The importance of a sharp spearhead is the subject of Pat Nevin’s column this week and he is predicting a return to form for a proven part of Chelsea’s success story…
On Sunday I found myself at Anfield for the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool. Actually when I say at, I mean above, as the BBC radio commentary position is situated about 100 feet up on the gantry looking down on the Liverpool fans below. To get to it you have to walk across the roof of the stand and believe me it is not for those suffering from vertigo or even just with a faint heart. Actually it is not great for those of us who had been Dj-ing at a club in Glasgow the night before, but that is another story.
What it does give you however is a fantastic bird’s eye overview of the match. There was great excitement, a fine atmosphere but I was there to cover the match and one thing above all stood out. The recent lacklustre Liverpool suddenly had a spark back. Most people would have put this down to the influence of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish being back in the hot seat at his old stomping ground and that was certainly partly the case.
There was however another major difference in the Reds on the day. Without Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard they needed a definitive performance from their other key player, Fernando Torres and unlike recently they got it with knobs on.
The Spaniard was clearly up for it from the start chasing every lost cause, moving quickly and intelligently with no sign of this season’s shrunken shoulders and generally poor body language. With the centre-forward leading the way the rest grew in confidence behind him and for long periods they looked anything like a side struggling four points off the relegation zone.
Your question clearly is, what on earth has this got to do with Chelsea Football Club? Well it struck me that with a world-class striker, in top form, in the right mood and leading from the front, the entire team can be immediately transformed. Every ball played forward might lead to a chance and if the hold-up play is good the midfielders will continually take the opportunity to burst a lung getting forward in support.
The Blues have had a few problems this season clearly, but it might just be that things could turn round very quickly if somehow our Didier could get himself back to the form he was in last season.
I have mentioned here before that post World Cup, some big players are certain to either get injured or suffer a dip in form because of the lack of rest in the summer. Saturday was a perfect example of how even just being half a yard slower can make a huge difference to even the best players. Didier was getting into dangerous areas but not managing to power away from the defender in the same way he was not only last season but for many before that.
It is possible that this is the start of a slow decline for the big man, but I think it is unlikely. I think it is more likely to be the short-term dip I have been expecting all along this season. As Carlo has often said ‘it is not a good moment’, suggesting he expects it to come good soon as well.
The reason for my positiveness on the subject is that he is still getting into the right positions and he is still having an effect on the game in other areas. His cross into the box from the right in the first half that Nic Anelka turned onto the bar was the best cross in the game and deserved a goal.
Strikers are famously affected by confidence when the goals aren’t flowing but the old adage in the game is that if he is still getting into the right positions then the belief has not been seriously damaged and the goals are likely to start flowing again.
At the Merseyside derby I mentioned before I was talking to some Everton fans before the game about their striking problem. Davie Moyes hasn’t had a natural scorer who could guarantee him 15 to 20 a season since he arrived at the club.
I suggested that they should probably stick with Jermaine Beckford who was signed from Leeds United. His ratio isn’t good yet and he has missed more sitters than probably the rest of the team put together this term, but the point is he is still getting in the right place to miss them. Lo and behold he sniffed out a vital scorers’ goal to give his team a lead in the second half.
I suspect Didier will start hitting the back of the net again as well, with great regularity, sooner rather than later. It may take another couple of rest games here and there but if and when he does, don’t be surprised if the other players behind him suddenly up their performances as well.
It is worth remembering that the real serious problems have been on the road on the whole. With home games, only Manchester United have a better league record than Chelsea this season, a little tweak in the away style and hopefully pressure can start to be reapplied.
Last week’s quiz was a tricky one where I wanted to know which of the top ten players Chelsea fans told me they would like to sign (see last week’s column for a rundown), had once been in a reality TV show. Surprisingly the answer was the youngest, Romelu Lukaku of Anderlecht in the Flemish series De school van Lukaku and I wouldn’t mind seeing the lad wearing Chelsea blue one day.
The winner chosen at random was someone who gets the question right almost every week, Carolyn Cheyney from Suffolk.
This week to be in with a chance of winning a DVD of last season’s FA Cup win, signed by Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda, could you tell me who was the last person to finish top scorer for Chelsea other than Drogba? Answers as ever to me at pat.nevin@chelseafc.comWebmaster Forum | SEO Forum | Coding Forum | Graphics Forum
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