Slipperduke
The Camden Cad
Chelsea hauled themselves to within two points of Manchester United with a 1-0 victory over Everton that I would be tempted to call dour, if it hadn't have preceded the least informative press conference since Rafa Benitez told us nineteen times that he was concentrating on coaching the team. Chelsea, as they did against Wigan at the beginning of the week, had the lion's share of possession throughout the 90 minutes, but never looked like stretching away from their opponents
Michael Essien worked hard for their decisive goal, so we shouldn't dwell on its freakish nature. Suffice to say it owed more to fortune than to design. A John Obi Mikel shot and two Everton free-kicks were the only other moments worthy of note. It was that kind of night.
A rare start for Shaun Wright-Phillips in the centre of midfield gave Chelsea awesome pace, but not much in the way of physical strength. Everton certainly aren't lacking in that department, but you know it's a bad game of football when Phil Neville is the best player on the pitch. Everton struggled to create anything of their own, but they were very good at stopping Chelsea from playing. Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott were in typically indomitable form and Lee Carsley continues to provide a barrier to exciting football, and I mean that in a nice way. It would just be nice if Everton could find something interesting to do for the first seventy minutes before they finally throw caution to the wind and chuck some substitutes on. I'm not saying that it was a boring game, but in the first hour I had to work so hard to keep focusing on the screen and stop thinking about more exciting matters, like the fact that my fridge could do with a clean.
Mind you, Chelsea were equally culpable for this dire procession. Nicolas Anelka is not, and never will be, a lone striker. He's not big enough to win the all-too-frequent long balls and he continually drops deep or drifts wide to start the moves that he's supposed to be finishing. Chelsea's final ball at Goodison was dreadful and Essien's goal was actually their first serious shot on target.
Avram Grant won't lose his job because of results. On paper, Chelsea have improved since he grabbed the wheel from the departing Jose Mourinho. On paper, they've hardly lost a game since he arrived. On paper, they're unbeaten in 18 matches. The trouble is that football isn't played on paper. It's played on grass over a period of 90 minutes at great cost to all those who want to watch, whether they're unfortunate enough to be in the stadium, or if they've just paid out for the digital channels. For the money that Chelsea have spent on their team, they should be delivering a lot more than just dour effectiveness. I know that I keep harping on about this like a broken record, but if Roman Abramovich's dream of owning a beloved 'global brand' like Manchester United or Real Madrid is ever to be realised, he has to demand more.
If this had been a 1-0 win for Everton or Aston Villa or Bolton Wanderers, we'd describe it as pragmatic and necessary. A hard-working team playing to their strengths against adversity. But it wasn't any of those clubs, it was one of the richest, most highly paid collection of athletes in the world. Expectations are high when you spend more players than some countries spend on their space program. Chelsea aren't living up to them.
Michael Essien worked hard for their decisive goal, so we shouldn't dwell on its freakish nature. Suffice to say it owed more to fortune than to design. A John Obi Mikel shot and two Everton free-kicks were the only other moments worthy of note. It was that kind of night.
A rare start for Shaun Wright-Phillips in the centre of midfield gave Chelsea awesome pace, but not much in the way of physical strength. Everton certainly aren't lacking in that department, but you know it's a bad game of football when Phil Neville is the best player on the pitch. Everton struggled to create anything of their own, but they were very good at stopping Chelsea from playing. Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott were in typically indomitable form and Lee Carsley continues to provide a barrier to exciting football, and I mean that in a nice way. It would just be nice if Everton could find something interesting to do for the first seventy minutes before they finally throw caution to the wind and chuck some substitutes on. I'm not saying that it was a boring game, but in the first hour I had to work so hard to keep focusing on the screen and stop thinking about more exciting matters, like the fact that my fridge could do with a clean.
Mind you, Chelsea were equally culpable for this dire procession. Nicolas Anelka is not, and never will be, a lone striker. He's not big enough to win the all-too-frequent long balls and he continually drops deep or drifts wide to start the moves that he's supposed to be finishing. Chelsea's final ball at Goodison was dreadful and Essien's goal was actually their first serious shot on target.
Avram Grant won't lose his job because of results. On paper, Chelsea have improved since he grabbed the wheel from the departing Jose Mourinho. On paper, they've hardly lost a game since he arrived. On paper, they're unbeaten in 18 matches. The trouble is that football isn't played on paper. It's played on grass over a period of 90 minutes at great cost to all those who want to watch, whether they're unfortunate enough to be in the stadium, or if they've just paid out for the digital channels. For the money that Chelsea have spent on their team, they should be delivering a lot more than just dour effectiveness. I know that I keep harping on about this like a broken record, but if Roman Abramovich's dream of owning a beloved 'global brand' like Manchester United or Real Madrid is ever to be realised, he has to demand more.
If this had been a 1-0 win for Everton or Aston Villa or Bolton Wanderers, we'd describe it as pragmatic and necessary. A hard-working team playing to their strengths against adversity. But it wasn't any of those clubs, it was one of the richest, most highly paid collection of athletes in the world. Expectations are high when you spend more players than some countries spend on their space program. Chelsea aren't living up to them.
