The TimesOctober 25, 2007
Chelsea's new open-minded philosophy wins favour with the fans
Chelsea 2 Schalke 04 0
Matt Hughes
Given that his boss is the man who has everything, it is perhaps just as well that Avram Grant has promised Roman Abramovich the earth. In his first programme notes, the Chelsea first-team coach pledged to provide trophies, entertainment and winning football – everything, indeed, but the proverbial moon on a stick. Five weeks to the day since being handed the ultimate hospital pass, he is in danger of delivering. José who? Grant is yet to hear his name chanted at Stamford Bridge, but that prospect is no longer as fanciful as it once appeared.
Chelsea fans have enjoyed too much success recently to be overly impressed with victory over middling European opponents, but they are not used to winning matches in this manner. Grant’s side created enough chances to have won by far more, but conceded enough to keep Schalke 04 interested and against more clinical opponents could easily have dropped points. Such openness will be welcomed by neutrals, though not by Chelsea fans if they start to lose.
Grant’s gift appears to be coaxing more out of those players pleased by José Mourinho’s departure while maintaining the performance levels of those purportedly in mourning. Joe Cole seems to be relishing the increased licence he has been given, but Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba, who are definitely in the latter camp, show no signs of sulking. The France winger opened the scoring with his third goal of the season in the fourth minute, before Drogba effectively sealed the game with his fourth two minutes into the second half.
The Ivory Coast striker’s heart may have left the club with Mourinho, but his body and mind are completely committed to the Chelsea cause. Although frustratingly vague, Grant’s philosophy appears to be based around maintaining Mourinho’s style and structure within a looser framework. The 4-3-3 formation remains just the same, but the players are afforded far greater individual freedom and not instructed simply to preserve their energy for the next match once they have taken the lead.
Chelsea began with the high tempo beloved of their former manager and their opening goal could have come straight out of the Mourinho manual. Paulo Ferreira’s long ball from his own half was flicked on by Drogba to Malouda, who showed impressive strength to hold off Rafinha before beating him on the outside and depositing the ball between the legs of Manuel Neuer. Malouda’s shot took a cruel deflection but the German goal-keeper should still have done better.
After an impressive start to his Chelsea career, Malouda has struggled in recent weeks, but seemed back to his best last night. In his first outing with Wayne Bridge, making his first start of the season, Malouda gave Rafinha a torrid time, to such an extent that at one stage he was forced to rugby tackle him, becoming possibly the first Brazilian to master the art. With Frank Lampard and Michael Essien driving them on, it was like watching the Chelsea of old and they continued to create chances. Drogba and Lampard both headed wide but the best opportunity fell to Essien from a Malouda cross, with the Ghana midfield player’s header well saved. Neuer also got down well to block a long-range shot from Cole just before half-time.
While Chelsea’s style and conversion rate remains similar to that of the Mourinho era – direct and sporadic respectively – the main difference appears to be at the other end of the pitch, where they are far more vulnerable. Claude Makelele does not protect the back four with the efficiency he used to, which is unfortunate as the hapless Alex needs more protection than a helpless toddler.
Although missing several key players through injury, which increased when Kevin Kuranyi pulled out in the warm-up, Schalke created enough chances to have drawn level by half-time. Gerald Asamoah twice headed wide at the far post, while Carlos Grossmüller got the ball in the net in the 28th minute, but was ruled offside.
Drogba did his best to erase such concerns by scoring another direct goal that was far easier on the eye, an object lesson in counter-attacking football. In keeping with his desire to be involved at all times, Drogba began and ended the move, dropping back to feed Cole, whose brilliant pass found Ferreira in space on the right. The Portuguese is not a natural attacker but his delayed cross was weighted perfectly, with Drogba stooping low to provide a brave finish with a diving header. Unlike under Mourinho, Chelsea continued to play, which enabled Schalke to stay in the game. Soren Larsen hit a post in the 61st minute and found himself free on goal late on, only to be pulled back by a blatant professional foul from Alex, with the referee inexplicably failing to award a free kick. The Brazilian defender has replaced Khalid Boulahrouz as Chelsea’s chief liability and John Terry’s return from injury is needed urgently.
For all his desire to be entertained, such clownish capers from his centre back are probably not what Abramovich had in mind, even on his 41st birthday.
Defensive strategy
10 The defence of Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Alex and Wayne Bridge was Chelsea’s tenth back-four combination in 15 matches this season
44 Chelsea’s run of unbeaten home games in all competitions since losing 2-1 to Barcelona in February 2006
Source: Bill Edgar--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Didier Drogba and Chelsea take step forwardBy John Ley at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea (1) 2 Schalke (0) 0
Roman Abramovich could have been forgiven last night for staging one of his more flamboyant birthday celebrations. The Russian billionaire, on his 41st birthday, saw his new manager achieve what his old manager could not, thanks to a player seemingly unhappy with his lot at the club.
Jose Mourinho's parting act was to see his side stumble to a 1-1 draw with Rosenborg and leave Chelsea's European aspirations in a precarious position. Now, under Avram Grant, the club have moved on, adding this scalp to that of Valencia three weeks earlier. Grant, as ever, spoke with understatement when he wished Abramovich 'happy birthday', adding: "He has done a lot for this club and I hope this is a good present for him."
The 'present' was delivered by Didier Drogba and if the striker is unhappy at Chelsea, it will be interesting to monitor his form if he falls back in love with the club. Having claimed last week that something at Chelsea was 'broken', he scored another goal, his second in two games since his controversial comments. His goal, Chelsea's second, went some way to securing their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Chelsea having been gifted the first goal, which Florent Malouda scored through the gaping legs of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Drogba's superb second enabled them to offer some of the entertainment Grant had demanded.
With Rosenborg beating Valencia in the night's other Group B game, Chelsea are now three points clear of the second-placed Norwegians.
Mourinho finished his Chelsea career with three games without a win; Grant has won five of his last six even if at times last night the hosts rode their luck. Schalke were deprived of key striker Kevin Kuranyi in the warm-up before having a 'goal' disallowed for offside, striking a post and, towards the end, being deprived of another scoring opportunity through a blatant 'professional foul' by Alex.
That said, these are promising times for Chelsea after such a poor start under Mourinho. John Terry and Ashley Cole are still absent, but Wayne Bridge started for the first time this season.
The game was just four minutes old when Neuer gifted Chelsea. Malouda rode a challenge from Rafinha, the Schalke defender, and when he shot, the ball took the smallest of touches off the Brazilian right-back, just enough to confuse Neuer, who let it slip through his arms and legs in embarrassing fashion.
Chelsea had space and most of the possession, with Bridge enjoying freedom along the left flank, but they became frustrated by their inability to breach an ordinary defence.
More chances fell to Chelsea before the break as Michael Essien and Joe Cole were denied by Neuer.
Chelsea began the second half in similar fashion to the first, with a goal. And it went further to confirming that whatever his personal feelings, Drogba will continue to fight for the Chelsea cause.
Inside the opening two minutes Paolo Ferreira and Joe Cole chased a ball, with the defender taking up the option to carry it forward. His cross, from the right, was struck with perfection, as was the timing of the dive from Drogba, who stooped to head into the bottom corner.
The goal enabled Chelsea to assert their authority and soon afterwards Cole went close from 20 yards.
On the hour, Schalke were unfortunate again, when Soren Larsen, the late replacement for Kuryani, sent in a header that left Cech stranded on the line, only for the ball to bounce off the inside of the left post and into Cech's grateful arms.
Before the end, Alex clearly impeded Larsen and though the foul was outside the area, the Brazilian should have been sent off. He survived and now Chelsea march forward with confidence.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Chelsea 2 Schalke 0: Attacking revolution remains a fantasy By Sam Wallace
What do Chelsea and Gelsenkirchen, the gritty industrial Ruhr hometown of Schalke, have in common? Neither of them are really built with entertainment in mind. Avram Grant's mission is to change all that and usher in a new era of fantasy football at Stamford Bridge, although for the time being it looks suspiciously like he is happy to win matches by any means possible.
From the top of Group B, life looks a lot more comfortable for Chelsea than seven games ago when a half-empty Stamford Bridge bore witness to Jose Mourinho's last match in charge, that desperate draw with Rosenborg. And as Roman Abramovich stepped into his limo last night he could at least comfort himself with the knowledge that stability has been restored but, at the back of his mind that nagging question: could life be better than this?
On the occasion of Abramovich's 41st birthday yesterday, his friends, cronies and hangers-on will have been asking the same question they pose around this time every year: what do you get for the Russian billionaire who has everything? The answer could be found 24 hours earlier in the Emirates Stadium where Arsenal ran riot against Slavia Prague, scored seven goals and sent their supporters home in raptures.
Grant will have felt a little more deflated than usual after a post-match press conference in which he was deluged with questions about entertainment value and comparisons with Arsenal. So far unflappable, even Grant seemed to be tiring. "I respect Arsenal but we are not taking an example from other clubs," he said. "We want to play our game. We are going step-by-step, even Arsène Wenger said he needed more than a year."
Grant has to take responsibility for making that particular rod for his own back – he even mentioned entertainment in his programme notes again yesterday. Florent Malouda was gifted a goal within five minutes through an appalling error by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer – who seemed personally determined to give Abramovich a birthday present. Within two minutes of the second half beginning, Didier Drogba hit Schalke with the classic sucker punch and put Chelsea two ahead.
The German side are renowned as the Bundesliga's nearly men and they nearly put up a decent fight last night. Carlos Grossmuller had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside, Soren Larsen headed against the post and the striker should have had a penalty when Alex da Costa pulled him down in the 85th minute. Even so Schalke, who lost striker Kevin Kuranyi minutes before kick-off, were strangely insipid.
The linchpin for Chelsea once again was Drogba who was given no stick whatsoever from the Stamford Bridge faithful for his declaration last week that he wanted to leave the club – and his subsequent bizarre retraction. Doubtless because anyone who knows Chelsea know they would be half the team without their main man – they would sooner give away every other striker on the books than him.
"Didier is a positive guy, he speaks on the pitch and that is where he needs to do his talking," Grant said. Four wins on the spin for the new manager before the visit of Manchester City on Saturday but Grant would be naive to think that would be enough to earn him the plaudits. The mantra of entertaining football will follow him all season.
Malouda scored when he took on a flick from Drogba on the left, went outside Gerald Asamoah, cut back inside and drilled a low harmless shot straight at Neuer and through the German's legs. The Schalke goalkeeper made a similarly disastrous mistake against Hansa Rostock in the Bundesliga at the weekend and ominously vowed after that match to make up for it. Paul Robinson can rest easy that there are some having a far worse time of it than him.
The killer blow from Chelsea took another 45 minutes to arrive. As usual, the likes of Claude Makelele and Ricardo Carvalho were exemplary but it was ever thus. The spark was still missing from Malouda and Joe Cole. Two minutes after the break Schalke allowed themselves to be easily opened up. For once, Chelsea got the ball moving quickly on the counter-attack, Frank Lampard switched the ball out right to Paulo Ferreira and the full-back whipped in a cross that Drogba dived to meet at the near post.
It was a brilliant finish and Drogba's fourth goal of the season. The Swedish referee should have given a penalty against Alex for his foul on Larsen, but equally Drogba should have had one a few minutes later when he was brought down by Jermaine Jones. On the Chelsea bench for the first time was Henk ten Cate, the new assistant to Grant, who, it was pointed out in the programme, coached an Ajax team that scored more than 100 goals in 41 games last season.
Those are the kind of numbers that Abramovich hopes Chelsea are posting by the time he turns 42. It is becoming an obsession at the club and it will not be any easier to achieve if Drogba does decide that his future lies elsewhere.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Alex, Bridge; Makelele; J Cole (Shevchenko, 89), Essien (Mikel, 68) Lampard, Malouda (Kalou, 83); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Pizarro, Ben Haim, Belletti.
Schalke 04 (4-3-3): Neuer; Rafinha, Westermann, Bordon, Rodriguez (Bajramovic, 82); Ernst, Grossmuller (Azaouagh, 77), Jones; Asamoah (Rakitic, 61), Larsen, Lovenkrands. Substitutes not used: Schober (gk), Howedes.
Referee: P Frojdfeldt (Sweden).
Group B
Results: Chelsea 1 Rosenborg 1; Schalke 04 0 Valencia 1; Rosenborg 0 Schalke 04 2; Valencia 1 Chelsea 2; Chelsea 2 Schalke 04 0; Rosenborg 2 Valencia 0.
Remaining fixtures: 6 November: Schalke 04 v Chelsea; Valencia v Rosenborg. 28 November: Rosenborg v Chelsea; Valencia v Schalke 04. 11 December: Chelsea v Valencia; Schalke 04 v Rosenborg.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Drogba's flying delivery brings home comforts to Grant and Chelsea
Kevin McCarra at Stamford BridgeThursday October 25, 2007The Guardian
After the years of melodrama, this period of seclusion must be to Chelsea's taste. They opened up a three-point lead in Group B without inspiring bullish predictions that they are set to win the Champions League. No one is fixated with them for the time being. Even the referee Peter Frojdfeldt was not paying much attention when Alex, after perpetrating a short backpass, brought down Schalke's Soren Larsen in the 85th minute. No foul was awarded, no red card shown.
In reparation, Didier Drogba was denied a penalty almost immediately. Despite legitimate squabbles about such events the justice of the outcome is beyond challenge. Chelsea always had sufficient talent at their disposal to win. Their rigour has been depleted to some extent, however, and the club has to hope that this is explained wholly by the absence of the injured John Terry.Schalke, in the most ridiculous manner, failed to strain Avram Grant's side. The visitors arrived with a gift of an early goal for convalescent Chelsea. The single home game under the direction of the new manager had been the 0-0 draw with Fulham, but Grant was not made to wait long for a goal here last night.
With four minutes gone, Florent Malouda showed his characteristically tenacious skill to get away from the right-back Rafinha, but his shot was hit straight to Manuel Neuer. There was not any great speed on the ball either, yet it still ran through the goalkeeper's legs. A blunder on such a scale seemed to make Chelsea's fourth consecutive win inevitable.
At the weekend Neuer had chucked a throw-out straight to an opponent, so permitting Hansa Rostock their equaliser in a draw. Schalke must believe that the fates are pursuing a vendetta. The striker Kevin Kuranyi hurt himself before kick-off against Chelsea and, with the line-ups already submitted, Soren Larsen had to be promoted from the bench.
None the less, the visitors were never completely disheartened. They had won 2-0 away to Rosenborg in Trondheim and occasionally attacked with zest here. The intended evolution of Chelsea from the dry rigour of the Jose Mourinho era has got no further yet than an increased vulnerability.
Grant's side could not deal dependably with crosses and Carlos Grossmüller was wrongly given offside when he tucked the ball home in the 28th minute. There was errant flagging, too, after Joe Cole was released by Drogba six minutes before the interval, but his effort had been saved in any case.
While Neuer coped then there was still every reason to test him. Another Cole effort in the 45th minute was shoved out into the middle of the goalmouth, even if it did not run into the path of a Chelsea player. The match was largely humdrum and Grant, who had not included Shaun Wright-Phillips even among the substitutes, cannot have been in the mood for frivolity. Chelsea put the emphasis on getting the ball into the goalmouth in a direct fashion.
Michael Essien was as great a danger as anyone, twice threatening with headers. It was a little odd to see him taking up such a role and Frank Lampard was conservative by comparison.
Drogba, of course, is the best target of all for Chelsea and he extended the lead in the 47th minute. Paulo Ferreira's run on the right was full of good intentions but the forward, who might have been off-side by a hair's breadth, had to supply true quality, connecting with a diving header to beat Neuer.
Stereotypes about the Bundesliga were reinforced as the visitors looked quite appealing without matching Chelsea's decisiveness. The opinion, none the less, nearly had to be revised when Larsen's header pinged off a post after Rafinha had picked him out in the 60th minute.
Chelsea, for all that, retained a sporadic sprightliness. Lampard located Drogba with an especially perceptive ball but the Ivorian, for once, could not overwhelm a defence single-handed. That was a rare moment in which the lack of a striking partner for Drogba seemed a disadvantage of the 4-3-3 system, featuring two wingers, so loved by Grant's predecessor Mourinho
This was an unassuming win. The admirable visiting support teased their opposite numbers for being subdued, but it was pardonable that Chelsea minds should be drifting away from this fixture. The arrival of the revived Manchester City on Saturday must, in particular, have been starting to occupy Grant's thoughts.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Cut-price Chelsea hit the right notes - Malouda and Drogba in harmonyChelsea 2 Schalke 0
By MATT LAWTON
A chorus of 'Avram Grant' has not yet been heard at Stamford Bridge but Chelsea's supporters still had plenty to sing about last night — a first win at home in the Champions League this season, and for half the price.
Results like this as well as a reduction in the cost of tickets will ease the sense of loss that has been felt since the sudden departure of Jose Mourinho after that fateful night here against Rosenborg.
That night was memorable not only for the empty seats but the end of Mourinho's tenure, even if nobody quite realised it was the end until the following night.
The healing process continued last night, Grant guiding Chelsea to a fourth consecutive victory with goals at the start of each half.
If the football was not as entertaining and expansive as Grant promises to deliver now that he has Henk Ten Cate at his side, it was a far more accomplished display than Chelsea produced against a Rosenborg side significantly inferior to this Schalke team.
Good fortune might have enabled Florent Malouda to seize the lead for Chelsea in the fourth minute but good football brought a second for Didier Drogba after the break.
While Drogba has expressed a desire to follow Mourinho out of Chelsea at the end of the season, he appears determined to make the most of what appears to remain of his Stamford Bridge career. His goal against Middlesbrough last weekend was wonderfully clinical in its execution and this one provided a demonstration of his movement as well as menace.
He started the move when he passed to the feet of Frank Lampard and finished it when he then met a super cross from Paulo Ferreira with a quite brilliant header.
The Germans had every right to feel aggrieved when a television replay suggested they had scored a perfectly good equaliser in the first half, and they very nearly struck again when Soren Larsen sent a header against a post.
But they were beaten by the better team, as a watching Franz Beckenbauer no doubt agreed when he was not walking among Chelsea fans signing autographs.
Grant might have said Ten Cate was the deputy in those inaugural programme notes, and he undoubtedly is, but their appearance in the dug-out suggested otherwise. Ten Cate was dressed in a smart, managerial blue suit and Grant in a garish standard issue coat that matched the track suits of the coaching staff.
Even if it confused Chelsea's players, they still made the perfect start. A goal albeit thanks to the kind of keeping error that haunts followers of England.
If Malouda did well to shake off the rather half-hearted challenge of Rafinha before unleashing a reasonably well-struck shot, Manuel Neuer still should have had little difficulty gathering the ball in his arms.
As it was, Malouda's effort slipped through his hands, as well as his legs, and the Schalke goalkeeper was left wishing a huge hole could just swallow him up.
Not least because he was guilty of the error that enabled Hansa Rostock to secure a draw last weekend.
It enabled a Chelsea side missing the injured John Terry and Ashley Cole to settle into this encounter and quickly seize control. They were in command of the midfield. Far more threatening in attack.
Schalke began to lose patience, Jermaine Jones receiving a yellow card for the second of two reckless challenges that could easily have earned him two yellows and a red. Clearly, they did not appreciate the chorus of 'oles' from a Chelsea crowd just delighted to be getting value for their money.
Keen to increase their advantage, Chelsea went in determined search of a second goal and very nearly got it when Michael Essien met a Malouda corner with a header that almost skimmed the crossbar.
As Carlos Grossmuller then demonstrated, however, it is foolish to underestimate a side that currently sit second in the Bundesliga.
The assistant referee had already raised his flag when Grossmuller guided a half-volley past Petr Cech and into the Chelsea goal, but television evidence suggested he was not offside. A good decision for Chelsea but, on that evidence, a gross injustice.
Chelsea responded immediately, and very nearly added the second goal their superior industry and invention deserved.
On this occasion, however, Neuer did well, making a fine save to stop a glancing Essien header that appeared destined for the back of the net.
The Swedish assistant referees continued to baffle observers with their decisions. Didier Drogba sent Joe Cole clear with a wonderful flick of the heel but again the flag went up and again television evidence suggested he was not off-side.
Maybe it is something about being a Swedish official in a Chelsea match. It marked the end of Anders Frisk's career as a referee, anyway.
Cole tested Neuer again with a stinging shot shortly before the interval but there was little the German goalkeeper could do to deny Drogba in the 47th minute.
The Chelsea striker is on fire again this season, comfortably among the best in Europe at this moment.
Occasional drops in tempo invited Schalke to attack and when Rafinha sent in a teasing cross, Larsen went close to scoring. His header hit the post and, much to Grant's relief, bounced straight into the arms of Cech.
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Sun:
WHAT do you give the man who has everything?
In Roman Abramovich’s case, a convincing win and another reason for him to believe Chelsea are on the march to Moscow.
The Russian billionaire turned 41 yesterday and he got a little something in return after spending millions trying to make the Blues kings of Europe.
Abramovich has a Champions League dream that came a step closer with the win over Schalke.
This season’s final will be staged in the Russian capital — and it is the Chelsea owner’s goal to be in his homeland.
During Red Rom’s four years in England, Liverpool have won the competition and been runners-up while Arsenal have lost a final.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have lost twice in the semis to Liverpool during Roman’s reign and the man at the top is desperate to go one better this year.
Abramovich was off his seat last night celebrating Didier Drogba’s goal which made it 2-0 and put Chelsea on course for the knockout stages.
New boss Avram Grant has gained six points from two Champions League games in charge, following the 2-1 win at Valencia.
It confirmed the Israeli is shrewd enough to get the right results despite misgivings when he took over.
Arsenal may have been in seventh heaven on Tuesday but Chelsea are still climbing their way back to the top of their game.
Drogba said he got his mojo back before the match — and this performance showed he is playing 100 per cent for the team.
With Frank Lampard dominating the middle of the pitch and Florent Malouda a threat on the left, Drogba looked in the mood from the start.
Malouda twice had the Germans running for cover in the early exchanges. Then the defensive wall came crashing down after only four minutes.
Malouda jinked past Marcio Rafinha on the outside and his shot came off Schalke’s Jermaine Jones. It should have been easily dealt with by Manuel Neuer.
But Malouda’s effort went through Neuer’s legs as the Schalke keeper spread himself on the turf in disbelief. Chelsea fans were in full voice as they tried to inspire the Blues to more goals.
Lampard linked play through the middle with Joe Cole but Drogba could not connect with the final ball.
Malouda then crossed and Michael Essien made a great connection with his head but Neuer dived full stretch.
It did not all go Chelsea’s way in terms of possession.
Peter Lovenkrands dinked a pass to striker Carlos Grossmuller, who controlled and beat Petr Cech at his near post.
The offside flag rescued Chelsea even though a replay showed Grossmuller was in line with the home defence.
The Germans were expected to come out in the second half with all guns blazing — but it never materialised.
In fact, it took Chelsea just two minutes after the restart to grab their second of the night.
And it sealed a victory which leaves them within a win of reaching the Champions League knockout stages.
The move may not have had the sparkle of London rivals Arsenal — but it was a gem in its own right. Drogba dropped deep and played the ball inside to Lampard, who drilled a quick pass to Paulo Ferreira on the right flank.
The Portuguese full-back delivered an inch-perfect cross to Drogba, who directed his header past Neuer to kill the contest.
Even Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was off his seat to celebrate the quickfire goal that makes another knockout appearance a formality.
Grant smiled on the touchline — but did not quite share his employer’s certainty.
The manager had slight cause for concern as Alex and Wayne Bridge got in a tangle and just escaped punishment. Just before the hour mark, the threat was even greater.
Rafinha burst free on the Chelsea left and delivered a teasing ball to Soren Larsen, who was allowed a free header.
The Danish striker’s attempt seemed to happen in slow motion as it rebounded off a post and ended up in Cech’s arms.
Alex could have been sent off for a pull on Larsen near the end but this was destined to be a night for Chelsea and Abramovich to celebrate.
Grant sent a personal message to Red Rom afterwards although the present was already delivered.
A win and progress almost certain. Nothing else would suffice for the man who has everything. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
sunday papers middlesbrough away
The Sunday TimesOctober 21, 2007
Didier Drogba flattens Boro
Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 2
Paul Rowan at The Riverside Stadium
When one’s place in the team is blocked by the England and club captain, it is important to take any opportunity that comes along, and Alex Rodrigo certainly did that with a vengeance when he announced himself to the Premier League with a rocket shot from 30 yards that capped a commanding performance from Chelsea.
Alex, who has just finished a prolonged loan spell at PSV Eindhoven while visa and other issues were sorted out, got his chance with John Terry having aggravated a knee injury while on international duty and the Brazilian international sealed the game for Chelsea on 56 minutes after Didier Drogba had given them a first-half lead, while Middlesbrough could muster little in return.
A highly indifferent start to the league campaign for both teams meant they had probably welcomed the two-week international break, particularly in Middlesbrough’s case.
It gave the home side a chance to get centre-forward Mido properly fit after recent groin trouble and, for manager Gareth Southgate, time to try to figure out a way of conjuring their first victory since early September. He could at least take heart from an impressive recent home run against Chelsea, having beaten them on their last two visits to the Riverside, as a way of trying to haul themselves away from the relegation zone.
The Chelsea back four had a highly unfamiliar look to it with Alex and Paulo Ferreira filling in for the injured Ashley Cole and Terry. Chelsea watchers were keen to see if coach Avram Grant would react to Drogba’s stated intention to leave the club in the wake of Jose Mourinho’s departure, but the giant Ivory Coast striker is indispensable to the Blues - whoever is in the hot seat - and was again cast in the role of the lone striker with Grant placing five in midfield.
Southgate had spoken before the game of persevering with Middlesbrough’s attacking style, while bemoaning the concession of soft goals and, after seven minutes, he was given another bad case of the blues. While by no means the first offender even in that opening spell, left back Andrew Taylor made a particularly poor clearance that landed straight at the feet of Florent Malouda in plenty of space on the left side of midfield.
Malouda moved the ball forward with urgency to Frank Lampard, who had taken up one of his trademark attacking positions, and his first time ball sent Drogba clear on the left hand side of goal with only Mark Schwarzer to beat. The centre forward made light work of the angle by drilling the ball low past the keeper with his left foot for his second league goal of the season.
It was thoroughly deserved as Middlesbrough seemed to have no answer to Chelsea’s powerful midfield trio of Lampard, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien. The only joy for the home side came when they managed on the rare occasion to get the ball out wide and they nearly equalised from such an opportunity after 16 minutes.
Ferriera was guilty of diving in on Gary O’Neil and was left on his backside as the midfielder raced down the right wing. His outswinging cross was a striker’s dream and Mido met it with a firm header only for Petr Cech to make a good save diving to his left.
Jonathan Woodgate was then fortuitous to escape a booking when he crudely chopped down Joe Cole on the right edge of the penalty area on 31 minutes. Drogba fancied his chances of beating Schwarzer on his near post with the free kick, but struck the side netting.
It was a long time since Chelsea had had such an easy stroll down by the Riverside and, 11 minutes into the second half, they doubled their lead.
In typical fashion, Essien had burst through a number of challenges before he was hauled down some 30 yards out. Lampard stood over the ball with seemingly only one purpose in mind until he stabbed the ball sideways and up stepped the man who PSV Eindhoven supporters had christened the Tank.
Certainly the shot that Alex unleashed was like something that came out of gunbarrel and the ball had crashed into the left corner of the Middlesbrough net with Schwarzer flapping at the air.
Middlesbrough’s response was no less feeble than what they had produced before, with their midfield consistently guilty of giving the ball away cheaply. They were nearly punished again when Malouda latched on to a Cole cross after more sloppy defending, but his shot was bravely blocked and Lampard couldn’t keep the rebound on target.
The thousands of Middlesbrough fans filing early out of the ground missed their side’s best chance to score when Stewart Downing’s cross was completely misjudged by Ferreira, who continues to look like the weak link in this side. Had O’Neil’s first touch been better he would have had a sitter, instead the ball moved too far away from him and, stretching, he shot well over the bar. Middlesbrough Chelsea 2 Shots on target (incl goals) 5 4 Shots off target 4 3 Blocked shots 4 6 Corners won 6 10 Total fouls conceded 9 1 Offsides 3 1 Yellow cards 1 0 Red cards 0 39% Possession 61%
Star man: Michael Essien (Chelsea)
Player ratings: Middlesbrough: Schwarzer 6, Young 6, Woodgate 5, Riggott 6, Taylor 5, O’Neil 7, Boateng 5 (Cattermole 67min), Rochemback 5, Downing 6, Mido 5, Sanli 5 (Craddock 84min)
Chelsea: Cech 7, Belletti 6, Alex 8, Carvalho 6, Ferreira 5, Cole 6, Lampard 7, Essien 8 (Sidwell 81min), Mikel 6, Malouda 7 (Wright-Phillips 75min), Drogba 7 (Shevchenko 85min) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Chelsea's Didier Drogba getting shirty
By Jonathan Wilson at The Riverside
Middlesbrough (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 2
At the final whistle Didier Drogba ran to the travelling support, applauded them, kissed his badge, stripped off his shirt and threw it into the stand. The Chelsea fans responded by chanting his name, but it will take more than such gestures of mutual respect to convince anyone that the Ivorian forward will not follow through with the threat he made in France Football magazine and quit the club in the summer.
He would be badly missed. Drogba described the club as having been "broken" by the departure of Jose Mourinho, but he certainly hasn't been. Yesterday, on his return from suspension, he was not at his rambunctious best, but he still took the opening goal with an elegant efficiency, and his power and intelligent running unsettled Middlesbrough throughout. "I think players need to speak on the pitch and he is doing this very well," his manager, Avram Grant, said. "I can tell you what players say to me, how they behave on and off pitch.
"When he speaks to me he's very positive and he's very positive on pitch. He's not a problematic guy. I can tell you how I see players.
"If he was negative on the pitch or in the dressing-room or when he spoke to me, this would be a negative thing."
Grant did, though, admit a disappointment that Drogba had voiced his concerns by going to the press. "If someone has problems," he said, "the only way to deal with it is to knock on my door."
Drogba's strike was a masterpiece of simplicity. From the moment, eight minutes in, when he received the ball 20 yards inside the Middlesbrough half, a goal seemed inevitable. There was nothing complex about his one-two with Frank Lampard, but it was more than enough to outwit a Middlesbrough defence that yesterday added deference to its growing list of faults. Controlling the return ball with his right foot, Drogba almost casually rolled the ball past Mark Schwarzer with his left.
Just as inevitable then was Chelsea's victory. It was proficient, leaving Grant with a respectable seven points from his first four Premier League games in charge, but it was far from thrill-a-minute stuff, something that can't entirely be blamed on Middlesbrough's attacking deficiencies.
There were some neat flurries of passing after Alex had given them the cushion of a two-goal lead 12 minutes into the second half with a 35-yard free-kick, but this was very much in the category of professional away performance.
Given Chelsea had lost on their last two appearances at the Riverside, there can be no real quibbles with that: job done, take the three points, and hope Roman Abramovich does not ask too many questions.
Grant, though, is aware that winning alone is not enough. "Football is entertainment and you need to do it in a positive way," he said. "I feel an obligation to entertain — it's the right way in modern football.
"You have to win games, but the way you do it is important, not like it was before. We try to change a bit and do it my way."
That sounded suspiciously like a dig at Mourinho, but this was a win very much from the Mourinho blueprint. The shape was back to the 4-3-3 of the Portuguese's first two seasons at the club, the style was functional rather than flamboyant, and there was even a five-minute run-out for Andrei Shevchenko, his ineffectual cameos now as much of the Chelsea tradition as celery and the singing of Blue is the Colour.
Without John Terry and Ashley Cole, Chelsea, far from the impervious barrier of two years ago anyway, were occasionally creaky at the back, but Middlesbrough, missing Julio Arca and Jeremie Aliadiere, never looked to have the thrust or the guile to make the most of Chelsea's shakiness. "We didn't get out of the blocks at all," Gareth Southgate admitted. "That's the fourth game on the bounce when conceded in the first 10 minutes, and we looked short of confidence and belief."
They lie fourth from bottom, and could slip into the relegation zone if Tottenham get a point at Newcastle on Monday. Drogba may have thrown Chelsea into a panic, but Middlesbrough stand no less precariously on the brink of crisis.
Man of the matchFrank Lampard (Chelsea)• Three shots• Two assists • 79 passes--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drogba does his talking on the pitch
Duncan Castles at the RiversideSunday October 21, 2007The Observer
This match proved to be ugly viewing for Middlesbrough, but further testament to the strength of character at Chelsea. Few now contest the damage Jose Mourinho's forced dismissal from the club did to the Blues' dressing room, yet a team largely at odds with themselves, their under-qualifi ed manager and their interfering owner still possess the professional pride to dig out results like this.Didier Drogba is a prime example. Last week he went public on his intention to leave a club he considers 'broken' by Mourinho's exit, admitting he even thought about ducking out of their last Champions League tie to facilitate a January transfer. Instead, the African played and scored, resolving to perform for himself and his team-mates, even at a club he no longer liked.
There was another textbook finish yesterday - fast into position, calm to beat Boro's keeper - and the game all but decided with it. Chelsea supporters might not have enjoyed his words, but they will fi nd it hard to question his commitment and his contribution to Boro's third straight defeat.'I am satisfied Didier is 100 per cent committed to Chelsea,' said Drogba's new manager, Avram Grant. 'You judge a player not on what they speak, you judge on what they say to me and what they do on the pitch. You could see all the players were fully committed, including Didier.
'I don't know what will happen in the future, but I can say this to all the players. For me it is a great honour to belong to a club like Chelsea. It is a great club. If someone has problems the only way to deal with it is to knock on my door and see if we can fi nd a solution. I don't like the other way.'
The 'other way' had seen Drogba declare 'something has broken at Chelsea', as he sought to sign his own exit papers from the club. Clipped around the ear on Friday and forced into a carefully worded statement to the club website, he was still sent out to lead the attack here. Behind him, Chelsea's defence was at least half-broken with Ashley Cole nursing a serious ankle injury, Wayne Bridge suspended and John Terry recovering from a knee operation. Paulo Ferreira covered for the left backs and the oft sluggish Alex returned to centre back alongside Ricardo Carvalho.
Boro had better injury news - Tuncay Sanli and Mido restored to a cautious 4-1-4-1 formation - yet their start was more ragged, conceding the opening goal on the fi rst occasion Chelsea found room behind. Frank Lampard was the architect, his first-time, no-look pass from midfield taking out three defenders and allowing Drogba to canter beyond Chris Riggott. The African was the executor, controlling quickly, opening his body, and directing the ball around Mark Schwarzer.
With Chelsea in their old counterattacking shape, a difficult game looked all the harder for Boro, though Mido generated some hope with a well-saved header and a shot athletically blocked by Carvalho. Mostly, however, Boro were scrambling - running into a forest of blue defenders whenever they carried the ball too close to the visitors' goal.
If a Stewart Downing set piece from deep allowed Riggott to head over, Drogba's close-range effort spun perilously close to Schwarzer's upright. Short of bodies up front, Middlesbrough asked Tuncay and Downing to swap wings, yet they seemed shorter on ideas the closer halftime came. 'It was more than disappointing,' said their manager Gareth Southgate. 'There was no contact with them until they scored the goal and that's the fourth game on the bounce we've conceded in the first 10 minutes. We've given ourselves an absolute mountain to climb.'
There was little interval innovation from Southgate - formation unaltered, wide-men switched back again - and sparse change in pattern. Boro won an early corner yet almost got caught on the break by the charging Carvalho; Downing set up Mido for another saved header. The home support claimed long and hard for a penalty-box handball, but replays showed John Obi Mikel using his chest.
Chelsea continued to counter, and Boro to foul. Driving through two markers to run at a third, Michael Essien collided with Fabio Rochemback and won a free-kick when Mark Halsey rightly gave the advantage to the attacker. Thirty-five yards from goal, Joe Cole rolled the ball square to Alex, who struck a brutal rightfooter well beyond Schwarzer. 'Two-nil to the referee,' sang the Boro fans as the three points headed south.
If all appeared reminiscent of a classic Mourinho away win, Grant thought otherwise. 'We want to play like this,' said the Israeli. 'I think I have an obligation to entertain. We have to win games, but the way of winning is also important. Not like it was before.'
Man of the match: Ricardo Carvalho
He was imperious in Portugal's two Euro 2008 qualifi ers last week and the Chelsea central defender carried his marvellous form to Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium. There are few in the English game who can match Carvalho's tackling, blocking and reading of the game, and there is also a thrilling ability to surge forward and create. A master class------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Drogba strikes positive pose to inspire Chelsea
Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 2
Whatever his future may be at Stamford Bridge, Didier Drogba remains an important part of Chelsea's lingering hopes of regaining the Premier League title.
Even though he claimed he has found it hard to look team-mates in the face because of the part he believes they played in the departure of Jose Mourinho, the club's leading scorer was still prepared to put in a full shift on the pitch.
And there was little sign of disharmony at a club Drogba claims are "broken" when he put them ahead as early as the eighth minute — before being engulfed by team-mates — to set up up a comfortable victory on a ground where Mourinho's team had regularly struggled.
Pleased though Avram Grant was with the contribution of his troubled star, the new head coach admitted that he had no idea whether Drogba could soon be on his way to one of his preferred destinations of Milan, Inter, Barcelona or Madrid.
"I don't know what will happen in the future," said Grant. "It's a great honour for the players to belong to Chelsea Football Club and if anyone has a problem the only way to go is to knock on my door."
Grant insisted that Drogba was "not a problematic guy" and had responded to a week of intrigue and speculation in the manner that befits a dedicated and highly-paid professional footballer.
"Players need to speak on the pitch and he's doing it very well," added Grant. "He's a very positive guy on and off the pitch. And he's 100 per cent committed on the pitch. I judge players by what they say to me and what they do on the pitch.
"Maybe he regrets what he said (in a French magazine)."
Anyone watching the lank-haired Ivory Coast striker going about his business would not have guessed that earlier in the week he was adamant he wanted out of Stamford Bridge to join a club where he was "ready to break my leg to win".
He gave a typical Drogba performance, scored a goal, was always a threat, fell theatrically to the ground and was refused treatment by referee Mark Halsey,who dragged the apparently pole-axed figure to his feet,and even had time for a spot of touchline handbags with Fabio Rochemback.
By the time last season's 33-goal man made way for Andriy Shevchenko five minutes from time, Chelsea were strolling to the kind of victory they rarely experience at the Riverside, having lost here in the past two seasons.
The significance of Drogba's goal could not be underestimated.Chelsea needed to settle quickly and had to knock the confidence out of a Middlesbrough side who, having lost their previous two league matches, were in desperate need of some positive encouragement.
So when Frank Lampard slipped a neat pass through the Boro defence, Drogba's composure in sliding his shot beyond Mark Schwarzer set the tone for the afternoon.
The goal was a timely lift for Lampard after the midfield man's exclusion from England's starting lineup in the past two matches and he went on to give a neat,purposeful performance in a dominant team display.
Despite Grant's insistence that Chelsea have an obligation to entertain as well as win — "not like before" — the game was largely a dull affair, punctuated by rare moments of excitement.
Middlesbrough, who struggled to prevent Chelsea toying with them for long periods, might have snatched an unexpected equaliser when Petr Cech showed sharp reflexes to keep out Mido's close-range header from Gary O'Neil's cross. Drogba curled a free-kick wide and Mido headed a cross from Stewart Downing straight at Cech but only when Alex thrashed in a 35-yard shot into the top corner from Lampard's tapped free-kick in the 57th minute was there anything to become genuinely excited about.
As Alex was deputising for the injured John Terry, the Brazilian was another player entitled to be pleased with his afternoon's efforts.
The England captain may be a combative and influential defender but he is not known for his longrange goals.
So, as Gareth Southgate insisted his relegation-threatened side will improve to drag themselves to safety — and they certainly need to — the Chelsea soap opera lurches towards its next drama.
Southgate said: "Against a team with their quality you can't concede early and that's the problem. When you have a spell like this you need to stick together."
But for Chelsea, after all the apparent unrest of the the past week, there was no more damage suffered here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 2: Drogba positively proves his worth Southgate's fragile Middlesbrough side face long struggle By Michael Walkerat the Riverside
There was a chant of "Chelsea are back" here yesterday, and if that overstates what has gone on at Stamford Bridge these past few weeks, you could understand the underlying sentiment. In Henk Ten Cate's first game as assistant manager, Chelsea won with comfort and style at a ground where they lost last season and the one before that.
Didier Drogba is back too. He may not have gone away, and may have no intention to – who knows, given the way he blows? – but his cool eighth-minute goal settled any nerves Chelsea may have felt about their return to Teesside, particularly without John Terry and Ashley Cole. At the end, Drogba ran to the Chelsea following and kissed his shirt before throwing it to them.
It was a predictably flowery gesture but Drogba's new manager, Avram Grant, appreciated his centre-forward's efforts. "He is not a problematic guy," Grant said of Drogba. "A player speaks on the pitch. When he speaks with me he's very positive.
"I didn't see one player who wasn't 100 per cent committed. You saw full commitment today, especially from Didier."
Admittedly against a fragile Middlesbrough who have one point from their last 15 and who do not look too good enough to avoid a struggle of a season, Chelsea were untroubled for large sections of a surprisingly quiet affair.
But, also quietly, Chelsea are beginning to flow; this was a third consecutive away win, and Grant pointed out that five of his six matches in charge have been away from home. Manchester City now visit west London next Saturday, and that will be a test of the team's stability and their improved rhythm.
"It was very important to win," said Grant, "especially as we lost here in the last two years. Second, our game is getting better, more quality."
There then followed a gentle dig at the previous management of Jose Mourinho: "Of course you have to win games but the way you win is important, not like it was before. Today football is about entertainment. I have an obligation, this is the right way."
Chelsea were far from exhilarating – they did not need to be – but the victory was sealed with a blockbuster of a second goal. It came from Alex, preferred to Tal Ben Haim at centre-half, 12 minutes into the second half: a magnificent, smooth, rising 35-yard strike that soared beyond the blameless Mark Schwarzer.
There were 33 minutes remaining yet Middlesbrough did not produce one shot on target. "Very flat," was their manager Gareth Southgate's assessment, "and at home that's more than disappointing.
"We didn't get out of the blocks at all - that's the fourth game in a row where we've conceded in the first 10 minutes."
Until Chelsea scored, and during the move to the goal, Middlesbrough barely had a kick. They were yards off the pace, and the difference in confidence and class was illustrated by the ease of Drogba's give-and-go with Frank Lampard. Chris Riggott was removed from the game by that and Drogba was then one on one with Schwarzer. With a shuffle of his blue boots Drogbamanoeuvred the ball from under his feet to slide it slowly past the advancing Australian.
It was all too easy from Chelsea's perspective. Only Gary O'Neil, asked to float behind Mido, was offering anything like the required resistance from Middlesbrough, and when he moved out to the right wing in the 17th minute he showed the others the sort of urgency that was needed.
Skipping by Paulo Ferreira, O'Neil delivered an excellent fast cross. Mido, no doubt welcoming some sort of supply, got a useful flicked header in but Petr Cech reacted with typical agility to palm the ball away. The action brought some belated applause from the home support – though again there were swathes of empty red seats at the Riverside.
A couple of minutes into the second half Mido rose again to meet a cross, this time from Stewart Downing, but Cech was in the right place again and once Alex had intervened so spectacularly, the contest ebbed away.
It is a phrase which may apply to an already anxious Middlesbrough. For them it is a trip to Manchester United next.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Didier Drogba flattens Boro
Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 2
Paul Rowan at The Riverside Stadium
When one’s place in the team is blocked by the England and club captain, it is important to take any opportunity that comes along, and Alex Rodrigo certainly did that with a vengeance when he announced himself to the Premier League with a rocket shot from 30 yards that capped a commanding performance from Chelsea.
Alex, who has just finished a prolonged loan spell at PSV Eindhoven while visa and other issues were sorted out, got his chance with John Terry having aggravated a knee injury while on international duty and the Brazilian international sealed the game for Chelsea on 56 minutes after Didier Drogba had given them a first-half lead, while Middlesbrough could muster little in return.
A highly indifferent start to the league campaign for both teams meant they had probably welcomed the two-week international break, particularly in Middlesbrough’s case.
It gave the home side a chance to get centre-forward Mido properly fit after recent groin trouble and, for manager Gareth Southgate, time to try to figure out a way of conjuring their first victory since early September. He could at least take heart from an impressive recent home run against Chelsea, having beaten them on their last two visits to the Riverside, as a way of trying to haul themselves away from the relegation zone.
The Chelsea back four had a highly unfamiliar look to it with Alex and Paulo Ferreira filling in for the injured Ashley Cole and Terry. Chelsea watchers were keen to see if coach Avram Grant would react to Drogba’s stated intention to leave the club in the wake of Jose Mourinho’s departure, but the giant Ivory Coast striker is indispensable to the Blues - whoever is in the hot seat - and was again cast in the role of the lone striker with Grant placing five in midfield.
Southgate had spoken before the game of persevering with Middlesbrough’s attacking style, while bemoaning the concession of soft goals and, after seven minutes, he was given another bad case of the blues. While by no means the first offender even in that opening spell, left back Andrew Taylor made a particularly poor clearance that landed straight at the feet of Florent Malouda in plenty of space on the left side of midfield.
Malouda moved the ball forward with urgency to Frank Lampard, who had taken up one of his trademark attacking positions, and his first time ball sent Drogba clear on the left hand side of goal with only Mark Schwarzer to beat. The centre forward made light work of the angle by drilling the ball low past the keeper with his left foot for his second league goal of the season.
It was thoroughly deserved as Middlesbrough seemed to have no answer to Chelsea’s powerful midfield trio of Lampard, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien. The only joy for the home side came when they managed on the rare occasion to get the ball out wide and they nearly equalised from such an opportunity after 16 minutes.
Ferriera was guilty of diving in on Gary O’Neil and was left on his backside as the midfielder raced down the right wing. His outswinging cross was a striker’s dream and Mido met it with a firm header only for Petr Cech to make a good save diving to his left.
Jonathan Woodgate was then fortuitous to escape a booking when he crudely chopped down Joe Cole on the right edge of the penalty area on 31 minutes. Drogba fancied his chances of beating Schwarzer on his near post with the free kick, but struck the side netting.
It was a long time since Chelsea had had such an easy stroll down by the Riverside and, 11 minutes into the second half, they doubled their lead.
In typical fashion, Essien had burst through a number of challenges before he was hauled down some 30 yards out. Lampard stood over the ball with seemingly only one purpose in mind until he stabbed the ball sideways and up stepped the man who PSV Eindhoven supporters had christened the Tank.
Certainly the shot that Alex unleashed was like something that came out of gunbarrel and the ball had crashed into the left corner of the Middlesbrough net with Schwarzer flapping at the air.
Middlesbrough’s response was no less feeble than what they had produced before, with their midfield consistently guilty of giving the ball away cheaply. They were nearly punished again when Malouda latched on to a Cole cross after more sloppy defending, but his shot was bravely blocked and Lampard couldn’t keep the rebound on target.
The thousands of Middlesbrough fans filing early out of the ground missed their side’s best chance to score when Stewart Downing’s cross was completely misjudged by Ferreira, who continues to look like the weak link in this side. Had O’Neil’s first touch been better he would have had a sitter, instead the ball moved too far away from him and, stretching, he shot well over the bar. Middlesbrough Chelsea 2 Shots on target (incl goals) 5 4 Shots off target 4 3 Blocked shots 4 6 Corners won 6 10 Total fouls conceded 9 1 Offsides 3 1 Yellow cards 1 0 Red cards 0 39% Possession 61%
Star man: Michael Essien (Chelsea)
Player ratings: Middlesbrough: Schwarzer 6, Young 6, Woodgate 5, Riggott 6, Taylor 5, O’Neil 7, Boateng 5 (Cattermole 67min), Rochemback 5, Downing 6, Mido 5, Sanli 5 (Craddock 84min)
Chelsea: Cech 7, Belletti 6, Alex 8, Carvalho 6, Ferreira 5, Cole 6, Lampard 7, Essien 8 (Sidwell 81min), Mikel 6, Malouda 7 (Wright-Phillips 75min), Drogba 7 (Shevchenko 85min) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Chelsea's Didier Drogba getting shirty
By Jonathan Wilson at The Riverside
Middlesbrough (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 2
At the final whistle Didier Drogba ran to the travelling support, applauded them, kissed his badge, stripped off his shirt and threw it into the stand. The Chelsea fans responded by chanting his name, but it will take more than such gestures of mutual respect to convince anyone that the Ivorian forward will not follow through with the threat he made in France Football magazine and quit the club in the summer.
He would be badly missed. Drogba described the club as having been "broken" by the departure of Jose Mourinho, but he certainly hasn't been. Yesterday, on his return from suspension, he was not at his rambunctious best, but he still took the opening goal with an elegant efficiency, and his power and intelligent running unsettled Middlesbrough throughout. "I think players need to speak on the pitch and he is doing this very well," his manager, Avram Grant, said. "I can tell you what players say to me, how they behave on and off pitch.
"When he speaks to me he's very positive and he's very positive on pitch. He's not a problematic guy. I can tell you how I see players.
"If he was negative on the pitch or in the dressing-room or when he spoke to me, this would be a negative thing."
Grant did, though, admit a disappointment that Drogba had voiced his concerns by going to the press. "If someone has problems," he said, "the only way to deal with it is to knock on my door."
Drogba's strike was a masterpiece of simplicity. From the moment, eight minutes in, when he received the ball 20 yards inside the Middlesbrough half, a goal seemed inevitable. There was nothing complex about his one-two with Frank Lampard, but it was more than enough to outwit a Middlesbrough defence that yesterday added deference to its growing list of faults. Controlling the return ball with his right foot, Drogba almost casually rolled the ball past Mark Schwarzer with his left.
Just as inevitable then was Chelsea's victory. It was proficient, leaving Grant with a respectable seven points from his first four Premier League games in charge, but it was far from thrill-a-minute stuff, something that can't entirely be blamed on Middlesbrough's attacking deficiencies.
There were some neat flurries of passing after Alex had given them the cushion of a two-goal lead 12 minutes into the second half with a 35-yard free-kick, but this was very much in the category of professional away performance.
Given Chelsea had lost on their last two appearances at the Riverside, there can be no real quibbles with that: job done, take the three points, and hope Roman Abramovich does not ask too many questions.
Grant, though, is aware that winning alone is not enough. "Football is entertainment and you need to do it in a positive way," he said. "I feel an obligation to entertain — it's the right way in modern football.
"You have to win games, but the way you do it is important, not like it was before. We try to change a bit and do it my way."
That sounded suspiciously like a dig at Mourinho, but this was a win very much from the Mourinho blueprint. The shape was back to the 4-3-3 of the Portuguese's first two seasons at the club, the style was functional rather than flamboyant, and there was even a five-minute run-out for Andrei Shevchenko, his ineffectual cameos now as much of the Chelsea tradition as celery and the singing of Blue is the Colour.
Without John Terry and Ashley Cole, Chelsea, far from the impervious barrier of two years ago anyway, were occasionally creaky at the back, but Middlesbrough, missing Julio Arca and Jeremie Aliadiere, never looked to have the thrust or the guile to make the most of Chelsea's shakiness. "We didn't get out of the blocks at all," Gareth Southgate admitted. "That's the fourth game on the bounce when conceded in the first 10 minutes, and we looked short of confidence and belief."
They lie fourth from bottom, and could slip into the relegation zone if Tottenham get a point at Newcastle on Monday. Drogba may have thrown Chelsea into a panic, but Middlesbrough stand no less precariously on the brink of crisis.
Man of the matchFrank Lampard (Chelsea)• Three shots• Two assists • 79 passes--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drogba does his talking on the pitch
Duncan Castles at the RiversideSunday October 21, 2007The Observer
This match proved to be ugly viewing for Middlesbrough, but further testament to the strength of character at Chelsea. Few now contest the damage Jose Mourinho's forced dismissal from the club did to the Blues' dressing room, yet a team largely at odds with themselves, their under-qualifi ed manager and their interfering owner still possess the professional pride to dig out results like this.Didier Drogba is a prime example. Last week he went public on his intention to leave a club he considers 'broken' by Mourinho's exit, admitting he even thought about ducking out of their last Champions League tie to facilitate a January transfer. Instead, the African played and scored, resolving to perform for himself and his team-mates, even at a club he no longer liked.
There was another textbook finish yesterday - fast into position, calm to beat Boro's keeper - and the game all but decided with it. Chelsea supporters might not have enjoyed his words, but they will fi nd it hard to question his commitment and his contribution to Boro's third straight defeat.'I am satisfied Didier is 100 per cent committed to Chelsea,' said Drogba's new manager, Avram Grant. 'You judge a player not on what they speak, you judge on what they say to me and what they do on the pitch. You could see all the players were fully committed, including Didier.
'I don't know what will happen in the future, but I can say this to all the players. For me it is a great honour to belong to a club like Chelsea. It is a great club. If someone has problems the only way to deal with it is to knock on my door and see if we can fi nd a solution. I don't like the other way.'
The 'other way' had seen Drogba declare 'something has broken at Chelsea', as he sought to sign his own exit papers from the club. Clipped around the ear on Friday and forced into a carefully worded statement to the club website, he was still sent out to lead the attack here. Behind him, Chelsea's defence was at least half-broken with Ashley Cole nursing a serious ankle injury, Wayne Bridge suspended and John Terry recovering from a knee operation. Paulo Ferreira covered for the left backs and the oft sluggish Alex returned to centre back alongside Ricardo Carvalho.
Boro had better injury news - Tuncay Sanli and Mido restored to a cautious 4-1-4-1 formation - yet their start was more ragged, conceding the opening goal on the fi rst occasion Chelsea found room behind. Frank Lampard was the architect, his first-time, no-look pass from midfield taking out three defenders and allowing Drogba to canter beyond Chris Riggott. The African was the executor, controlling quickly, opening his body, and directing the ball around Mark Schwarzer.
With Chelsea in their old counterattacking shape, a difficult game looked all the harder for Boro, though Mido generated some hope with a well-saved header and a shot athletically blocked by Carvalho. Mostly, however, Boro were scrambling - running into a forest of blue defenders whenever they carried the ball too close to the visitors' goal.
If a Stewart Downing set piece from deep allowed Riggott to head over, Drogba's close-range effort spun perilously close to Schwarzer's upright. Short of bodies up front, Middlesbrough asked Tuncay and Downing to swap wings, yet they seemed shorter on ideas the closer halftime came. 'It was more than disappointing,' said their manager Gareth Southgate. 'There was no contact with them until they scored the goal and that's the fourth game on the bounce we've conceded in the first 10 minutes. We've given ourselves an absolute mountain to climb.'
There was little interval innovation from Southgate - formation unaltered, wide-men switched back again - and sparse change in pattern. Boro won an early corner yet almost got caught on the break by the charging Carvalho; Downing set up Mido for another saved header. The home support claimed long and hard for a penalty-box handball, but replays showed John Obi Mikel using his chest.
Chelsea continued to counter, and Boro to foul. Driving through two markers to run at a third, Michael Essien collided with Fabio Rochemback and won a free-kick when Mark Halsey rightly gave the advantage to the attacker. Thirty-five yards from goal, Joe Cole rolled the ball square to Alex, who struck a brutal rightfooter well beyond Schwarzer. 'Two-nil to the referee,' sang the Boro fans as the three points headed south.
If all appeared reminiscent of a classic Mourinho away win, Grant thought otherwise. 'We want to play like this,' said the Israeli. 'I think I have an obligation to entertain. We have to win games, but the way of winning is also important. Not like it was before.'
Man of the match: Ricardo Carvalho
He was imperious in Portugal's two Euro 2008 qualifi ers last week and the Chelsea central defender carried his marvellous form to Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium. There are few in the English game who can match Carvalho's tackling, blocking and reading of the game, and there is also a thrilling ability to surge forward and create. A master class------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Drogba strikes positive pose to inspire Chelsea
Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 2
Whatever his future may be at Stamford Bridge, Didier Drogba remains an important part of Chelsea's lingering hopes of regaining the Premier League title.
Even though he claimed he has found it hard to look team-mates in the face because of the part he believes they played in the departure of Jose Mourinho, the club's leading scorer was still prepared to put in a full shift on the pitch.
And there was little sign of disharmony at a club Drogba claims are "broken" when he put them ahead as early as the eighth minute — before being engulfed by team-mates — to set up up a comfortable victory on a ground where Mourinho's team had regularly struggled.
Pleased though Avram Grant was with the contribution of his troubled star, the new head coach admitted that he had no idea whether Drogba could soon be on his way to one of his preferred destinations of Milan, Inter, Barcelona or Madrid.
"I don't know what will happen in the future," said Grant. "It's a great honour for the players to belong to Chelsea Football Club and if anyone has a problem the only way to go is to knock on my door."
Grant insisted that Drogba was "not a problematic guy" and had responded to a week of intrigue and speculation in the manner that befits a dedicated and highly-paid professional footballer.
"Players need to speak on the pitch and he's doing it very well," added Grant. "He's a very positive guy on and off the pitch. And he's 100 per cent committed on the pitch. I judge players by what they say to me and what they do on the pitch.
"Maybe he regrets what he said (in a French magazine)."
Anyone watching the lank-haired Ivory Coast striker going about his business would not have guessed that earlier in the week he was adamant he wanted out of Stamford Bridge to join a club where he was "ready to break my leg to win".
He gave a typical Drogba performance, scored a goal, was always a threat, fell theatrically to the ground and was refused treatment by referee Mark Halsey,who dragged the apparently pole-axed figure to his feet,and even had time for a spot of touchline handbags with Fabio Rochemback.
By the time last season's 33-goal man made way for Andriy Shevchenko five minutes from time, Chelsea were strolling to the kind of victory they rarely experience at the Riverside, having lost here in the past two seasons.
The significance of Drogba's goal could not be underestimated.Chelsea needed to settle quickly and had to knock the confidence out of a Middlesbrough side who, having lost their previous two league matches, were in desperate need of some positive encouragement.
So when Frank Lampard slipped a neat pass through the Boro defence, Drogba's composure in sliding his shot beyond Mark Schwarzer set the tone for the afternoon.
The goal was a timely lift for Lampard after the midfield man's exclusion from England's starting lineup in the past two matches and he went on to give a neat,purposeful performance in a dominant team display.
Despite Grant's insistence that Chelsea have an obligation to entertain as well as win — "not like before" — the game was largely a dull affair, punctuated by rare moments of excitement.
Middlesbrough, who struggled to prevent Chelsea toying with them for long periods, might have snatched an unexpected equaliser when Petr Cech showed sharp reflexes to keep out Mido's close-range header from Gary O'Neil's cross. Drogba curled a free-kick wide and Mido headed a cross from Stewart Downing straight at Cech but only when Alex thrashed in a 35-yard shot into the top corner from Lampard's tapped free-kick in the 57th minute was there anything to become genuinely excited about.
As Alex was deputising for the injured John Terry, the Brazilian was another player entitled to be pleased with his afternoon's efforts.
The England captain may be a combative and influential defender but he is not known for his longrange goals.
So, as Gareth Southgate insisted his relegation-threatened side will improve to drag themselves to safety — and they certainly need to — the Chelsea soap opera lurches towards its next drama.
Southgate said: "Against a team with their quality you can't concede early and that's the problem. When you have a spell like this you need to stick together."
But for Chelsea, after all the apparent unrest of the the past week, there was no more damage suffered here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 2: Drogba positively proves his worth Southgate's fragile Middlesbrough side face long struggle By Michael Walkerat the Riverside
There was a chant of "Chelsea are back" here yesterday, and if that overstates what has gone on at Stamford Bridge these past few weeks, you could understand the underlying sentiment. In Henk Ten Cate's first game as assistant manager, Chelsea won with comfort and style at a ground where they lost last season and the one before that.
Didier Drogba is back too. He may not have gone away, and may have no intention to – who knows, given the way he blows? – but his cool eighth-minute goal settled any nerves Chelsea may have felt about their return to Teesside, particularly without John Terry and Ashley Cole. At the end, Drogba ran to the Chelsea following and kissed his shirt before throwing it to them.
It was a predictably flowery gesture but Drogba's new manager, Avram Grant, appreciated his centre-forward's efforts. "He is not a problematic guy," Grant said of Drogba. "A player speaks on the pitch. When he speaks with me he's very positive.
"I didn't see one player who wasn't 100 per cent committed. You saw full commitment today, especially from Didier."
Admittedly against a fragile Middlesbrough who have one point from their last 15 and who do not look too good enough to avoid a struggle of a season, Chelsea were untroubled for large sections of a surprisingly quiet affair.
But, also quietly, Chelsea are beginning to flow; this was a third consecutive away win, and Grant pointed out that five of his six matches in charge have been away from home. Manchester City now visit west London next Saturday, and that will be a test of the team's stability and their improved rhythm.
"It was very important to win," said Grant, "especially as we lost here in the last two years. Second, our game is getting better, more quality."
There then followed a gentle dig at the previous management of Jose Mourinho: "Of course you have to win games but the way you win is important, not like it was before. Today football is about entertainment. I have an obligation, this is the right way."
Chelsea were far from exhilarating – they did not need to be – but the victory was sealed with a blockbuster of a second goal. It came from Alex, preferred to Tal Ben Haim at centre-half, 12 minutes into the second half: a magnificent, smooth, rising 35-yard strike that soared beyond the blameless Mark Schwarzer.
There were 33 minutes remaining yet Middlesbrough did not produce one shot on target. "Very flat," was their manager Gareth Southgate's assessment, "and at home that's more than disappointing.
"We didn't get out of the blocks at all - that's the fourth game in a row where we've conceded in the first 10 minutes."
Until Chelsea scored, and during the move to the goal, Middlesbrough barely had a kick. They were yards off the pace, and the difference in confidence and class was illustrated by the ease of Drogba's give-and-go with Frank Lampard. Chris Riggott was removed from the game by that and Drogba was then one on one with Schwarzer. With a shuffle of his blue boots Drogbamanoeuvred the ball from under his feet to slide it slowly past the advancing Australian.
It was all too easy from Chelsea's perspective. Only Gary O'Neil, asked to float behind Mido, was offering anything like the required resistance from Middlesbrough, and when he moved out to the right wing in the 17th minute he showed the others the sort of urgency that was needed.
Skipping by Paulo Ferreira, O'Neil delivered an excellent fast cross. Mido, no doubt welcoming some sort of supply, got a useful flicked header in but Petr Cech reacted with typical agility to palm the ball away. The action brought some belated applause from the home support – though again there were swathes of empty red seats at the Riverside.
A couple of minutes into the second half Mido rose again to meet a cross, this time from Stewart Downing, but Cech was in the right place again and once Alex had intervened so spectacularly, the contest ebbed away.
It is a phrase which may apply to an already anxious Middlesbrough. For them it is a trip to Manchester United next.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, October 08, 2007
morning papers bolton away
The TimesOctober 8, 2007
Avram Grant prepared to put entertainment on holdBolton 0 Chelsea 1Tom Dart at Reebok Stadium
“Clean sheet, three points, that’s what’s important,” Avram Grant said. Winning with style? Sorry, call back later.
Chelsea were entertaining yesterday, but for neutrals - not quite what their watching owner, Roman Abramovich, would have hoped for. The scoreline was the traditional symbol of dour, grinding efficiency, but that would be a misrepresentation of this match. Chelsea performed with an insecurity that was not redolent of the José Mourinho years. They did not concede but they gave up plenty of chances and possession.
For much of the game it was hard to tell which team had just scraped a 1-0 victory over Rabotniki Kometal and which had beaten Valencia in Spain. Still, Grant, the first-team coach, could be forgiven for prioritising the result. This was Chelsea’s first Barclays Premier League win in five matches, their first under Grant’s management. “It will take time, I think we need to develop from month to month, but sometimes you need the points, especially when you play away after a long time without a win,” Grant said. “The target for the long and short term is to build a style of our own as a team and play good football. The base before was good, but this season we didn’t play well.”
Despite Didier Drogba being suspended, Andriy Shevchenko was left on the bench until the final 15 minutes. When Salomon Kalou, the goalscorer, went off with a hamstring injury at half-time, Grant turned to Claudio Pizarro.
Not favouring Abramovich’s favourite player – more evidence, perhaps, that Grant is not the owner’s puppet. “When I got the job, nobody said to me that a friend of Peter Kenyon [the chief executive] needs to play,” Grant said, by way of example. “I need to take decisions that are for the good of Chelsea. They pay me to be in charge, I have to take the decisions, for the present and the future, to take the team forward. We have a long season, every player has good times and bad times. Sheva is trying hard, he’s a great player, I’m sure he will be good for Chelsea.”
Grant is eager to portray himself as tough enough for the challenge of winning with flair, even though most of his statements are coated with a calculated blandness, as if to contrast himself with his predecessor.
“I don’t want to live in football without pressure. I was all my life in big clubs in my country, you’re always under pressure to achieve the best, this is good pressure,” he said. “Especially if we make a process to change the game of Chelsea a little bit. It’s a big responsibility but I like it.”
The most determined defensive performance of the day came from Sammy Lee, the Bolton manager, when pressed on why neither his captain, Kevin Nolan, nor his coach, Gary Speed, had even made the substitutes’ bench. “I pick the side that I think will do the best for any given game,” Lee said. Several times.
If that was evasive, another comment by Lee – “We’ve shown desire and commitment but made a mistake and got punished for it” – hit the mark. Bolton were undone when Kalou beat Abdoulaye Meïté and the onrushing Jussi Jaaskelainen to a flick-on, knocked the ball past both and – surprisingly, given their relative size – outmuscled Meïté and scored the first league goal under Grant.
Bolton might have had a penalty in the same period when Steve Sidwell appeared to handle in the area. Stelios Giannakopoulos, a substitute, hit the bar with a header in the 90th minute, while El-Hadji Diouf, Kevin Davies and Nicolas Anelka would probably have proved too much for a defence without the solid Ricardo Carvalho.
Frank Lampard, back from injury, looked fine, while John Terry’s performance was good news for England, if not for referees. His ability to argue with officials is evidently not impeded by his mask.
Bolton Wanderers 0
(4-1-2-3): J Jaaskelainen 8 – J O’Br-ien 7 (sub: S Giannakopoulos, 85min), A O’Brien 7, A Meïté 6, R Gardner 7 – I Campo 8 – G McCann 7, D Guthrie 6 – K Davies 8, N Anelka 7, E-H Diouf 8 (sub: C Wilhelmsson, 67, 6).Substitutes not used:A Al Habsi, G Cid, D Braaten. Booked: Diouf, Davies, McCann, Jaaskelainen. Next: Arsenal (a).
Chelsea 1 Kalou 41
(4-1-2-2-1): P Cech 8 – J Belletti 7, R Carvalho 7, J Terry 7, A Cole 6 – C Makelele 6 – S Sidwell 6, F Lampard 7 – J Cole 6 (sub: P Ferreira, 85), F Malouda 5 (sub: A Shevchenko, 74) – S Kalou 6 (sub: C Pizarro, 46 6).Substitutes not used:C Cudicini, T Ben Haim. Booked: Carvalho. Next: Middlesbrough (a).
Referee A Wiley
Attendance 20,059 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:Avram Grant not looking to win friendsBy Tim Rich
Bolton Wanderers (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 1
It is Bobby Robson's first and only season as manager of Barcelona and already he can see the white handkerchiefs being waved from the topless stands of the Nou Camp to signify their displeasure.
He has come to replace one of the most charismatic, opinionated and successful managers Spanish football has known and, unlike Jose Mourinho, Johan Cruyff knew what it was to play in World and European cup finals. Robson is struggling to learn Spanish, let alone Catalan, and compared to Cruyff he seems grey and dull.
At half-time Barcelona are three goals down to one of the also-rans of Spanish football but, somehow, come back to snatch the match 4-3. The next day Robson surveys the press. One headline reads: "The manager loses the first half, the players win the second."
And this is what Avram Grant will always face. It was the end of a few days which, under other circumstances, would have been highly-successful. The remarkable recovery in the Mestalla to overcome a Valencia side who were expected to carry out a ritual execution of Chelsea's supposedly faction-ridden team was followed by their first Premier League victory since August.
Not once was Grant's name mentioned by those who had travelled up from the Home Counties, and this will go down as a match won by a moment of brilliance from Salomon Kalou. In all other respects it was the kind of hard-bitten victory that was so often orchestrated by Mourinho, a man who always knew to whom the credit should be given. In his first campaign at Stamford Bridge, he took the title at Bolton in a season in which 13 matches were won 1-0.
If, by removing Mourinho, Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, hoped for a more entertaining side and a pivotal role for his friend, Andrei Shevchenko, he is being grimly disappointed. Grant argued yesterday that his first responsibility was to stabilise Chelsea's results before unveiling the beautiful game, a process he said would take "several months".
The goal that decided this match was beautifully taken; a long ball that Kalou, under pressure from the hulking shape of Abdoulaye Meite, controlled with one touch, pushed past Jussi Jaaskelainen and then shot into the corner of the Bolton net as Meite clung on to him. It was Chelsea's first goal for 461 minutes of Premier League football and the first under Grant. It was worth the wait.
Shevchenko did not start either here or in Valencia, and even when Kalou was withdrawn at the interval with a hamstring injury that will put more pressure on Chelsea's forward-line, his replacement was not the once-great Ukrainian but Claudio Pizarro.
"When I took the job I wasn't told to pick the friends of Peter Kenyon [the chief executive] or Simon Greenberg [the communications director]," Grant smiled on a day Ajax confirmed their manager, Henk ten Cate, was in negotiations to join him as assistant manager. "I am here to make the best decisions for the good of Chelsea.
"I don't want to live a life in football without pressure. Back in my own country I was always involved with big clubs. Here there is pressure to do well, it comes from inside myself and it comes from everyone. This is no game for weakness." John Terry would attest to that. Still wearing a mask to protect his fractured cheekbone, he was given an intense working-over by Kevin Davies, who epitomised the skill, desire and commitment still present in a Bolton side floundering deep in the relegation zone.
The England captain will not be given a tougher examination by Estonia or Russia.
Frank Lampard's return, after spending six of the most traumatic weeks in Stamford Bridge's history nursing a thigh injury, was gently encouraging. "For Frank to play for 90 minutes after six weeks out is good for him and good for us," said Grant, who hinted that the injured Shaun Wright-Phillips would recover in time for the internationals.
Like Grant, Bolton's manager, Sammy Lee, also knows what a pressurised life feels like. Bolton and Chelsea had last won in the Premier League on the same day, August 25, and Lee responded by dropping his captain, Kevin Nolan, and his first-team coach, Gary Speed, from the squad. Lee pointedly refused to give any reason for his decision other than parrot the phrase: "I pick the team."
Lee first got to pick the team after Sam Allardyce's final match as Bolton manager, a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in April that handed the title to Manchester United. Had Nicolas Anelka not driven his shot into Petr Cech's body or had Stelios Giannakopoulos not headed the Frenchman's chip fractionally over the bar, Bolton might have extracted another precious point from Chelsea.
Once more under Lee the performance was better than the result, but this is like staging a West End play that receives wonderful reviews but draws a pitiful audience. Sooner or later, the producers will have to close down the show. Lee's regime may have received its final notices.
Man of the matchSalomon Kalou (Chelsea)• One goal from two shots• 100% passing accuracy---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kalou ends drought as Chelsea hint at return to old routine
Daniel Taylor at the Reebok StadiumMonday October 8, 2007The Guardian
Avram Grant has his first league win and even if Chelsea's fans still refuse to sing his name (it may be well into 2008, if at all, before that moment arrives) it was noticeable yesterday that the visiting fans were not as vocal in their continued support of Jose Mourinho. Winning always tends to placate unhappy supporters and, after a workmanlike 1-0 victory reminiscent of the old days, Grant is entitled to claim an air of normality is returning - if, that is, life is ever normal at Chelsea.
His first three points as Chelsea manager came courtesy of a rare piece of opportunism from Salomon Kalou and the team's first league goal in seven hours and 40 minutes of action. Or to put it another way, the first since Frank Lampard slashed in the winner against Portsmouth on August 25.September 2007 will be remembered as fondly as a burst appendix to the average Chelsea fan, but the team have begun October encouragingly and Grant has shown, if nothing else, that by leaving out the Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko from a side that had Didier Drogba suspended the Israeli manager is far from merely a yes-man for the club owner, Roman Abramovich.
Shevchenko was not only overlooked for the starting line-up but, when Kalou went off at half-time with a sore hamstring, Grant preferred to bring on Claudio Pizarro and when Shevchenko did finally come on, 17 minutes from the end, it was on the left of midfield, where he contributed little more than the winning of a couple of throw-ins.
A cameo role keeping tabs on Joey O'Brien was not what the former European footballer of the year must have had in mind when he left Milan for London, but Grant was just as unapologetic as Mourinho used to be. "I need to make decisions for the good of Chelsea," he said.
It was a perfectly plausible explanation, particularly when analysed in conjunction with Sammy Lee's deeply unimpressive justification for leaving out not only his captain, Kevin Nolan, but also Gary Speed, the man he made his first-team coach after becoming manager at the end of last season.
Neither player even made the bench amid simmering tensions behind the scenes but Lee, whose tenure has been badly affected by leaks from the dressing-room, was in no mood to divulge his reasons.
"I picked the team I wanted," he said nervously, a gerbil in headlights, "and you don't ask me why I pick them when they are in the team."
Nobody was fooled and it was an unsatisfactory way to end what was otherwise an impressive effort from the Premier League's second-from-bottom club. Bolton were strong in the tackle, ruggedly committed and, given that it is widely known Lee's methods have caused resentment in the dressing room, it was certainly not evident from the way the side, minus two of their more influential players, set about their opponents.
At times, too, they produced some slick football, with El Hadji-Diouf and Kevin Davies breaking in from the flanks, Ivan Campo instrumental in midfield and the 20-year-old Danny Guthrie, on loan from Liverpool, impressive on his league debut.
They may have taken only five points all season but Bolton had two sustained periods, at the start of either half, when Chelsea's defence came close to buckling under the pressure and there were three occasions before Kalou scored his first league goal since April that the visitors were indebted to Petr Cech's goalkeeping - the Czech Republic international keeping out Davies and Campo and diving at the feet of Nicolas Anelka after the striker had accelerated into the penalty area and twisted away from the Chelsea captain, John Terry.
Terry, incidentally, spent a large proportion of the match complaining to the referee Alan Wiley and it is becoming an irritating feature of the England captain's persona. Wiley ended up booking five Bolton players compared to one for Chelsea, and Steve Sidwell was fortunate to get away with a handball inside his own penalty area. Yet the principal reason for Bolton's defeat was not because of bad refereeing but the atrocious mix-up that preceded Kalou's goal.
Jussi Jaaskelainen, Bolton's goalkeeper, will wince when he sees the replays, as will the centre-half Abdoulaye Meite, for it was their indecision in dealing with a bouncing ball that allowed Kalou to steal in, nick the ball away and finish with an angled shot.
The goal originated from a long Cech goal-kick, headed back towards his own penalty area by Gavin McCann, and Lee spoke in sombre tones about his team's "one big mistake".
Bolton's under-pressure manager could otherwise reflect on an admir-able performance but Chelsea, with the England midfielder Lampard back, edged the game regardless of Sidwell's good fortune and, on the back of the Champions League victory in Valencia during the week, Grant wore a Mourinho-esque look of satisfaction.
A typical Makelele performance, the Frenchman mopping up in front of defence, and providing a safeguard for the England midfielder Frank Lampard and Steve Sidwell to supplement the visitors' attack.
Man of the match: Claude Makelele
Best Moment Any one of numerous interceptions to break up Bolton attacks and instigate Chelsea's own forward thrusts.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:Are you Mourinho in disguise, Avram?Bolton 0 Chelsea 1
by MATT LAWTON
Intent on matching Jose Mourinho stride for stride, Avram Grant's attention to detail now appears to extend to the style of play as well the scoreline. 2-1 in Valencia. A turgid 1-0 win in the Premier League. All very familiar to followers of Chelsea.
Even his treatment of Andriy Shevchenko is starting to echo his predecessor. Dropped for Valencia, Shevchenko was left on the bench again for this encounter and he remained there when Salomon Kalou disappeared with an injured hamstring after scoring a fabulous first-half goal.
Rather than send on Roman Abramovich's 'adopted son', Grant opted for Claudio Pizarro and turned to the troubled Ukrainian only when he then lost Florent Malouda to injury. From European Footballer of the Year to makeshift left winger. How the mighty have fallen.
For Grant, it simply proved that he is very much in charge. That he and not his Russian owner picks the team and also makes the changes.
"They pay me to be in charge," said the Israeli, who has even started to rant on the touchline in the manner of the animated Mourinho.
"I have to be in charge. I make the decisions for the present and for the future. Sheva is trying hard and I'm sure he will be good again for Chelsea."
But how does he square it with Abramovich? Shevchenko is the owner's best chum, after all.
"When I got the job at Chelsea, no one says I had to pick a friend of Peter Kenyon or a friend of Simon Greenberg (Chelsea's director of communications)," said Grant with a wry smile.
"Simon even said there was someone he wanted to play. But I'm in charge of the team and I make decisions for the good of Chelsea."
The selection of Kalou as a stand-in for the suspended Didier Drogba certainly proved a sound one.
Not only did he take his goal wonderfully well, but he was also responsible for the pass of the match.
It was a magnificent ball that squeezed between two Bolton defenders and finished at the feet of the rapidly advancing Malouda.
While Malouda squandered that opportunity, Kalou made no mistake when a long ball forward from Petr Cech was mistakenly headed on by Gavin McCann.
Kalou lifted the ball over Jussi Jaaskelainen and, with the kind of strength and athleticism one would normally associate with his countryman Drogba, shrugged off the foul challenge of Abdoulaye Meite before finishing with considerable aplomb.
If this delighted Grant, it left Sammy Lee in an even more precarious position as Bolton's beleaguered manager.
Bolton performed with spirit and forced Cech to make a couple of super saves. But Lee's side are languishing in the bottom three amid rumours of a bust-up with his first-team coach and his captain.
Gary Speed and Kevin Nolan did not even discover they had been omitted from the squad until they arrived at the Reebok Stadium at lunchtime and Speed had what was described as 'a face like thunder' afterwards.
When Lee was asked to explain his decision, his response was less than convincing. Bizarre in fact. "You don't ask me to explain myself when I pick them," said Lee with almost child-like logic. "I pick the team and I picked the team I considered best for Bolton."
Lee is a fine coach, a charming man, but never should he have been made a Premier League manager and it is unlikely to be long before his employers reach the same conclusion.
One win in 12 League games since he took charge towards the end of last season should tell them all they need to know.
Much the same was being said about Grant when he first succeeded Mourinho, but Chelsea's last two results would suggest he might yet have a chance.
With Frank Lampard back from injury and Drogba and John Obi Mikel soon back from suspension, the team is beginning to gain some momentum.
This was an important victory for them at the ground where they secured the first of their two championship titles under Mourinho - and not just because Kalou's 41st-minute strike was their first in 460 minutes of Premier League football.
It was proof, once again, that they can grind out results. That they can snatch a lead and hang on. That, in players like the outstanding Ricardo Carvalho, they still have the quality to close the sevenpointgap which exists between them and Arsenal.
As Grant insisted, it will be a while before we see the 'football with style' he has promised. "It will take time," he said.
"Sometimes you just need the points. Sometimes you just need to score a goal. Especially when you play away from home. The target was taking three points and we got what we wanted."
He also felt the pressure lift a little more off his shoulders. "I don't want to live in football without the pressure," he said.
"I have always had pressure in my career and it is a pressure I put on myself. This job is a big responsibility but I like it.
"The game is about pressure. It is not a game for weakness."
As Lee, rather than Grant, is probably about to find out.
Bolton (4-4-2): Jaaskelainen 7; J O'Brien 6 (Stelios 85min), A O'Brien 6, Meite 5, Gardner 6; McCann 5, Campo 6, Guthrie 7, Diouf 6 (Wilhelmsson 67, 6); Davies 7, Anelka 6. Booked: Diouf, Campo, Davies, Jaaskelainen.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech 7; Belletti 6, Carvalho 8, Terry 6, A Cole 6; Sidwell 6, Makelele 6, Lampard 6; Malouda 6 (Shevchenko 74, 5), Kalou 8 (Pizarro 46, 6), J Cole 6 (Ferreira 84). Booked: Carvalho. Man of the match: Salomon Kalou.
Referee: Alan Wiley. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun:
THERE might be a light at the end of the tunnel — but it’s not exactly dazzling.Chelsea finally snatched a first Premier League victory under Avram Grant and their first league goal for almost eight hours. Yet the jury is still out on a team struggling to raise themselves above the average.
If Roman Abramovich got rid of Jose Mourinho to produce more excitement and entertainment, it clearly is not working.
But Grant will settle for three points right now as he works to drag his team out of the doldrums of Black September. Salomon Kalou’s 41st-minute strike leaves Bolton boss Sammy Lee on the brink of following Mourinho out of the door. The Ivory Coast striker showed strength and composure to cash in on a mix-up between Abdoulaye Meite and keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. Kalou chipped over the stranded Jaaskelainen before drilling in from a tight angle. Chelsea’s matchwinner hobbled off at half-time with a hamstring strain — but he had already done enough to justify his selection ahead of £30million Andriy Shevchenko. Grant said: “When I got the job, nobody told me who I had to play. They pay me to be in charge and I make the decisions that I feel are best for the club. “This was an important three points for us after a long time without a Premiership win. “We created more chances and our attitude against a very direct and physical team was excellent.” Grant insisted: “The new style will take time. It may take a couple of months to develop. Sometimes you need the points first, especially when you are playing away from home.” From the bench, disgruntled Shevchenko could have learnt a few lessons in passion from Kevin Davies. The Bolton man has never been the most gifted forward in the world but what he lacks in technique, he more than makes up for in effort and courage. He thundered into every challenge and rattled Ashley Cole’s bones. But Blues skipper John Terry — still wearing a protective mask on his fractured cheek — was unhappy with some of Davies’ aerial challenges. Twice in the first five minutes, the Bolton battering ram muscled his way into promising positions without being able to find a finish. Ivan Campo was also taking no prisoners and he was guilty of two horrendously late fouls on Joe Cole and Frank Lampard. The first was punished with a yellow card, the second should have led to red. Although Chelsea were shaken by Bolton’s naked aggression, they were not about to chuck in the towel. Galvanised by Lampard’s return from seven matches out with a thigh strain, they gradually took control of the midfield and started to open up Bolton. Florent Malouda should have fired them into a 21st-minute lead but shot wastefully over after being sent clear by Kalou. Seven minutes later, Malouda did hit the target from Kalou’s knockdown but was denied by a smart instinctive low save from Jaaskelainen. Bolton also had their chances, notably when Campo’s first- time effort was saved by Petr Cech, who then denied Nicolas Anelka. El-Hadji Diouf also sent a header straight at the Chelsea keeper and sub Stelios brushed the bar with a header from Anelka’s cross in stoppage time. The home side also felt they should have had a 43rd-minute penalty when Steve Sidwell appeared to use an arm. With only one Premiership win and a trip to Arsenal next, time is running out for Lee. His bold gamble to axe captain Kevin Nolan and coach Gary Speed backfired and it seems to be only a matter of time before chairman Phil Gartside pulls the trigger. Lee said: “There were no ulterior motives for leaving those players out. I always pick the team I think will do the best job. “I’d rather talk about the determination and application of the players who did play. I felt we deserved something but you don’t always get what you deserve.” Grant’s team had started the day nine points adrift of leaders Arsenal in ninth. Now they are back up to sixth place. Chelsea are up and running again. The beautiful football can wait a little longer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avram Grant prepared to put entertainment on holdBolton 0 Chelsea 1Tom Dart at Reebok Stadium
“Clean sheet, three points, that’s what’s important,” Avram Grant said. Winning with style? Sorry, call back later.
Chelsea were entertaining yesterday, but for neutrals - not quite what their watching owner, Roman Abramovich, would have hoped for. The scoreline was the traditional symbol of dour, grinding efficiency, but that would be a misrepresentation of this match. Chelsea performed with an insecurity that was not redolent of the José Mourinho years. They did not concede but they gave up plenty of chances and possession.
For much of the game it was hard to tell which team had just scraped a 1-0 victory over Rabotniki Kometal and which had beaten Valencia in Spain. Still, Grant, the first-team coach, could be forgiven for prioritising the result. This was Chelsea’s first Barclays Premier League win in five matches, their first under Grant’s management. “It will take time, I think we need to develop from month to month, but sometimes you need the points, especially when you play away after a long time without a win,” Grant said. “The target for the long and short term is to build a style of our own as a team and play good football. The base before was good, but this season we didn’t play well.”
Despite Didier Drogba being suspended, Andriy Shevchenko was left on the bench until the final 15 minutes. When Salomon Kalou, the goalscorer, went off with a hamstring injury at half-time, Grant turned to Claudio Pizarro.
Not favouring Abramovich’s favourite player – more evidence, perhaps, that Grant is not the owner’s puppet. “When I got the job, nobody said to me that a friend of Peter Kenyon [the chief executive] needs to play,” Grant said, by way of example. “I need to take decisions that are for the good of Chelsea. They pay me to be in charge, I have to take the decisions, for the present and the future, to take the team forward. We have a long season, every player has good times and bad times. Sheva is trying hard, he’s a great player, I’m sure he will be good for Chelsea.”
Grant is eager to portray himself as tough enough for the challenge of winning with flair, even though most of his statements are coated with a calculated blandness, as if to contrast himself with his predecessor.
“I don’t want to live in football without pressure. I was all my life in big clubs in my country, you’re always under pressure to achieve the best, this is good pressure,” he said. “Especially if we make a process to change the game of Chelsea a little bit. It’s a big responsibility but I like it.”
The most determined defensive performance of the day came from Sammy Lee, the Bolton manager, when pressed on why neither his captain, Kevin Nolan, nor his coach, Gary Speed, had even made the substitutes’ bench. “I pick the side that I think will do the best for any given game,” Lee said. Several times.
If that was evasive, another comment by Lee – “We’ve shown desire and commitment but made a mistake and got punished for it” – hit the mark. Bolton were undone when Kalou beat Abdoulaye Meïté and the onrushing Jussi Jaaskelainen to a flick-on, knocked the ball past both and – surprisingly, given their relative size – outmuscled Meïté and scored the first league goal under Grant.
Bolton might have had a penalty in the same period when Steve Sidwell appeared to handle in the area. Stelios Giannakopoulos, a substitute, hit the bar with a header in the 90th minute, while El-Hadji Diouf, Kevin Davies and Nicolas Anelka would probably have proved too much for a defence without the solid Ricardo Carvalho.
Frank Lampard, back from injury, looked fine, while John Terry’s performance was good news for England, if not for referees. His ability to argue with officials is evidently not impeded by his mask.
Bolton Wanderers 0
(4-1-2-3): J Jaaskelainen 8 – J O’Br-ien 7 (sub: S Giannakopoulos, 85min), A O’Brien 7, A Meïté 6, R Gardner 7 – I Campo 8 – G McCann 7, D Guthrie 6 – K Davies 8, N Anelka 7, E-H Diouf 8 (sub: C Wilhelmsson, 67, 6).Substitutes not used:A Al Habsi, G Cid, D Braaten. Booked: Diouf, Davies, McCann, Jaaskelainen. Next: Arsenal (a).
Chelsea 1 Kalou 41
(4-1-2-2-1): P Cech 8 – J Belletti 7, R Carvalho 7, J Terry 7, A Cole 6 – C Makelele 6 – S Sidwell 6, F Lampard 7 – J Cole 6 (sub: P Ferreira, 85), F Malouda 5 (sub: A Shevchenko, 74) – S Kalou 6 (sub: C Pizarro, 46 6).Substitutes not used:C Cudicini, T Ben Haim. Booked: Carvalho. Next: Middlesbrough (a).
Referee A Wiley
Attendance 20,059 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:Avram Grant not looking to win friendsBy Tim Rich
Bolton Wanderers (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 1
It is Bobby Robson's first and only season as manager of Barcelona and already he can see the white handkerchiefs being waved from the topless stands of the Nou Camp to signify their displeasure.
He has come to replace one of the most charismatic, opinionated and successful managers Spanish football has known and, unlike Jose Mourinho, Johan Cruyff knew what it was to play in World and European cup finals. Robson is struggling to learn Spanish, let alone Catalan, and compared to Cruyff he seems grey and dull.
At half-time Barcelona are three goals down to one of the also-rans of Spanish football but, somehow, come back to snatch the match 4-3. The next day Robson surveys the press. One headline reads: "The manager loses the first half, the players win the second."
And this is what Avram Grant will always face. It was the end of a few days which, under other circumstances, would have been highly-successful. The remarkable recovery in the Mestalla to overcome a Valencia side who were expected to carry out a ritual execution of Chelsea's supposedly faction-ridden team was followed by their first Premier League victory since August.
Not once was Grant's name mentioned by those who had travelled up from the Home Counties, and this will go down as a match won by a moment of brilliance from Salomon Kalou. In all other respects it was the kind of hard-bitten victory that was so often orchestrated by Mourinho, a man who always knew to whom the credit should be given. In his first campaign at Stamford Bridge, he took the title at Bolton in a season in which 13 matches were won 1-0.
If, by removing Mourinho, Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, hoped for a more entertaining side and a pivotal role for his friend, Andrei Shevchenko, he is being grimly disappointed. Grant argued yesterday that his first responsibility was to stabilise Chelsea's results before unveiling the beautiful game, a process he said would take "several months".
The goal that decided this match was beautifully taken; a long ball that Kalou, under pressure from the hulking shape of Abdoulaye Meite, controlled with one touch, pushed past Jussi Jaaskelainen and then shot into the corner of the Bolton net as Meite clung on to him. It was Chelsea's first goal for 461 minutes of Premier League football and the first under Grant. It was worth the wait.
Shevchenko did not start either here or in Valencia, and even when Kalou was withdrawn at the interval with a hamstring injury that will put more pressure on Chelsea's forward-line, his replacement was not the once-great Ukrainian but Claudio Pizarro.
"When I took the job I wasn't told to pick the friends of Peter Kenyon [the chief executive] or Simon Greenberg [the communications director]," Grant smiled on a day Ajax confirmed their manager, Henk ten Cate, was in negotiations to join him as assistant manager. "I am here to make the best decisions for the good of Chelsea.
"I don't want to live a life in football without pressure. Back in my own country I was always involved with big clubs. Here there is pressure to do well, it comes from inside myself and it comes from everyone. This is no game for weakness." John Terry would attest to that. Still wearing a mask to protect his fractured cheekbone, he was given an intense working-over by Kevin Davies, who epitomised the skill, desire and commitment still present in a Bolton side floundering deep in the relegation zone.
The England captain will not be given a tougher examination by Estonia or Russia.
Frank Lampard's return, after spending six of the most traumatic weeks in Stamford Bridge's history nursing a thigh injury, was gently encouraging. "For Frank to play for 90 minutes after six weeks out is good for him and good for us," said Grant, who hinted that the injured Shaun Wright-Phillips would recover in time for the internationals.
Like Grant, Bolton's manager, Sammy Lee, also knows what a pressurised life feels like. Bolton and Chelsea had last won in the Premier League on the same day, August 25, and Lee responded by dropping his captain, Kevin Nolan, and his first-team coach, Gary Speed, from the squad. Lee pointedly refused to give any reason for his decision other than parrot the phrase: "I pick the team."
Lee first got to pick the team after Sam Allardyce's final match as Bolton manager, a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in April that handed the title to Manchester United. Had Nicolas Anelka not driven his shot into Petr Cech's body or had Stelios Giannakopoulos not headed the Frenchman's chip fractionally over the bar, Bolton might have extracted another precious point from Chelsea.
Once more under Lee the performance was better than the result, but this is like staging a West End play that receives wonderful reviews but draws a pitiful audience. Sooner or later, the producers will have to close down the show. Lee's regime may have received its final notices.
Man of the matchSalomon Kalou (Chelsea)• One goal from two shots• 100% passing accuracy---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kalou ends drought as Chelsea hint at return to old routine
Daniel Taylor at the Reebok StadiumMonday October 8, 2007The Guardian
Avram Grant has his first league win and even if Chelsea's fans still refuse to sing his name (it may be well into 2008, if at all, before that moment arrives) it was noticeable yesterday that the visiting fans were not as vocal in their continued support of Jose Mourinho. Winning always tends to placate unhappy supporters and, after a workmanlike 1-0 victory reminiscent of the old days, Grant is entitled to claim an air of normality is returning - if, that is, life is ever normal at Chelsea.
His first three points as Chelsea manager came courtesy of a rare piece of opportunism from Salomon Kalou and the team's first league goal in seven hours and 40 minutes of action. Or to put it another way, the first since Frank Lampard slashed in the winner against Portsmouth on August 25.September 2007 will be remembered as fondly as a burst appendix to the average Chelsea fan, but the team have begun October encouragingly and Grant has shown, if nothing else, that by leaving out the Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko from a side that had Didier Drogba suspended the Israeli manager is far from merely a yes-man for the club owner, Roman Abramovich.
Shevchenko was not only overlooked for the starting line-up but, when Kalou went off at half-time with a sore hamstring, Grant preferred to bring on Claudio Pizarro and when Shevchenko did finally come on, 17 minutes from the end, it was on the left of midfield, where he contributed little more than the winning of a couple of throw-ins.
A cameo role keeping tabs on Joey O'Brien was not what the former European footballer of the year must have had in mind when he left Milan for London, but Grant was just as unapologetic as Mourinho used to be. "I need to make decisions for the good of Chelsea," he said.
It was a perfectly plausible explanation, particularly when analysed in conjunction with Sammy Lee's deeply unimpressive justification for leaving out not only his captain, Kevin Nolan, but also Gary Speed, the man he made his first-team coach after becoming manager at the end of last season.
Neither player even made the bench amid simmering tensions behind the scenes but Lee, whose tenure has been badly affected by leaks from the dressing-room, was in no mood to divulge his reasons.
"I picked the team I wanted," he said nervously, a gerbil in headlights, "and you don't ask me why I pick them when they are in the team."
Nobody was fooled and it was an unsatisfactory way to end what was otherwise an impressive effort from the Premier League's second-from-bottom club. Bolton were strong in the tackle, ruggedly committed and, given that it is widely known Lee's methods have caused resentment in the dressing room, it was certainly not evident from the way the side, minus two of their more influential players, set about their opponents.
At times, too, they produced some slick football, with El Hadji-Diouf and Kevin Davies breaking in from the flanks, Ivan Campo instrumental in midfield and the 20-year-old Danny Guthrie, on loan from Liverpool, impressive on his league debut.
They may have taken only five points all season but Bolton had two sustained periods, at the start of either half, when Chelsea's defence came close to buckling under the pressure and there were three occasions before Kalou scored his first league goal since April that the visitors were indebted to Petr Cech's goalkeeping - the Czech Republic international keeping out Davies and Campo and diving at the feet of Nicolas Anelka after the striker had accelerated into the penalty area and twisted away from the Chelsea captain, John Terry.
Terry, incidentally, spent a large proportion of the match complaining to the referee Alan Wiley and it is becoming an irritating feature of the England captain's persona. Wiley ended up booking five Bolton players compared to one for Chelsea, and Steve Sidwell was fortunate to get away with a handball inside his own penalty area. Yet the principal reason for Bolton's defeat was not because of bad refereeing but the atrocious mix-up that preceded Kalou's goal.
Jussi Jaaskelainen, Bolton's goalkeeper, will wince when he sees the replays, as will the centre-half Abdoulaye Meite, for it was their indecision in dealing with a bouncing ball that allowed Kalou to steal in, nick the ball away and finish with an angled shot.
The goal originated from a long Cech goal-kick, headed back towards his own penalty area by Gavin McCann, and Lee spoke in sombre tones about his team's "one big mistake".
Bolton's under-pressure manager could otherwise reflect on an admir-able performance but Chelsea, with the England midfielder Lampard back, edged the game regardless of Sidwell's good fortune and, on the back of the Champions League victory in Valencia during the week, Grant wore a Mourinho-esque look of satisfaction.
A typical Makelele performance, the Frenchman mopping up in front of defence, and providing a safeguard for the England midfielder Frank Lampard and Steve Sidwell to supplement the visitors' attack.
Man of the match: Claude Makelele
Best Moment Any one of numerous interceptions to break up Bolton attacks and instigate Chelsea's own forward thrusts.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:Are you Mourinho in disguise, Avram?Bolton 0 Chelsea 1
by MATT LAWTON
Intent on matching Jose Mourinho stride for stride, Avram Grant's attention to detail now appears to extend to the style of play as well the scoreline. 2-1 in Valencia. A turgid 1-0 win in the Premier League. All very familiar to followers of Chelsea.
Even his treatment of Andriy Shevchenko is starting to echo his predecessor. Dropped for Valencia, Shevchenko was left on the bench again for this encounter and he remained there when Salomon Kalou disappeared with an injured hamstring after scoring a fabulous first-half goal.
Rather than send on Roman Abramovich's 'adopted son', Grant opted for Claudio Pizarro and turned to the troubled Ukrainian only when he then lost Florent Malouda to injury. From European Footballer of the Year to makeshift left winger. How the mighty have fallen.
For Grant, it simply proved that he is very much in charge. That he and not his Russian owner picks the team and also makes the changes.
"They pay me to be in charge," said the Israeli, who has even started to rant on the touchline in the manner of the animated Mourinho.
"I have to be in charge. I make the decisions for the present and for the future. Sheva is trying hard and I'm sure he will be good again for Chelsea."
But how does he square it with Abramovich? Shevchenko is the owner's best chum, after all.
"When I got the job at Chelsea, no one says I had to pick a friend of Peter Kenyon or a friend of Simon Greenberg (Chelsea's director of communications)," said Grant with a wry smile.
"Simon even said there was someone he wanted to play. But I'm in charge of the team and I make decisions for the good of Chelsea."
The selection of Kalou as a stand-in for the suspended Didier Drogba certainly proved a sound one.
Not only did he take his goal wonderfully well, but he was also responsible for the pass of the match.
It was a magnificent ball that squeezed between two Bolton defenders and finished at the feet of the rapidly advancing Malouda.
While Malouda squandered that opportunity, Kalou made no mistake when a long ball forward from Petr Cech was mistakenly headed on by Gavin McCann.
Kalou lifted the ball over Jussi Jaaskelainen and, with the kind of strength and athleticism one would normally associate with his countryman Drogba, shrugged off the foul challenge of Abdoulaye Meite before finishing with considerable aplomb.
If this delighted Grant, it left Sammy Lee in an even more precarious position as Bolton's beleaguered manager.
Bolton performed with spirit and forced Cech to make a couple of super saves. But Lee's side are languishing in the bottom three amid rumours of a bust-up with his first-team coach and his captain.
Gary Speed and Kevin Nolan did not even discover they had been omitted from the squad until they arrived at the Reebok Stadium at lunchtime and Speed had what was described as 'a face like thunder' afterwards.
When Lee was asked to explain his decision, his response was less than convincing. Bizarre in fact. "You don't ask me to explain myself when I pick them," said Lee with almost child-like logic. "I pick the team and I picked the team I considered best for Bolton."
Lee is a fine coach, a charming man, but never should he have been made a Premier League manager and it is unlikely to be long before his employers reach the same conclusion.
One win in 12 League games since he took charge towards the end of last season should tell them all they need to know.
Much the same was being said about Grant when he first succeeded Mourinho, but Chelsea's last two results would suggest he might yet have a chance.
With Frank Lampard back from injury and Drogba and John Obi Mikel soon back from suspension, the team is beginning to gain some momentum.
This was an important victory for them at the ground where they secured the first of their two championship titles under Mourinho - and not just because Kalou's 41st-minute strike was their first in 460 minutes of Premier League football.
It was proof, once again, that they can grind out results. That they can snatch a lead and hang on. That, in players like the outstanding Ricardo Carvalho, they still have the quality to close the sevenpointgap which exists between them and Arsenal.
As Grant insisted, it will be a while before we see the 'football with style' he has promised. "It will take time," he said.
"Sometimes you just need the points. Sometimes you just need to score a goal. Especially when you play away from home. The target was taking three points and we got what we wanted."
He also felt the pressure lift a little more off his shoulders. "I don't want to live in football without the pressure," he said.
"I have always had pressure in my career and it is a pressure I put on myself. This job is a big responsibility but I like it.
"The game is about pressure. It is not a game for weakness."
As Lee, rather than Grant, is probably about to find out.
Bolton (4-4-2): Jaaskelainen 7; J O'Brien 6 (Stelios 85min), A O'Brien 6, Meite 5, Gardner 6; McCann 5, Campo 6, Guthrie 7, Diouf 6 (Wilhelmsson 67, 6); Davies 7, Anelka 6. Booked: Diouf, Campo, Davies, Jaaskelainen.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech 7; Belletti 6, Carvalho 8, Terry 6, A Cole 6; Sidwell 6, Makelele 6, Lampard 6; Malouda 6 (Shevchenko 74, 5), Kalou 8 (Pizarro 46, 6), J Cole 6 (Ferreira 84). Booked: Carvalho. Man of the match: Salomon Kalou.
Referee: Alan Wiley. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun:
THERE might be a light at the end of the tunnel — but it’s not exactly dazzling.Chelsea finally snatched a first Premier League victory under Avram Grant and their first league goal for almost eight hours. Yet the jury is still out on a team struggling to raise themselves above the average.
If Roman Abramovich got rid of Jose Mourinho to produce more excitement and entertainment, it clearly is not working.
But Grant will settle for three points right now as he works to drag his team out of the doldrums of Black September. Salomon Kalou’s 41st-minute strike leaves Bolton boss Sammy Lee on the brink of following Mourinho out of the door. The Ivory Coast striker showed strength and composure to cash in on a mix-up between Abdoulaye Meite and keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. Kalou chipped over the stranded Jaaskelainen before drilling in from a tight angle. Chelsea’s matchwinner hobbled off at half-time with a hamstring strain — but he had already done enough to justify his selection ahead of £30million Andriy Shevchenko. Grant said: “When I got the job, nobody told me who I had to play. They pay me to be in charge and I make the decisions that I feel are best for the club. “This was an important three points for us after a long time without a Premiership win. “We created more chances and our attitude against a very direct and physical team was excellent.” Grant insisted: “The new style will take time. It may take a couple of months to develop. Sometimes you need the points first, especially when you are playing away from home.” From the bench, disgruntled Shevchenko could have learnt a few lessons in passion from Kevin Davies. The Bolton man has never been the most gifted forward in the world but what he lacks in technique, he more than makes up for in effort and courage. He thundered into every challenge and rattled Ashley Cole’s bones. But Blues skipper John Terry — still wearing a protective mask on his fractured cheek — was unhappy with some of Davies’ aerial challenges. Twice in the first five minutes, the Bolton battering ram muscled his way into promising positions without being able to find a finish. Ivan Campo was also taking no prisoners and he was guilty of two horrendously late fouls on Joe Cole and Frank Lampard. The first was punished with a yellow card, the second should have led to red. Although Chelsea were shaken by Bolton’s naked aggression, they were not about to chuck in the towel. Galvanised by Lampard’s return from seven matches out with a thigh strain, they gradually took control of the midfield and started to open up Bolton. Florent Malouda should have fired them into a 21st-minute lead but shot wastefully over after being sent clear by Kalou. Seven minutes later, Malouda did hit the target from Kalou’s knockdown but was denied by a smart instinctive low save from Jaaskelainen. Bolton also had their chances, notably when Campo’s first- time effort was saved by Petr Cech, who then denied Nicolas Anelka. El-Hadji Diouf also sent a header straight at the Chelsea keeper and sub Stelios brushed the bar with a header from Anelka’s cross in stoppage time. The home side also felt they should have had a 43rd-minute penalty when Steve Sidwell appeared to use an arm. With only one Premiership win and a trip to Arsenal next, time is running out for Lee. His bold gamble to axe captain Kevin Nolan and coach Gary Speed backfired and it seems to be only a matter of time before chairman Phil Gartside pulls the trigger. Lee said: “There were no ulterior motives for leaving those players out. I always pick the team I think will do the best job. “I’d rather talk about the determination and application of the players who did play. I felt we deserved something but you don’t always get what you deserve.” Grant’s team had started the day nine points adrift of leaders Arsenal in ninth. Now they are back up to sixth place. Chelsea are up and running again. The beautiful football can wait a little longer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, October 04, 2007
morning papers valencia away
Sun:
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2
By SHAUN CUSTISOCTOBER 04, 2007
HE may not be the Special One but this was a special result for Avram Grant.
And it was Didier Drogba, the man who shed buckets of tears at Jose Mourinho’s departure, who put the smile back on Chelsea’s face.
Match-winner Drogba wanted out of the club when Mourinho left. But if he is still in a huff, he is not showing it on the field.
The Ivory Coast ace was immense. Whether he was doing it in Mourinho’s memory or for Grant did not matter. He certainly did it for Chelsea.
Six months ago, Mourinho guided the Blues to a magnificent 2-1 victory in the Mestalla in their Champions League quarter-final.
Few would have put money on Grant providing the inspiration for a repeat performance in this Group B clash.
But the players have been told Grant is here to stay, with the support of incoming coach Henk ten Cate, and the choice is either to shape up or ship out. Blues fans can sing to their hearts’ content about Mourinho but he is not coming back.
This is the future and, if it is an example, they might even start to like it.
Skipper John Terry has shown players and supporters the way by battling through the pain barrier to give his all for the cause.
Some call it foolhardy. But, for Terry, Chelsea comes first — even at the risk to his own health.
He is having injections in a broken toe and wore a mask in the Lone Ranger style last night to protect his broken cheekbone.
But he never went hiding. He put his head in when it mattered without fear for his own safety. It is good news for England, too, that he came through so well.
While Chelsea still looked clueless at times, particularly in the first half, they contributed to what was an entertaining game.
The mantra seemed to be to attack to keep Mr Abramovich happy. If it meant holes at the back, so be it.
Valencia could not believe the space they had and by the ninth minute David Villa, a player Mourinho was prepared to pay £22million to take to Stamford Bridge, had bagged the opener.
The build-up was comedy capers as David Silva played a ball forward, Claude Makelele tried to clear, it came off Villa, hit Michael Essien and rebounded back to Villa. Villa then got the other side of Terry and beat the on-rushing Petr Cech to tuck the ball into the bottom left corner.
Chelsea players stared at one another, unable to explain how it had ended up in the net.
For the next 10 minutes or so, Chelsea looked shell-shocked and almost conceded a second from ex- Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes. Cech blocked the effort between his legs.
Enter Drogba, whose first major contribution was a gorgeous 21st-minute pass into the path of Florent Malouda that stretched the Valencia defence to snapping point.
Malouda’s centre low into the box found Joe Cole and, though it seemed Valencia defender Emiliano Moretti had hammered the ball into his own net, Cole was credited with the final touch.
Drogba nearly scored a screamer with a turn and volley from 25 yards but was inches over the top.
Villa really should have put Valencia back in front, only to shoot over the bar.
And when Drogba started clutching at his left hamstring, Chelsea must have feared the worst.
Fortunately, Drogba returned for the second half. Without him you felt they would have lost.
Valencia thought they were back in front when Villa had the ball in the net on 56 minutes. Yet he was just offside as he collected a Morientes touch.
To take the pressure off, Chelsea had to get into the opposing half. But Joe Cole was having one of those infuriating games, where he keeps the ball for too long and
fails to release the incisive pass at the right time.
Valencia were probably expecting Cole to dally again when he collected it in his own half with 19 minutes left. But he surprised everyone with the pass of the night for Drogba’s winner.
After a quick look up, Cole delivered the most majestic ball with the outside of his right foot. It took out four home defenders and was perfectly weighted into Drogba’s run.
Drogba easily shrugged off the last man, Raul Abiola, and finished with customary aplomb as he gave keeper Timo Hildebrand no chance.
It was a goal that might never have come under Mourinho, who would have probably had Cole off by then.
Grant may never enjoy the hero worship of Mourinho.
But, like his predecessor, he has happily discovered you can always rely on your Drog!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Times
October 4, 2007
Joe Cole’s magic moment completes unexpected reversal of fortune
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2Martin Samuel, Chief Football Correspondent in Valencia
Sometimes it does not matter who the manager is. The pass of Chelsea’s season turned their European campaign around in the Mestalla stadium last night. Joe Cole made it and, at that moment, it would not have mattered had Roman Abramovich installed his girlfriend as José Mourinho’s replacement two weeks ago. Sometimes the football just takes over and thank heavens for that.
The previous manager mastered the art of playing none too well and winning. The supporters loved him for it and the owner tired of him, so it will be interesting to see what happens now his successor, Avram Grant, has executed the same trick. Probably the roles will be reversed. Abramovich will be delighted for his friend and will ignore the long periods of tedium and Chelsea only coming into the game after half-time because Valencia, inexplicably, lost their way.
The fans are yet to be convinced by the new man and will continue wondering what happened to the attacking football that was promised in the wake of Mourinho’s departure. Chelsea won here more or less with a five-strong midfield and in the first half looked utterly out of sorts. Still, a win is not to be sniffed at. Pair it with another away to struggling Bolton Wanderers on Sunday and Grant makes it to the international break with room to breathe once more.
He deserves credit for instantly reinstating Joe Cole to his team, when clearly the player’s relationship with Mourinho had suffered. Grant’s reward for his faith was a through-ball to match any seen in this competition for many years, the type of pass that deserves to determine big matches and, on this occasion, did. Cole nailed Carlos Marchena, Valencia’s central midfield player, in the tackle and, with the play spread out like a plain before him, hit a low pass with the outside of his boot that took the last defender out of the game and curled into the path of Didier Drogba as he bore down on goal. Such was the precision of the pass, the striker did not have to break stride and his finish was swiftly executed, a lesson in the art of the goalscorer. Had Salomon Kalou, on as a substitute, showed equivalent cold-bloodedness in stoppage time, when set up by Drogba with a shot from the edge of the six-yard box, Chelsea could even have outstripped their performance here last season in reaching the semi-finals.
Instead, they had to settle for a rerun: a 2-1 victory to mirror the scoreline in April under Mourinho. Yet while that win, also from a goal down, is recalled as one of Chelsea’s finest performances in Europe, this was far from that. The circumstances, though, made it a special one. This was Grant putting down his marker with his detractors; and, as it was achieved without the input of Andriy Shevchenko, even as a substitute, perhaps he put a marker down with the owner, too.
Quite how Chelsea survived the first half to return to the dressing-room on level terms is a mystery. They were second best in most areas of the field, not least at the back, where a quartet that had once been a byword for dogged reliability under Mourinho often looked as vulnerable as lambs in springtime.
The defence redeemed itself late in the second half when a sustained onslaught after Drogba’s goal was repelled in typically robust fashion, yet early on, the lively David Villa and wily Fernando Morientes were more than enough for Chelsea to handle. Ricardo Carvalho, returning from injury, and John Terry, wearing what the Spanish called mascara (it means “mask”, of course, but good for a giggle nonetheless), looked like men who had not played together in some time. Were it not for the crisis that preceded this game, maybe they would not have been paired so hurriedly.
Grant’s panic measure was rapidly placed under harsh scrutiny and the match was only 49 seconds old when a cross from Joaquín on the right flew unhindered across a line of three Chelsea defenders — and when did that happen under the old manager? — finding David Silva advancing on the left, whose shot travelled just wide. It only delayed the inevitable.
In the ninth minute a hopeful upfield ball by Claude Makelele was cut out by Villa, rebounding fortuitously off Michael Essien to the feet of the Valencia striker, who slipped past Terry with such velocity it provoked a neat reversal of the standard line. Who was that unmasked man? The finish past Petr Cech was a formality as, at the time, the result seemed to be.
Perhaps it would have been had a chance in the twentieth minute fallen to one of Valencia’s forwards and not the inconsistent Joaquín. At the 2002 World Cup, he looked destined to become one of the greatest wide players in the world, yet for every moment of electricity there is a power cut, and luckily for Chelsea, this was one of those times. Morientes played the ball through and Joaquín avoided the Chelsea defence, square again, to be left one on one with Cech. He shot straight at him, a big mistake, and within a minute the Spaniards were made to pay.
With Chelsea so listless, a goal out of nowhere was needed, and from nowhere it arrived. The build-up was neat, Florent Malouda to Drogba, and Drogba back again to Malouda, and the Frenchman’s cross was fine, but quite how Emiliano Moretti, the defender, came to be blind-sided by Joe Cole is a question no doubt Quique Sánchez Flores, the coach, was asking his Argentine left back at half-time. Cole and the hapless Moretti looked tied in a battle to put the ball into the net, Moretti his own. Cole did not celebrate the goal and Uefa concluded it was Moretti’s final touch. Television replays suggested that the Chelsea man was over-modest and he later claimed ownership. Perhaps at the time he wanted to save the ceremony until there was something really worth cheering about; 49 minutes later, he made sure there was.
Valencia (4-4-2): T Hildebrand – L Miguel, R Albiol, I Helguera, E Moretti – JoaquÍn (sub: J Arizmendi, 88min), C Marchena, D Albelda (sub: R Baraja, 75), D Silva – D Villa, F Morientes (sub: N Zigic, 68). Substitutes not used: S Cañizares, Sunny, M Á Angulo, Alexis.
Chelsea (4-3-2-1): P Cech – P Ferreira, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Cole – M Essien (sub: S Sidwell, 84), C Makelele, J O Mikel (sub: Alex, 88) – J Cole, F Malouda (sub: S Kalou, 86) – D Drogba. Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, A Shevchenko, C Pizarro, J Belletti. Booked: Mikel.
Referee: R Rosetti (Italy). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Joe Cole keeps Chelsea on track again
By John Ley in Valencia
Valencia (1) 1 Chelsea (1) 2
John Terry wore a mask and Chelsea succeeded in disguising their recent failings by securing a remarkable victory on a balmy Spanish night in the Mestalla. A victory inspired, not for the first time in this imposing stadium, by Joe Cole took Chelsea to the top of Group B. Crisis? Surely not?
Six months ago Jose Mourinho's Chelsea came to Spain and left with an impressive 2-1 victory to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. Given the turmoil that has followed Chelsea so far this season, the repeat success was arguably a greater achievement — a view echoed by Terry. "I think it was," he said. "We fought back and came right back into the game."
It was certainly a personal accomplishment for Avram Grant, the man ordered to pick up the pieces from the fall-out created by Mourinho's departure.
It may not be enough, yet, to erase the memories of Mourinho — indeed, they will remain ingrained in the history of the club — but in terms of signalling a new era, this victory will serve as inspiration. How Roman Abramovich must have delighted in this improbable success.
Despite a barren time, Grant has stood by his players and they responded spendidly, with Cole scoring the equaliser and then supplying the pass of the season for Didier Drogba to collect a 71st-minute winner.
For Grant, the game was a huge test and he did not shy away from making potentially immense decisions. Terry returned just four days after fracturing his cheekbone, while Andrei Shevchenko and Juliano Belletti were dropped to the bench.
In one fell swoop, Grant had not only dispensed with the services of two Champions League winners, but two men who had scored winning goals in the final. Shevchenko, the second-highest goalscorer in European football, claimed the winner for AC Milan in 2003, while Belletti broke Arsenal hearts with the late winner for Barcelona three years later.
Terry started off the pace but improved and, towards the end as Valencia launched a wave of desperate attempts to steal a point, he was thrusting his protected head where others would not venture.
Grant's only previous win came at Hull, so confidence was not what it might have been. If David Silva's shot wide after just 39 seconds was a warning, Valencia confirmed their early dominance in the ninth minute.
Claude Makelele's attempted clearance hit Michael Essien and ricocheted into the path of David Villa, who finished in style beyond Petr Cech.
In April Chelsea were trailing 1-0 when they brought on Cole and he inspired their 2-1 win. This time Cole started and at times looked like a whippet as Chelsea searched for an opening. Ultimately, he was to win the game, the comeback beginning in the 21st minute. The build-up was like the Chelsea of old: swift and positive, with the impressive Drogba feeding Florent Malouda. His cross, from the left, was found by Cole who challenged with Emiliano Moretti. Cole got a strong touch and though it may have found the net off Moretti, the winger predictably claimed it.
Chelsea continued to look unsure in defence and Villa should have regained the lead for Valencia off Ricardo Carvalho's poor clearance. Instead he sent the ball high into the stand.
Before the break Chelsea had shown signs of a recovery, with a containment designed to frustrate the Spaniards but the danger signs returned when, in the 54th minute, Moretti rose at the far post to head narrowly wide. Two minutes later the defence was exposed again when both Villa and Fernando Morientes were clear. Villa, though, was offside as he beat Petr Cech, to the relief of Terry and his back-line.
The game had fallen flat when, in the 71st minute, Chelsea turned it on its head with a goal outstanding both in its inception and delivery. Cole produced the most delicate touch, stealing the ball off Carlos Marchena before sending Drogba racing forward with a 50-yard delivery. The striker held off Raul Albiol before using his left foot to claim only his second goal of the season. It could prove to be his most valuable, certainly this side of Christmas.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2: Drogba rises above turmoil as Chelsea rediscover self-belief By Sam Wallace at the Mestalla
Avram Grant: not quite special yet, but a notch above normal after last night. Where once the mighty Jose Mourinho conquered so too the Israeli coach with the hangdog expression struck the first serious blow of his new regime: a victory over Valencia delivered – in sensational style – by Didier Drogba.
For now at least, Grant will not have to listen to the stories of how Mourinho conquered the Mestalla in April after the new Chelsea manager dealt Valencia only their sixth home defeat in 46 European matches having come from one goal behind. Grant did it much the same way as Mourinho liked to win football matches, with a 4-5-1 formation and a stunning performance from his Ivorian striker.
Drogba was a revelation, intimidating the Valencia defence, cajoling the referee and then, on 71 minutes, taking Joe Cole's exquisite through ball into his stride and beating Timo Hildebrand in the home goal. From Grant himself there was a barb for Mourinho when he said that style of his team's victory was just as important as the fact that they had repeated the feat of Chelsea five months earlier.
"I understand I am new to the team but they [Chelsea] chose me to lead another way of football," he said. "I think this is the right thing to do for the footballing way of Chelsea. We are trying to play another way of football which will be very good for the club. I think the Chelsea fans today will be very happy at the way we have done it."
That was one in the eye for Mourinho who may wish to remind his successor that his victory was in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, which are still a long way off for Grant. For now you cannot begrudge the new Chelsea manager his first opportunity to be taken seriously as a coach. The manager who emerged from nowhere now has one of the most unusual records in English football: lost one, drawn one and two away wins – one over Hull City and the other against Valencia.
With Chelsea having fallen behind to David Villa's opportunist goal on eight minutes, last night was an occasion to admire the power of Drogba – one of the players least accepting of Mourinho's departure. Alone in attack he bludgeoned the Valencia defence. He was preferred to Andrei Shevchenko who was not even summoned from the bench even in the last exhausting minutes of Valencia's desperate final salvo.
"I think it's a start for a new, good way," Grant said. With a conservative formation and Claude Makelele playing as a third central defender at times, the new way looked a lot like the old way. In the centre of defence, the return of Ricardo Carvalho alongside John Terry stabilised Chelsea. For the final moments of the match, Grant switched to 5-4-1 with Alex da Costa as an extra central defender – a move that only served to invite Valencia to pile on the pressure and almost cost Chelsea.
With the prospective arrival of the Ajax coach Henk ten Cate as a first team coach alongside Grant it would appear that the tactical preparation is a concern for the Chelsea hierarchy. At the end of the game, Grant cut a strange figure, alone on the pitch and not sure whether he should follow his players over to the corner to applaud the fans. In the end he decided against testing his popularity with Chelsea's hardcore support.
The five-man midfield is always recommended away at Valencia to combat David Silva's tendency to drift in from the left wing and it was he who inadvertently opened Chelsea up right down the middle. The winger challenged for a ball with Paulo Ferreira and Makelele in the left channel, half-winning possession before the Frenchman was able to get a foot in.
From there the ball ricocheted first off Villa and then off Michael Essien, before falling nicely for Villa who had broken away from Terry. The Chelsea captain had no chance of catching him in the couple of paces it took the striker to slip the ball under Petr Cech. It was a strange goal, calamitous for Chelsea but unlucky as well. Valencia seemed refreshingly willing to throw the kitchen sink at them with an attacking unit of Villa, Silva, Fernando Morientes and Joaquin wide on the right.
For a while it looked as if Chelsea might find themselves engulfed by Valencia's appetite to attack then, on 21 minutes, Drogba was part of an improbable equaliser. He shepherded the ball out right to Florent Malouda, the winger cut the ball back for Joe Cole who, reaching it at the same time as Emiliano Moretti, was able to send it into the net.
It was a goal that came blatantly against the run of play but after the fortnight Grant has had he may well feel that he deserves a little luck. Two minutes after the goal Drogba hit an outrageous shot from 25 yards that had Hildebrand concerned for a moment. Shocked and losing their shape, Valencia's stream of attacks began to fail.
Like Barcelona before them, they seem to regard Chelsea's style as an affront to the dignity of full-blooded attacking Spanish football.
Villa had a goal disallowed when he strayed marginally offside and Chelsea escaped. Their winner was made by Joe Cole, who was lively throughout even if he looked determined to dribble around the entire Valencia defence on his own. On 71 minutes he did not delay releasing the ball. Hit from the right wing to the left channel, struck with the outside of his right foot Cole's ball eluded four Valencia defenders to reach Drogba who held off the challenge of Raul Albiol to score and put Chelsea top of Group B.
Valencia (4-4-2): Hildebrand; Miguel, Albiol, Helguera, Moretti; Joaquin (Arizmendi, 89), Albelda (Baraja, 74), Marchena, Silva; Morientes (Zigic, 69), Villa. Substitutes not used: Canizares (gk), Sunny, Angulo, Alexis.
Chelsea (4-5-1): Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; J Cole, Makelele, Essien (Sidwell, 84), Mikel (Alex, 89), Malouda (Kalou, 85); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Shevchenko, Pizarro, Belletti.
Referee: R Rosetti (Italy).
Group B
Results: Chelsea 1 Rosenborg 1; Schalke 04 0 Valencia 1; Rosenborg 0 Schalke 04 2; Valencia 1 Chelsea 2.
Remaining fixtures: 24 Oct: Chelsea v Schalke 04; Rosenborg v Valencia. 6 Nov: Schalke 04 v Chelsea; Valencia v Rosenborg. 28 Nov: Rosenborg v Chelsea; Valencia v Schalke 04. 11 Dec: Chelsea v Valencia; Schalke 04 v Rosenborg.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Drogba puts the pride back into Chelsea
Kevin McCarra at the Mestalla StadiumThursday October 4, 2007The Guardian
Chelsea relived their recent past to set course for a new era. Victory over Valencia came by the same score as at the Mestalla in the Champions League quarter-final six months ago, but it was accomplished without the departed Jose Mourinho. Mourning and resentment no longer seeped into the display and Chelsea, just as they did on their previous visit to this ground, came back to win after falling behind.While Didier Drogba, the scorer of a fine decider, surpassed himself, many others rediscovered their misplaced reliability. Avram Grant entered the Champions League proper for the first time in his managerial career, but neither that nor Chelsea's place at the top of Group B will linger in his mind.
He can, instead, seize on this result as a starting point, proof to the world that the squad he inherited need not be lethargic under his command. Perhaps the side were merely reacting out of pride and obstinacy, but the win now sweetens Grant's record. The Israeli owes most gratitude to Drogba, who was once more that amalgam of power and poise.The winner was as exquisite as it was dynamic. With 71 minutes gone, Joe Cole bent a marvel of a pass towards the left with the outside of his right foot and Drogba collected while storming beyond the centre-back Raúl Albiol. Then, in the heart of that maelstrom of energy, he gathered himself to pilot the ball beyond the reach of Timo Hildebrand.
Valencia could not recover and Chelsea, with Alex brought on as a third centre-half, held out staunchly. Fortitude had been even more important at the start. Grant's 4-1-4-1 formation expressed a hankering for security, but the Mestalla is no place to go looking for it.
Despite the numbers massed in front of them Valencia had a dancing manoeuvrability as well as brute pace on the flanks. Apart from the corrosive uncertainty about the long-term plans at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had been hit by that most mundane of disadvantages, injury. The line-up here, though, was an ensemble on its way to recovery.
Ricardo Carvalho, notably, was marked present. He had appeared in Chelsea's first two league games of the season, against Birmingham City and Reading, which are, coincidentally or not, the club's only consecutive victories in this campaign. The Portuguese had previously been thought to need a couple of weeks more to recover from an ankle injury, but the yearning to reinstate him was overwhelming.
Though he took his place beside John Terry, satisfaction over that was qualified by the realisation that both men were well short of ideal condition. The captain had a face mask to protect the cheekbone fractured at the weekend. There was no such convenient means for the visitors to prevent Valencia from doing damage, particularly when Quique Sánchez Flores's men got a bit lucky.
A ricochet off Michael Essien, after a tackle by Paulo Ferreira, was fortunate indeed, but there still had to be admiration for the manner in which David Villa capitalised, beating Petr Cech with an assured finish in the ninth minute.
Chelsea might have been overwhelmed but were never without resources of their own. Drogba's smart pass found Florent Malouda after 21 minutes. The Frenchman's low cross from the left was treacherous and, as panic ensued, Joe Cole put the ball into the net, with the Valencia left-back Emiliano Moretti in attendance.
Valencia bristled and four minutes later Carvalho's sliding tackle sent the ball into the path of Villa, but he shot rashly. Chelsea knew by then that they had a formidable spearhead of their own in Drogba. Trust had been placed in him, to the detriment of an even more expensive signing. There was a show of independence from Grant in the demotion of Andriy Shevchenko to the bench - unless it was actually the owner, Roman Abramovich, who had lost faith in the Ukrainian at last.
Chelsea had to believe in themselves. There were searing moments even after the pace had dipped. In the 56th minute Villa was a metre offside before he fired home. The victors will have felt blessed then and at the close. For the time being, all brooding over machinations and upheaval at Chelsea has been dissolved in joy.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Who needs Jose? Drogba lifts stuttering ChelseaValencia 1 Chelsea 2
By MATT LAWTON in Valencia
Avram Grant's wife must have raised a glass of something more appetising than her usual tipple last night, toasting her husband and his Chelsea team for securing an uplifting, widely unexpected victory at a stunned Mestalla.
Inspired by John Terry's courage and Joe Cole's class, this was an extraordinary result for a team who appeared to be lacking in direction against a more fluent Valencia side.
For 45 minutes they were distinctly second best and thoroughly undeserving of the scrappy equaliser Cole managed to steal in response to a crushing early strike from David Villa.
The second half, however, was a different story. The story of Terry's tenacity and Cole's considerable talent; of a captain who launched himself at every corner, knowing that one blow to his right cheekbone could put him straight back in hospital.
The story of a creative midfielder who demonstrated his long-admired ability with a 40-yard pass that took out four Valencia defenders and presented Didier Drogba with the chance to score a wonderful winning goal.
"It was nice to play with freedom," said Cole in a not-so-veiled dig at former boss Jose Mourinho and his more disciplined ways.
For Grant, a night when the pressure lifted off those broad, bulky shoulders gave him the chance finally to enjoy being Chelsea manager and the opportunity to stick two fat fingers up at his tormentors.
He went some way to proving he can get results, even after seven years away from the Champions League.
His side had not only finished with 11 men and scored the kind of goals that have been proving so elusive, he had just matched Mourinho in emulating his predecessor's finest hour in Europe as Chelsea manager.
Mourinho beat Valencia 2-1 here last April and Grant had managed the same.
Even at the sound of the final whistle, he responded exactly as Mourinho had done. Standing proud in a blue shirt and tie, he greeted every Chelsea player as they walked off the pitch. High fives for a team now back on a high.
In Terry he had his superhero, complete with mask, and in Cole he had a player relishing the opportunity to perform without the restrictions imposed on him by Mourinho.
It was a joy to watch, even if Cole should still thank Mourinho for making him a far more mature footballer.
Valencia paid for a lack of maturity last night, as well as a lack of ambition. After beating Schalke in their opening game, they seemed content to settle for a 1-1 draw and were punished when Chelsea finally rediscovered their ruthless side.
Cultured in the first half, Valencia manager Quique Sanchez Flores even resorted to sticking the big man up front in the second. Nikola Zigic is as tall as Peter Crouch but wider and his arrival only succeeded in convincing Chelsea they could win this game.
They started badly, conceding a goal after nine minutes when confusion led to chaos and, in turn, to what looked like an insurmountable lead for the Spaniards.
Paulo Ferreira and Claude Makelele collided in trying to challenge Villa, Ferreira sent his hurried clearance against Michael Essien's arm and the ball ricocheted into the path of Villa, who sprinted past Terry and guided a terrific finish beyond Petr Cech.
Valencia were a little fortunate, although they had already looked dangerous with a swiftly-executed attack that ended with a shot by David Silva and their superior football suggested Chelsea were going to suffer.
From somewhere, though, the visitors produced a 21st-minute equaliser, Drogba providing the pass, Florent Malouda the cross and Cole the close-range finish.
It had initially looked like an own goal by Emiliano Moretti but Cole got the final touch. The half-time statistics favoured the hosts. Valencia had unleashed eight shots to Chelsea's two and enjoyed the majority of possession.
After the break, however, everything changed. Had Grant delivered a rousing speech? Had he stood at the tactics board and come up with Plan B?
In fairness to Grant, he did have the tactical nous to send on Alex and switch to five at the back once Drogba had secured the lead in the 70th minute.
If there was an anxious moment when Villa had a second "goal" rightly disallowed for offside, there was only elation when Drogba accelerated away from Raul Albiol and guided his shot past Timo Hildebrand.
It was Drogba's 18th Champions League goal and a perfect demonstration of why Andriy Shevchenko was dropped for this game and why he should never start for Chelsea again.
Drogba has the kind of pace and athleticism that Shevchenko has so clearly lost. Not only that, he has the passion and determination Shevchenko so clearly lacks.
Drogba does, of course, owe much to Cole for finding himself in the position to score and not just because of his team-mate's vision and precision.
It was Cole who won the ball in the first place, wrestling it off Carlos Marchena.
"Football with style" was what Grant promised and in that one moment Cole and Drogba delivered.
VALENCIA (4-2-2-2): Hildebrand 6; Miguel 6, Albiol 6, Helguera 6, Moretti 5; Marchena 6, Albelda 7 (Baraja 74min, 6); Silva 6, Joaquin 6 (Arizmendi 89); Villa 6, Morientes 6 (Zigic 69, 6). Booked: Marchena.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech 6; Ferreira 6, Carvalho 6, Terry 7, A Cole 6; Makelele 6, Essien 6 (Sidwell 84), Mikel 5 (Alex 89); J Cole 7, Drogba 7, Malouda 7.
Booked: Mikel.
Man of the match: Joe Cole.
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror:
AV-A-GO HEROES VALENCIA 1 CHELSEA 2 Champions League Group B from the MestallaBravehearts Terry and Drogba show Chelsea still have spirit Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer Avram Grant went to the scene of one of Jose Mourinho's greatest evenings last night and proved he is no longer 'Avram who?'
Six months after the last truly memorable performance under the Portuguese, Grant matched his stunning achievement by somehow conjuring a truly season-changing victory.
And while it will take more than one triumph to cast aside the shadow of Mourinho, this must bury for ever the notion that the dressing room will never unite behind the Israeli.
Grant had shown bravery in dropping two men who have won the Champions League Final with their right boot, in Roman Abramovich's pet player Andriy Shevchenko and Juliano Belletti. But it was the peace talks with Didier Drogba, persuading the most vocal critic of Mourinho's departure to bury his hatchet, that bore the most remarkable fruit.
AdvertisementJust as here in the Mestalla six months ago, Chelsea looked set for a kicking as they were ran ragged for 45 minute minutes, even after Joe Cole cancelled out David Villa's early strike.
Yet little by little, piece by piece, Grant's message took hold in the minds and bodies of his players - in a manner even Mourinho will, through gritted teeth, have noted with approval.
And where it was a stunner by Michael Essien that silenced the most passionate amphitheatre in Spain in what was the high water-mark of Mourinho's last full season in SW6, last night Drogba struck to put Chelsea top of Group B.
The goal was magnificent and reward for Drogba's willingness to take on the entire Valencia back line by himself. It also owed so much to the brilliance and vision of Cole as he threaded the ball past four white shirts with the outside of his right foot.
What followed was equally majestic and unstoppable, as Drogba powered past Raul Albiol and arrowed his shot into the bottom corner of Timo Hildebrand's net.
Drogba deserved the headlines and the acclaim of the small knot of travelling supporters.
Yet what made the difference, equally, was the resolve of each and every one of Grant's players, especially as they shed every last drop of sweat to hold on to what they had.
John Terry, ignoring the fractured cheekbone and the mask that covered it, flung himself in front of everything, obliterating the memories of the first half in which he had twice been embarrassed by Villa and old foe Fernando Morientes.
Beside him, after six weeks out, Ricardo Carvalho also refused to crumble, while Joe Cole and Essien ran themselves into the ground.
Quite how Grant got away with it is still hard to work out. Frankly, tormented by the pace of Joaquin Sanchez and the vibrancy of Villa, Chelsea were a mess for most of the first half.
The goal, after just eight minutes, stemmed from the confusion at the heart of the Blues, with a wild ricochet off Essien sending the ball ballooning into the space behind Terry and Carvalho. Villa was the only man to react, bursting through the gaping hole to give Petr Cech no chance. Had Joaquin, played in by Morientes, showed similar conviction on 20 minutes, the game would surely have been over, but the winger shot straight at Cech.
And out of nowhere Chelsea levelled as Drogba and Florent Malouda worked an excellent one-two to send the French winger in on the Valencia left.
Malouda pulled back and while Cole's lack of celebrations suggested an own goal from three yards by Emiliano Moretti, the England man subsequently claimed the vital touch.
Grant and his men had a foothold in the game, and while there were scares at the start of the second half, the tide of the match had begun to turn Chelsea's way.
Terry headed wide before Villa thought he had put Valencia back in front when he swept home from Morientes' pass. The flag was rightly up, however.
And within two minutes, Drogba struck the winner.
When Mourinho stormed the Mestalla citadel, he was hailed for his brilliance. Grant has not managed that status yet.
Now, though, he has a night to remember. And the belief that there can be more to come.
Valencia): Hildebrand 7, Miguel 7, Albiol 6, Helguera 6, Moretti 6 Albelda 6 (Baraja 75, 6), Marchena 6, Joaquin 7, Silva 7, Morientes 6 (Zigic 69, 6), Villa 8.
Chelsea: Cech 7, Ferreira 5, Carvalho 6, Terry 5, A Cole 5, Makelele 6; J Cole 8, Essien 7, Mikel 6, Malouda 6, Drogba 8.
56% POSSESSION 44%
4 SHOTS ON TARGET 3
9 SHOTS OFF TARGET 5
2 OFFSIDES 2
3 CORNERS 5
15 FOULS 22
1 YELLOW CARDS 1
0 RED CARDS 0
ATTENDANCE: 52,000
Man Of The Match: Drogba ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2
By SHAUN CUSTISOCTOBER 04, 2007
HE may not be the Special One but this was a special result for Avram Grant.
And it was Didier Drogba, the man who shed buckets of tears at Jose Mourinho’s departure, who put the smile back on Chelsea’s face.
Match-winner Drogba wanted out of the club when Mourinho left. But if he is still in a huff, he is not showing it on the field.
The Ivory Coast ace was immense. Whether he was doing it in Mourinho’s memory or for Grant did not matter. He certainly did it for Chelsea.
Six months ago, Mourinho guided the Blues to a magnificent 2-1 victory in the Mestalla in their Champions League quarter-final.
Few would have put money on Grant providing the inspiration for a repeat performance in this Group B clash.
But the players have been told Grant is here to stay, with the support of incoming coach Henk ten Cate, and the choice is either to shape up or ship out. Blues fans can sing to their hearts’ content about Mourinho but he is not coming back.
This is the future and, if it is an example, they might even start to like it.
Skipper John Terry has shown players and supporters the way by battling through the pain barrier to give his all for the cause.
Some call it foolhardy. But, for Terry, Chelsea comes first — even at the risk to his own health.
He is having injections in a broken toe and wore a mask in the Lone Ranger style last night to protect his broken cheekbone.
But he never went hiding. He put his head in when it mattered without fear for his own safety. It is good news for England, too, that he came through so well.
While Chelsea still looked clueless at times, particularly in the first half, they contributed to what was an entertaining game.
The mantra seemed to be to attack to keep Mr Abramovich happy. If it meant holes at the back, so be it.
Valencia could not believe the space they had and by the ninth minute David Villa, a player Mourinho was prepared to pay £22million to take to Stamford Bridge, had bagged the opener.
The build-up was comedy capers as David Silva played a ball forward, Claude Makelele tried to clear, it came off Villa, hit Michael Essien and rebounded back to Villa. Villa then got the other side of Terry and beat the on-rushing Petr Cech to tuck the ball into the bottom left corner.
Chelsea players stared at one another, unable to explain how it had ended up in the net.
For the next 10 minutes or so, Chelsea looked shell-shocked and almost conceded a second from ex- Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes. Cech blocked the effort between his legs.
Enter Drogba, whose first major contribution was a gorgeous 21st-minute pass into the path of Florent Malouda that stretched the Valencia defence to snapping point.
Malouda’s centre low into the box found Joe Cole and, though it seemed Valencia defender Emiliano Moretti had hammered the ball into his own net, Cole was credited with the final touch.
Drogba nearly scored a screamer with a turn and volley from 25 yards but was inches over the top.
Villa really should have put Valencia back in front, only to shoot over the bar.
And when Drogba started clutching at his left hamstring, Chelsea must have feared the worst.
Fortunately, Drogba returned for the second half. Without him you felt they would have lost.
Valencia thought they were back in front when Villa had the ball in the net on 56 minutes. Yet he was just offside as he collected a Morientes touch.
To take the pressure off, Chelsea had to get into the opposing half. But Joe Cole was having one of those infuriating games, where he keeps the ball for too long and
fails to release the incisive pass at the right time.
Valencia were probably expecting Cole to dally again when he collected it in his own half with 19 minutes left. But he surprised everyone with the pass of the night for Drogba’s winner.
After a quick look up, Cole delivered the most majestic ball with the outside of his right foot. It took out four home defenders and was perfectly weighted into Drogba’s run.
Drogba easily shrugged off the last man, Raul Abiola, and finished with customary aplomb as he gave keeper Timo Hildebrand no chance.
It was a goal that might never have come under Mourinho, who would have probably had Cole off by then.
Grant may never enjoy the hero worship of Mourinho.
But, like his predecessor, he has happily discovered you can always rely on your Drog!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Times
October 4, 2007
Joe Cole’s magic moment completes unexpected reversal of fortune
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2Martin Samuel, Chief Football Correspondent in Valencia
Sometimes it does not matter who the manager is. The pass of Chelsea’s season turned their European campaign around in the Mestalla stadium last night. Joe Cole made it and, at that moment, it would not have mattered had Roman Abramovich installed his girlfriend as José Mourinho’s replacement two weeks ago. Sometimes the football just takes over and thank heavens for that.
The previous manager mastered the art of playing none too well and winning. The supporters loved him for it and the owner tired of him, so it will be interesting to see what happens now his successor, Avram Grant, has executed the same trick. Probably the roles will be reversed. Abramovich will be delighted for his friend and will ignore the long periods of tedium and Chelsea only coming into the game after half-time because Valencia, inexplicably, lost their way.
The fans are yet to be convinced by the new man and will continue wondering what happened to the attacking football that was promised in the wake of Mourinho’s departure. Chelsea won here more or less with a five-strong midfield and in the first half looked utterly out of sorts. Still, a win is not to be sniffed at. Pair it with another away to struggling Bolton Wanderers on Sunday and Grant makes it to the international break with room to breathe once more.
He deserves credit for instantly reinstating Joe Cole to his team, when clearly the player’s relationship with Mourinho had suffered. Grant’s reward for his faith was a through-ball to match any seen in this competition for many years, the type of pass that deserves to determine big matches and, on this occasion, did. Cole nailed Carlos Marchena, Valencia’s central midfield player, in the tackle and, with the play spread out like a plain before him, hit a low pass with the outside of his boot that took the last defender out of the game and curled into the path of Didier Drogba as he bore down on goal. Such was the precision of the pass, the striker did not have to break stride and his finish was swiftly executed, a lesson in the art of the goalscorer. Had Salomon Kalou, on as a substitute, showed equivalent cold-bloodedness in stoppage time, when set up by Drogba with a shot from the edge of the six-yard box, Chelsea could even have outstripped their performance here last season in reaching the semi-finals.
Instead, they had to settle for a rerun: a 2-1 victory to mirror the scoreline in April under Mourinho. Yet while that win, also from a goal down, is recalled as one of Chelsea’s finest performances in Europe, this was far from that. The circumstances, though, made it a special one. This was Grant putting down his marker with his detractors; and, as it was achieved without the input of Andriy Shevchenko, even as a substitute, perhaps he put a marker down with the owner, too.
Quite how Chelsea survived the first half to return to the dressing-room on level terms is a mystery. They were second best in most areas of the field, not least at the back, where a quartet that had once been a byword for dogged reliability under Mourinho often looked as vulnerable as lambs in springtime.
The defence redeemed itself late in the second half when a sustained onslaught after Drogba’s goal was repelled in typically robust fashion, yet early on, the lively David Villa and wily Fernando Morientes were more than enough for Chelsea to handle. Ricardo Carvalho, returning from injury, and John Terry, wearing what the Spanish called mascara (it means “mask”, of course, but good for a giggle nonetheless), looked like men who had not played together in some time. Were it not for the crisis that preceded this game, maybe they would not have been paired so hurriedly.
Grant’s panic measure was rapidly placed under harsh scrutiny and the match was only 49 seconds old when a cross from Joaquín on the right flew unhindered across a line of three Chelsea defenders — and when did that happen under the old manager? — finding David Silva advancing on the left, whose shot travelled just wide. It only delayed the inevitable.
In the ninth minute a hopeful upfield ball by Claude Makelele was cut out by Villa, rebounding fortuitously off Michael Essien to the feet of the Valencia striker, who slipped past Terry with such velocity it provoked a neat reversal of the standard line. Who was that unmasked man? The finish past Petr Cech was a formality as, at the time, the result seemed to be.
Perhaps it would have been had a chance in the twentieth minute fallen to one of Valencia’s forwards and not the inconsistent Joaquín. At the 2002 World Cup, he looked destined to become one of the greatest wide players in the world, yet for every moment of electricity there is a power cut, and luckily for Chelsea, this was one of those times. Morientes played the ball through and Joaquín avoided the Chelsea defence, square again, to be left one on one with Cech. He shot straight at him, a big mistake, and within a minute the Spaniards were made to pay.
With Chelsea so listless, a goal out of nowhere was needed, and from nowhere it arrived. The build-up was neat, Florent Malouda to Drogba, and Drogba back again to Malouda, and the Frenchman’s cross was fine, but quite how Emiliano Moretti, the defender, came to be blind-sided by Joe Cole is a question no doubt Quique Sánchez Flores, the coach, was asking his Argentine left back at half-time. Cole and the hapless Moretti looked tied in a battle to put the ball into the net, Moretti his own. Cole did not celebrate the goal and Uefa concluded it was Moretti’s final touch. Television replays suggested that the Chelsea man was over-modest and he later claimed ownership. Perhaps at the time he wanted to save the ceremony until there was something really worth cheering about; 49 minutes later, he made sure there was.
Valencia (4-4-2): T Hildebrand – L Miguel, R Albiol, I Helguera, E Moretti – JoaquÍn (sub: J Arizmendi, 88min), C Marchena, D Albelda (sub: R Baraja, 75), D Silva – D Villa, F Morientes (sub: N Zigic, 68). Substitutes not used: S Cañizares, Sunny, M Á Angulo, Alexis.
Chelsea (4-3-2-1): P Cech – P Ferreira, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Cole – M Essien (sub: S Sidwell, 84), C Makelele, J O Mikel (sub: Alex, 88) – J Cole, F Malouda (sub: S Kalou, 86) – D Drogba. Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, A Shevchenko, C Pizarro, J Belletti. Booked: Mikel.
Referee: R Rosetti (Italy). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Joe Cole keeps Chelsea on track again
By John Ley in Valencia
Valencia (1) 1 Chelsea (1) 2
John Terry wore a mask and Chelsea succeeded in disguising their recent failings by securing a remarkable victory on a balmy Spanish night in the Mestalla. A victory inspired, not for the first time in this imposing stadium, by Joe Cole took Chelsea to the top of Group B. Crisis? Surely not?
Six months ago Jose Mourinho's Chelsea came to Spain and left with an impressive 2-1 victory to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. Given the turmoil that has followed Chelsea so far this season, the repeat success was arguably a greater achievement — a view echoed by Terry. "I think it was," he said. "We fought back and came right back into the game."
It was certainly a personal accomplishment for Avram Grant, the man ordered to pick up the pieces from the fall-out created by Mourinho's departure.
It may not be enough, yet, to erase the memories of Mourinho — indeed, they will remain ingrained in the history of the club — but in terms of signalling a new era, this victory will serve as inspiration. How Roman Abramovich must have delighted in this improbable success.
Despite a barren time, Grant has stood by his players and they responded spendidly, with Cole scoring the equaliser and then supplying the pass of the season for Didier Drogba to collect a 71st-minute winner.
For Grant, the game was a huge test and he did not shy away from making potentially immense decisions. Terry returned just four days after fracturing his cheekbone, while Andrei Shevchenko and Juliano Belletti were dropped to the bench.
In one fell swoop, Grant had not only dispensed with the services of two Champions League winners, but two men who had scored winning goals in the final. Shevchenko, the second-highest goalscorer in European football, claimed the winner for AC Milan in 2003, while Belletti broke Arsenal hearts with the late winner for Barcelona three years later.
Terry started off the pace but improved and, towards the end as Valencia launched a wave of desperate attempts to steal a point, he was thrusting his protected head where others would not venture.
Grant's only previous win came at Hull, so confidence was not what it might have been. If David Silva's shot wide after just 39 seconds was a warning, Valencia confirmed their early dominance in the ninth minute.
Claude Makelele's attempted clearance hit Michael Essien and ricocheted into the path of David Villa, who finished in style beyond Petr Cech.
In April Chelsea were trailing 1-0 when they brought on Cole and he inspired their 2-1 win. This time Cole started and at times looked like a whippet as Chelsea searched for an opening. Ultimately, he was to win the game, the comeback beginning in the 21st minute. The build-up was like the Chelsea of old: swift and positive, with the impressive Drogba feeding Florent Malouda. His cross, from the left, was found by Cole who challenged with Emiliano Moretti. Cole got a strong touch and though it may have found the net off Moretti, the winger predictably claimed it.
Chelsea continued to look unsure in defence and Villa should have regained the lead for Valencia off Ricardo Carvalho's poor clearance. Instead he sent the ball high into the stand.
Before the break Chelsea had shown signs of a recovery, with a containment designed to frustrate the Spaniards but the danger signs returned when, in the 54th minute, Moretti rose at the far post to head narrowly wide. Two minutes later the defence was exposed again when both Villa and Fernando Morientes were clear. Villa, though, was offside as he beat Petr Cech, to the relief of Terry and his back-line.
The game had fallen flat when, in the 71st minute, Chelsea turned it on its head with a goal outstanding both in its inception and delivery. Cole produced the most delicate touch, stealing the ball off Carlos Marchena before sending Drogba racing forward with a 50-yard delivery. The striker held off Raul Albiol before using his left foot to claim only his second goal of the season. It could prove to be his most valuable, certainly this side of Christmas.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2: Drogba rises above turmoil as Chelsea rediscover self-belief By Sam Wallace at the Mestalla
Avram Grant: not quite special yet, but a notch above normal after last night. Where once the mighty Jose Mourinho conquered so too the Israeli coach with the hangdog expression struck the first serious blow of his new regime: a victory over Valencia delivered – in sensational style – by Didier Drogba.
For now at least, Grant will not have to listen to the stories of how Mourinho conquered the Mestalla in April after the new Chelsea manager dealt Valencia only their sixth home defeat in 46 European matches having come from one goal behind. Grant did it much the same way as Mourinho liked to win football matches, with a 4-5-1 formation and a stunning performance from his Ivorian striker.
Drogba was a revelation, intimidating the Valencia defence, cajoling the referee and then, on 71 minutes, taking Joe Cole's exquisite through ball into his stride and beating Timo Hildebrand in the home goal. From Grant himself there was a barb for Mourinho when he said that style of his team's victory was just as important as the fact that they had repeated the feat of Chelsea five months earlier.
"I understand I am new to the team but they [Chelsea] chose me to lead another way of football," he said. "I think this is the right thing to do for the footballing way of Chelsea. We are trying to play another way of football which will be very good for the club. I think the Chelsea fans today will be very happy at the way we have done it."
That was one in the eye for Mourinho who may wish to remind his successor that his victory was in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, which are still a long way off for Grant. For now you cannot begrudge the new Chelsea manager his first opportunity to be taken seriously as a coach. The manager who emerged from nowhere now has one of the most unusual records in English football: lost one, drawn one and two away wins – one over Hull City and the other against Valencia.
With Chelsea having fallen behind to David Villa's opportunist goal on eight minutes, last night was an occasion to admire the power of Drogba – one of the players least accepting of Mourinho's departure. Alone in attack he bludgeoned the Valencia defence. He was preferred to Andrei Shevchenko who was not even summoned from the bench even in the last exhausting minutes of Valencia's desperate final salvo.
"I think it's a start for a new, good way," Grant said. With a conservative formation and Claude Makelele playing as a third central defender at times, the new way looked a lot like the old way. In the centre of defence, the return of Ricardo Carvalho alongside John Terry stabilised Chelsea. For the final moments of the match, Grant switched to 5-4-1 with Alex da Costa as an extra central defender – a move that only served to invite Valencia to pile on the pressure and almost cost Chelsea.
With the prospective arrival of the Ajax coach Henk ten Cate as a first team coach alongside Grant it would appear that the tactical preparation is a concern for the Chelsea hierarchy. At the end of the game, Grant cut a strange figure, alone on the pitch and not sure whether he should follow his players over to the corner to applaud the fans. In the end he decided against testing his popularity with Chelsea's hardcore support.
The five-man midfield is always recommended away at Valencia to combat David Silva's tendency to drift in from the left wing and it was he who inadvertently opened Chelsea up right down the middle. The winger challenged for a ball with Paulo Ferreira and Makelele in the left channel, half-winning possession before the Frenchman was able to get a foot in.
From there the ball ricocheted first off Villa and then off Michael Essien, before falling nicely for Villa who had broken away from Terry. The Chelsea captain had no chance of catching him in the couple of paces it took the striker to slip the ball under Petr Cech. It was a strange goal, calamitous for Chelsea but unlucky as well. Valencia seemed refreshingly willing to throw the kitchen sink at them with an attacking unit of Villa, Silva, Fernando Morientes and Joaquin wide on the right.
For a while it looked as if Chelsea might find themselves engulfed by Valencia's appetite to attack then, on 21 minutes, Drogba was part of an improbable equaliser. He shepherded the ball out right to Florent Malouda, the winger cut the ball back for Joe Cole who, reaching it at the same time as Emiliano Moretti, was able to send it into the net.
It was a goal that came blatantly against the run of play but after the fortnight Grant has had he may well feel that he deserves a little luck. Two minutes after the goal Drogba hit an outrageous shot from 25 yards that had Hildebrand concerned for a moment. Shocked and losing their shape, Valencia's stream of attacks began to fail.
Like Barcelona before them, they seem to regard Chelsea's style as an affront to the dignity of full-blooded attacking Spanish football.
Villa had a goal disallowed when he strayed marginally offside and Chelsea escaped. Their winner was made by Joe Cole, who was lively throughout even if he looked determined to dribble around the entire Valencia defence on his own. On 71 minutes he did not delay releasing the ball. Hit from the right wing to the left channel, struck with the outside of his right foot Cole's ball eluded four Valencia defenders to reach Drogba who held off the challenge of Raul Albiol to score and put Chelsea top of Group B.
Valencia (4-4-2): Hildebrand; Miguel, Albiol, Helguera, Moretti; Joaquin (Arizmendi, 89), Albelda (Baraja, 74), Marchena, Silva; Morientes (Zigic, 69), Villa. Substitutes not used: Canizares (gk), Sunny, Angulo, Alexis.
Chelsea (4-5-1): Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; J Cole, Makelele, Essien (Sidwell, 84), Mikel (Alex, 89), Malouda (Kalou, 85); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Shevchenko, Pizarro, Belletti.
Referee: R Rosetti (Italy).
Group B
Results: Chelsea 1 Rosenborg 1; Schalke 04 0 Valencia 1; Rosenborg 0 Schalke 04 2; Valencia 1 Chelsea 2.
Remaining fixtures: 24 Oct: Chelsea v Schalke 04; Rosenborg v Valencia. 6 Nov: Schalke 04 v Chelsea; Valencia v Rosenborg. 28 Nov: Rosenborg v Chelsea; Valencia v Schalke 04. 11 Dec: Chelsea v Valencia; Schalke 04 v Rosenborg.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Drogba puts the pride back into Chelsea
Kevin McCarra at the Mestalla StadiumThursday October 4, 2007The Guardian
Chelsea relived their recent past to set course for a new era. Victory over Valencia came by the same score as at the Mestalla in the Champions League quarter-final six months ago, but it was accomplished without the departed Jose Mourinho. Mourning and resentment no longer seeped into the display and Chelsea, just as they did on their previous visit to this ground, came back to win after falling behind.While Didier Drogba, the scorer of a fine decider, surpassed himself, many others rediscovered their misplaced reliability. Avram Grant entered the Champions League proper for the first time in his managerial career, but neither that nor Chelsea's place at the top of Group B will linger in his mind.
He can, instead, seize on this result as a starting point, proof to the world that the squad he inherited need not be lethargic under his command. Perhaps the side were merely reacting out of pride and obstinacy, but the win now sweetens Grant's record. The Israeli owes most gratitude to Drogba, who was once more that amalgam of power and poise.The winner was as exquisite as it was dynamic. With 71 minutes gone, Joe Cole bent a marvel of a pass towards the left with the outside of his right foot and Drogba collected while storming beyond the centre-back Raúl Albiol. Then, in the heart of that maelstrom of energy, he gathered himself to pilot the ball beyond the reach of Timo Hildebrand.
Valencia could not recover and Chelsea, with Alex brought on as a third centre-half, held out staunchly. Fortitude had been even more important at the start. Grant's 4-1-4-1 formation expressed a hankering for security, but the Mestalla is no place to go looking for it.
Despite the numbers massed in front of them Valencia had a dancing manoeuvrability as well as brute pace on the flanks. Apart from the corrosive uncertainty about the long-term plans at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had been hit by that most mundane of disadvantages, injury. The line-up here, though, was an ensemble on its way to recovery.
Ricardo Carvalho, notably, was marked present. He had appeared in Chelsea's first two league games of the season, against Birmingham City and Reading, which are, coincidentally or not, the club's only consecutive victories in this campaign. The Portuguese had previously been thought to need a couple of weeks more to recover from an ankle injury, but the yearning to reinstate him was overwhelming.
Though he took his place beside John Terry, satisfaction over that was qualified by the realisation that both men were well short of ideal condition. The captain had a face mask to protect the cheekbone fractured at the weekend. There was no such convenient means for the visitors to prevent Valencia from doing damage, particularly when Quique Sánchez Flores's men got a bit lucky.
A ricochet off Michael Essien, after a tackle by Paulo Ferreira, was fortunate indeed, but there still had to be admiration for the manner in which David Villa capitalised, beating Petr Cech with an assured finish in the ninth minute.
Chelsea might have been overwhelmed but were never without resources of their own. Drogba's smart pass found Florent Malouda after 21 minutes. The Frenchman's low cross from the left was treacherous and, as panic ensued, Joe Cole put the ball into the net, with the Valencia left-back Emiliano Moretti in attendance.
Valencia bristled and four minutes later Carvalho's sliding tackle sent the ball into the path of Villa, but he shot rashly. Chelsea knew by then that they had a formidable spearhead of their own in Drogba. Trust had been placed in him, to the detriment of an even more expensive signing. There was a show of independence from Grant in the demotion of Andriy Shevchenko to the bench - unless it was actually the owner, Roman Abramovich, who had lost faith in the Ukrainian at last.
Chelsea had to believe in themselves. There were searing moments even after the pace had dipped. In the 56th minute Villa was a metre offside before he fired home. The victors will have felt blessed then and at the close. For the time being, all brooding over machinations and upheaval at Chelsea has been dissolved in joy.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Who needs Jose? Drogba lifts stuttering ChelseaValencia 1 Chelsea 2
By MATT LAWTON in Valencia
Avram Grant's wife must have raised a glass of something more appetising than her usual tipple last night, toasting her husband and his Chelsea team for securing an uplifting, widely unexpected victory at a stunned Mestalla.
Inspired by John Terry's courage and Joe Cole's class, this was an extraordinary result for a team who appeared to be lacking in direction against a more fluent Valencia side.
For 45 minutes they were distinctly second best and thoroughly undeserving of the scrappy equaliser Cole managed to steal in response to a crushing early strike from David Villa.
The second half, however, was a different story. The story of Terry's tenacity and Cole's considerable talent; of a captain who launched himself at every corner, knowing that one blow to his right cheekbone could put him straight back in hospital.
The story of a creative midfielder who demonstrated his long-admired ability with a 40-yard pass that took out four Valencia defenders and presented Didier Drogba with the chance to score a wonderful winning goal.
"It was nice to play with freedom," said Cole in a not-so-veiled dig at former boss Jose Mourinho and his more disciplined ways.
For Grant, a night when the pressure lifted off those broad, bulky shoulders gave him the chance finally to enjoy being Chelsea manager and the opportunity to stick two fat fingers up at his tormentors.
He went some way to proving he can get results, even after seven years away from the Champions League.
His side had not only finished with 11 men and scored the kind of goals that have been proving so elusive, he had just matched Mourinho in emulating his predecessor's finest hour in Europe as Chelsea manager.
Mourinho beat Valencia 2-1 here last April and Grant had managed the same.
Even at the sound of the final whistle, he responded exactly as Mourinho had done. Standing proud in a blue shirt and tie, he greeted every Chelsea player as they walked off the pitch. High fives for a team now back on a high.
In Terry he had his superhero, complete with mask, and in Cole he had a player relishing the opportunity to perform without the restrictions imposed on him by Mourinho.
It was a joy to watch, even if Cole should still thank Mourinho for making him a far more mature footballer.
Valencia paid for a lack of maturity last night, as well as a lack of ambition. After beating Schalke in their opening game, they seemed content to settle for a 1-1 draw and were punished when Chelsea finally rediscovered their ruthless side.
Cultured in the first half, Valencia manager Quique Sanchez Flores even resorted to sticking the big man up front in the second. Nikola Zigic is as tall as Peter Crouch but wider and his arrival only succeeded in convincing Chelsea they could win this game.
They started badly, conceding a goal after nine minutes when confusion led to chaos and, in turn, to what looked like an insurmountable lead for the Spaniards.
Paulo Ferreira and Claude Makelele collided in trying to challenge Villa, Ferreira sent his hurried clearance against Michael Essien's arm and the ball ricocheted into the path of Villa, who sprinted past Terry and guided a terrific finish beyond Petr Cech.
Valencia were a little fortunate, although they had already looked dangerous with a swiftly-executed attack that ended with a shot by David Silva and their superior football suggested Chelsea were going to suffer.
From somewhere, though, the visitors produced a 21st-minute equaliser, Drogba providing the pass, Florent Malouda the cross and Cole the close-range finish.
It had initially looked like an own goal by Emiliano Moretti but Cole got the final touch. The half-time statistics favoured the hosts. Valencia had unleashed eight shots to Chelsea's two and enjoyed the majority of possession.
After the break, however, everything changed. Had Grant delivered a rousing speech? Had he stood at the tactics board and come up with Plan B?
In fairness to Grant, he did have the tactical nous to send on Alex and switch to five at the back once Drogba had secured the lead in the 70th minute.
If there was an anxious moment when Villa had a second "goal" rightly disallowed for offside, there was only elation when Drogba accelerated away from Raul Albiol and guided his shot past Timo Hildebrand.
It was Drogba's 18th Champions League goal and a perfect demonstration of why Andriy Shevchenko was dropped for this game and why he should never start for Chelsea again.
Drogba has the kind of pace and athleticism that Shevchenko has so clearly lost. Not only that, he has the passion and determination Shevchenko so clearly lacks.
Drogba does, of course, owe much to Cole for finding himself in the position to score and not just because of his team-mate's vision and precision.
It was Cole who won the ball in the first place, wrestling it off Carlos Marchena.
"Football with style" was what Grant promised and in that one moment Cole and Drogba delivered.
VALENCIA (4-2-2-2): Hildebrand 6; Miguel 6, Albiol 6, Helguera 6, Moretti 5; Marchena 6, Albelda 7 (Baraja 74min, 6); Silva 6, Joaquin 6 (Arizmendi 89); Villa 6, Morientes 6 (Zigic 69, 6). Booked: Marchena.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech 6; Ferreira 6, Carvalho 6, Terry 7, A Cole 6; Makelele 6, Essien 6 (Sidwell 84), Mikel 5 (Alex 89); J Cole 7, Drogba 7, Malouda 7.
Booked: Mikel.
Man of the match: Joe Cole.
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror:
AV-A-GO HEROES VALENCIA 1 CHELSEA 2 Champions League Group B from the MestallaBravehearts Terry and Drogba show Chelsea still have spirit Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer Avram Grant went to the scene of one of Jose Mourinho's greatest evenings last night and proved he is no longer 'Avram who?'
Six months after the last truly memorable performance under the Portuguese, Grant matched his stunning achievement by somehow conjuring a truly season-changing victory.
And while it will take more than one triumph to cast aside the shadow of Mourinho, this must bury for ever the notion that the dressing room will never unite behind the Israeli.
Grant had shown bravery in dropping two men who have won the Champions League Final with their right boot, in Roman Abramovich's pet player Andriy Shevchenko and Juliano Belletti. But it was the peace talks with Didier Drogba, persuading the most vocal critic of Mourinho's departure to bury his hatchet, that bore the most remarkable fruit.
AdvertisementJust as here in the Mestalla six months ago, Chelsea looked set for a kicking as they were ran ragged for 45 minute minutes, even after Joe Cole cancelled out David Villa's early strike.
Yet little by little, piece by piece, Grant's message took hold in the minds and bodies of his players - in a manner even Mourinho will, through gritted teeth, have noted with approval.
And where it was a stunner by Michael Essien that silenced the most passionate amphitheatre in Spain in what was the high water-mark of Mourinho's last full season in SW6, last night Drogba struck to put Chelsea top of Group B.
The goal was magnificent and reward for Drogba's willingness to take on the entire Valencia back line by himself. It also owed so much to the brilliance and vision of Cole as he threaded the ball past four white shirts with the outside of his right foot.
What followed was equally majestic and unstoppable, as Drogba powered past Raul Albiol and arrowed his shot into the bottom corner of Timo Hildebrand's net.
Drogba deserved the headlines and the acclaim of the small knot of travelling supporters.
Yet what made the difference, equally, was the resolve of each and every one of Grant's players, especially as they shed every last drop of sweat to hold on to what they had.
John Terry, ignoring the fractured cheekbone and the mask that covered it, flung himself in front of everything, obliterating the memories of the first half in which he had twice been embarrassed by Villa and old foe Fernando Morientes.
Beside him, after six weeks out, Ricardo Carvalho also refused to crumble, while Joe Cole and Essien ran themselves into the ground.
Quite how Grant got away with it is still hard to work out. Frankly, tormented by the pace of Joaquin Sanchez and the vibrancy of Villa, Chelsea were a mess for most of the first half.
The goal, after just eight minutes, stemmed from the confusion at the heart of the Blues, with a wild ricochet off Essien sending the ball ballooning into the space behind Terry and Carvalho. Villa was the only man to react, bursting through the gaping hole to give Petr Cech no chance. Had Joaquin, played in by Morientes, showed similar conviction on 20 minutes, the game would surely have been over, but the winger shot straight at Cech.
And out of nowhere Chelsea levelled as Drogba and Florent Malouda worked an excellent one-two to send the French winger in on the Valencia left.
Malouda pulled back and while Cole's lack of celebrations suggested an own goal from three yards by Emiliano Moretti, the England man subsequently claimed the vital touch.
Grant and his men had a foothold in the game, and while there were scares at the start of the second half, the tide of the match had begun to turn Chelsea's way.
Terry headed wide before Villa thought he had put Valencia back in front when he swept home from Morientes' pass. The flag was rightly up, however.
And within two minutes, Drogba struck the winner.
When Mourinho stormed the Mestalla citadel, he was hailed for his brilliance. Grant has not managed that status yet.
Now, though, he has a night to remember. And the belief that there can be more to come.
Valencia): Hildebrand 7, Miguel 7, Albiol 6, Helguera 6, Moretti 6 Albelda 6 (Baraja 75, 6), Marchena 6, Joaquin 7, Silva 7, Morientes 6 (Zigic 69, 6), Villa 8.
Chelsea: Cech 7, Ferreira 5, Carvalho 6, Terry 5, A Cole 5, Makelele 6; J Cole 8, Essien 7, Mikel 6, Malouda 6, Drogba 8.
56% POSSESSION 44%
4 SHOTS ON TARGET 3
9 SHOTS OFF TARGET 5
2 OFFSIDES 2
3 CORNERS 5
15 FOULS 22
1 YELLOW CARDS 1
0 RED CARDS 0
ATTENDANCE: 52,000
Man Of The Match: Drogba ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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