stoke 0-0

Independent:


Villas-Boas criticises referee as physical Stoke spoil his big day

Stoke City 0 Chelsea 0

By Sam Wallace at the Britannia Stadium



Warning: these are still very early days for Chelsea's young manager but nevertheless, as Andre Villas-Boas dropped to his haunches in the technical area here yesterday, he will have reflected that this was not what he had in mind for his grand entrance to English football.

Villas-Boas is a sober young coach whose professional life is built around modern tactical theories of possession and territory, laid out in dossiers and post-grad theses. He won four trophies in his only season as a manager of a top-flight professional team. But he proved yesterday that when push comes to shove, especially when the pushing and shoving involves Stoke players, he can be rattled like anyone else.

In an ideal world, Villas-Boas would have breezed into Stoke yesterday, taken the three points and headed back to London with his career as a Premier League manager safely launched and his team off to a flier.

As it turned out, the reality was very different. For much of the first half Chelsea floundered under Stoke's bombardment and, when finally they did take control after the break, they could not score the goal that would make the difference.

It is not in Villas-Boas' nature to complain. Why should it be? His career so far has been one of unparalleled success. Yesterday, he tried his best to be polite, he noted Stoke's impressive home record last season and observed that this would be a difficult place to come to win regardless of whether it was the first game of the season or not. But eventually he could help himself.

"We have a referees' visit this Wednesday, so... the point I want to make, when you play in difficult games like this one, is the amount of pushing and grabbing in the box," he said. "It's out of this world. We had to deal with Stoke's set-plays and were competent enough to avoid the dangers they create from those plays, but I think there's a limit to the pushing and grabbing that makes it impossible. Referees have to pay attention to these kind of details."

Of course, he has a point but he might as well complain about house prices in London or the rain in Manchester. Roman Abramovich did not appoint him Chelsea manager ahead of every other willing candidate in world football in order that he could tell his Russian boss that Stoke are a bit physical on set-pieces. Abramovich appointed him to find a way to win those kind of matches, and spare him the details.

In criticising Stoke, Villas-Boas needs to be careful that he does not invite greater scrutiny of his own defenders' transgressions. Had Stoke pushed the boundaries of fair play? "Not of fair play, pushing the boundaries on pushing and grabbing, for sure," Villas-Boas said. "It's difficult [for the referee]. You have to keep your eye on the ball, and be aware of certain situations. In this case, maybe the referee is in need of some help.

"I may raise this on Wednesday, but it's difficult. When you know that this is one of the main strengths of Stoke. [Could we have more] fourth-referee awareness? A bit more focus on the situation? But, no excuses. We were able to defend those set-plays, but I think it was happening at our [attacking] set-plays as well."

No excuses. Abramovich might as well have it nailed above the dressing room door. It was a tough start for Villas-Boas because he will know that every one of his predecessors appointed by Abramovich won their first game in charge of Chelsea, with the exception of Avram Grant and that is not a group of one Villas-Boas will particularly relish joining. Jose Mourinho, as if anyone needed reminding, beat Manchester United in his first game at Stamford Bridge.

In Villas-Boas' defence, without Romelu Lukaku yet and no other major new signings, he is still trying to reinvigorate the same group of players who fell short last season. Yesterday he picked Fernando Torres ahead of Didier Drogba and was rewarded with what was arguably the best Chelsea performance on the day. Yet by the end of the game he had reverted to an approach that has been tried before: Torres, Drogba and Nicolas Anelka on the pitch together.

Leaving out Drogba and Anelka are bold decisions from Villas-Boas and he needs them to work out to reinforce his credibility. His team were narrowly denied a penalty when Frank Lampard went down just a bit too easily under Marc Wilson's challenge in the 55th minute. The most credible appeal was when Torres was brought down by Ryan Shawcross deceptively close to the edge of the area, the only one Mark Halsey called wrong.

As for Stoke, they had Asmir Begovic to thank for keeping them in the game in the closing stages. He tipped a shot from John Obi Mikel over the bar in the aftermath of Lampard's penalty claim and then made an even better save from Anelka in the 72nd minute.

It will have meant a great deal to Tony Pulis not to lose on his home patch in the first game of the season against a manager 20 years his junior. No-one could pretend that this was anything other than a robust performance in the Stoke style, but there were flourishes too. Matt Etherington was excellent until he was substituted in the 62nd minute with what looked like a dislocated shoulder but it will be assessed this morning.

There were times in the first half when you wondered what Torres might do with the crosses provided by Etherington and Jermaine Pennant but Stoke could not sustain that after the break. They lost Rory Delap to injury with about 19 minutes to play and so went another crucial part of their attacking strategy for the day.

There was defiance about Torres in his post-match interview in which he said, with a serving of irony, that he had not "forgotten how to play and score goals." "Last season was a season to forget," he said. "A lot of things have happened but it's in the past and I am looking forward."

Villas-Boas has placed his faith in Chelsea's £50m man yesterday and – in all but scoring a goal – he was not found wanting.

Again, these are early days but against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, Villas-Boas needs to get Chelsea going. The gap to Manchester United, it will not have escaped their attention, is already two points.


Man of the match Begovic.

Match rating 6/10.

Referee M Halsey (Hertfordshire).

Attendance 27,421.



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Telegraph:


Stoke City 0 Chelsea 0:


By Jonathan Liew


Dawn broke on the Andre Villas-Boas era in a hail of flying crosses and a flurry of entangled limbs. But from the melee emerged only stalemate and, once the smoke had cleared, Chelsea were able to reward their seventh manager in four years with nothing more than a point.

It was a most English welcome for this Portuguese man of war. Stoke threw bodies and brawn into the path of Chelsea’s charge; scrapped and harried, lunged and leapt, met cosmopolitan culture with Staffordshire stoicism and emerged with a deserved share of the spoils.

Though the scoreline hints at another limp, tepid affair in a strangely cautious opening round of Premier League fixtures, there was just enough guile to Chelsea’s hustle to offer their sizeable travelling contingent grounds for optimism.

Fernando Torres was back to his twinkling, innocent best. Full-backs Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa timed their surges to cause maximum consternation in the Stoke defence. John Terry and Alex dealt adeptly with Stoke’s aerial bombardment, whether from long balls to Kenwyne Jones or long throws from Rory Delap.

What of Villas-Boas? On the touchline (right) he cut a passive figure, communicating not through wild gesticulations or throat-scraping invective, but through hand signals and modest applause. He is not a thrower of water bottles. He is not a molester of fourth officials. Not yet, anyway.

He could have pointed to two strong penalty appeals, a string of fine saves forced from Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, and a near monopoly of possession in a second half that Chelsea dominated.

Tony Pulis might counter with a rejected penalty appeal of his own, but Stoke’s role in this game was by and large one of containment, and one they ultimately fulfilled with aplomb.

Torres was at the heart of almost everything Chelsea did well, vindicating his manager’s faith in him over Didier Drogba. No longer was he being muscled off the ball by second-rate bruisers. No longer was he trotting listlessly into culs-de-sac. Instead, he was darting intelligently into space, holding the ball up with real purpose, even — remember this? — taking players on.

It is the dancing feet of Torres rather than the imposing presence of Drogba that Villas-Boas appears to believe are best equipped to carry out his intricate, give-and-go attacking strategy, and if the Spaniard can stay fit, he could make himself an automatic first choice before autumn is out. One sumptuous piece of Torres skill lit up an earnest first half, a twisting, mesmerising run into the Stoke area thwarted only by Ryan Shawcross’s desperate heel. The longer he continues to play with this kind of gay abandon, the more inclined we may be to believe Villas-Boas when he insists that his two-year-long trough was the result of dwindling confidence rather than physical decline.

He received little support from Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou, both of whom were substituted in the second half. Instead, it was Stoke who enjoyed the brighter of the opening exchanges as Chelsea gave away far too many throw-ins and corners in their own half. Robert Huth had Stoke’s best chance, heading over a Delap long throw.

Stoke pleaded for a penalty when Jonathan Walters brought the ball down inside the area and it appeared to flick Terry’s arm. Referee Mark Halsey waved them away. Replays showed that the ball had rolled across Terry’s shoulder.

In the second half it was Torres’s turn to cry foul as he and Begovic tussled for a loose ball in the Stoke area. Shortly afterwards came the most persuasive penalty shout of the lot. Lampard burst into the box, where he was upended by Marc Wilson. Lampard did not help himself by appearing to go down before contact was made, but Stoke could count themselves a touch fortunate.

Little by little, Chelsea’s superior quality was telling. Stoke’s midfield, deprived of a valuable attacking outlet by the loss of Matthew Etherington to a suspected dislocated shoulder, was being pushed further back until it was almost on the toes of the back four. As Chelsea pounded at the door, Stoke again took to the skies, attempting to buy themselves valuable seconds. But with Walters dropping back to plug the gaps in midfield, Jones was often stranded in the centre circle with no team-mate within 40 yards of him.

And so, back the blue shirts would come. John Obi Mikel had a fine volley palmed over by Begovic. The Stoke goalkeeper also tipped Nicolas Anelka’s cross-cum-shot on to the crossbar with his fingernails. Kalou and Alex had headers saved. But although they saw little of the ball, Stoke scurried, jostled and just about did enough.





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Guardian:

Chelsea fail to learn past lessons in draw with Stoke

Kevin McCarra at the Britannia Stadium


Encountering Stoke City is a repetitive experience but few learn from it. Chelsea drew at the Britannia Stadium as they did last season, although there was not even a goal apiece in André Villas-Boas's first competitive fixture. Many of the questions raised by the appointment of the Portuguese remain because this hard-fought contest revealed little about how his side will fare in the more considered matches.

It was always certain that Stoke would operate in their well-drilled manner and show the intense competitiveness that ensure the atmosphere the fans create has a strong sense of pride to it. Time worked in Chelsea's favour to a degree as measured play started to look feasible once tiredness had set in. Nonetheless Chelsea had a predictability that assisted Tony Pulis's men.

The evidence here was virtually enough to reactivate speculation about Luka Modric leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Chelsea. Given that Villas-Boas needs that type of individualism so badly, the valuation of the midfielder can only rise. At least there is no reason for a Chelsea fan to despair over the line-up as a whole. It continues to be well-drilled and resolute.

The difficulties could lie with the fashioning of goals. As Frank Lampard edges closer to being reclassified as a veteran it is implausible to suppose that he will roam between penalty areas and regularly drill shots into the net. When Chelsea endure a stalemate, attention turns to Fernando Torres. In view of the £50m fee paid to Liverpool for him in January, curiosity about the Spanish striker and his fortunes will not wane in the near future.

The evidence of a deadlocked match should be mistrusted where he is concerned. Torres was fit and resolute. Chelsea brought on Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka but the man who had started at centre-forward could not be taken off while there was realistic hope of victory for Chelsea. Torres was withdrawn only in the 90th minute and, while it made sense to send on a playmaker such as Yossi Benayoun, there was still scant logic in doing so then or at the striker's expense.

The happiness rests with the hosts. Stoke can be proud that this ground is such a stronghold. Their method is imposed with admirable thoroughness and there are nuances to this method as well, particularly since Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant are on the flanks, but the crowd at this ground relishes the direct approach as if it were a reproach to opponents such as Chelsea, who are supposed to be so rich as to have been cut off from reality.

It was unfortunate that Etherington, who adds finesse to Stoke, did not last the day and had to be substituted because of injury. Villas-Boas might have been bemused even though he knew what to expect. His own side, like many others who come here, found themselves playing a little like Stoke. On the verge of the interval it was largely determination that led to Torres bearing his way into the area, only for him to miskick.

Tony Pulis's team do not flourish by accident. After a powerful campaign that swept them to the FA Cup final they are in the Europa League qualifiers and seem set to advance further, having already beaten Hajduk Split home and away. Those fixtures were helpful, too, in making them look more ready than Chelsea for the realities of a testing fixture in August.

Stoke's style works and rests on skills of their own. If Chelsea were largely subdued in the first half, they at least found some rhythm after the break, with Stoke unable to sustain the energy levels on show earlier. There was at least the obvious possibility of a goal. Mikel John Obi had a drive tipped over in the 56th minute but Chelsea felt closer to a goal just before that. Frank Lampard might have had a penalty but did seem to be going down before Marc Wilson challenged. Torres was soon to miskick when Terry headed a Florent Malouda corner to him. It was a match that could never quite find the one sure touch required.

Villas-Boas is under no pressure whatsoever but this afternoon gave him his first piece of substantial evidence to examine. His line-up is sound, with the midfield imposing enough and the defence ready to meet the sort of ordeal that Stoke tried to create for them. The long-throws rained down but Chelsea dealt with them.

In a sense this game has given Villas-Boas a little time. Few sides are allowed to look their best at the Britannia Stadium. It was not a typical Premier League contest and Chelsea will tell themselves that they should be judged by a higher and more sophisticated standard. For Stoke, though, these are just another bunch of visitors given a tough fixture. Pulis and his men will beam over the outcome. There is no such luxury for Chelsea, even if they did share the points.





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Mail:


Stoke 0 Chelsea 0: New manager but same old troubles for the Blues

By Matt Lawton


It was all so terribly familiar. A pouting Portuguese manager in the technical area and a Chelsea team faced with exactly the kind of problems that led to the departure of Carlo Ancelotti.

How does he accommodate Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in the same team? And how does he do so while trying to remain on the right side of Roman Abramovich?

Fortunately for Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea’s Russian owner gave this game a swerve and missed his new man wrestling with the conundrum. He started his first Premier League encounter with Torres but in his desperate search for a goal ended up with all three on the pitch after 75 minutes, and to no avail against a Stoke side that deserved their point from a predictably physical contest.

Rather like a certain predecessor, Villas-Boas did have a whinge afterwards. Stoke, he said, were guilty of some serious ‘pushing and grabbing’ in the penalty area. ‘It was out of this world,’ he declared, to which someone quite rightly pointed out that it was not a great deal different to tactics that were often employed by you-know-who.

As a central defensive partnership, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho were masters of the art and Stoke’s defenders — in particular Jonathan Woodgate and Robert Huth — deserve credit for the way they played here.

But it was all rather fascinating. Villas-Boas is just as animated as the other guy but a touch more unusual. He sank into a squat every time he got excited — which was so often he is in danger of wearing out his knee joints before he reaches 40 — and waved his arms around in a manner that made him look ever so slightly metrosexual alongside the Man at Sports Direct, Tony Pulis.

Stoke’s affable manager even played up to the contrast. ‘I know you all want to speak to the other bloke so I’ll be off,’ he said after answering the first question of his post-match press conference.

Villas-Boas does seem to possess a certain aura though and there is no doubt Torres has responded well to his arrival. Stoke did not make life easy for the Spanish striker, in the way they handled him directly as well as the way they cut off his supply, but he looked the sharpest he’s been since he joined Chelsea from Liverpool in January.

Villas-Boas will take some encouragement from that and when he watches a tape of the game he will see that his side not only created the best of the chances but could have also had two penalties; first when Ryan Shawcross brought down Torres and then when Marc Wilson planted a boot in front of an advancing Frank Lampard.

While there was a drop of the leg that convinced Mark Halsey that Lampard might have dived, Wilson will not want to make a habit of doing that.

Had Abramovich been at the Britannia Stadium, he would have also appreciated the improvement Chelsea made after the break; the fact that their football was more fluid and purposeful and the fact that Asmir Begovic had to make some excellent saves to keep his side in the game.

They are moving in the right direction even if Villas-Boas was so disappointed with the draw that doesn’t quite stand up to the defeat of Manchester United that marked one predecessor’s introduction to English football’s top flight.

This was always likely to be a tough game, though, and so it proved. Stoke lost out in the battle for possession — Chelsea enjoyed 66 per cent of the ball yesterday — but made the kind of advances that created real problems for their visitors. In dealing, in particular, with those long throws from Rory Delap, Petr Cech, Terry and Alex had to be as alert as they were athletic.

Torres threatened a couple of times in the opening half, at one stage beating two players only to then scuff his shot. But the touch was assured and the movement was excellent, and at times there were even flashes of the old acceleration. He was pulling clear of Woodgate at one stage until the centre half dragged him back by the shirt.

It was after the break that Chelsea could have had a penalty or two. There was another incident when Torres felt he had been dragged down by Woodgate, and again he had a point.

It was moments after Lampard went crashing to the ground that John Mikel Obi forced a fine save from Begovic with a super volley. And it was soon after Anelka came on that the Frenchman so nearly beat Stoke’s goalkeeper with a delightful chip. A further opportunity then fell to Salomon Kalou. Torres planted the ball on his head with a perfect delivery but the striker directed his effort straight at Begovic.

Villas-Boas responded to that by replacing Kalou with Drogba, which gave Chelsea more of a physical presence in the box but did not give his side the width they really needed.

‘I was happy with the width,’ their manager said afterwards but he also said enough to suggest he is looking to bring in some new players before the transfer window closes.

Yesterday, there was not one new face in Chelsea’s ranks — just on the bench — and until that changes there might be only so much Villas-Boas can do.

He needs to put his own signature on this Chelsea team; he needs a player like Luka Modric in midfield; and he needs Torres to continue his current rate of improvement to justify Drogba’s presence on the bench. A win against West Bromwich next weekend would obviously help, too.


MATCH FACTS

STOKE (4-4-2): Begovic 8; Huth 7, Shawcross 7, Woodgate 7, Wilson 6; Pennant 6, Delap 6 (Pugh 71min, 6), Whelan 6, Etherington 7 (Whitehead 62, 6); Walters 6, Jones 6 (Shotton 86). Subs not used: Sorensen, Collins, Diao, Wilkinson.

Booked: Shawcross, Wilson.

CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech 7; Bosingwa 6, Alex 7, Terry 7, Cole 6; Ramires 6, Obi 6, Lampard 6; Kalou 6 (Drogba 75, 6), Torres 7 (Benayoun 89), Malouda 6 (Anelka 66, 6). Subs not used: Hilario, Ivanovic, Ferreira, McEachran.

Booked: Cole, Lampard.

Man of the match: Fernando Torres.

Referee: Mark Halsey 6.




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Mirror:


Stoke 0-0 Chelsea

By David McDonnell



Two points dropped for Chelsea, but a player reborn in Fernando Torres.

Andre Villas-Boas will not worry unduly at points lost at the embryonic stage of the campaign.

Of far greater significance is the return of Torres to his former self – after months masquerading as the Invisible Man.

Against arguably the Premier League’s most physical side, he played with a verve and hunger unrecognisable from the striker who scored just once in 18 games last term after a £50million January move from Liverpool.

Torres failed to find the back of the net and hand Villas-Boas the perfect start to his Blues reign, but served emphatic notice he is close to returning to the devastating form that made Chelsea shatter the British transfer record to sign him.

Torres rediscovered his mojo at Stoke, principally his explosive burst of pace and the ability to glide past opponents to create goalscoring chances out of nothing.

Villas-Boas resisted the temptation to lavish praise on Torres afterwards, preferring to focus on the collective effort of his players.

But the Chelsea boss will have been relieved that his decision to start the Spaniard, ahead of Didier Drogba, was vindicated.

Drogba, given his bigger physique, had been expected to start against Stoke to help Chelsea deal with the Potters’ robust approach. But Torres coped with any brutal treatment and refused to hide.

A cynical 10th-minute tackle on the forward earned Ryan Shawcross a yellow card, and he was also hounded by Robert Huth.

But Stoke’s belligerent tactics towards him were just evidence of the constant threat he posed.

Dropping deep to collect the ball and pulling defenders out of position by running to the flanks, Torres gave Chelsea a penetrative edge, despite widemen Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou offering little support.

This was the first time in 10 years that Chelsea had failed to win their opening Premier League game – not a stat Villas-Boas would have wanted in his first competitive match.

But there was enough in his side’s second-half display to give him optimism. Stoke matched Chelsea in the first period, putting constant pressure on them with their favoured reliance on Rory Delap’s long throw-ins and free-kicks into the danger area, but Blues imposed themselves after the break.

Chelsea felt aggrieved by Mark Halsey’s failure to award any of three second-half penalty appeals.

When Torres was felled on the edge of the penalty area by Shawcross their cries to the referee appeared to have some merit.

The others, a theatrical dive from Frank Lampard after Marc Wilson had clumsily stuck out a leg, and a fall from Torres under pressure from Jonathan Woodgate, were rightly turned down.

Stoke were thankful to young keeper Asmir Begovic, who kept them in the game with two stunning second-half saves as Chelsea began to exert relentless pressure, with the home side visibly tiring.

The first was a dipping long-range strike from John Obi Mikel, which Begovic tipped over, before he pushed a goalbound shot from sub Nicolas Anelka on to the bar.

The introduction of Anelka and Drogba, for Malouda and Kalou, gave Chelsea greater urgency and purpose in attack, but they couldn’t find a way past Stoke’s disciplined defence.

Their frustration was epitomised by Lampard’s 87th-minute booking for throwing the ball down in disgust at a decision.

Torres was replaced by Yossi Benayoun with a minute to go, having reminded the football world of the validity of the old adage that form is temporary, but class is permanent.

Accommodating Torres, Drogba and Anelka is likely to be a headache for Villas-Boas this season, as it was for his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti.

But if Torres can sustain this level of performance, he will be hard to dislodge.





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Star:


STOKE 0 CHELSEA 0: ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS LEARNS IT’S ROUGH AT THE TOP

By Jeremy Cross


NEW Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas wasted no time in setting a record of the wrong kind as his side drew a disappointing blank.

This stalemate was the first time the Blues had failed to win their opening league game in 10 seasons.

It is far too soon to cast doubts on the 33-year-old Portuguese coach, of course, but his side’s failure to convert pressure into goals was all too familiar.

Substitute Nicolas Anelka came closest to finding a breakthrough late on, but a defeat would have been harsh on Stoke, whose boss Tony Pulis had warned his opposite number of what to expect.

Villas-Boas cost the Blues more than £13m in compensation and ­arrived at Stamford Bridge with huge expectations on his young shoulders.

But he couldn’t have had a tougher start to life in English football.

Yet Villas-Boas showed he wasn’t afraid to make big decisions.

He left Didier Drogba and Anelka on the bench and started with Fernando Torres in a brave ­attempt to succeed where Carlo Ancelotti failed.

But despite Torres’ hard work and determination, it was a repeat of last season as the £50m flop continued to finds goals hard to come by.

Things were more straight­forward for Pulis, however, who was without new signing Matthew ­Upson due to lack of fitness but handed a league debut to fellow centre-back Jonathan Woodgate.

The Blues had to weather the ­expected storm, with Rory Delap’s thunderbolt long throw causing havoc within two minutes.

Ryan Shawcross then welcomed Torres to the new season with a crude challenge that earned him the first booking of the game.

When matters settled down, it was the visitors who looked the more dangerous going forward.

Asmir Begovic was forced to tip wide a long-range effort from ­Ramires and Torres also fired wide as the Blues looked to take the sting out of the contest.

Tempers threatened to flare when Ashley Cole avoided a booking for chopping down Robert Huth as the Blues were in danger of being sucked into a physical battle.

The closest the first half came to providing a goal was when ­Ramires ghosted between two defenders, only to see his effort flash across the face of Asmir Begovic’s goal.

At the other end, Petr Cech was under aerial siege from Kenwyne Jones and Jonathan Walters but was just about coping.

Stoke lacked finesse, not to mention a killer touch in the final third, as they continued to waste promising breaks with a poor final ball.

Not that the Blues’ finishing was any better. Torres tried his luck on the stroke of half-time but stabbed his effort well wide before Ramires failed to hit the target as his side’s huff and puff came to nothing.

Moments later, Torres was ­denied again, this time from point-blank range, as he tried to latch on to John Terry’s knockdown.

Chelsea were beginning to gather speed but so were their frustrations when Frank Lampard was denied a penalty after tumbling under a challenge from Marc Wilson.

The England star was adamant he had been tripped but replays suggested he was already going to ground when contact was made.

The visitors were denied the lead when Begovic tipped over John Obi Mikel’s powerful volley from the edge of the penalty box.

Begovic was at it again after 72 minutes, tipping Anelka’s curling effort on to the bar before keeping out Salomon Kalou’s header.

At least Villas-Boas showed ­ambitions to win the game, as he threw on Anelka and Drogba in the final quarter while also keeping Torres on the field.

This must have made a pleasant change for Spain’s World Cup ­winner, but it made no difference to Stoke’s determination.

Woodgate was immense in keeping the Blues’ attacking trio at bay, while Shawcross alongside him was not far behind.

The visitors squandered two ­vital points on this ground last season in the title run-in and only time will tell how costly this result will prove, but it will not have done Villas-Boas’s men much good, that’s for sure.





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Sun:


Stoke 0 Chelsea 0

By STEVEN HOWARD


ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS wore a black tie.

It was all rather appropriate considering it was one of THOSE occasions, a funereal-style afternoon when the new Chelsea manager discovered to his cost just why teams hate coming to Stoke.

It's cold, miserable, in the middle of nowhere, the defenders are all giants of 6ft plus and the football is a throwback to a bygone era.

And you also don't get penalties. Well, you didn't yesterday.

And he probably imagined Chelsea didn't get much luck, either, with Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic - a player the Blues tried to sign a year ago - making stunning second-half saves from Jon Obi Mikel, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou.

OK, Stoke do what they do well, they got to the FA Cup Final, they're in Europe, they won 10 games at the Britannia last season and they've got loud, noisy fans who make it tough for visiting players and referees alike.

But it ain't much fun.

As Villas-Boas found out on his much-awaited Chelsea debut.

He certainly looked the part, trim, healthy and dapper in a charcoal suit, black shoes and that black tie.

In fact, it was Tony Pulis who seemed more like the 33-year-old in his blue football top, tracksuit bottoms, baseball cap and white trainers - rather than, as he is, a man 20 years older.

And yet it was a long 90 minutes for the former Porto boss, who complained: "I was astonished by all the pushing and grabbing."

He spent much of the time squatting on his haunches in the technical area, employing his own version of semaphore to get his message over, pointing to where he thought players should or shouldn't have been - all accompanied by ear-splitting whistles and frustrated tosses of the head as Chelsea contrived to draw a game they should have won.

That Stoke's first three excursions into the penalty area should have been courtesy of Rory Delap doodlebugs won't come as too much of a surprise.

That they took 76 minutes to get their one and only shot on target might be seeing the success they enjoyed at home last season.

Then, again, Chelsea didn't test the Bosnian-Canadian Begovic until the 55th minute themselves.

The first half was a total and utter washout.

There is poor and there is poor. This was worse.

Was this really what Sky TV had been devoting 24 hours a day, seven days a week to for a seeming eternity?

Why newspapers had cut down forest after forest of newsprint?

Why all those teams had been doing all that training and working themselves to a frazzle for the last four to six weeks?

Why they had travelled thousands of miles on pre-season tours and stayed studiously abstemious?

For THIS?

Thankfully, Chelsea upped the ante after the break and created enough chances to have been rewarded with all three points.What they WERE rewarded with was a decent enough performance from Fernando Torres.

It's fashionable, of course, to hammer the £50million Spaniard after the start he has had to his Chelsea career.

And to crack the odd joke. As we did yesterday when someone asked how long Torres had been suffering from concussion for and the general consensus was eight months.

And, yes, it IS now just one goal in 19 starts. But even those on his case will have to admit he looked sharp and had one of his better games yesterday (though they will say that isn't too difficult).

He certainly should have had a penalty early in the second half when he was brought down by Ryan Shawcross.

A second call, after he was grounded as he turned to shoot minutes later, wasn't so convincing.

A third Chelsea appeal when Frank Lampard went down under a challenge from Marc Wilson in the 54th minute was touch and go.

Sixty seconds later, the visitors might well have taken the lead when Mikel got hold of a volley outside the area and only a spectacular late tip-over by Begovic saved the day.

Villas-Boas then sent on Anelka for Florent Malouda and Chelsea as good as took over. Their two greatest chances came in the 73rd minute when Anelka's beautiful chip seemed to have eluded Begovic only for the keeper to twist and turn it on to the bar.

Then within seconds he was diving to his right to clutch a Kalou header from a well-flighted Torres cross.

At this point, Chelsea realised it wasn't going to be their day and the storm blew itself out.

Even the entrance of Didier Drogba could not do the trick.

If Villas-Boas wants to win the title in his first season then someone has to start scoring the goals that yesterday's chances should have brought.

One thing is certain. The Torres-Drogba debate has a long way to go.

Even though Villas-Boas does not want to take part in it.