell's forgiveness.Exquisite as the winner was, Chelsea could not cherish it when they had just plumbed depths they never experienced all last season. It was a performance of inky blackness in which players seemed barely able to see one another as passes went constantly astray.
Here was the confirmation of the double threat to Premiership holders. They can be weakened from within by the creeping assumption that they are entitled to triumph and punctured, too, by opponents who sense that a game such as this is one of the great events of their careers.
Wigan were wonderful. Jewell, having upgraded his squad, gave five players their competitive debut, with De Zeeuw, in addition, settling back into life with his old club after leaving Portsmouth. Despite the overhaul Wigan backed one another with far more conviction than Chelsea showed.
Stamford Bridge mainstays such as Frank Lampard could not get the match to pay him any attention. In one symptomatic episode, after Damien Francis had overpowered him on the edge of the penalty area, the quick, boisterous Henri Camara crossed to Alan Mahon, who fired negligently high.
Lampard was far from being the weakest member of a line-up in which every outfield player was harried. Even John Terry glimpsed Camara running breezily past him to draw a save from Petr Cech in the fourth minute. It was no surprise that he collected a gash on his foot that, despite needing two stitches, should not rule him out of England's friendly with Denmark.
Every other member of the Chelsea side came away from the JJB stadium with scar tissue as well, even if it was only on their psyches. Damien Duff may have required a sharp save from Pollitt but he and Arjen Robben, on whom attacks so often depend, were bumblers.
Even if Crespo did pluck a win out of thin air this afternoon must have been a tonic to Premiership rivals. And yet Chelsea were not beneficiaries of some kind of fluke. Even with their system in disarray, they had the means to slay opponents who had neglected to kill them off.
If Wigan are to be faulted at all it is purely for an understandable lack of composure as pulses raced. Seconds before Crespo scored, Damien Francis should have put Andreas Johansson clear but his pass was late and asked the substitute to convert an awkward volley. The opportunity was lost.
There can, nonetheless, be only admiration for the endless enterprise of Wigan, whose line-up was built for less than half of Crespo's £16.8m price. Even as weariness was swamping them, Francis, with eight minutes remaining, headed a Gary Teale delivery on to the top of the bar. By then Chelsea had improved, but only to the point of being moderate.
Shaun Wright-Phillips, on for Robben, was a help and, comfortingly for England, Joe Cole also made a difference by taking over from Gudjohnsen. Nevertheless Pollitt blocked when he had to and De Zeeuw appeared endlessly capable of unanswerable challenges.
The only reservation about Wigan lies in the uniqueness of this fixture for a club that, exactly 34 years ago, were losing in the second leg of an Ashworth Trophy tie against Rossendale United. The opportunity to pit themselves against Chelsea as equals, in Premiership membership at least, maddened this town with excitement.
Whether newly arrived or long-serving, the players embraced the mood. All the games to come, though, will be mundane by comparison and all the more treacherous for the lack of adrenalin.
Wigan's prospects of survival in the top flight will not be known until we discover whether yesterday's form can be sustained. That was, rightly, too dreary a question for the locals to debate here. No one can deny them the anticipation aroused by the arrival of fresh players and the redoubled efforts of those they know well.
Chelsea were disgusted with themselves but their problems did not arise merely from a lapse in standards. Pascal Chimbonda, the Wigan right-back born in Guadeloupe, sealed off his wing no matter whom Mourinho pitted against him and also had the breath to overlap with gusto.
Another debutant, Camara, made himself a deeper enigma than ever. Having gone under with Wolves and then Southampton he is aiming to dodge a third consecutive relegation, but there has always been spasmodic proof of power and talent. Yesterday he scared even Chelsea's intimidating back four.
Late on the visitors were in such disarray that William Gallas volleyed a throw-in from Asier Del Horno behind his own goal for a corner. If Wigan can somehow go on spreading such panic, it will be others who are left to face the terrors of relegation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Independent:
Crespo cracker cruel on Wigan as champions show mettle WIGAN ATHLETIC 0 CHELSEA 1 By Sam Wallace Published: 15 August 2005 There were 39 seconds remaining and a club without a prayer, in a town without a football tradition, was about to celebrate the most famous goalless draw of their modest history.
It was then that Hernan Crespo scored a goal that not only articulated the cruelty of life in the Premiership to the people of Wigan but reminded the rest of English football that Jose Mourinho's champions are not easily denied victory.
Wigan came so close, but then no team in the past 12 months has taken such ruthless hold of their own destiny as Chelsea. For much of this game they found themselves out-fought by Paul Jewell's team and, at times, teetered on the brink of a defeat that would have impacted on the hierarchy of this league like no other result.
In the end, Mourinho had to search deep into the rich depths of his expensive squad to summon a victory and, when it arrived, Crespo's goal was worthy of any occasion.
Until the 93rd minute there had been more promise in the Wigan attack. Then Didier Drogba challenged for a ball in the air, possession fell to Crespo 25 yards from goal and the Argentinian launched a dipping shot out of Mike Pollitt's reach. On the front row of the directors' box, Roman Abramovich's billionaire entourage celebrated with gleeful relief and Crespo was engulfed by his team-mates, but as the Chelsea bench cleared Mourinho simply shook his head and glanced across at Jewell.
It was a rare expression of sympathy towards an opponent from the Portuguese coach and, in a league where jobs and reputations are imperilled every week, it was a moment to prize. Mourinho is the manager who leaves nothing to chance, whose meticulous preparation is an exercise in closing down the great variables of football, but even he knew, as he later admitted, that Chelsea had been granted one of the game's great escapes.
"They didn't deserve to lose the game," Mourinho said. "In that game you couldn't tell who were the Championship champions and who were the Premiership champions. The two teams were exactly the same. My defenders were brilliant in difficult circumstances. At times we were too slow and some of the players didn't look motivated.
"At half-time I told them, 'Don't come knocking on my door crying that you are not in the team because now I have to make changes.'I feel sorry for Wigan and I don't feel they deserved to lose, but that's football."
Wigan's moment to win came just moments before Crespo's goal when a Chelsea corner was cleared and Gary Teale broke into the visitors' half. He crossed for substitute Andreas Johansson at the back post but, with the stadium on its feet, the Swede was unable to give his newly promoted team the goal they craved. At times, the Chelsea defence had found itself ravaged by the running of Henri Camara and Jason Roberts, but they never quite succumbed.
In midfield, Jimmy Bullard, a West Ham trainee like his opposite number Frank Lampard, was exceptional and the new defensive pairing of Stephane Henchoz and Arjan de Zeeuw were comfortable against Drogba. Jewell may well have introduced a new term for despair into the football lexicon when he described his team as being "as sick as pigs", but in the circumstances even that seemed appropriate.
The Wigan manager said that his team would survive in the Premiership if they were to perform like that every week. "We gave everything we got and I am happy with the performance," he said. "If there's a way to lose then that is it because the players left no stone unturned trying to win that match. It was a wonder goal by Crespo."
In the first half, Camara was stopped by a save from Petr Cech and created a good opening for Alan Mahon which the midfielder struck over. Arjen Robben and Eidur Gudjohnsen gave way at half-time for Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole before Crespo came on as Mourinho tried to lend urgency to his team's attacks. Chelsea's grip on the game became stronger in the second half but Damien Francis still clipped the bar with a header on 82 minutes.
There had been an escape for Wigan on 79 minutes when Teale may have handled Asier del Horno's cross, yet even Mourinho did not criticise the referee Mark Clattenburg.
In the town where George Orwell set his treatise on the poverty of the English working class, Britain's wealthiest man arrived in his helicopter rather than on the road to Wigan pier. Abramovich left having been reminded that the gap between the rich and the poor is not as great as he may have thought.
Goal: Crespo (90) 0-1.
Wigan (4-4-2): Pollitt; Chimbonda, Henchoz, De Zeeuw, Baines; Teale, Francis, Bullard, Mahon; Camara (Johansson, 86), Roberts. Substitutes not used: Walsh (gk), Jackson, Taylor, McMillan.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Ferreira, Terry, Gallas, Del Horno; Makelele; Duff (Crespo, 59), Lampard, Gudjohnsen (Wright-Phillips, h-t), Robben (Cole, h-t); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Huth.
Referee: M Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).
Booked: Wigan Mahon.
Man of the match: Bullard.
Attendance: 23,575. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph:
Crespo's bolt cruel on Wigan By Henry Winter (Filed: 15/08/2005)
Match details
Wigan Athletic (0) 0 Chelsea (0) 1
Chelsea have made some interesting signings this summer but no one realised the champions had snapped up Lady Luck as well. Outrageous fortune smiled on Chelsea here yesterday, when Hernan Crespo's thunderous injury-time winner mocked natural sporting justice and 90 minutes of marvellous endeavour from Wigan Athletic.
As the Argentine's 20-yarder flew into Wigan's net, Jose Mourinho had the good grace to walk across, embrace Paul Jewell and whisper: "That's unfair." The Wigan manager shrugged and replied: "That's life, that's football."
Yet Jewell rightly took immense pride in the commitment and enterprise of his newly promoted team. "My players are pig sick because they played so well," Jewell said. "But they can walk out of here with their chests out."
None more than so than Arjan De Zeeuw, a Dutch rock on whom Chelsea's unfocused attacks had hitherto foundered. "De Zeeuw is a great signing for us as a player, a man and as a leader," Jewell said. And all for £100,000. It took £16.8 million worth of pure Latin American genius to wrong-foot him, Crespo climaxing a direct attack involving Petr Cech, Paulo Ferreira and Didier Drogba with some neat right-footed control before ramming his left foot into the ball.
As Crespo's bolt from the blue tore through the warm Lancashire air and threatened to separate the net from the stanchion, Wigan chairman Dave Whelan slumped back in his seat, momentarily crest-fallen at the fickle nature of a sport he has served so well. Three seats along, Roman Abramovich permitted himself an embarrassed smile.
All the Chelsea party, who last night made a final effort to sign Lyons' Michael Essien, knew how providence had favoured them. "Today we have had a wake-up call without losing points," Mourinho said. "We did not deserve to win." The Special One rarely chides his players in public but he was clearly irate at the muted first halves of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Arjen Robben, Damien Duff and Drogba.
"In the first half, some of our players didn't look highly motivated," Mourinho said. "I said to them, 'do not come crying to my door because you are not playing when I make changes'. We have a lot of good players, so if players don't perform they are out of the team.
"You couldn't see during the game who were the Premiership champions and who were the team who had come up from the Championship. Our defenders, keeper, and midfielders Lampard and Makelele were brilliant in difficult circumstances, because we kept losing the ball in midfield [out wide] and up front.
"Nobody sitting up in the tribune would have understood our system. Why? Because there was no system. The left-winger [Robben] was playing inside. The right-winger [Duff] was playing on the left. The forward [Drogba] was not making the right line.
"It was too bad to be true. We were thinking slow, playing slow, not pressing high like we normally do, and not chasing opponents. Our wingers were not pressing their full-backs. We have not played so badly since the second game of last season against Birmingham."
Mourinho's vaunted players had emerged to chants of "bring on the champions" but last season's thoroughbreds performed like selling-platers for 45 minutes. Stirred up by Jewell's pre-match exhortations to show no fear, Wigan's players rattled their celebrated visitors, tearing into them from the off, to the delight of three sides of a reverberating JJB Stadium. Whelan's eyes appeared to moisten at the sight of his Premiership players running with such -purpose.
Jimmy Bullard was everywhere, winning tackles and slipping passes all over midfield. Henri Camara was looking every inch good value as Wigan's record £3.1 million signing, drawing a fine save from Cech after four minutes and then turning John Terry to set up Alan Mahon. With Cech's goal at his mercy, Mahon shot hurriedly over.
Wigan fans warmly applauded Camara's work, especially important with Nathan Ellington scheduled to complete his £3 million transfer to West Bromwich today.
"Nathan was in tears yesterday," Jewell said. "I'm not convinced he wants to leave. Someone must have told West Brom there is a clause in his contract that says if someone bids over £3 million he can go, so they bid £3 million and one pound."
Camara teamed up promisingly with Jason Roberts but Jewell knows he needs another goal-scorer. Asked about a mooted bid for Dean Ashton, Jewell said: "We need another striker but I don't suppose Norwich want to sell."
At least Wigan were keeping Cech on his toes. Jewell's new goalkeeper from Rotherham, Mike Pollitt, was really only called into action in the first half to make a fine save from Duff just before the interval.
Mourinho acted, removing Robben and Gudjohnsen in favour of the lively right-sided Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole, who operated in the hole behind Drogba and, soon, Crespo. "In the second half, we dominated," Mourinho said.
Wigan still threatened, Damien Francis hitting the bar as chants of "we're going to win the league" emerged from thousands of Wigan throats. Jewell's men wasted two late breakaways and then, cruelly, came Crespo.
Match details
Wigan (4-4-2): Pollitt; Chimbonda, Henchoz, De Zeeuw, Baines; Teale, Francis, Bullard, Mahon; Roberts, Camara (Johansson 85). Subs: Walsh (g), Jackson, Taylor, McMillan. Booked: Mahon. Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cech; Ferreira, Terry, Gallas, Del Horno; Makelele; Gudjohnsen (J Cole h-t), Lampard; Duff (Crespo 58), Robben (Wright-Phillips h-t); Drogba. Subs: Cudicini (g), Huth. Goal: Crespo (90). Referee: M Clattenburg (Newcastle).
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Times:
Crespo the saviour of below-par ChelseaBy Matt DickinsonWigan Athletic 0 Chelsea 1 GOAL OF THE SEASON? Hernán Crespo's thunderous winner in injury time yesterday is an early spectacular contender. Already beyond debate is that no team will lose more cruelly all year than Wigan Athletic did in succumbing to the Argentinian's late cannonball. José Mourinho did not even have the heart to celebrate when Crespo's left-footed shot flew into the top corner in the third minute of added time. The Chelsea manager walked straight over to Paul Jewell and, to his opposite number's surprise, gave him a hug. "I told him it was unfair," Mourinho said. What the Portuguese said to his own players was even more enlightening. "Don't come knocking on my door complaining about being out of the team when you play like that," he told them at half-time. He excused his back four plus Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard, which left Arjen Robben, Damien Duff, Didier Drogba and Eidur Gudjohnsen in the line of fire.
"In a group like we have, everyone is under pressure," Mourinho added. "There are a lot of great players so if you don't perform you are out of the team." That point should be reinforced this morning. There were more talks between Chelsea and Lyons last night over the transfer of Michael Essien with the Ghana midfield player expected to complete his protracted move to Stamford Bridge for about £25 million.
Gudjohnsen is likely to be chopped from the starting XI but, even though he was hauled off at half-time, he was not Chelsea's worst player. After his two fine goals in the Community Shield last week, Drogba looked the dregs once more but it was Robben who may have felt the worst lash of his manager's tongue. The Dutchman had offered a couple of eye-catching bursts but he had also spent far too long sitting on the floor and complaining about tackles.
"During the game, you couldn't see who were the Championship champions and who were the Premiership champions," Mourinho said. "We defended very well in difficult circumstances because we kept losing the ball in midfield and attack. They were thinking slow, playing slow, not pressuring high up the pitch like normal. Our wingers were not playing against the full backs and giving them too much freedom. Everything was against what we spoke about in training all week. Players were out of position and, from the stands, you couldn't tell our system. There was no system. It was too bad to be true.
"I kept saying all week that last season we won at West Brom, Norwich, Southampton by playing hard and fighting hard and strong mentally. Today, some players didn't look highly motivated."
Mourinho made two substitutions at the interval, introducing Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips. "I would have made more but it was too risky," he said after 45 minutes in which the pace and power of Jason Roberts and Henri Camara appeared to catch Chelsea's famed defence, including John Terry, who finished with two stitches to a leg, off their guard. Roared on by a record crowd at the JJB Stadium, Wigan were wonderfully free of inhibitions. They began to retreat from the start of the second half, relying on the counter-attack, but they were still good value for a point before the three minutes of added time.
Mourinho's substitutions, including the 60th-minute introduction of Crespo for Duff, had been typically decisive interventions but his team were looking shapeless as they moved towards the final stages. There was no left winger and the three man backline left them vulnerable to counter-attacks.
Damien Francis headed on to Petr Cech's crossbar in the 82nd minute and, late on, a three-man breakaway concluded with Andreas Johansson hitting an ambitious volley over the crossbar after a belated pass from Gary Teale.
It appeared that Johansson's wayward shot would be the last significant moment of an enthralling afternoon but there was a twist in the tale. Outrageously unlucky for Wigan, it did at least feature an incredible piece of skill from one of the game's leading strikers.
Arjan de Zeeuw had been magnificent all game on his Wigan debut but, when Crespo gathered the ball 20 yards from goal, the £100,000 signing from Portsmouth stood off for the first time. The Argentinian scored his first competitive goal since AC Milan's third in the European Cup final against Liverpool. This time there was no time for his opponents to respond.
"Normally you lose a game and that is a wake-up call," Mourinho said. "We had the call without losing points." It was a hugely fortunate victory although it helps when you can throw on a £16 million striker. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sun:
Wigan 0 Chelsea 1 By SUN ONLINE REPORTER
HERNAN CRESPO'S last-minute wonder winner left even Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho admitting: We were so lucky.
Wigan's Premiership debut eclipsed the champions' poor show - until substitute Crespo thumped a 25-yard curler into the top corner.
And angry Mourinho, who responded to the goal by immediately consoling Latics boss Paul Jewell, said: "They didn't deserve to lose - you couldn't see who the champions were.
"I told my players at half-time if they come knocking on my door on Friday asking why they are not playing I will point to this game.
""Our defenders were brilliant in difficult circumstances because we kept losing the ball in midfield and attack.
"In the second half we were much better - we dominated. But I don't think we deserved to win and they didn't deserve to lose.
""Normally you lose a game and that is a wake-up call. Today we have had a wake-up call without losing points."
Jewell said: "If we keep playing like that we'll surprise a lot of teams. The only negative was the result.
"Jose said, when they scored the goal, 'we don't deserve that'.
"We didn't get maybe what we deserved for our effort and desire, but that's top-class football. We're sick as pigs."
And Jewell added: "We were quite happy for them to pass the ball and we had two good situations at the end which we should have done better with.
"The players were out on their feet with 20 minutes to go. The pace of the game is ferocious and we've got to get used to it.
"If we give everything we've got like that every week we'll be okay. If we do it week in, week out, we will surprise a few people.
"The only negative is the result - everything else is positive. We pushed them all the way and arguably had the better chances."
Arsenal and Manchester United will expect to better Chelsea this season - unless the champs improve greatly upon this showing.
High-tempo Wigan showed scant regard for the status of their visitors.
And on this form they look capable of doing what few promoted clubs have done recently - stay up.
Mourinho had granted Jewell an audience during the summer, each gaining the respect of the other.
But such respect was dispensed with by 4pm as a town more commonly known for pies and rugby league united behind the football club. There surely has never been a greater contrast between two Premiership teams, not even in the days when clubs like Barnsley and Bradford enjoyed brief spots in the limelight.
The Blues played confident keep-ball - but only for the opening 90 seconds.
And one challenge from new recruit Pascal Chimbonda on Arjen Robben set the tone.
Chelsea were thrown out of their stride and inside five minutes could have been a goal down as two chances fell the way of Henri Camara, Wigan's record £3.1million signing from Wolves.
With Nathan Ellington due to complete a £3m move to West Brom tomorrow, Camara started and tormented the Blues defence.
One crisp fourth-minute drive forced Petr Cech into a full-stretch save, and another effort 60 seconds later found the side-netting.
It took Mourinho a while to recognise the Latics' weak side was down the left, where Alan Mahon and Leighton Baines featured.

Monday, August 08, 2005

morning papers community shield

Telegraph:
Clinical Chelsea offer hint of things to comeBy Henry Winter at the Millennium Stadium (Filed: 08/08/2005)
Match details

Chelsea (1) 2 Arsenal (0) 1
Victory in the Community Shield is usually a forerunner to failure in the Premiership, as the eight most recent winners before yesterday promptly discovered, yet there was something ominous about the sight of John Terry lifting another trophy. Arsenal played the prettier football, but Chelsea produced the more effective and duly won.
Double trouble: Didier Drogba celebrates his Millennium brace The footballing purist in Arsenal's manager, Arsene Wenger, was offended by the sight of Hernan Crespo seeking to protect Chelsea's lead by shielding the ball near the corner to run the clock down. Five minutes remained and Wenger considered the time-wasting unethical, a point he made to the champions' manager, Jose Mourinho.
Yet the man celebrated on the front of hundreds of 'Jose's The Portugeezer' T-shirts merely shrugged his shoulders and mused about having won every English trophy bar the FA Cup in 13 months on these shores. He also knows that Wenger's perception of Chelsea as footballing roundheads compared to Highbury's cavaliers is distorted.
Wenger was dismissive of Chelsea style, labelling an approach that yielded two breakaway goals for Didier Drogba as merely "long-ball", yet the truth is the champions mixed it up, with even Claude Makelele resembling a latter-day Charlie Cooke with some lively dribbles.
Chelsea will be easier on the eye when Frank Lampard refinds his distinguished rhythm, the England international being subdued by his high standards in the heat of Cardiff. When Asier Del Horno gets used to the pace of English football, the Spanish full-back will also contribute more offensively down the left while his name should provide hours of fun for the librettists among Chelsea fans.
When Michael Essien finally arrives from Lyons, Chelsea's engine room will be purring with Rolls-Royce ease.
What must really have hurt Wenger was the blurred image of Shaun Wright-Phillips speeding on to lend more menace down the right; an England flier coveted by Arsenal chose the Bank of Roman Abramovich and should swiftly become a darling at the Bridge.
Wenger did introduce a stylish summing signing of his own, the deft Alexander Hleb, the Belarus international who looks full of promise, showing touch and versatility across midfield. The feeling persists that Arsenal urgently require additional reinforcements, particularly as yesterday when Thierry Henry is as well policed by the outstanding William Gallas.
Wenger's attack, for all Dennis Bergkamp's early invention, could have done with the sort of power and panache that Julio Baptista eventually took from Sevilla to Real Madrid. Sometimes Arsenal need to take the direct road to goal, rather than the scenic route.
Chelsea certainly did. Within seven minutes, the champions were ahead, springing a quick move that caught Arsenal's defence out. When Del Horno drilled the ball forward, Drogba was too strong and determined for Philippe Senderos. Making a mockery of the memory of his disappointing first season at Chelsea, the Ivory Coast international brought the ball down on his chest, kept the ponderous Senderos at bay, and then hammered the ball past Jens Lehmann with his left.
Senderos endured an awkward afternoon. Fifteen minutes later, he was fortunate to escape after tripping Arjen Robben on the edge of the box. Yet Chelsea were also riding their luck, such as when Terry took out Robert Pires on the cusp of Petr Cech's area. Howard Webb waved play on.
By then, Wenger's tie was off and the gloves were soon off as well. Cesc Fabregas and Makelele squared up like fourth-formers in the playground. Encouragingly for Arsenal, the teenage Fabregas was refusing to be in awe of the illustrious opponents. He will never replace Patrick Vieira, lacking the departed Frenchman's physical presence, yet the Spaniard still brings considerable invention as well as industry to Arsenal's central midfield, and may blossom alongside the anchoring Gilberto Silva.
With Fabregas busy in the middle, Arsenal still threatened. Kolo Toure even glided forward, exchanged passes with Henry and unleashed a left-footed strike that would have beaten most keepers. Cech is not most keepers, and the formidable Czech Republic international calmly clawed the ball to safety.
Arsenal then displayed their darker side, Lauren angering Drogba by catching the Chelsea man on the calf. Drogba rolled around, upsetting Lehmann, who immediately rushed in to remonstrate and suddenly the game dissolved into the type of amateur dramatics re-opening in Edinburgh yesterday.
Drogba had the last laugh on Arsenal's defence, exploiting good work by Lampard and Eidur Gudjohnsen before beating Lehmann at the second attempt. Drogba was promptly withdrawn and Crespo dashed on to remind English football of the depth of quality that Mourinho is stockpiling.
Arsenal commendably refused to yield and pulled a goal back when Fabregas timed his run into the box superbly to meet Freddie Ljungberg's cross. Cech had no chance. But Chelsea's defence will not be breached many times this season. No wonder they have produced their own version of the Monopoly game.
Match details
Arsenal (4-4-2): Lehmann; Lauren (Hoyte 77), Toure, Senderos (Cygan 71), Cole; Ljungberg (Reyes, 71), Flamini (Gilberto, h-t), Fabregas, Pires (Hleb h-t); Bergkamp (Van Persie h-t), Henry. Sub: Howard (g). Goal: Fabregas (65). Booked: Fabregas.Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cech; Ferreira, Gallas, Terry, Del Horno; Makelele; Gudjohnsen (Tiago 59), Lampard (Geremi 90); Duff (J Cole 73), Robben (Wright-Phillips 68); Drogba (Crespo 59). Subs: Cudicini (g), Carvalho. Goals: Drogba (8, 56). Booked: Makelele, Lampard.Referee: H Webb (Rotherham).
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Sun:
DIDIER DROGBA shrugged off Arsenal's defence and growing pressure for his place as Chelsea won the Community Shield with more comfort than style.
Hitman Drogba at last added precision to his muscular menace, snatching two classy goals to put the game beyond a Gunners side short of physical presence.
And, even though Cesc Fabregas slid home a consolation, Arsenal rarely troubled a Blues’ rearguard that already looks near its stingy best of last season.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been linked with Andrei Shevchenko and Samuel Eto'o as he seeks the one thing his squad seems to lack – a free-scoring striker of consistent world class.
But Drogba outshone the best there is – Gunners’ skipper Thierry Henry.
And the Ivory Coast ace put unexpected question marks over Philippe Senderos, whose rapid emergence at centre-back last term put Sol Campbell’s long-term future in doubt.
This time, though, the Swiss star appeared uncertain and at times timid against Drogba’s raw power and pace – especially for his double strike.
In fact, Arsenal’s physical edge was often spiky and temperamental, rather than the brand of hard-tackling and quick closing down epitomised by the now-departed Patrick Vieira.
Ashley Cole was certainly relentless in his tackling as he battles to prove his loyalty after secret talks with champions Chelsea.
The England left-back left Arjen Robben sprawling with one challenge and was lucky not to be booked for another foul on Drogba.
And ironically it was Asier del Horno - the Spanish international signed by Chelsea instead of Cole - who teed up their eighth-minute opener as serious doubts over the Gunners' back-line set in.
Senderos was left flat-footed as Drogba stormed onto del Horno's through-pass, and then floundered as the frontman cut across him and clipped a smart finish inside the far corner.
Del Horno continued to fit in smoothly to Chelsea's slick defence.

And, with Henry closely marked, it needed Kolo Toure to not only win back possession but also stride onto a mishit pass by his new captain - forcing Petr Cech into a diving stop just before the break.
Generally, though, Arsenal lacked inspiration, although boss Arsene Wenger was always planning to make his three half-time changes.
On came newcomer Alexander Hleb, plus Gilberto Silva and Robin van Persie - both still short of match-sharpness.
Hleb's first touches were bright and promising.
But, when Drogba charged onto a long ball forward on 57 minutes, the match was all but over.
GREIGHT START ... Drogba floors Senderos andLehmann with eighth-minute opener
The 27-year-old easily evaded Senderos' attempted challenge, before skipping wide of Jens Lehmann's challenge.
He regained his footing to win the ball back and turn in one movement, scooping home a 12-yarder inside the near post.
But, in a perfect example of Chelsea's supreme playing resources, Drogba was instantly replaced by Argentine striker Hernan Crespo, back after his loan at AC Milan last season.
Fabregas raised the interest midway through the half when he slotted home Freddie Ljungberg's deflected cross.
That sparked several substitutions, despite which Arsenal began to find some neat one-touch rhythm.
Robin van Persie fired wide at full stretch after Hleb won the ball from del Horno.
Cech denied Henry and Lehmann thwarted Frank Lampard, before Toure's last-ditch interception stopped Crespo.
Nonetheless, Chelsea's efficient display was more than ample to defeat an Arsenal side who held them twice last term.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Independent:
Drogba at the double as Chelsea take early pickings ARSENAL 1 Fabregas 65 CHELSEA 2 Drogba 8, 57 By Sam Wallace at the Millennium Stadium Published: 08 August 2005
At the club where fortunes are spent in a day, where new international centre-forwards can be rustled up at a whim, even a £24m striker can find himself expendable. Didier Drogba has had to endure a summer parade of potential replacements at the head of English football's most ruthless attacking unit but yesterday he looked, at long last, like the kind of goalscorer Chelsea have craved.
Chelsea did not quite summon up an awesome dismissal of their nearest Premiership challengers that so many feared would blunt the season's competitive edge before it had even begun, but for Jose Mourinho it was a template for his continued success. Drogba's two goals nudged the match out of Arsenal's reach before they ever threatened to inflict any damage on Chelsea, and Drogba went some way to reassuring Mourinho that his awkward, unpredictable Ivory Coast striker might yet be worthy of leading the most expensive forward line in Europe.
Twice Drogba burst through Arsenal's back four to finish with confidence and, in direct comparison with the vastly more talented Thierry Henry, he could claim a far more valuable day's work. Drogba has displayed a looseness of touch, a carelessness in front of goal, that has, at times, left English football unconvinced but by the time he was replaced by Hernan Crespo before the hour there was little doubt that he had done enough to assure himself of a place in the starting line-up against Wigan on Sunday.
It was not an occasion that crackled with the tension that has been generated, for the most part, between the boards of these two clubs. Mourinho made reference to a hand in the face that Henry dealt Damien Duff and Wenger complained of Crespo running the ball into the corner as time slipped away. But the Arsenal manager did so with a grin on his face as he made light of the occasion and what he perceived as a lack of "charity" from Chelsea. "We've won this four times and no one counts it as a trophy," he said, "so now I just prefer to see it as a friendly game."
Available on the bench for Wenger was Mark Howard, an 18-year-old goalkeeper, and Justin Hoyte from the academy, while in the blue corner was £79.5m-worth of Roman Abramovich's money including Shaun Wright-Phillips, who played for 20 minutes. He was greeted by the Arsenal supporters with the song they once sang for his stepfather, Ian Wright, and was expertly managed down the right flank by Ashley Cole, who received only a murmur of disapproval from the Chelsea support.
The ball that unlocked Arsenal's defence came on eight minutes and was an unremarkable angled pass into the area from Asier del Horno that found Philippe Senderos stranded hopelessly behind Drogba and unable to intervene as the striker chested the ball into his stride. It was a bleak moment for the young Swiss defender, who replaced Sol Campbell in the side at the end of last season, as he forlornly tried to close down the striker. Drogba clipped a confident volley past Jens Lehmann.
This was far from the finest 90 minutes in Senderos' young career. He was uncomfortable against Arjen Robben, who set the tone for another season of deception when he threw himself to the ground as the Arsenal defender offered the meekest of challenges on 22 minutes. Watching Senderos' performance from home, the unfit Campbell will have concluded that this was a good day for his first-team prospects.
Campbell would have surely have had a better chance than Senderos to tussle Drogba away from the ball as he thundered on to an Eidur Gudjohnsen flick-on on 57 minutes. Having disposed of the Swiss defender he took the ball wide of Lehmann, to the extent that he had to break through a tackle from Lauren, who had caught him up, before swivelling to beat Kolo Touré on the line.
Not a sleek, clinical, predatory finish but one that illustrated the robust, adversarial brand of attacking that Drogba offers, especially when the Chelsea manager picks a team that is unabashed about hitting long balls to their lone forward, an uncomplicated style that will need refinement against the very best teams in Europe. In defence, John Terry was outstanding while Del Horno's debut promised much.
Chelsea's concentration deserted them just once when Freddie Ljungberg threaded a cross from the right that found its way across the area and was turned in by Cesc Fabregas on 65 minutes. The 18-year-old more than held his own in the centre of midfield but an Arsenal team without Patrick Vieira at its heart still looks unfamiliar. They will have to arrive at some solution to that before the real Premiership business commences at Stamford Bridge 14 days from now.
Goals: Drogba (8); Drogba (57); Fabregas (65)
Arsenal (4-4-2): Lehmann; Lauren (Hoyte, 77), Senderos (Cygan, 71), Touré, Cole; Ljungberg (Reyes, 71), Fabregas, Flamini (Gilberto Silva, h-t), Pires (Van Persie, h-t); Bergkamp (Hleb, h-t), Henry. Substitutes not used: Howard (gk).
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Ferreira, Terry, Gallas, Del Horno; Makelele; Robben (Wright-Phillips, 69), Lampard (Geremi, 90), Gudjohnsen (Tiago, 58), Duff (Cole, 73); Drogba (Crespo, 58). Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Carvalho.
Referee: H Webb (South Yorkshire).
Booked: Arsenal Fabregas; Chelsea Makelele, Lampard.
Man of the match: Drogba. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guardian:
Drogba power delivers the early prize
Chelsea waste no time picking up where they left off as their Ivory Coast centre-forward finds his feet to provide a match-winning double
Kevin McCarra at Millennium StadiumMonday August 8, 2005The Guardian
The lure of fresh signings tempted Londoners to Cardiff, but the true satisfaction for Chelsea fans came as they viewed a familiar face in a new light. Though Didier Drogba has never been persecuted by the Stamford Bridge crowd, he was a man for whom allowances had to be made last season. He came to the club after only 12 days' holiday, he later needed surgery, he seemed spooked by the transformation to his life and bank balance.
As he scored the goals that won the Community Shield, all of that hesitation had evaporated. The Ivory Coast striker had overwhelming strength in his body and absolute clarity of mind. Ask Philippe Senderos. If the Chelsea centre-forward had been absent the defender would have reaped more praise on his return to the Millennium Stadium, where he had been dogged in May as Arsenal won the FA Cup final against Manchester United. The strapping 20-year-old could, for example, have boasted of a couple of tackles on the nimble Arjen Robben.In reality, however, Senderos will only look back on this game to analyse the areas in which he is yet to improve. Drogba, in the eighth minute, swept past him to take a ball from the new left-back Asier Del Horno on his chest and then crack a shot across Jens Lehmann to the far corner of the net. Senderos had not got close enough to ruffle the scorer's technique.
The match was decided after 57 minutes. When the ball ricocheted off the back of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Drogba was ready to storm inside Senderos and hold him off. The attacker then strode across Lehmann and showed yet more power by resisting Lauren and lifting a shot into the net even as he was losing his balance.
While flaunting this sort of speed, vigour, touch, composure and eye for an opening, Drogba's single failing is one for which he bears no responsibility. The £24m fee that Jose Mourinho agreed to pay would be a stigma for virtually any forward, but it might not look quite so incongruous if the player continues to show this decisiveness.
While a game of 11 substitutions must be an unreliable witness, it at least raises the possibility that Chelsea will no longer go on cursing a failure to detach Andriy Shevchenko or Adriano from the Milan clubs.
If Hernan Crespo is in earnest about succeeding at Stamford Bridge, the fierce struggle for the centre-forward position will continue to have dreadful consequences for defences everywhere. "Why not say that Hernan was responsible for Drogba's performance?" crowed Mourinho, who also argued that the scorer was bound to be better in his second season, having adapted to England.
Arsenal will not have sobbed their way home. Out of necessity after the opener, they attacked more than Chelsea and while they were not so tight-knit a side their worries were relatively slight.
Mathieu Flamini performed gamely enough, but there was more fluency when Gilberto Silva took over from him. In the second half, the Brazilian steadied the midfield and, with him around, a fellow substitute Alexander Hleb, who has been bought from Stuttgart, could show just how he will undermine defenders in the year ahead. With the Belarus international and several other substitutes introduced there was more zip to Arsenal's attacks and Francesc Fábregas scored from Freddie Ljungberg's deflected, low cross after 65 minutes.
The Community Shield may just be a friendly with airs and graces, but the tone was still fairly competitive. To give it the authentic ring there was even a bit of malevolence, with tempers raised when Drogba, charging through after he had been ruled offside, was caught on the back of his leg by Lauren.
Arsène Wenger also obliged with some post-match waspishness as he observed that Chelsea had depended on the long ball. The obvious riposte was that Mourinho, as ever, had stuck to whatever approach worked.
There were only a few signs that the Community Shield contest is a flawed guide to the season ahead. Frank Lampard, serial scooper of awards, barely caught the eye at all for Chelsea. In the Arsenal ranks Thierry Henry was just as unobtrusive.
The previous owner of the captain's armband, Patrick Vieira, has left for Juventus. While Arsenal were probably sensible to sanction the sale of a man whose valuation was declining with age, Wenger will surely use some of the £13.75m in the transfer market since Gilberto would otherwise be the only experienced contender for the central midfield role.
That is much too telling an area for the Arsenal manager to trust that his existing candidates will muddle through a whole campaign.
While Mourinho's protracted bid for Lyon's Michael Essien proceeds, there is no stress about his search for additions to the squad. His actual worry will lie in maintaining harmony among such a gathering of outstanding footballers who will all understandably feel that they should start matches.
The 18 names on Mourinho's team sheet yesterday bristled with ability and, for one reason or another, internationals such as Wayne Bridge and Jiri Jarosik did not even feature among them. Del Horno gave a sound account of himself before wearying in the closing half-hour and there was, too, a debut from the bench for Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Mourinho will have been pleased with this warning that there is to be no change in his club's command of English football. Opponents are fools if they believe that the famed jinx on Community Shield winners will be enough to stop Chelsea.
Didier Drogba
The striker brought all his muscle and ability to bear on Arsenal.
Best moment
The second goal was fashioned out of atheleticism, persistence and calm.
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Times:
Drogba's double spells troubleBy Matt DickinsonChelsea 2 Arsenal 1
AT HIGHBURY AND OLD TRAFFORD, some already talk about trying to keep pace with Chelsea as the best they can hope for. As a tactic for winning the Barclays Premiership title, it is likely to prove as effective as waiting for Tiger Woods to choke on the last day of a major or hoping that Lance Armstrong will fall off his bike when leading the Tour de France.
Arsène Wenger distanced himself from such defeatist talk yesterday when asked if he feared an era of domination by the champions — “do I look worried?” he asked — but Arsenal or Manchester United (or both) will have to do something dramatic to make the rest of the country believe in Chelsea’s vulnerability. Arsenal visit Stamford Bridge in 13 days, which would be a good time to start.
No seeds of doubt were sown yesterday in the minds of John Terry, Frank Lampard or José Mourinho, even if this was far from a vintage performance from Chelsea who, uncharacteristically, eased off once they had gone ahead with two goals from Didier Drogba. Arsenal responded with a goal from the excellent Francesc Fàbregas and a spell of late pressure but Chelsea could rely on the enduring solidity of Petr Cech, Terry and Claude Makelele. The soft goal that Cech conceded, after Tiago’s mistake, may be the last for some time.
We await to see if injuries, suspensions, floods or plagues can knock Chelsea out of their stride but, with the start of the Premiership campaign looming on Saturday, there is no reason to believe that the team who won the title with a record points margin will be any worse than last season. Asier Del Horno looked a sturdy addition at left back before tiring late on. There was little time to judge Shaun Wright-Phillips or Hernán Crespo but Mourinho believed that the latter made an impact even before replacing Drogba midway through the second half.
“You can say that Hernán is responsible for Didier’s performance,” Mourinho said, citing the competition for places as a force for good in his squad and not, as some hope, a cause of resentment. “When he has a big player on the sidelines fighting for his place, I think that pressure is good for players,” the Portuguese added.
Drogba’s contribution was certainly impressive and a huge contrast to his shambling performance at Anfield in the European Cup semi-final second-leg defeat by Liverpool. The wise money then would have been on the £24 million signing departing for around half that sum — particularly with Lyons asking whether he could be included in a swap deal for Michael Essien — but Mourinho appears willing to give him a second chance.
The forward responded with two fine goals, collecting Del Horno’s long ball in the eighth minute as he ran across the penalty area. Philippe Senderos had looked superb in this stadium in the FA Cup final a few months earlier, justifying his inclusion at Sol Campbell’s expense, but his failure to challenge Drogba was very costly. The Chelsea man hooked a left-foot shot past Jens Lehmann with Senderos inexplicably standing off.
Drogba’s pace and power were crucial qualities for his second goal 12 minutes into the second half, when he was also rewarded for perseverance. Lampard’s ball forward caught Arsenal with too few men at the back and, after an aerial challenge between Eidur Gudjohnsen and Kolo Touré, Drogba bore down on Lehmann.
Holding off a challenge from behind by Senderos, Drogba muscled past Lehmann and also beat Lauren in the tackle. It had been a long and tiring run but he still had the energy to hook the ball into the net from close range.
“I think it’s normal [for Drogba] that the second season will be better,” Mourinho said. “He knows the club, he knows the players, the style of football and the opponents. He came very, very late in pre-season last year and he had an injury in the middle. Now he has the conditions to do better. He showed great power for the first goal and, for the second, another player would dive for a penalty. He kept fighting for the ball. Then Crespo came on and his movement was fantastic.
“Since Didier arrived, Chelsea have been champions and won the Carling Cup and he gave a contribution in all of this. You can measure goals, assists and all these statistics but I prefer to go for titles. He wants to score more goals, we want him to score more goals but we trust him independent of this.”
To judge from the manner of both goals, Mourinho had not wasted a minute of his summer holidays dreaming up different tactics. Wenger rather sniffily talked of long balls and counter-attacks compared to Arsenal’s passing combinations but the same criticism was hurled at Chelsea in the early months of last season before Damien Duff and Arjen Robben burst into life.
Neither winger was too effective in the Millennium Stadium, but with Joe Cole and Wright-Phillips to come off the bench as they did yesterday, Drogba is not the only player who knows that a less than effective performance will result in a beckoning signal from the sidelines. For Wenger, defeat had not marred a good work-out. He had consoling words for Senderos who made some good interceptions on the ground but looked very uncomfortable throughout the battering from Drogba.
“Maybe that wasn’t his best performance,” the Arsenal manager said. “But he’s not scared to play even if he makes a mistake and that’s the most important thing.”
The effect of Patrick Vieira’s departure to Juventus cannot yet be quantified but, in central midfield, Fabregas was outstanding. Alexandr Hleb stepped busily off the bench and, after the win-at-all-costs approach to the FA Cup Final in May, at least Arsenal put together a few of the moves that make them so pleasing on the eye.
Wenger believes that his team can challenge Chelsea for the title but he did not win the prize for most optimistic statement yesterday. That went to Geoff Thompson, the FA chairman, who predicted in the match programme that “we can look forward to playing the next Community Shield at the new Wembley Stadium”. Wherever it is staged — and yet more delays at Wembley means that the Millennium Stadium cannot be ruled out — Chelsea will expect to be involved, probably as champions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------