The TimesDecember 15, 2008
Chelsea waste chance to regain leadership of Premier LeagueChelsea 1 West Ham 1
Matt Hughes
As everyone else tightens their belts, Richard Scudamore, the chief executive of the Premier League, could be forgiven for enjoying a luxuriant Christmas feast. The league’s cheerleaders have claimed for some time that it is the most competitive in the world, an outlandish boast that is finally ringing true. Either that or the leading clubs are secretly engaged in a bizarre non-aggression pact as they continue to drop points like desperate retailers slashing prices. Selling the Premier League’s next set of television rights, by contrast, should not prove a problem as viewers are treated to the closest title race and relegation battle for several years.
With respect to the admirable challenge of Aston Villa, the top four from last season are likely to remain the same, though they could yet finish in any order. All four have problems to overcome, with Chelsea’s the most intriguing as their turnaround has been the most dramatic. The best home record in English football history has deteriorated to such an extent that their form on their own ground this season is worse than Stoke City’s, with 14 points slipping through their grasp already. Chelsea’s most recent home league win was a 5-0 demolition over Sunderland six weeks ago, with their last commanding performance against threatening opposition a victory over Villa at the start of October. Given such results, it was little wonder that they were booed off at the end against West Ham United and even Luiz Felipe Scolari, the manager, agreed with the punters’ considered opinion.
Scolari’s pale demeanour and hesitant manner were not solely because of his hospitalisation on Saturday night with kidney stones, as he contemplates ongoing problems on the pitch that could be equally painful. With even Roman Abramovich, the club’s owner, short of money, there will be no quick fix in the transfer window, either, and the Brazilian accepts that he must work with what he has.
Didier Drogba’s introduction as a second-half substitute brought some improvement after a dire first half in which they fell behind to Craig Bellamy’s second goal of a largely disappointing season, yet there remained more questions than answers. Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Joe Cole failed to gel as a front three, as Scolari conceded, and Deco’s contribution was minimal, a verdict that the manager found harder to accept.
Such was the lack of invention from a misfiring midfield that Chelsea resorted to launching long balls towards the end, a desperate tactic that brought little reward. Robert Green was by far the busier goalkeeper in the second half, making an outstanding save from a header by Alex and two more routine ones from Frank Lampard, but the best chance fell to Carlton Cole in injury time, only for the former Chelsea striker to shoot tamely at Petr Cech. “I was thinking, ‘Chip it over, chip it over the goalkeeper,’ ” said Gianfranco Zola, a far more assured finisher who relished his return to Stamford Bridge as the West Ham manager.
To linger too long on Chelsea’s deficiencies would be unfair on West Ham and particularly Zola, who deserves immense credit for formulating a bold game plan. The 42-year-old took a wrong turn before kick-off by visiting the home dressing-room, but given his friendship with Abramovich it is not too outlandish to suggest that he could return one day as manager, even if he needs more results like this.
It has long been a source of bemusement that West Ham’s East End boys are paid West End salaries, but for once their big earners justified their pay packets. Scott Parker was outstanding, Bellamy used his pace to give John Terry a difficult afternoon and Lucas Neill was flawless apart from a challenge on Lampard that could have given Chelsea a penalty.
Scolari will have to earn his money in the next few weeks, as a lack of penetration has been exacerbated by defensive frailties that were shown up when West Ham took the lead, Mark Noble controlling Herita Ilunga’s bouncing throw-in with his shoulder before crossing for Bellamy to score. Scolari’s complaints about a handball were groundless.
Chelsea’s equaliser showed that they can still play the one-touch stuff that was their hallmark at the start of the season, but it was all too rare. John Obi Mikel found Drogba, who shipped the ball on with his first touch to Lampard, whose angled pass left Anelka one-on-one with Green. The France striker scored his sixteenth goal of the season and Scolari must find a way of pairing him with Drogba if he is to end the slump.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): P Cech 6 - J Bosingwa 5, Alex 5, J Terry 5, A Cole 6 - J 0 Mikel 6 - J Cole 5, M Ballack 5, F Lampard 6, Deco 4 - N Anelka 6. Substitutes: D Drogba 6 (for Ballack, 45min), S Kalou (for J Cole, 75), J Belletti (for Mikel, 79). Not used: H Hilário, B Ivanovic, W Bridge, P Ferreira. Next: Everton (a).
West Ham (4-4-2): R Green 6 - L Neill 6, C Davenport 6, M Upson 6, H Ilunga 6 - J Collison 6, S Parker 6, M Noble 6, V Behrami 7 - C Bellamy 7, C Cole 5. Substitutes: H Mullins (for Noble, 72min), L Boa Morte (for Collison, 87), D Di Michele (for Bellamy, 90). Not used: J Lastuvka, J Faubert, D Tristán, F Sears. Next: Aston Villa (h).
Referee: M Riley Attendance: 41,675
Transfer targets
Chelsea
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s need for extra creativity is obvious, but he may have to be content with a loan signing such as Vágner Love, of CSKA Moscow.
West Ham United
Carlton Cole’s miss demonstrated Gianfranco Zola’s need for a striker, but he needs to sell to buy.
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Telegraph:
Nicolas Anelka saves poor Chelsea with 100th Premier League goalChelsea (0) 1 West Ham (1) 1 By Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge staged the Ex-Factor show on Sunday, a truly thrilling event when old boys returned with a vengeance. So many of the visitors had Chelsea connections. So many delivered. Scott Parker won the 50-50 tackles, even the 40-60 ones. Carlton Cole bullied Chelsea’s defence. Gianfranco Zola, his name sung by home and away fans, masterminded tactics that brought more than a point. It brought a feeling of pride and hope to West Ham.
If Zola’s men perform with similar heart and discipline for the rest of the season, and sharpen their cutting edge in front of goal, they will surely avoid relegation. From the moment the claret-and-blue mascot won a pre-match race with his Chelsea counterparts, West Ham’s determination was clear. Their fans certainly lacked for nothing in noisy defiance, particularly when Frank Lampard came into view.
From back to front, Zola’s players were filled with fortitude. Robert Green made stunning saves from Lampard and Didier Drogba in particular. Matthew Upson and Calum Davenport dealt well with Chelsea’s aerial threat. Parker was magnificent in turning Zola's tactical instructions into reality, strangling the life out of Chelsea’s midfield. Alongside Parker, Mark Noble and Jack Collison ran their young bodies into the ground for the cause, giving hope for the present as well as the future.
In attack, in a real tale of the unexpected, Carlton Cole dragged Terry through an assault course of mind and body. During his Chelsea days, Cole was hailed by Claudio Ranieri as "my lion’’ but he has been as threatening as a peacenik kitten in recent games for West Ham. Not on Sunday. Not on his old stamping ground.
Cole first set Terry a physical challenge, backing into him constantly, but sensibly changing tack after being cautioned, applying the little grey cells more, using his pace to alarm Chelsea’s back-line. He would have scored the winner but for Petr Cech.
Chelsea’s defence was breached only once, by Craig Bellamy, but they rarely looked convincing. With Bellamy buzzing about like a hornet with a headache, the game was as much jaw-jaw as draw-draw but he embodied West Ham’s determination. He started duelling with Ashley Cole, a scenario guaranteed to cancel all leave in the FA disciplinary department, and then went to work on Terry and Alex. Watching Alex’s labours, Ricardo Carvalho cannot return soon enough.
Bellamy’s spitfire presence ensured the Derby-day temperature was typically high. Chelsea themselves hardly sought to ease incipient tensions: the front page of the programme carried a picture of Lampard clutching the Chelsea crest on his shirt. Once of Upton Park, Lampard continues to be loathed by West Ham fans and he was greeted caustically, a reception that will not have bothered him one iota.
The first whistle sounded like a call to arms to those from along the District Line. Hardly seconds had elapsed when Collison lunged at Deco. The tone was set but moments of class were increasingly glimpsed amidst the cordite. Joe Cole darted inside, exchanged neat passes with Lampard, but saw his shot blocked by Parker. Inevitably.
John Obi Mikel, delivering another high-class display at anchorman, then glided around Noble, but soon the tackles flew in again. Noble dived in on Mikel and Parker hounded Jose Bosingwa almost up to Sloane Square. West Ham’s tactics were working, pressurising Chelsea’s midfielders and full-backs, denying them any space to create.
Out of the blue - make that claret and blue - West Ham even took the lead after 33 minutes, sending their supporters into a frenzy of jubilant dancing and chanting. Bellamy forced Terry into surrendering possession, bringing a throw-in to the visitors. Herita Ilunga seemed to chuck the ball on, stirring a sense of injustice in home hearts. Noble took charge, using his shoulder to control the ball, nurturing a grievance in Michael Ballack who was convinced there had been a handling offence.
Chelsea’s defence was in disarray, key figures absent from their stations. Noble cut the ball back to Bellamy, amazingly left unmarked. Alex sought to close Bellamy down, so did Terry. They were too late. Showing control and accuracy, Bellamy placed the ball expertly between Cech and the keeper’s right-hand upright.
As well as conceding a goal, Chelsea lost their composure, an incensed Ballack raging at Riley, who duly booked the midfielder. Then Ashley Cole caught Parker disgracefully late. Chelsea were troubled. Potential champions? Not without Didier Drogba. The Ivory Coast striker charged on at the break, Ballack departing to little lamentation.
The switch proved inspired, immediately forcing West Ham deep, immediately doubling the work-load for the defence. Six minutes into a compelling second half, Chelsea were level following a move brimming with exquisite first-time passes that flowed between Lampard, Mikel, Drogba and Lampard, who chipped one of the passes of the season into Anelka’s path. Lampard even imparted the requisite spin for the ball to kick back perfectly for Anelka’s right foot, which duly despatched it past Green.
The rest of the half was pulsating, the game flowing from end to end. Carlton Cole shot wide. Green saved from Lampard. Mikel make a good interception on Bellamy. Chelsea then borrowed a trick from the old Spurs manual, Lampard clipping a near-post corner to Drogba, whose volley drew an exceptional save from Green.
The spotlight continued to shine on West Ham’s keeper, showing up his good and bad points. One moment he was punching a corner from Lampard almost into his own net (that man Parker cleared), the next clawing away an Alex header. Then Carlton Cole almost won it, muscling away from Alex but thwarted by Cech.
Yet Chelsea should have had a penalty, Lucas Neill flicking out a foot and clearly catching Lampard. Not the type to dive, the England midfielder’s frustration was understandable but Parker, Cole and the rest of Zola’s men deserved their point.
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Indy:
West Ham pile on agony for Scolari
Chelsea 1 West Ham United 1
By Sam Wallace
Luiz Felipe Scolari was in hospital on Saturday night with a kidney stone complaint, although the real pain in the belly this weekend came from West Ham. Painful but also embarrassing because Chelsea have dropped 14 points at Stamford Bridge this season and they really do have problems when West Ham can hold out for a draw.
With respect to Gianfranco Zola, his return to Chelsea as West Ham manager was supposed to be a fond celebration of the club's greatest player followed by Zola watching his team being soundly beaten. It never worked out that way. Nicolas Anelka was required to score the equaliser and Scolari had to reconcile himself with the fact that he has already dropped four more points at home than Jose Mourinho did in his entire first season.
Scolari said he was hoping the stones disappear with medication and, failing that, he will have an operation to remove the persistent irritation – and this time we are not talking about Craig Bellamy, scorer of West Ham's goal. "I've heard that having kidney stones is more painful than having a baby," said Scolari, and only slightly less agonising than seeing your team, who have won just two out of the last five league games, blow it against West Ham.
Yesterday Scolari complained, justifiably, about the referee Mike Riley's failure to give his side a penalty in the last two minutes when Lucas Neill – by his own admission – tripped Frank Lampard in the box. He also said that the three strikers he played in the first half – Anelka, Didier Drogba and Joe Cole – failed to understand the brief. "I need them to understand they are not fixed in position," he said. "They need to come back and win the ball."
They are just one point behind the Premier League leaders Liverpool after a weekend in which every one of the original big four drew their games. The truth for Scolari is that Chelsea are struggling to generate momentum. They are not the free-scoring machine of years gone by, and Deco is badly out of sorts. They are still relying on the old guard – Lampard, in particular – to get them out of trouble and even he cannot be expected to do it every week. There were boos for some of the Chelsea players as they left the pitch from their own fans, an outpouring of dissatisfaction that Scolari said he could sympathise with. He will have noticed that they sang Zola's name all afternoon but are yet to make their minds up about their Brazilian manager.
When Bellamy scored Zola stayed in his seat because, he said: "I like to respect people who have shown me so much respect." Along with his assistant Steve Clarke, formerly of Chelsea, the Italian instinctively went to open the home changing room door when he arrived at Stamford Bridge. "It was a special day for me," he said. His team's record is still just one win in 11 but, after the defeat to Tottenham last Monday, this was respectability at last.
The heroes for Zola were his centre-back Matthew Upson, Scott Parker in midfield and Robert Green in goal. They could easily have collapsed after conceding the equaliser on 50 minutes but West Ham held it together. If Carlton Cole had kept his nerve with just Petr Cech to beat in injury time this would have been a historic, if slightly undeserved, victory.
Chelsea should have scored on seven minutes when Lampard and Joe Cole exchanged passes and the latter got into the West Ham box, where his shot was blocked by Parker. The home side were in control yet found themselves going in at half-time a goal down, mugged on 33 minutes by the persistence of West Ham's midfielder, Mark Noble.
It was Noble who got his foot up an inch higher than Jose Bosingwa did on the left flank and nicked possession away from the right-back. Noble sprinted to the touchline, chesting the ball down to his feet – Chelsea would protest he had handled it – cut it back sharply to Bellamy, who controlled it and hit it on the volley past Cech at his near post.
It was a tetchy affair with five bookings, including one for Ashley Cole, who thought better of arguing with Riley, with whom he had that unedifying scene at White Hart Lane last season. At half-time, Scolari substituted Drogba for Ballack and switched to the 4-3-3 system that he would later criticise for being inflexible. Nevertheless, it did help create the equaliser, with Lampard instrumental in making the chance for Anelka to scored.
It was a beautifully worked move beginning in midfield with Lampard, on to John Obi Mikel, to Drogba and back to Lampard. His through ball found Anelka, who beat Green from close range. West Ham continued to resist and were lucky when Neill clipped Lampard's foot in the area but Riley waved play on. Green messed up with a punch on 79 minutes, Parker having to head off the line, then the West Ham goalkeeper saved brilliantly from Alex's header. "To be in this stadium is always incredible for me," Zola said. He was talking about the reception he got from Chelsea fans but he might as well have been discussing the unlikelihood of getting a draw.
Goals: Bellamy (33) 0-1; Anelka (51) 1-1.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Terry, Alex, A Cole; Mikel (Belletti, 80); Deco, Ballack (Drogba, h-t), Lampard, J Cole (Kalou, 75); Anelka. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Ivanovic, Bridge, Ferreira.
West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; Neill, Davenport, Upson, Ilunga; Collison (Boa Morte, 87), Parker, Noble (Mullins, 72), Behrami; Bellamy (Di Michele, 89), Cole. Substitutes not used: Lastuvka (gk), Faubert, Tristan, Sears.
Booked: Chelsea Mikel, Ballack, A Cole; West Ham Cole, Bellamy.
Referee: M Riley (West Yorkshire).
Man of the match: Upson.
Attendance: 41,675
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The Guardian, Monday 15 December 2008
Scolari feels the pain as Chelsea miss their chance to seize top spotChelsea 1 Anelka 51 West Ham United 1 Bellamy 33
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge
The Premier League has become a picturesque landscape of fallen fortresses. The ramparts of Stamford Bridge no longer look impregnable. An equaliser here was until recently a down payment on near-certain victory for Chelsea, but Luiz Felipe Scolari's side soon slipped back into faltering ways after Nicolas Anelka had brought them level yesterday. The side has now won just three of their nine League fixtures at home, dropping 14 points.
There is protective cover for this embarrassment since the leaders Liverpool, a point ahead of Chelsea, are getting bogged down at Anfield. The reigning champions Manchester United may not experience this syndrome profoundly, but even they have dropped a couple of points at Old Trafford. It might be valid to speak of a levelling down in the League, but West Ham deserve great praise for rising to match Chelsea.
Having led, they might have lost had the referee Mike Riley detected Lucas Neill's contact on Frank Lampard, following a pass from the substitute Didier Drogba, in the 88th minute. "There was contact but I don't think I could have done anything about it," said the Australian full-back with the sort of explanation normally shunned by an official. It was typical of West Ham's perseverance, however, that there was further action to take people's minds off that incident. In stoppage time, the influential Valon Behrami put Carlton Cole through, but Petr Cech reached his lame attempt.
There was an air of reunion about the fixture, with Cole just one of the people returning to his former place of work. There was, naturally, greater attention reserved for the arrival of Gianfranco Zola, coming back to foil Chelsea initiatives rather than inspire them. He has, with alarming speed, accumulated experience of the hazards of management, with doubts already arising over his prospects of keeping the job.
As well as West Ham conducted themselves, there was nothing unduly delicate about the line-up, despite the artistry that was once the essence of the person who selected it. Scott Parker, yet another returnee, was tough and effective. "Had Scotty stayed, he could have broken into our team," wrote the Chelsea captain John Terry in his programme notes. The defender would have wished those words had not gone on to seem so prescient.
The weekend was troubling for Scolari, who had spent the night in hospital before the match because of kidney stones. "They say it's more painful than having a baby," he said, as men are wont to do in this situation. It would undoubtedly be flippant that his team causes him as much suffering, but he is unhappy about his fortunes. "Don't forget," he said, "that [I haven't had] a penalty in this competition. Any other club will have had three, four or five by now. But with my players it's never a penalty."
This seemed to be the first sign of paranoia in the Brazilian, but, to his credit, he faulted the display by his players and emphasised that there is labouring ahead on the training ground. To his way of thinking, the attackers had been too static. Scolari suggested that there will be no purchases or sales in January, with the emphasis to be put on improving the displays of those already on the payroll.
He might still have got his way, regardless of all that. Rob Green, largely convincing, miscued a punch that would have brought an own goal in the 69th minute, had Parker, on the line, not knocked it onto the crossbar. That could have been a winner for Chelsea, who had levelled slickly after 51 minutes. That equaliser, with its confident one-touch passing, had been redolent of the side's magisterial away form.
Lampard was at the start of the move and re-entered it, after Mikel John Obi had linked with Drogba to send Anelka through for the leveller. For all that, West Ham had seldom been outclassed. The opener was not a startling development when the readiness to carry the game to Chelsea had been so apparent. After a throw-in, Mark Noble appeared to control with a shoulder and, while opponents screamed for a foul, he set up Craig Bellamy to convert firmly.
Chelsea recovered to a certain extent, but they seem neither secure in defence or incisive in attack at home. Since the loss to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge they have mustered one win here.
There is something predictable about Scolari's line-up when it does not enjoy the freedom experienced in away matches, where the onus is on the opposition to take the initiative.
That problem might be addressed if Drogba were to be paired with Anelka from kick-off, yet Scolari frets that two outright strikers could be denied possession if Chelsea were thereby undermanned in midfield.
Zola himself had the confidence afterwards to speak not merely of the benefits of meeting clubs who have been taxed by midweek Champions League campaigns but also of "smaller teams who are getting organised and playing more tactically." West Ham's showing had given him every right to make that claim.
Man of the match Scott Parker (West Ham)
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Mail:
Chelsea 1 West Ham 1: Gutsy Hammers add to the Stamford Bridge blues By Matt Lawton
Even after a night in hospital, Luiz Felipe Scolari is still being made to suffer by these stuttering Chelsea players.They appear to have no apparent concerns for his health, and no concerns for the fact that 61-year-old manager who was already said to be tired now has kidney stones. Last week's Champions League encounter with CFR Cluj remains their only victory in five games at Stamford Bridge, and before they return on Boxing Day the Brazilian might just take the medical advice he received on Saturday and stay in bed. After all, the poor chap does claim to be in more pain than a woman giving birth.He looked shattered by Sunday's experience - as much by the sight of Craig Bellamy sending West Ham into a much-deserved first-half lead as the ubiquitous Scott Parker dismantling almost every Chelsea attack before sparing Robert Green's blushes by clearing his colleague's misplaced punch off the line.
West Ham were excellent, an impressive combination of determination and defiance and so much better than they were against Tottenham six days earlier. Green again made some crucial saves, Matthew Upson and Calum Davenport were terrific in defence and, as well as Parker, young Jack Collison shone in midfield. Chelsea, by contrast, were desperately disappointing, their failure to take advantage of Liverpool's draw with Hull City infuriating Scolari as much as certain decisions that were made by Mike Riley.
It probably was a penalty in the 88th minute when Lucas Neill caught Frank Lampard's trailing foot, but the contact was minimal and the delay in Lampard's collapse to the ground clearly convinced referee Riley that a foul had not been committed. The incident, however, does not hide the fact that Chelsea, rather like Liverpool and England before that, are experiencing certain difficulties at home, with players like Deco finding it as difficult to pass the ball as their manager struggles to pass water.'Go home, Deco,' cried certain supporters before booing their team at the sound of the final whistle. For them an equaliser from Nicolas Anelka was not enough. They were incensed by yet more mediocrity. Out of a slightly misplaced loyalty to his former club, manager Gianfranco Zola chose not to celebrate Bellamy's goal, and he did not exactly punch the air in delight when the contest did end with a share of the points. Perhaps because he is still looking at one win in 11 matches and four goals in 10.
Yet in this increasingly bizarre season even a fine draw like this was not enough to lift them higher than 16th in the table. They are, however, a point better off than Manchester City, the world's richest football club, who head Sunderland only on goal difference.That each member of the socalled big four also failed to win eases what pressure there is on Scolari, too, and actually makes the title race, as well as the battle to avoid relegation, all the more interesting.If the first half of the season has been entertaining, the second half promises to be a real fight to the finish.Even this game had its moments, Parker making his mark in the first few minutes when he frustrated his former employers by denying Joe Cole after the England winger had executed a neat one-two with Lampard.West Ham's goal came in the 33rd minute, and a perfectly good goal it was whatever Chelsea's players dared suggest to Riley.They objected to what they thought was the use of Mark Noble's arm, but the midfielder actually used his shoulder to knock the ball past Jose Bosingwa before Bellamy controlled the pass that followed on his chest and beat Petr Cech with a super half-volley. Chelsea were struggling, and it was only when Scolari took off Michael Ballack and sent on Didier Drogba at the start of the second half that they began to pose more of a threat.Letting the Drog off the leash did prove crucial in securing their 5st minute equaliser, because it was the Ivory Coast striker who guided John Mikel Obi's pass into the path of Lampard, who then dropped the ball in front of a rapidly advancing Anelka. A 16th goal of the season for the Frenchman followed - his 100th in the Barclays Premier League - courtesy of a neatly executed finish.For the remaining 39 minutes the match seemed distinctly one-sided, with Green denying Drogba and Alex, and Herita Ilunga doing well with a challenge on Joe Cole. But after a surging run from Valon Behrami, Carlton Cole was suddenly presented with an opportunity to punish his former club. 'He probably thought about celebrating before he hit it,' said Neill, and the West Ham captain was probably right. The shot was weak. Far too easy for Cech to gather.Exactly how Zola would have responded had Cole scored we will never know. But he was proud of his players and no doubt thankful for the intelligence he received from Steve Clarke, the deputy he recruited from Stamford Bridge.That said, anyone can take points off Chelsea at Stamford Bridge these days. As Scolari's kidneys know only too well.CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech 6; Bosingwa 6, Alex 7, Terry 6, A Cole 6; Ballack 5 (Drogba 46min, 6), Obi 6 (Belletti 79, 6), Lampard 6; J Cole 6 (Kalou 74, 6), Anelka 7, Deco 4. Booked: Obi, Ballack, A Cole.WEST HAM UNITED (4-4-2): Green 8; Neill 6, Davenport 7, Upson 7, Ilunga 7; Collison 7 (Boa Morte 87), Parker 8, Noble 7 (Mullins 72, 6), Behrami 6; Bellamy 7 (Di Michele 90), Cole 6. Booked: Cole, Bellamy.Man of the match: Scott Parker. Referee: Mike Riley.
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Chelsea waste chance to regain leadership of Premier LeagueChelsea 1 West Ham 1
Matt Hughes
As everyone else tightens their belts, Richard Scudamore, the chief executive of the Premier League, could be forgiven for enjoying a luxuriant Christmas feast. The league’s cheerleaders have claimed for some time that it is the most competitive in the world, an outlandish boast that is finally ringing true. Either that or the leading clubs are secretly engaged in a bizarre non-aggression pact as they continue to drop points like desperate retailers slashing prices. Selling the Premier League’s next set of television rights, by contrast, should not prove a problem as viewers are treated to the closest title race and relegation battle for several years.
With respect to the admirable challenge of Aston Villa, the top four from last season are likely to remain the same, though they could yet finish in any order. All four have problems to overcome, with Chelsea’s the most intriguing as their turnaround has been the most dramatic. The best home record in English football history has deteriorated to such an extent that their form on their own ground this season is worse than Stoke City’s, with 14 points slipping through their grasp already. Chelsea’s most recent home league win was a 5-0 demolition over Sunderland six weeks ago, with their last commanding performance against threatening opposition a victory over Villa at the start of October. Given such results, it was little wonder that they were booed off at the end against West Ham United and even Luiz Felipe Scolari, the manager, agreed with the punters’ considered opinion.
Scolari’s pale demeanour and hesitant manner were not solely because of his hospitalisation on Saturday night with kidney stones, as he contemplates ongoing problems on the pitch that could be equally painful. With even Roman Abramovich, the club’s owner, short of money, there will be no quick fix in the transfer window, either, and the Brazilian accepts that he must work with what he has.
Didier Drogba’s introduction as a second-half substitute brought some improvement after a dire first half in which they fell behind to Craig Bellamy’s second goal of a largely disappointing season, yet there remained more questions than answers. Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Joe Cole failed to gel as a front three, as Scolari conceded, and Deco’s contribution was minimal, a verdict that the manager found harder to accept.
Such was the lack of invention from a misfiring midfield that Chelsea resorted to launching long balls towards the end, a desperate tactic that brought little reward. Robert Green was by far the busier goalkeeper in the second half, making an outstanding save from a header by Alex and two more routine ones from Frank Lampard, but the best chance fell to Carlton Cole in injury time, only for the former Chelsea striker to shoot tamely at Petr Cech. “I was thinking, ‘Chip it over, chip it over the goalkeeper,’ ” said Gianfranco Zola, a far more assured finisher who relished his return to Stamford Bridge as the West Ham manager.
To linger too long on Chelsea’s deficiencies would be unfair on West Ham and particularly Zola, who deserves immense credit for formulating a bold game plan. The 42-year-old took a wrong turn before kick-off by visiting the home dressing-room, but given his friendship with Abramovich it is not too outlandish to suggest that he could return one day as manager, even if he needs more results like this.
It has long been a source of bemusement that West Ham’s East End boys are paid West End salaries, but for once their big earners justified their pay packets. Scott Parker was outstanding, Bellamy used his pace to give John Terry a difficult afternoon and Lucas Neill was flawless apart from a challenge on Lampard that could have given Chelsea a penalty.
Scolari will have to earn his money in the next few weeks, as a lack of penetration has been exacerbated by defensive frailties that were shown up when West Ham took the lead, Mark Noble controlling Herita Ilunga’s bouncing throw-in with his shoulder before crossing for Bellamy to score. Scolari’s complaints about a handball were groundless.
Chelsea’s equaliser showed that they can still play the one-touch stuff that was their hallmark at the start of the season, but it was all too rare. John Obi Mikel found Drogba, who shipped the ball on with his first touch to Lampard, whose angled pass left Anelka one-on-one with Green. The France striker scored his sixteenth goal of the season and Scolari must find a way of pairing him with Drogba if he is to end the slump.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): P Cech 6 - J Bosingwa 5, Alex 5, J Terry 5, A Cole 6 - J 0 Mikel 6 - J Cole 5, M Ballack 5, F Lampard 6, Deco 4 - N Anelka 6. Substitutes: D Drogba 6 (for Ballack, 45min), S Kalou (for J Cole, 75), J Belletti (for Mikel, 79). Not used: H Hilário, B Ivanovic, W Bridge, P Ferreira. Next: Everton (a).
West Ham (4-4-2): R Green 6 - L Neill 6, C Davenport 6, M Upson 6, H Ilunga 6 - J Collison 6, S Parker 6, M Noble 6, V Behrami 7 - C Bellamy 7, C Cole 5. Substitutes: H Mullins (for Noble, 72min), L Boa Morte (for Collison, 87), D Di Michele (for Bellamy, 90). Not used: J Lastuvka, J Faubert, D Tristán, F Sears. Next: Aston Villa (h).
Referee: M Riley Attendance: 41,675
Transfer targets
Chelsea
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s need for extra creativity is obvious, but he may have to be content with a loan signing such as Vágner Love, of CSKA Moscow.
West Ham United
Carlton Cole’s miss demonstrated Gianfranco Zola’s need for a striker, but he needs to sell to buy.
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Telegraph:
Nicolas Anelka saves poor Chelsea with 100th Premier League goalChelsea (0) 1 West Ham (1) 1 By Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge staged the Ex-Factor show on Sunday, a truly thrilling event when old boys returned with a vengeance. So many of the visitors had Chelsea connections. So many delivered. Scott Parker won the 50-50 tackles, even the 40-60 ones. Carlton Cole bullied Chelsea’s defence. Gianfranco Zola, his name sung by home and away fans, masterminded tactics that brought more than a point. It brought a feeling of pride and hope to West Ham.
If Zola’s men perform with similar heart and discipline for the rest of the season, and sharpen their cutting edge in front of goal, they will surely avoid relegation. From the moment the claret-and-blue mascot won a pre-match race with his Chelsea counterparts, West Ham’s determination was clear. Their fans certainly lacked for nothing in noisy defiance, particularly when Frank Lampard came into view.
From back to front, Zola’s players were filled with fortitude. Robert Green made stunning saves from Lampard and Didier Drogba in particular. Matthew Upson and Calum Davenport dealt well with Chelsea’s aerial threat. Parker was magnificent in turning Zola's tactical instructions into reality, strangling the life out of Chelsea’s midfield. Alongside Parker, Mark Noble and Jack Collison ran their young bodies into the ground for the cause, giving hope for the present as well as the future.
In attack, in a real tale of the unexpected, Carlton Cole dragged Terry through an assault course of mind and body. During his Chelsea days, Cole was hailed by Claudio Ranieri as "my lion’’ but he has been as threatening as a peacenik kitten in recent games for West Ham. Not on Sunday. Not on his old stamping ground.
Cole first set Terry a physical challenge, backing into him constantly, but sensibly changing tack after being cautioned, applying the little grey cells more, using his pace to alarm Chelsea’s back-line. He would have scored the winner but for Petr Cech.
Chelsea’s defence was breached only once, by Craig Bellamy, but they rarely looked convincing. With Bellamy buzzing about like a hornet with a headache, the game was as much jaw-jaw as draw-draw but he embodied West Ham’s determination. He started duelling with Ashley Cole, a scenario guaranteed to cancel all leave in the FA disciplinary department, and then went to work on Terry and Alex. Watching Alex’s labours, Ricardo Carvalho cannot return soon enough.
Bellamy’s spitfire presence ensured the Derby-day temperature was typically high. Chelsea themselves hardly sought to ease incipient tensions: the front page of the programme carried a picture of Lampard clutching the Chelsea crest on his shirt. Once of Upton Park, Lampard continues to be loathed by West Ham fans and he was greeted caustically, a reception that will not have bothered him one iota.
The first whistle sounded like a call to arms to those from along the District Line. Hardly seconds had elapsed when Collison lunged at Deco. The tone was set but moments of class were increasingly glimpsed amidst the cordite. Joe Cole darted inside, exchanged neat passes with Lampard, but saw his shot blocked by Parker. Inevitably.
John Obi Mikel, delivering another high-class display at anchorman, then glided around Noble, but soon the tackles flew in again. Noble dived in on Mikel and Parker hounded Jose Bosingwa almost up to Sloane Square. West Ham’s tactics were working, pressurising Chelsea’s midfielders and full-backs, denying them any space to create.
Out of the blue - make that claret and blue - West Ham even took the lead after 33 minutes, sending their supporters into a frenzy of jubilant dancing and chanting. Bellamy forced Terry into surrendering possession, bringing a throw-in to the visitors. Herita Ilunga seemed to chuck the ball on, stirring a sense of injustice in home hearts. Noble took charge, using his shoulder to control the ball, nurturing a grievance in Michael Ballack who was convinced there had been a handling offence.
Chelsea’s defence was in disarray, key figures absent from their stations. Noble cut the ball back to Bellamy, amazingly left unmarked. Alex sought to close Bellamy down, so did Terry. They were too late. Showing control and accuracy, Bellamy placed the ball expertly between Cech and the keeper’s right-hand upright.
As well as conceding a goal, Chelsea lost their composure, an incensed Ballack raging at Riley, who duly booked the midfielder. Then Ashley Cole caught Parker disgracefully late. Chelsea were troubled. Potential champions? Not without Didier Drogba. The Ivory Coast striker charged on at the break, Ballack departing to little lamentation.
The switch proved inspired, immediately forcing West Ham deep, immediately doubling the work-load for the defence. Six minutes into a compelling second half, Chelsea were level following a move brimming with exquisite first-time passes that flowed between Lampard, Mikel, Drogba and Lampard, who chipped one of the passes of the season into Anelka’s path. Lampard even imparted the requisite spin for the ball to kick back perfectly for Anelka’s right foot, which duly despatched it past Green.
The rest of the half was pulsating, the game flowing from end to end. Carlton Cole shot wide. Green saved from Lampard. Mikel make a good interception on Bellamy. Chelsea then borrowed a trick from the old Spurs manual, Lampard clipping a near-post corner to Drogba, whose volley drew an exceptional save from Green.
The spotlight continued to shine on West Ham’s keeper, showing up his good and bad points. One moment he was punching a corner from Lampard almost into his own net (that man Parker cleared), the next clawing away an Alex header. Then Carlton Cole almost won it, muscling away from Alex but thwarted by Cech.
Yet Chelsea should have had a penalty, Lucas Neill flicking out a foot and clearly catching Lampard. Not the type to dive, the England midfielder’s frustration was understandable but Parker, Cole and the rest of Zola’s men deserved their point.
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Indy:
West Ham pile on agony for Scolari
Chelsea 1 West Ham United 1
By Sam Wallace
Luiz Felipe Scolari was in hospital on Saturday night with a kidney stone complaint, although the real pain in the belly this weekend came from West Ham. Painful but also embarrassing because Chelsea have dropped 14 points at Stamford Bridge this season and they really do have problems when West Ham can hold out for a draw.
With respect to Gianfranco Zola, his return to Chelsea as West Ham manager was supposed to be a fond celebration of the club's greatest player followed by Zola watching his team being soundly beaten. It never worked out that way. Nicolas Anelka was required to score the equaliser and Scolari had to reconcile himself with the fact that he has already dropped four more points at home than Jose Mourinho did in his entire first season.
Scolari said he was hoping the stones disappear with medication and, failing that, he will have an operation to remove the persistent irritation – and this time we are not talking about Craig Bellamy, scorer of West Ham's goal. "I've heard that having kidney stones is more painful than having a baby," said Scolari, and only slightly less agonising than seeing your team, who have won just two out of the last five league games, blow it against West Ham.
Yesterday Scolari complained, justifiably, about the referee Mike Riley's failure to give his side a penalty in the last two minutes when Lucas Neill – by his own admission – tripped Frank Lampard in the box. He also said that the three strikers he played in the first half – Anelka, Didier Drogba and Joe Cole – failed to understand the brief. "I need them to understand they are not fixed in position," he said. "They need to come back and win the ball."
They are just one point behind the Premier League leaders Liverpool after a weekend in which every one of the original big four drew their games. The truth for Scolari is that Chelsea are struggling to generate momentum. They are not the free-scoring machine of years gone by, and Deco is badly out of sorts. They are still relying on the old guard – Lampard, in particular – to get them out of trouble and even he cannot be expected to do it every week. There were boos for some of the Chelsea players as they left the pitch from their own fans, an outpouring of dissatisfaction that Scolari said he could sympathise with. He will have noticed that they sang Zola's name all afternoon but are yet to make their minds up about their Brazilian manager.
When Bellamy scored Zola stayed in his seat because, he said: "I like to respect people who have shown me so much respect." Along with his assistant Steve Clarke, formerly of Chelsea, the Italian instinctively went to open the home changing room door when he arrived at Stamford Bridge. "It was a special day for me," he said. His team's record is still just one win in 11 but, after the defeat to Tottenham last Monday, this was respectability at last.
The heroes for Zola were his centre-back Matthew Upson, Scott Parker in midfield and Robert Green in goal. They could easily have collapsed after conceding the equaliser on 50 minutes but West Ham held it together. If Carlton Cole had kept his nerve with just Petr Cech to beat in injury time this would have been a historic, if slightly undeserved, victory.
Chelsea should have scored on seven minutes when Lampard and Joe Cole exchanged passes and the latter got into the West Ham box, where his shot was blocked by Parker. The home side were in control yet found themselves going in at half-time a goal down, mugged on 33 minutes by the persistence of West Ham's midfielder, Mark Noble.
It was Noble who got his foot up an inch higher than Jose Bosingwa did on the left flank and nicked possession away from the right-back. Noble sprinted to the touchline, chesting the ball down to his feet – Chelsea would protest he had handled it – cut it back sharply to Bellamy, who controlled it and hit it on the volley past Cech at his near post.
It was a tetchy affair with five bookings, including one for Ashley Cole, who thought better of arguing with Riley, with whom he had that unedifying scene at White Hart Lane last season. At half-time, Scolari substituted Drogba for Ballack and switched to the 4-3-3 system that he would later criticise for being inflexible. Nevertheless, it did help create the equaliser, with Lampard instrumental in making the chance for Anelka to scored.
It was a beautifully worked move beginning in midfield with Lampard, on to John Obi Mikel, to Drogba and back to Lampard. His through ball found Anelka, who beat Green from close range. West Ham continued to resist and were lucky when Neill clipped Lampard's foot in the area but Riley waved play on. Green messed up with a punch on 79 minutes, Parker having to head off the line, then the West Ham goalkeeper saved brilliantly from Alex's header. "To be in this stadium is always incredible for me," Zola said. He was talking about the reception he got from Chelsea fans but he might as well have been discussing the unlikelihood of getting a draw.
Goals: Bellamy (33) 0-1; Anelka (51) 1-1.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Terry, Alex, A Cole; Mikel (Belletti, 80); Deco, Ballack (Drogba, h-t), Lampard, J Cole (Kalou, 75); Anelka. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Ivanovic, Bridge, Ferreira.
West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; Neill, Davenport, Upson, Ilunga; Collison (Boa Morte, 87), Parker, Noble (Mullins, 72), Behrami; Bellamy (Di Michele, 89), Cole. Substitutes not used: Lastuvka (gk), Faubert, Tristan, Sears.
Booked: Chelsea Mikel, Ballack, A Cole; West Ham Cole, Bellamy.
Referee: M Riley (West Yorkshire).
Man of the match: Upson.
Attendance: 41,675
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The Guardian, Monday 15 December 2008
Scolari feels the pain as Chelsea miss their chance to seize top spotChelsea 1 Anelka 51 West Ham United 1 Bellamy 33
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge
The Premier League has become a picturesque landscape of fallen fortresses. The ramparts of Stamford Bridge no longer look impregnable. An equaliser here was until recently a down payment on near-certain victory for Chelsea, but Luiz Felipe Scolari's side soon slipped back into faltering ways after Nicolas Anelka had brought them level yesterday. The side has now won just three of their nine League fixtures at home, dropping 14 points.
There is protective cover for this embarrassment since the leaders Liverpool, a point ahead of Chelsea, are getting bogged down at Anfield. The reigning champions Manchester United may not experience this syndrome profoundly, but even they have dropped a couple of points at Old Trafford. It might be valid to speak of a levelling down in the League, but West Ham deserve great praise for rising to match Chelsea.
Having led, they might have lost had the referee Mike Riley detected Lucas Neill's contact on Frank Lampard, following a pass from the substitute Didier Drogba, in the 88th minute. "There was contact but I don't think I could have done anything about it," said the Australian full-back with the sort of explanation normally shunned by an official. It was typical of West Ham's perseverance, however, that there was further action to take people's minds off that incident. In stoppage time, the influential Valon Behrami put Carlton Cole through, but Petr Cech reached his lame attempt.
There was an air of reunion about the fixture, with Cole just one of the people returning to his former place of work. There was, naturally, greater attention reserved for the arrival of Gianfranco Zola, coming back to foil Chelsea initiatives rather than inspire them. He has, with alarming speed, accumulated experience of the hazards of management, with doubts already arising over his prospects of keeping the job.
As well as West Ham conducted themselves, there was nothing unduly delicate about the line-up, despite the artistry that was once the essence of the person who selected it. Scott Parker, yet another returnee, was tough and effective. "Had Scotty stayed, he could have broken into our team," wrote the Chelsea captain John Terry in his programme notes. The defender would have wished those words had not gone on to seem so prescient.
The weekend was troubling for Scolari, who had spent the night in hospital before the match because of kidney stones. "They say it's more painful than having a baby," he said, as men are wont to do in this situation. It would undoubtedly be flippant that his team causes him as much suffering, but he is unhappy about his fortunes. "Don't forget," he said, "that [I haven't had] a penalty in this competition. Any other club will have had three, four or five by now. But with my players it's never a penalty."
This seemed to be the first sign of paranoia in the Brazilian, but, to his credit, he faulted the display by his players and emphasised that there is labouring ahead on the training ground. To his way of thinking, the attackers had been too static. Scolari suggested that there will be no purchases or sales in January, with the emphasis to be put on improving the displays of those already on the payroll.
He might still have got his way, regardless of all that. Rob Green, largely convincing, miscued a punch that would have brought an own goal in the 69th minute, had Parker, on the line, not knocked it onto the crossbar. That could have been a winner for Chelsea, who had levelled slickly after 51 minutes. That equaliser, with its confident one-touch passing, had been redolent of the side's magisterial away form.
Lampard was at the start of the move and re-entered it, after Mikel John Obi had linked with Drogba to send Anelka through for the leveller. For all that, West Ham had seldom been outclassed. The opener was not a startling development when the readiness to carry the game to Chelsea had been so apparent. After a throw-in, Mark Noble appeared to control with a shoulder and, while opponents screamed for a foul, he set up Craig Bellamy to convert firmly.
Chelsea recovered to a certain extent, but they seem neither secure in defence or incisive in attack at home. Since the loss to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge they have mustered one win here.
There is something predictable about Scolari's line-up when it does not enjoy the freedom experienced in away matches, where the onus is on the opposition to take the initiative.
That problem might be addressed if Drogba were to be paired with Anelka from kick-off, yet Scolari frets that two outright strikers could be denied possession if Chelsea were thereby undermanned in midfield.
Zola himself had the confidence afterwards to speak not merely of the benefits of meeting clubs who have been taxed by midweek Champions League campaigns but also of "smaller teams who are getting organised and playing more tactically." West Ham's showing had given him every right to make that claim.
Man of the match Scott Parker (West Ham)
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Mail:
Chelsea 1 West Ham 1: Gutsy Hammers add to the Stamford Bridge blues By Matt Lawton
Even after a night in hospital, Luiz Felipe Scolari is still being made to suffer by these stuttering Chelsea players.They appear to have no apparent concerns for his health, and no concerns for the fact that 61-year-old manager who was already said to be tired now has kidney stones. Last week's Champions League encounter with CFR Cluj remains their only victory in five games at Stamford Bridge, and before they return on Boxing Day the Brazilian might just take the medical advice he received on Saturday and stay in bed. After all, the poor chap does claim to be in more pain than a woman giving birth.He looked shattered by Sunday's experience - as much by the sight of Craig Bellamy sending West Ham into a much-deserved first-half lead as the ubiquitous Scott Parker dismantling almost every Chelsea attack before sparing Robert Green's blushes by clearing his colleague's misplaced punch off the line.
West Ham were excellent, an impressive combination of determination and defiance and so much better than they were against Tottenham six days earlier. Green again made some crucial saves, Matthew Upson and Calum Davenport were terrific in defence and, as well as Parker, young Jack Collison shone in midfield. Chelsea, by contrast, were desperately disappointing, their failure to take advantage of Liverpool's draw with Hull City infuriating Scolari as much as certain decisions that were made by Mike Riley.
It probably was a penalty in the 88th minute when Lucas Neill caught Frank Lampard's trailing foot, but the contact was minimal and the delay in Lampard's collapse to the ground clearly convinced referee Riley that a foul had not been committed. The incident, however, does not hide the fact that Chelsea, rather like Liverpool and England before that, are experiencing certain difficulties at home, with players like Deco finding it as difficult to pass the ball as their manager struggles to pass water.'Go home, Deco,' cried certain supporters before booing their team at the sound of the final whistle. For them an equaliser from Nicolas Anelka was not enough. They were incensed by yet more mediocrity. Out of a slightly misplaced loyalty to his former club, manager Gianfranco Zola chose not to celebrate Bellamy's goal, and he did not exactly punch the air in delight when the contest did end with a share of the points. Perhaps because he is still looking at one win in 11 matches and four goals in 10.
Yet in this increasingly bizarre season even a fine draw like this was not enough to lift them higher than 16th in the table. They are, however, a point better off than Manchester City, the world's richest football club, who head Sunderland only on goal difference.That each member of the socalled big four also failed to win eases what pressure there is on Scolari, too, and actually makes the title race, as well as the battle to avoid relegation, all the more interesting.If the first half of the season has been entertaining, the second half promises to be a real fight to the finish.Even this game had its moments, Parker making his mark in the first few minutes when he frustrated his former employers by denying Joe Cole after the England winger had executed a neat one-two with Lampard.West Ham's goal came in the 33rd minute, and a perfectly good goal it was whatever Chelsea's players dared suggest to Riley.They objected to what they thought was the use of Mark Noble's arm, but the midfielder actually used his shoulder to knock the ball past Jose Bosingwa before Bellamy controlled the pass that followed on his chest and beat Petr Cech with a super half-volley. Chelsea were struggling, and it was only when Scolari took off Michael Ballack and sent on Didier Drogba at the start of the second half that they began to pose more of a threat.Letting the Drog off the leash did prove crucial in securing their 5st minute equaliser, because it was the Ivory Coast striker who guided John Mikel Obi's pass into the path of Lampard, who then dropped the ball in front of a rapidly advancing Anelka. A 16th goal of the season for the Frenchman followed - his 100th in the Barclays Premier League - courtesy of a neatly executed finish.For the remaining 39 minutes the match seemed distinctly one-sided, with Green denying Drogba and Alex, and Herita Ilunga doing well with a challenge on Joe Cole. But after a surging run from Valon Behrami, Carlton Cole was suddenly presented with an opportunity to punish his former club. 'He probably thought about celebrating before he hit it,' said Neill, and the West Ham captain was probably right. The shot was weak. Far too easy for Cech to gather.Exactly how Zola would have responded had Cole scored we will never know. But he was proud of his players and no doubt thankful for the intelligence he received from Steve Clarke, the deputy he recruited from Stamford Bridge.That said, anyone can take points off Chelsea at Stamford Bridge these days. As Scolari's kidneys know only too well.CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech 6; Bosingwa 6, Alex 7, Terry 6, A Cole 6; Ballack 5 (Drogba 46min, 6), Obi 6 (Belletti 79, 6), Lampard 6; J Cole 6 (Kalou 74, 6), Anelka 7, Deco 4. Booked: Obi, Ballack, A Cole.WEST HAM UNITED (4-4-2): Green 8; Neill 6, Davenport 7, Upson 7, Ilunga 7; Collison 7 (Boa Morte 87), Parker 8, Noble 7 (Mullins 72, 6), Behrami 6; Bellamy 7 (Di Michele 90), Cole 6. Booked: Cole, Bellamy.Man of the match: Scott Parker. Referee: Mike Riley.
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