Times August 17, 2008
Chelsea show attacking flair to thrash Portsmouth
Chelsea show attacking flair to thrash Portsmouth
Chelsea 4 Portsmouth 0
Martin Samuels
Martin Samuels
It was, it has to be said, just like watching Brazil. Not because Luiz Felipe Scolari already has his Chelsea team playing with the joyous expression of the Canarinho, but because he has them set up in the modern way perfected by his countrymen. Scolari’s Chelsea play fast, overlapping full backs, a high, creative midfield line, and have, in John Obi Mikel, a holding midfield player who doubles as a centre half in the style of Gilberto Silva. It puts them quickly on the offensive, but always with the padlock secure at the back and Portsmouth found them unplayable. The scoreline flattered the visiting team, who did not look like scoring, but could have let in three more with better finishing, when Chelsea forwards were left one on one with David James, the England goalkeeper.
Fabio Capello, the watching England manager, will have taken away positive thoughts about Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, John Terry and Ashley Cole, less so Jermain Defoe, the Portsmouth striker, who barely got a kick. His partner, Peter Crouch, also did little to make the Italian rethink his decision to exclude him from the squad to play the Czech Republic on Wednesday.
What Scolari has succeeded in doing very quickly is blending the English core of his team with a continental intellect, so efficiently that it is scarcely possible to tell one from the other. José Bosingwa, the right back, got forward quickly, but so did Ashley Cole on the left. Deco played sublime passes that caused Portsmouth huge problems in the heart of midfield, but so did Michael Ballack and Lampard. The role of Mikel, who drops in as a third centre half when the backs operate as wingers, is a masterstroke and brought out the best from the Nigeria player. This was his finest game in a Chelsea shirt, and Michael Essien’s return to the first team cannot be regarded as a formality.
Scolari airily dismissed the Brazilian connection, preferring to talk of the flair of his individuals, regardless of nationality. The aspect on which all agreed, though, was that this was the perfect start for Chelsea under the new manager. Asked whether it was a result that would have Manchester United, the champions, worried, Scolari did not take the bait. “No,” he said, “because we do not play them next. Wigan Athletic, maybe.” Steve Bruce’s team are up in six days’ time.
This was Chelsea’s most emphatic start to a season since victory by the same scoreline over Sunderland in 1999 and if Sir Alex Ferguson thinks that this Chelsea team are too old to win the title, then that side would have had him sending mocking deliveries of Sanatogen. It was the era when Chelsea were attracting world-class players, but not in their prime, and Marcel Desailly, Gianfranco Zola, Albert Ferrer and Didier Deschamps were in the starting lineup. By comparison, this Chelsea team are spring chickens and anyone who did not think they had the potential to be champions on the evidence of yesterday was not paying attention.
Chelsea were a goal up after 12 minutes and three clear by half-time. If the second half was quieter it was because Portsmouth were no contest and Scolari’s team sensibly conserved their energy for bigger challenges ahead. Between the 52nd and the 88th minutes, Chelsea did not have a clear-cut scoring chance, although Deco rewarded those who stayed to the end with a 25-yard shot from outside the right of the penalty area, which swerved so much in mid-air that James could only palm it into his own net. It was a fitting end to the game, though, confirmed by the admission from Harry Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, that his team could not live with Chelsea. He did not sound angry, more resigned. His only consolation is that he will not be playing Chelsea every week. No, his next opponents are Manchester United.
Portsmouth were not helped by naive defending – at one time a headed clearance by Terry from inside the Chelsea half was allowed to loop over the heads of the opposition back line, leaving Joe Cole with only James to beat – but in the main it was Chelsea’s movement that won the game. The first goal was created by a first-time chip from Ballack, but it was the wit of Joe Cole, peeling off his marker and cutting inside, that finished it.
Chelsea’s second came from the flanks, with Bosingwa crossing deep and Deco playing the ball back into what was now a largely unguarded net, James having deserted his position, and Nicolas Anelka outjumping Glen Johnson on the line to score the first goal of his career at Stamford Bridge. It could have been more.
Joe Cole and Lampard combined to put Anelka through alone after 20 minutes, but his shot was saved, and a mistake by Sol Campbell left him in a similar position from Petr Cech’s goal kick, this time steering the ball wide.
The calamitous defending of a header by Terry that Joe Cole then missed out on was the final straw for Redknapp. “If you coach nine-year-olds the first thing you tell them is when a defender is about to head it forward, take a step back and give yourself a bit of space,” he said with a grimace. “Our lot are all standing there, thinking: ‘Are we going to win this? Oh, where’s it going now?’ ” He had a point, but the basic problem was one that could not be surmounted by any amount of coaching. There was not a player in his team who would have made the first XI at Chelsea.
The outcome moved beyond doubt in the 45th minute when Sylvain Distin handled a cross by Joe Cole, Lampard scoring from the penalty spot. James was booked for dissent, ignoring the FA’s new Respect agenda, with its instruction to get on with the game. Unfortunately, this would have been the least tempting option for Portsmouth. Nipping outside to a public telephone box and abandoning proceedings with a hoax bomb alert would have contained more appeal.
Chelsea ratings
4-1-4-1 P Cech 7 J Bosingwa 8 R Carvalho 7 J Terry 8 A Cole 7 J O Mikel 8 M Ballack 7 Deco 7 F Lampard 8 J Cole 7 N Anelka 6
Substitutes P Ferreira (for Bosingwa, 83), F Malouda (for Ballack, 37 6), S Wright-Phillips (for J Cole, 77) Not used H Hilario, F Di Santo, W Bridge, Alex. Next: Wigan (a)
Portsmouth ratings
4-4-2 D James Y 5 G Johnson 5 S Campbell 5 S Distin 5 H Hreidarsson 5 P B Diop 5 L Diarra 5 Y Kaboul 5 N Kranjcar 5 P Crouch 5 J Defoe 5
Substitutes A Mvuemba (for Diarra, 67min 5), J Thomas (for Kranjcar, 72). Not used J Ashdown, Lauren, J Utaka, M Cranie, D Traoré. Next: Manchester United (h)
Referee: M Dean. Attendance: 41,468.
Fabio Capello, the watching England manager, will have taken away positive thoughts about Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, John Terry and Ashley Cole, less so Jermain Defoe, the Portsmouth striker, who barely got a kick. His partner, Peter Crouch, also did little to make the Italian rethink his decision to exclude him from the squad to play the Czech Republic on Wednesday.
What Scolari has succeeded in doing very quickly is blending the English core of his team with a continental intellect, so efficiently that it is scarcely possible to tell one from the other. José Bosingwa, the right back, got forward quickly, but so did Ashley Cole on the left. Deco played sublime passes that caused Portsmouth huge problems in the heart of midfield, but so did Michael Ballack and Lampard. The role of Mikel, who drops in as a third centre half when the backs operate as wingers, is a masterstroke and brought out the best from the Nigeria player. This was his finest game in a Chelsea shirt, and Michael Essien’s return to the first team cannot be regarded as a formality.
Scolari airily dismissed the Brazilian connection, preferring to talk of the flair of his individuals, regardless of nationality. The aspect on which all agreed, though, was that this was the perfect start for Chelsea under the new manager. Asked whether it was a result that would have Manchester United, the champions, worried, Scolari did not take the bait. “No,” he said, “because we do not play them next. Wigan Athletic, maybe.” Steve Bruce’s team are up in six days’ time.
This was Chelsea’s most emphatic start to a season since victory by the same scoreline over Sunderland in 1999 and if Sir Alex Ferguson thinks that this Chelsea team are too old to win the title, then that side would have had him sending mocking deliveries of Sanatogen. It was the era when Chelsea were attracting world-class players, but not in their prime, and Marcel Desailly, Gianfranco Zola, Albert Ferrer and Didier Deschamps were in the starting lineup. By comparison, this Chelsea team are spring chickens and anyone who did not think they had the potential to be champions on the evidence of yesterday was not paying attention.
Chelsea were a goal up after 12 minutes and three clear by half-time. If the second half was quieter it was because Portsmouth were no contest and Scolari’s team sensibly conserved their energy for bigger challenges ahead. Between the 52nd and the 88th minutes, Chelsea did not have a clear-cut scoring chance, although Deco rewarded those who stayed to the end with a 25-yard shot from outside the right of the penalty area, which swerved so much in mid-air that James could only palm it into his own net. It was a fitting end to the game, though, confirmed by the admission from Harry Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, that his team could not live with Chelsea. He did not sound angry, more resigned. His only consolation is that he will not be playing Chelsea every week. No, his next opponents are Manchester United.
Portsmouth were not helped by naive defending – at one time a headed clearance by Terry from inside the Chelsea half was allowed to loop over the heads of the opposition back line, leaving Joe Cole with only James to beat – but in the main it was Chelsea’s movement that won the game. The first goal was created by a first-time chip from Ballack, but it was the wit of Joe Cole, peeling off his marker and cutting inside, that finished it.
Chelsea’s second came from the flanks, with Bosingwa crossing deep and Deco playing the ball back into what was now a largely unguarded net, James having deserted his position, and Nicolas Anelka outjumping Glen Johnson on the line to score the first goal of his career at Stamford Bridge. It could have been more.
Joe Cole and Lampard combined to put Anelka through alone after 20 minutes, but his shot was saved, and a mistake by Sol Campbell left him in a similar position from Petr Cech’s goal kick, this time steering the ball wide.
The calamitous defending of a header by Terry that Joe Cole then missed out on was the final straw for Redknapp. “If you coach nine-year-olds the first thing you tell them is when a defender is about to head it forward, take a step back and give yourself a bit of space,” he said with a grimace. “Our lot are all standing there, thinking: ‘Are we going to win this? Oh, where’s it going now?’ ” He had a point, but the basic problem was one that could not be surmounted by any amount of coaching. There was not a player in his team who would have made the first XI at Chelsea.
The outcome moved beyond doubt in the 45th minute when Sylvain Distin handled a cross by Joe Cole, Lampard scoring from the penalty spot. James was booked for dissent, ignoring the FA’s new Respect agenda, with its instruction to get on with the game. Unfortunately, this would have been the least tempting option for Portsmouth. Nipping outside to a public telephone box and abandoning proceedings with a hoax bomb alert would have contained more appeal.
Chelsea ratings
4-1-4-1 P Cech 7 J Bosingwa 8 R Carvalho 7 J Terry 8 A Cole 7 J O Mikel 8 M Ballack 7 Deco 7 F Lampard 8 J Cole 7 N Anelka 6
Substitutes P Ferreira (for Bosingwa, 83), F Malouda (for Ballack, 37 6), S Wright-Phillips (for J Cole, 77) Not used H Hilario, F Di Santo, W Bridge, Alex. Next: Wigan (a)
Portsmouth ratings
4-4-2 D James Y 5 G Johnson 5 S Campbell 5 S Distin 5 H Hreidarsson 5 P B Diop 5 L Diarra 5 Y Kaboul 5 N Kranjcar 5 P Crouch 5 J Defoe 5
Substitutes A Mvuemba (for Diarra, 67min 5), J Thomas (for Kranjcar, 72). Not used J Ashdown, Lauren, J Utaka, M Cranie, D Traoré. Next: Manchester United (h)
Referee: M Dean. Attendance: 41,468.
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Telegraph :
Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari lays down expansive rhythm against Portsmouth
Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari lays down expansive rhythm against Portsmouth
Chelsea (3) 4 Portsmouth (0) 0
By Oliver Brown
We expect flamboyance from Chelsea but not understatement. Here we were given both as Luiz Felipe Scolari instantly imposed his brand of expansive football on the Premier League to exhilarating effect, while downplaying his own cult of personality. Before his lavishly-assembled squad dismembered Portsmouth at will he announced himself to the crowd with nothing more than a polite wave and thumbs-up – a muted gesture from this Croesus of a manager, lavished with wealth, power and the acclamation of his people.
Scolari exudes charisma through his every move but needs few of the histrionics patented by predecessor Jose Mourinho when his players respond as emphatically as this. It has become axiomatic at Chelsea that they need to entertain to acquire any kind of broader affection, and to that end the width and dynamism of their play here, the licence given to full-backs Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa to attack at every chance, formed a compelling advertisement.
It was an afternoon when each simmering sub-plot of Chelsea's summer came to a satisfying resolution. Deco answered all doubts about his age and pace by terrorising Portsmouth's centre-halves, then providing a stunning goal. Scolari delivered on his promise to inject some flair by devising a tactical scheme full of verve and enterprise. Even Frank Lampard was in on the act, dispatching an easy penalty.
At that point, with Lampard putting Chelsea three goals to the good, Scolari claimed that his team had achieved "tranquillity". It seemed a strange choice of word for a man struggling so endearingly with his English. Perhaps it was borrowed from Sun Tzu's The Art of War, the Chinese military treatise around which the 59-year-old famously built Brazil's 2002 World Cup win. In the seventh chapter – about, appropriately enough in Chelsea's case, winning confrontations by deft manoeuvres – is the proverb: "In order await the disordered; in tranquillity await the clamorous. This is the way to control the mind."
Unscrambled for a sporting context, this suggests a team that they should only engage in battle on terms favourable to themselves. Chelsea followed this concept to the letter yesterday, controlling the game with an exhibition of creative movement that Portsmouth could never hope to emulate. A lack of width in midfield meant nothing with Bosingwa called to act less as a right-back than as a winger. Joe Cole was similarly menacing on the right flank and his fleetness of foot, seizing upon a quick exchange between Michael Ballack and Nicolas Anelka, helped propel Chelsea into a 12th-minute lead.
Anelka has so far appeared a man restored under the strict tutelage of Scolari and the Frenchman converted Deco's cross with a fine header after 26 minutes. The fluidity of this performance portended a fine season for Chelsea, who eclipsed Portsmouth in every department. This might have owed much, though, to the ineptitude of Harry Redknapp's side, defensively shambolic and badly exposed in midfield as strikers Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch failed to spearhead an ambitious 4-4-2 system.
Sylvain Distin was another culprit as his clumsy handling of a ball from Joe Cole gifted Chelsea a penalty and an unassailable advantage in the dying seconds of the first half. Lampard stepped up to score with aplomb and thereafter Chelsea could afford to be, as Scolari hinted, tranquil, if not serene. Belatedly, Portsmouth's partnership of Defoe and summer signing Crouch flickered into life, but their sense of wretchedness was complete when David James palmed in Deco's speculative drive.
The new understated Chelsea were careful not to celebrate this win too wildly. Lampard simply wheeled away after his penalty and thumped his shirt. After extending his commitment to the club for another five years because of loyalty, brotherhood, and not at all because of £33 million, he might at least have been expected to kiss the badge.
250
This was Chelsea's 250th clean sheet in the Premier League, matching Arsenal's total, set on Saturday
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Indy:
Chelsea 4 Portsmouth 0: Scolari's 'beautiful game' brings joy to Chelsea
By Sam Wallace
Monday, 18 August 2008
As a former manager of Brazil, Luiz Felipe Scolari will be used to steamrollering the occasional opponent but it would be fair to say that even a French Guyana team in the midst of an injury-crisis and struggling with self-esteem issues would have put up a better fight than Portsmouth. First day of the season and Big Phil's team filled their boots.
This is how the Chelsea hierarchy dreamed it when they signed up Scolari: Stamford Bridge bathed in sunshine, the full-backs overlapping like it was the 1970 World Cup final and Deco slamming one in the top corner from 30 yards. It will not be like this every week of course but at least the first game went to plan and, unlike Avram Grant's empty promises of a bold new attacking team, Scolari does seem to have changed some of the fundamentals that made Chelsea so unlovable in the past.
From the moment that Joe Cole buried the first goal on 12 minutes, Chelsea's full-backs were getting forward like never before – to the extent that Ashley Cole might have required directions to get back to his normal spot at left-back. When Nicolas Anelka headed the second on 26 minutes the game was over, although there was a touch more joy about the football than is usually the case when Chelsea obliterate the opposition in the first half hour.
It was, Scolari said, "a beautiful game" that Chelsea will now be expected to repeat every week. "We have to keep this going," he said. "We can. Every game, every week." His argument that his players were given the freedom to interpret their roles rang true. "We're not playing like Brazil – Lampard is not Brazilian, he's English," the Chelsea manager said. "Ballack's style is different, as is Deco's... I ask my players to hold their position but to play to their style."
They were stylish indeed, sufficiently so to warrant a dressing room visit from Roman Abramovich after the game. Frank Lampard marked his new contract with the third goal from the penalty spot and the £9m spent on Deco looked good value even before his 88th-minute goal. John Obi Mikel just edged Deco out as the game's outstanding player, the holding midfielder giving nothing away in front of the defence.
Early days yet for Portsmouth but yesterday's performance was insipid. Harry Redknapp bemoaned defending that was "like a nine-year-old's" and cited an injury crisis that forced him to play Younes Kaboul in the centre of midfield. It is safe to say that the former Tottenham central defender is no Paul Scholes but it is the lack of width that makes Portsmouth so predictable. With Papa Bouba Dioup and Nico Kranjcar anonymous on the flanks, Pompey scarcely put one decent cross in for Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch.
It was a miserable day for Portsmouth's two marquee names, who found themselves stifled at every turn by John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. The money has dried up for Redknapp, which is perhaps why the stories that suggest he would like a move back to West Ham will not go away. Given that this is a man who went from Pompey to Southampton and then back again, nothing is impossible despite his denials yesterday that the grass may be greener elsewhere.
"Chelsea were just too bright – their movement was too much for us," Redknapp said "Last year we played 4-5-1 and were fantastic away from home. I made a rod for my own back by bringing in two strikers. I don't think you can play 4-4-2 here. You get overloaded in midfield."
It is a curious point but one that is central to Pompey's season. Redknapp said that if he had decided to play 4-5-1, "I'd have had to leave Defoe out and I've bought him here to play." What is evident is that without Sulley Muntari and, to a lesser extent Pedro Mendes, both of whom Redknapp said he did want to sell, the FA Cup winners are not quite the same force. They have two international strikers but a midfield that seems to have no way of getting the ball to them.
The only cloud over Chelsea's day was an injury to Ballack that forced him off in the first half and he may miss Germany's friendly against Belgium on Wednesday. Joe Cole opened the scoring, via a sweet Ballack through-ball, then Anelka added the second with a close-range header after David James had committed himself to an earlier cross. Syl-vain Distin's handball gave Lamp-ard the penalty before half-time.
Just before the end, James should have done better when Deco hit a shot from the kind of distance that should not beat an England goalkeeper, but he might put that down to the new Premier League balls. Four goals up, Stamford Bridge looked like it was enjoying itself and, as Scolari knows, they will want more of the same every week.
Goals: J Cole (12) 1-0; Anelka (26) 2-0; Lampard (pen, 45) 3-0, Deco (88) 4-0.
Chelsea (4-1-3-2): Cech; Bosingwa (Ferreira, 83), Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Mikel; Ballack (Malouda, 38), Lampard, Deco; J Cole (Wright-Phillips, 78), Anelka. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Di Santo, Bridge, Alex.
Portsmouth (4-4-2): James; Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson; Diop, Kaboul, Diarra (Mvuemba, 67), Kranjcar (Thomas, 73); Defoe, Crouch. Substitutes not used: Ashdown (gk), Lauren, Utaka, Cranie, Traoré.
Referee: M Dean (Wirral)
Booked: Portsmouth James
Man of the match: Mikel.
Attendance: 41,468.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chelsea 4 Cole, J 12, Anelka 26, Lampard (pen) 45, Deco 89 Portsmouth 0
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge
The Guardian, Monday August 18 2008
This is the sort of boredom they have been crying out for at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were much too clever and effective for the opposition, ensuring that the uninteresting second half was just a statutory requirement. Even then there was still a twinge of pain for Portsmouth as Deco, on his competitive debut, rattled a 30-yarder that David James could only help into the net a minute from the close.
Chelsea fans were thrilled by the football laid before them prior to the interval. The movement in a layered midfield ensured elusiveness and Harry Redknapp's side must almost have felt haunted by all the ghostly presences. The style was reminiscent of Luiz Felipe Scolari's previous work with Brazil and Portugal. In this ideas were translated perfectly into the language of the Premier League.
The display had an expansiveness that was not among Jose Mourinho's aspirations. He, of course, is not to be chided for an approach that made him the most successful manager in Chelsea's history.
Nonetheless Mourinho had a penchant for controversy and conflict that was debilitating and, in the end, the club's owner, Roman Abramovich, could apparently bear no more of it.
Dispensing with Mourinho was a questionable decision and Avram Grant had little hope of distracting anyone from the feats of the Portuguese. Scolari, a World Cup winner, does not need to convince anyone of his standing but the Mourinho period is the context by which subsequent Chelsea managers will be judged.
The newcomer, with his high profile and vivid character, ought to cope. Scolari has seemingly converted the squad to his approach at high speed and there were no reservations in the mind of the Chelsea players. They opened as if they had always craved this sort of football and it must be appreciated how unusual this kind of drubbing is for Portsmouth.
Last season Redknapp's side conceded 26 goals over the course of 19 away matches in the Premier League. It was only a week ago that they forced a goalless draw against Manchester United, prior to the penalty shoot-out defeat in the Community Shield.
At Stamford Bridge, by contrast, they were immediately on the brink of capitulation. The back four was disoriented since it was so hard to identify the danger as Chelsea, with Nicolas Anelka as a lone striker, devastated with flowing midfield play that was a tidal wave to the Portsmouth defence. Michael Ballack was the best of the quintet before his ankle injury but home fans could have had a merry debate on the topic as contributions were made by many players.
Redknapp was repentant afterwards about fielding two strikers. Hard as Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch worked, they had scant bearing on the game and Portsmouth were outnumbered in midfield. There was a sureness of touch by Chelsea that left the visitors baffled in the 12th minute. Deco pitched the ball forward, Anelka chested it back and Ballack put Joe Cole through with a sweet pass. The England midfielder fired across James for the opener.
Cole, mostly keeping in close contact with Anelka here, has been viewed as potentially surplus to requirements at Chelsea. While he did scuff wide from a fine opening in the second half Cole went about as far as he could in illustrating the merit of keeping him on the payroll.
Mikel John Obi was another who pressed his claim, while the regular holding midfielder Michael Essien was missing through injury. Portsmouth, in truth, did not often harass him but there was a calm about Mikel that was unfamiliar. Chelsea, indeed, got through the afternoon without a yellow card. That saintly statistic comes more readily to a side at peace with itself. The team was encouraged, too, by the dynamism of Jose Bosingwa in his first competitive appearance for the club. The right-back raced down his flank and Ashley Cole had as much licence on the other wing.
It was the Portuguese who hit the deep cross in the 26th minute that James ought to have left to others. Instead the goalkeeper chased after it and was stranded as Deco chipped the ball into the middle for Anelka to head home.
There were twitches of pride from the visitors and Petr Cech, after 43 minutes, had to pull off a double save from Niko Kranjcar and Crouch but that was a digression from the real story of the match. Two minutes later an effort by Joe Cole hit the outstretched left arm of Sylvain Distin and Frank Lampard marked the start of his new Chelsea contract by sending James the wrong way from the penalty spot.
If need be, his side would have come up with even more goals before Deco's spectacular strike. That drive capped the contribution of a man who had already invited Anelka on to the scoresheet. However, the Portugal midfielder did waste the ball now and again. It must be pleasing to Scolari that his side was overwhelming while also showing that it can certainly improve.
The audience had no quibbles. They had witnessed svelte, imaginative football and, with Didier Drogba absent because of a knee injury, Anelka hinted that he might regain his old sharpness after that blunt spell under Grant. The line-up may not have been overhauled radically but Scolari has met his first target by showing that everything has still changed radically.
Several players made important contributions for Chelsea but the attacking right-back, on his competitive debut for the Blues, gave the team a drive on the wing that has been lacking.
Man of the match Jo Bosingwa (Chelsea)
Several players made important contributions for Chelsea but the attacking right-back, on his competitive debut for the Blues, gave the team a drive on the wing that has been lacking.
Best moment His run and deep cross to the back post that led to Anelka's goal was full-back play at its finest and explains why Chelsea agreed to pay £16.2m for him.
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Mail:
The Phil good factor - Scolari era at Chelsea starts with style, guile and goals
Chelsea 4 Portsmouth 0
By Matt Lawton
The Phil good factor - Scolari era at Chelsea starts with style, guile and goals
Chelsea 4 Portsmouth 0
By Matt Lawton
This was not exactly what you would call a seven-year hitch. It might have been that long since Luiz Felipe Scolari last took charge of a competitive club game but the break appears to have been good for the Brazilian.
Yesterday amounted to an impressive start for Scolari, his side producing the kind of football Roman Abramovich has craved from the moment he decided to invest a sizeable chunk of his fortune in Stamford Bridge. It was football with fluency and finesse. Football, believe it or not, that invites Chelsea's full-backs to venture out of their own half and join the forwards in attack.
Scolari could be forgiven for now thinking the FA Cup must be an easy competition to win. Portsmouth were that poor. But Chelsea were devastatingly impressive, performing so well in the opening 45 minutes that Frank Lampard dared suggest was the 'best football we can play'.
His manager was a fraction less enthusiastic, even if he did remark that opening the bottle of orange he was given the drink was more difficult than the match. 'If we want to be champions we will need more than this,' he said. 'But I think Chelsea's fans saw a beautiful game today.
'It was more than I expected. We put what we have been working on in training for the last 15 or 20 days on to the pitch and that was pleasing. We played as a team. Closed the midfield. Marked very well when they had the ball and passed well when we had it. I think the fans will be happy today and the owner will be happy too because he is one of the fans.'
His tactics might have been simple but they were brilliantly executed. A case of John Obi Mikel dropping into the centre of defence whenever either Jose Bosingwa or Ashley Cole were in possession and therefore enabling Chelsea to attack in the knowledge that they remained secure at the back. It meant that, on occasions, they had five players up front and it was wonderful to watch as a consequence.
Harry Redknapp could only marvel at 'their movement'. 'They were just too bright for us,' he said after insisting, in response to reports linking him with a return to West Ham, that he was 'happy' as Portsmouth manager. 'We were guilty of some basic errors but they have so many options when they have players like Deco, Joe Cole and Frank Lampard. It was really difficult for us and I'm just glad we've got an easy game next. Manchester United next Monday.'
Scolari described his first game at Stamford Bridge as a 'fantastic experience' and even if he was reluctant to soak up the applause of the fans shortly before kick-off he soon got into the spirit of the occasion.
A first goal after little more than 11 minutes prompted a trademark goal celebration, the South American punching the air in delight after seeing Joe Cole chase down a super ball from Michael Ballack - who has an ankle injury that Scolari said could take a week to heal - before guiding a shot past David James.
By now Deco was starting to excel with a demonstration of his artistry - Art Deco you might say - and when he met a fine cross from Bosingwa at the far post, Nicolas Anelka rose above the hapless Glen Johnson to score his first goal at Stamford Bridge. James, incidentally, was nowhere, having committed himself to the cross and failed to make contact.
Goal three then arrived moments before the interval, Sylvain Distin blocking a cross from Joe Cole with his left hand and inviting Mike Dean to point to the penalty spot. The referee did exactly that and Lampard then followed with a perfectly executed finish.
The second half was something of a stroll for Chelsea. Time, by then, to save themselves for international duty and the next Premier League encounter.
A fourth goal nevertheless arrived in the 89th minute, Deco crowning a super debut with a 25-yard strike James could only guide into his own net.
Already favourites to win the title? Having met United in the Community Shield a week earlier, Redknapp was not so sure. 'They are both fantastic teams,' he said. 'And they play a very similar way.'
And Scolari was not about to reflect on his first taste of Premier League football by taunting the defending English and European Champions. Asked if the performance would now be worried about playing them, he said: 'I wouldn't have thought so because we are not meeting them next. But maybe Wigan will.' No doubt.
Chelsea (4-3-2-1): Cech 7; Bosingwa 7 (Ferreira 84min, 6), Carvalho 7, Terry 7, A Cole 7; Ballack 7 (Malouda 38, 6), Mikel 8, Lampard 7; J Cole 8 (Wright-Phillips 78, 6), Deco 7; Anelka 6. Portsmouth (4-4-2): James 6; Johnson 4, Campbell 6, Distin 5, Hreidarsson 5; Diop 5, Kaboul 4, Diarra 5 (Mvuemba 68, 5), Kranjcar 5 (Thomas 73, 5); Defoe 4, Crouch 4.Booking: James. Referee: M Dean.Man of the match: J Cole. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Express:
SCOLARI’S CHELSEA GET OFF TO PERFECT START
Sunday August 17,2008 By Mauro Galluzzo Chelsea 4 Portsmouth 0
SCOLARI’S CHELSEA GET OFF TO PERFECT START
Sunday August 17,2008 By Mauro Galluzzo Chelsea 4 Portsmouth 0
LUIZ Felipe Scolari got his Chelsea reign up and running with victory over Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge and a message of attacking intent to the rest of the Barclays Premier League.
Chelsea were criticised for being cautious under Jose Mourinho but Scolari’s first match in charge suggested he wants style as well as substance, and they continued to push forward once Joe Cole opened the scoring in the 12th minute.
Nicolas Anelka, Scolari’s only senior forward available, headed in his first goal at home for Chelsea before Frank Lampard put the result beyond doubt just before the break, scoring a penalty just five days after sealing his new five-year contract at the club.
Deco, on his debut, added a fourth from long range just before the end.
While Lampard may have been in the headlines this week it was Scolari - wearing a blue club tracksuit - who took centre stage on the opening weekend of the new season.
The Brazilian had promised a samba style to his time in west London, and he did not disappoint after being introduced to the crowd and giving them a thumbs-up.
Like his Brazil team that won the 2002 World Cup, he relied on his full-backs to create width - instead of Cafu and Roberto Carlos he has Jose Bosingwa and Ashley Cole marauding forward.
It allowed his five-man midfield to dominate through the middle, which is where the opener was created from less than a quarter of an hour into Scolari’s career in England.
Anelka cushioned a header back to Michael Ballack, who lifted the ball over Pompey’s defence with the outside of his boot for midfielder Cole to steer his finish around David James.
It could have got worse for the visitors as Lampard split their defence again, only this time James saved with his feet when Anelka ran through.
The France striker was not made to wait long for his goal. Bosingwa helped set it up by getting to the byline and standing up a cross to the far post.
Ballack almost got in the way as Deco met the ball but the Portugal midfielder managed to clip over James and Anelka beat Sylvain Distin on the line to head into the empty net.
Anelka should have added a third on the half-hour mark when he raced through again, but his effort went just wide of the post after he tapped the ball around James.
It did not run entirely smoothly for Scolari as he was forced into a change when Ballack picked up a knock, with Florent Malouda coming on.
Pompey also suggested they were willing to fight back when Petr Cech was forced into a double save before the break, first from Niko Kranjcar’s powerful drive, then bravely with his body when Peter Crouch latched onto the rebound.
However, their hopes ended when Chelsea were awarded a penalty in first-half stoppage-time after Distin handled a cross by midfielder Cole.
James was booked for kicking the ball away before Lampard tucked away the spot-kick and tapped his badge in celebration as he ran to the crowd.
Pompey boss Harry Redknapp, Lampard’s uncle, had offered his advice before Lampard committed his future to Chelsea - and there was an inevitability that the midfielder would find the net against his relative.
The attacking continued after the break, with Anelka twice firing over the crossbar after the restart.
Midfielder Cole went sent through over the top again but fired wide of the post after outpacing the Pompey defence.
Pompey, in contrast, looked short on belief and were contributing to their own downfall, one free-kick in their own territory resulting in possession lost and a chance being presented to Anelka.
Younes Kaboul thought he had sight of goal from a corner but his effort came off his knee, and Crouch could not tame the ball when it fell to him.
Pompey also had a penalty appeal when Niko Kranjcar’s drive was blocked by Ricardo Carvalho.
Crouch’s partnership with Jermain Defoe clearly needs time to gel. It took them 78 minutes to combine, and Defoe could not get direction on his finish when he met a flick-on.
Deco’s goal came in the 89th minute, a powerful and swerving effort from 30 yards that James could only parry into the top corner.-------------------------
Sun:
Chelsea 4 Pompey 0
By SHAUN CUSTIS at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 4 Pompey 0
By SHAUN CUSTIS at Stamford Bridge
BLIMEY, it really was almost like watching Brazil.
New Chelsea boss Phil Scolari had promised to turn the Blues into entertainers like the side he guided to World Cup glory six years ago.
He warned it would take time but it will not be long judging by this.
In fact, whisper it quietly, Chelsea might even become popular — a team you would happily sit in your armchair and watch for 90 minutes instead of sending you to sleep before half-time.
Despite all the success the Blues enjoyed under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea could never be described as easy on the eye — more like a smack in the chops. They bludgeoned rather than dazzled the opposition.
But the standing ovation from the excited supporters at the final whistle and the sight of Roman Abramovich applauding like a demented seal suggests this will be the start of something very good.
The Chelsea owner craves world-wide respect for his club but, to earn it, you have to achieve with style. Winning is not enough.
In Big Phil he has the man to give him all he desires.
Even before the game the manager had made an impact, forging a renewed spirit within a group which was threatening to implode.
But all that good work could have gone up in smoke if Chelsea had lost at home in the league for the first time since February 2004 — a record stretching back 82 games.
Instead the Blues enjoyed their biggest win on the opening day of the season for nine years.
They were aided by a desperately poor Portsmouth side which performed badly enough to make Harry Redknapp think seriously about a mooted return to West Ham.
Their defence was a shambles and ex-Chelsea star Glen Johnson suffered another nightmare afternoon to go with his display in the Community Shield.
Sol Campbell struggled too and Hermann Hreidarsson looked every bit like an ex-Charlton player.
Redknapp also discovered Younes Kaboul is no central midfielder although Spurs fans would probably argue he was no centre-half either.
And up front Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe did not get a look in. Crouch was surprisingly axed from Fabio Capello’s England squad to face the Czech Republic on Wednesday but he did nothing to persuade the Italian the decision was incorrect.
It seems so long ago the Pompey Chimes were ringing proudly as Portsmouth paraded the FA Cup.
Chelsea were purring from the off and some quality link play produced the opener on 12 minutes.
Nicolas Anelka chested down and Michael Ballack flicked a gorgeous ball into the path of Joe Cole who tucked it in the corner.
Questions are being asked about whether Cole will fit in Scolari’s system once everyone is fit.
He has been linked with a move to Aston Villa and there has been a hint Liverpool will show interest. But Cole would far rather stay at the Bridge and he made his case yesterday.
Deco also showed why Scolari has such faith in the little Portugeezer who was his first official signing.
There were a few raised eyebrows about Chelsea going for a 30-year-old midfielder who did not figure in Barcelona’s plans.
But Deco, an £8.3million buy, showed his class against Pompey as he gently caressed the ball to all points of the park.
He played a part in Chelsea’s second after 26 minutes when he rather fortuitously scooped Jose Bosingwa’s cross back into the area and Anelka climbed above Johnson to head in.
It was Anelka’s first ever goal at Stamford Bridge and shook a huge monkey off his back.
But he should have had a hat-trick and his lack of clinical finishing which has dogged him since his £15m arrival from Bolton came back to haunt him.
The Frenchman was unlucky when he flicked the ball past David James and it ran inches wide.
But he wasted at least three other clear-cut openings.
By half-time though, Chelsea were home ’n dry as Frank Lampard converted a penalty awarded when Sylvain Distin managed to pat the ball from his left hand on to his right hand.
Lampard, celebrating his new five-year deal, never looked like missing and said: “The first half was as good as we can play.” Admittedly, it would be difficult to better it.
"They understandably eased off the gas after the break but Deco put the seal on victory with a 25-yard shot with a minute to go.
It was a sweet strike, with a touch of swerve, which James could only help into the top corner.
But the England keeper will probably feel he should have turned it over the bar.
So ended what Scolari called “a perfect day” although he did fail to get the top off a juice bottle as he wound up his Press conference. “The match was easier,” he laughed.
Not just a winner, a comedian too.
New Chelsea boss Phil Scolari had promised to turn the Blues into entertainers like the side he guided to World Cup glory six years ago.
He warned it would take time but it will not be long judging by this.
In fact, whisper it quietly, Chelsea might even become popular — a team you would happily sit in your armchair and watch for 90 minutes instead of sending you to sleep before half-time.
Despite all the success the Blues enjoyed under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea could never be described as easy on the eye — more like a smack in the chops. They bludgeoned rather than dazzled the opposition.
But the standing ovation from the excited supporters at the final whistle and the sight of Roman Abramovich applauding like a demented seal suggests this will be the start of something very good.
The Chelsea owner craves world-wide respect for his club but, to earn it, you have to achieve with style. Winning is not enough.
In Big Phil he has the man to give him all he desires.
Even before the game the manager had made an impact, forging a renewed spirit within a group which was threatening to implode.
But all that good work could have gone up in smoke if Chelsea had lost at home in the league for the first time since February 2004 — a record stretching back 82 games.
Instead the Blues enjoyed their biggest win on the opening day of the season for nine years.
They were aided by a desperately poor Portsmouth side which performed badly enough to make Harry Redknapp think seriously about a mooted return to West Ham.
Their defence was a shambles and ex-Chelsea star Glen Johnson suffered another nightmare afternoon to go with his display in the Community Shield.
Sol Campbell struggled too and Hermann Hreidarsson looked every bit like an ex-Charlton player.
Redknapp also discovered Younes Kaboul is no central midfielder although Spurs fans would probably argue he was no centre-half either.
And up front Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe did not get a look in. Crouch was surprisingly axed from Fabio Capello’s England squad to face the Czech Republic on Wednesday but he did nothing to persuade the Italian the decision was incorrect.
It seems so long ago the Pompey Chimes were ringing proudly as Portsmouth paraded the FA Cup.
Chelsea were purring from the off and some quality link play produced the opener on 12 minutes.
Nicolas Anelka chested down and Michael Ballack flicked a gorgeous ball into the path of Joe Cole who tucked it in the corner.
Questions are being asked about whether Cole will fit in Scolari’s system once everyone is fit.
He has been linked with a move to Aston Villa and there has been a hint Liverpool will show interest. But Cole would far rather stay at the Bridge and he made his case yesterday.
Deco also showed why Scolari has such faith in the little Portugeezer who was his first official signing.
There were a few raised eyebrows about Chelsea going for a 30-year-old midfielder who did not figure in Barcelona’s plans.
But Deco, an £8.3million buy, showed his class against Pompey as he gently caressed the ball to all points of the park.
He played a part in Chelsea’s second after 26 minutes when he rather fortuitously scooped Jose Bosingwa’s cross back into the area and Anelka climbed above Johnson to head in.
It was Anelka’s first ever goal at Stamford Bridge and shook a huge monkey off his back.
But he should have had a hat-trick and his lack of clinical finishing which has dogged him since his £15m arrival from Bolton came back to haunt him.
The Frenchman was unlucky when he flicked the ball past David James and it ran inches wide.
But he wasted at least three other clear-cut openings.
By half-time though, Chelsea were home ’n dry as Frank Lampard converted a penalty awarded when Sylvain Distin managed to pat the ball from his left hand on to his right hand.
Lampard, celebrating his new five-year deal, never looked like missing and said: “The first half was as good as we can play.” Admittedly, it would be difficult to better it.
"They understandably eased off the gas after the break but Deco put the seal on victory with a 25-yard shot with a minute to go.
It was a sweet strike, with a touch of swerve, which James could only help into the top corner.
But the England keeper will probably feel he should have turned it over the bar.
So ended what Scolari called “a perfect day” although he did fail to get the top off a juice bottle as he wound up his Press conference. “The match was easier,” he laughed.
Not just a winner, a comedian too.
