Stamford Bridge is a fortress once more as we achieved another home win today and Carlo Ancelotti was obviously pleased but there was one man who stood out.
Speaking after the 4-0 thrashing of Wolves, a final score that doesn't quite capture the dominance of our performance, the Chelsea manager was keen to express his delight in Michael Essien's display after the Ghanaian scored twice.
'Essien is one of the most important players in midfield in the world,' explained Ancelotti.
'He can play on the right and in the centre with the same results, he is very important to us.
'This season he has maintained a good physical condition, he is very strong, but he also has a lot of other qualities as a midfield player.'
Joe Cole scored Chelsea's fourth early in the second half, putting the Blues in a comfortable enough position to introduce two debutants to the game.
Gael Kakuta came on first, replacing Nicolas Anelka up front, before Florent Malouda made way for Nemanja Matic to make his debut as well.
The two youngsters were then joined by Fabio Borini and every one made an impression, with Kakuta producing two worthy attempts on goal.
'He has a lot of talent,' said Ancelotti. 'He showed for 30 minutes very good talent today and he is still very young.
'We also played Matic, we played Borini, they are very good, young players. We can use them all in the future.'
But there was one more player who made an impression on our Italian manager, a man who recently returned to first team action and has been progressing with every appearance.
'Joe Cole improves with every game.
'Every training session he improves. It is good for us because in that position he can do a good job.'
Despite missing five first team regulars from today's line up through injury, Chelsea were largely unaffected as the strength of our squad shone through.
'At the moment this match shows we are in good condition as a team,' added Ancelotti.
'We had a lot of injuries before this game, we played a lot of different players but our play was the same.
'This is good. Also the young players in this team were good. In January if we can maintain this condition, then we will be fine.'
One man who knew our injury woes wouldn't affect the performance too much was Mick McCarthy, who could only watch from the sidelines as the Blues dominated.
'When they put the team sheet out I thought aw, poor old Chelsea,' joked the Wolves manager. 'We were happy to get nil to be honest.
'We had some really good chances in the game but we made mistakes. The first goal we didn't clear properly and it was a wonderful strike.
'Petr Cech made a wonderful save but we had five good chances in the first half, Chelsea had about eight, but they put theirs away with better accuracy.
'At 2- 0 down it was over but we won't be judged on today,' added McCarthy.
22 November 2009
08 November 2009
TERRY: THE TIME IS NOW
ohn Terry believes we are in the perfect form to face Manchester United this afternoon, but is wary of the threat posed by our visitors' forward line.
The captain has seen his side go five games unbeaten while playing some breathtaking football, leaving him in confident mood going into the top of the table Premier League clash, which he is adamant arrives at a better time for us than it does United.
'I think it's good because of the form we are in. We concentrate on ourselves more than anyone else, and if we're in a difficult shape it will be difficult, but we're in good form at the moment,' Terry said.
'I think people are starting to see that and believe it themselves. We are back to where we want to be, defensively looking good and going forward we pose a real threat. Not only with the men on the pitch but the bench as well, we have players that can come on and change the game.'
He is convinced Didier Drogba could make the difference today, given that he has scored six goals in his last five games.
'Didier has started the season unbelievably, so credit to him,' said the 28-year-old. 'Chelsea fans and players never doubted Didier, his love for this club and the passion he shows is unbelievable. When we lose a game there is no one more disappointed than him. He shows his anger, shows his frustration, because he cares.
'You see him in the dressing room, in training motivating the players, he really cares, and it was great to see him with a new contract and he's paying them back.'
Terry though is well aware of what United's strikers can do, having played alongside both Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney for England, while Dimitar Berbatov has become a familiar adversary and is now in his fourth season in English football.
'The three of them are so different, Owen has shown a great threat when he comes on, Berbatov is quick and holds the ball up well, similar to Didier in that respect, and Wazza is always a constant threat, can run in behind, pull off, play others in,' assessed the centre-half.
'Wayne is the most difficult because when he pulls off you don't know whether to go with him. There are always wingers going in behind him so do you go with him or go with the runners?'
These are all questions Carlo Ancelotti will have been trying to answer in the last few days. All will become clear at 4pm this afternoon.
The captain has seen his side go five games unbeaten while playing some breathtaking football, leaving him in confident mood going into the top of the table Premier League clash, which he is adamant arrives at a better time for us than it does United.
'I think it's good because of the form we are in. We concentrate on ourselves more than anyone else, and if we're in a difficult shape it will be difficult, but we're in good form at the moment,' Terry said.
'I think people are starting to see that and believe it themselves. We are back to where we want to be, defensively looking good and going forward we pose a real threat. Not only with the men on the pitch but the bench as well, we have players that can come on and change the game.'
He is convinced Didier Drogba could make the difference today, given that he has scored six goals in his last five games.
'Didier has started the season unbelievably, so credit to him,' said the 28-year-old. 'Chelsea fans and players never doubted Didier, his love for this club and the passion he shows is unbelievable. When we lose a game there is no one more disappointed than him. He shows his anger, shows his frustration, because he cares.
'You see him in the dressing room, in training motivating the players, he really cares, and it was great to see him with a new contract and he's paying them back.'
Terry though is well aware of what United's strikers can do, having played alongside both Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney for England, while Dimitar Berbatov has become a familiar adversary and is now in his fourth season in English football.
'The three of them are so different, Owen has shown a great threat when he comes on, Berbatov is quick and holds the ball up well, similar to Didier in that respect, and Wazza is always a constant threat, can run in behind, pull off, play others in,' assessed the centre-half.
'Wayne is the most difficult because when he pulls off you don't know whether to go with him. There are always wingers going in behind him so do you go with him or go with the runners?'
These are all questions Carlo Ancelotti will have been trying to answer in the last few days. All will become clear at 4pm this afternoon.
02 November 2009
REACTION: SEEING DOUBLE
Carlo Ancelotti was understandably contented following a second 4-0 win over Bolton inside four days.
That makes it four straight wins in all competitions, with four clean sheets and 17 goals to our name since suffering defeat against Aston Villa a fortnight ago.
Having watched Frank Lampard, Deco and Didier Drogba all find the net, as well as a Zat Knight own goal, the Italian had special praise for Nicolas Anelka, whose work across the field greatly impressed him.
'We are doing very well at the moment, we did a good performance today. It was difficult in the first half because Bolton played a strong match and put pressure on our midfielder but at the end of the first half we had a good chance to score on the penalty and in the second half we maintained good concentration and intensity and we won a very important match for us,' Ancelotti began.
'Nicolas moved left and right and was the best player for us today because he had a very good interpretation of the game. He didn't score but I think that he was the best,' he said of the Frenchman, whose game he had also discussed before today's match.
The three points leaves us top of the table before next week's clash with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, but the manager insists our focus must be on Atletico Madrid in midweek before we can start thinking about Sir Alex Ferguson's men.
'Usually all the people think about the game against Manchester United but we have another important game during the week and we want to prepare well,' he confirmed. 'It is very easy to prepare for Manchester United because it is a very important match but we need to maintain concentration in the Champions League at this moment.'
Ancelotti also reserved a special mention for Deco, who scored his second goal in as many games this afternoon.
'Deco was man-to-man on the midfielder and changed position with Frank Lampard, on the left a little bit and Lampard went to offensive midfield,' he explained. 'He is doing what he knows, there is nothing special. He can do this and he is doing it for the team, this is important, he is not a selfish player.
'Usually an attacking midfielder is a little selfish but fortunately I found one that is unselfish.'
That makes it four straight wins in all competitions, with four clean sheets and 17 goals to our name since suffering defeat against Aston Villa a fortnight ago.
Having watched Frank Lampard, Deco and Didier Drogba all find the net, as well as a Zat Knight own goal, the Italian had special praise for Nicolas Anelka, whose work across the field greatly impressed him.
'We are doing very well at the moment, we did a good performance today. It was difficult in the first half because Bolton played a strong match and put pressure on our midfielder but at the end of the first half we had a good chance to score on the penalty and in the second half we maintained good concentration and intensity and we won a very important match for us,' Ancelotti began.
'Nicolas moved left and right and was the best player for us today because he had a very good interpretation of the game. He didn't score but I think that he was the best,' he said of the Frenchman, whose game he had also discussed before today's match.
The three points leaves us top of the table before next week's clash with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, but the manager insists our focus must be on Atletico Madrid in midweek before we can start thinking about Sir Alex Ferguson's men.
'Usually all the people think about the game against Manchester United but we have another important game during the week and we want to prepare well,' he confirmed. 'It is very easy to prepare for Manchester United because it is a very important match but we need to maintain concentration in the Champions League at this moment.'
Ancelotti also reserved a special mention for Deco, who scored his second goal in as many games this afternoon.
'Deco was man-to-man on the midfielder and changed position with Frank Lampard, on the left a little bit and Lampard went to offensive midfield,' he explained. 'He is doing what he knows, there is nothing special. He can do this and he is doing it for the team, this is important, he is not a selfish player.
'Usually an attacking midfielder is a little selfish but fortunately I found one that is unselfish.'
MATCH REPORT: BOLTON WANDERERS 0 CHELSEA 4
Chelsea eased to a 4-0 win with a superb display against 10-man Bolton on Saturday afternoon.
The Blues had been on top from the beginning but had found no way past the superb Jussi Jaaskelainen, until Didier Drogba was hauled down in first half injury-time by Jlloyd Samuel.
The defender was red-carded, allowing Frank Lampard to fire home the opener from the spot, before Chelsea took full advantage of the extra man in the second period with an entertaining display.
First Deco doubled the lead after a smart counter-attack, before a Zat Knight own goal and Didier Drogba put the icing on the cake in the final 10 minutes.
We arrived in the north-west with something of a mixed bag form-wise, three consecutive wins had brought 13 goals and three clean sheets, but all of those games had been at home, and this visit to the Reebok Stadium came off the back of consecutive away league defeats.
Bolton though has been a happy hunting ground for Chelsea in recent years, with wins recorded here, without conceding, in the last six seasons.
Carlo Ancelotti would have to continue that trend without both first-choice full-backs, Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa still absent through injury, allowing Branislav Ivanovic and Paulo Ferreira to continue on the flanks, while Deco was selected in preference to Joe Cole at the top of the midfield diamond.
Having been beaten 4-0 at Stamford Bridge in midweek, Bolton manager Gary Megson decided to match our diamond formation, a decision that almost reaped rewards in the first minute, but Johan Elmander's header looped over Petr Cech's crossbar.
It was 12 minutes before the Blues could get a decent look at Bolton's goal, when Nicolas Anelka crossed for strike partner Drogba, but the ball was just behind the Ivorian who couldn't direct his header.
A minute later the roles were reversed as Drogba laid it right to Anelka, whose powerful shot was turned around his near post by Jaaskelainen. The keeper made an equally impressive save from the corner, tipping over a loose ball that looked destined to dip under his crossbar.
On 20 minutes the Finn was in action again, preventing Drogba from a certain goal with a quick-witted rush from his goal after Cahill, auditioning for a regular place in Fabio Capello's England squad, had clumsily lost out on the edge of his own area.
At the other end Bolton worked a shooting opportunity for Tamir Cohen, but the Israeli's curling effort was straight at Cech.
Although Chelsea were having the more of the ball, we were in no way dominant as the half-hour approached, with Bolton doing a reasonable job of containing their opponents.
Cahill though was not having the best afternoon. Another hashed clearance fell to Drogba, whose cross eventually reached Ivanovic and the Serb made no mistake in lashing home at the second attempt, only for an offside flag, raised against Michael Ballack, to rule the goal out.
At the other end Bolton's aerial power was proving troublesome, as Elmander again won a free header, flicking on for Kevin Davies who should have hit the target from inside the Chelsea box.
Six minutes before half-time a Bolton corner ended up with Cahill on the edge of the area, but having failed to connect properly twice on defensive duty, he over-struck his shot at the other end, the ball flying a yard or so over.
Next it was Elmander's chance to have a go, after he fashioned half a yard of space in front of Carvalho, but he too failed to work Cech, who must have been considering taking the second half off such is Bolton's poor scoring record against us at the Reebok.
Into injury time, Ballack slotted a perfect ball through for Drogba, who looked certain to score as he entered the Bolton box, before having his leg clipped by Jlloyd Samuel before he could shoot.
It left referee Peter Walton with little option but to point to the spot and dismiss the defender, a childhood team-mate of John Terry.
Lampard stepped up to take the penalty at the opposite end to that which he sealed the Premier League title in 2005, and coolly sent Jaaskelainen the wrong way to give Chelsea a lead we just about deserved, and leave Bolton wondering how they would find a way back into the game a man down.
Megson made two changes at half-time, with the ineffective Chung-Yong Lee and Chris Basham with Ricardo Gardner and Paul Robinson, but it was Cohen who had the early opportunity to equalise.
Fortunately for Chelsea, Michael Essien was on hand to sniff out the danger before Cohen, playing in the hole, could shoot.
At the other end Drogba got the better of Bolton's defenders twice in quick succession, but still could not beat Jaaskelainen who was having an inspired game.
Ivanovic was fouled on the right-hand edge of the Bolton area on 55 minutes, and while everybody expected Drogba to shoot, he pulled the ball square for Anelka, whose shot was well charged down.
A corner resulted, eventually falling to Lampard 25 yards out. There was only one thing likely to happen, and sure enough he tried his luck, only to see the ball cannon back hard off the crossbar.
The Blues were approaching full throttle, and it wasn't long before the second goal arrived.
Ricardo Carvalho broke from defence down the left and picked out Anelka in space. The Frenchman turned to see Deco in space further to his right, and found his man. From there it was all about the little Portuguese, who turned inside his marker on the edge of the area to create space for himself, and curled the ball calmly beyond the helpless Jaaskelainen. A fantastic goal.
At 2-0 down with half an hour remaining, there wasn't really anywhere to go for Bolton, who by now were being outplayed and out-thought as well as outnumbered.
Their forays forward were all too rare to suggest the result was under threat, though Ivanovic did have to make a last-ditch tackle to prevent Gardner from an easy tap-in, and then the Jamaican skewed a decent opportunity wide with 15 minutes to go.
Rather than go for the jugular, Chelsea looked to be preserving energy. Ferreira was a little too relaxed when chasing a loose ball, catching Sam Ricketts a fraction late and going into the referee's notebook.
Back on the front foot, Chelsea began to threaten again as Ballack and Essien both sought to shoot, before we were rewarded with a third courtesy of a Zat Knight own goal.
Lampard had volleyed wide to Carvalho, playing his own version of total football on the left wing, and when he skipped past Kevin Davies and crossed with the outside of his boot into the danger area, Knight could only nod it into his own net as Ivanovic closed in. The former Aston Villa defender protested against a high foot from the Chelsea man, but the goal stood and the three points were well and truly secure.
To add further shine, Anelka, Deco and Lampard combined to tee up Drogba, who after a frustrating afternoon could not miss a simple volley from six yards.
To their credit Bolton never gave up, but having gone a man and a goal down, they were always going to be up against it, even before taking into account Chelsea's stylish performance.
The win guarantees top spot ahead of next weekend's match with Manchester United, who play later this evening against Blackburn at Old Trafford.
Next up for Chelsea is Atletico Madrid in Spain on Tuesday, and on current form, that's 17 goals in four games and none conceded, it would be daft to bet against Ancelotti's men.
Bolton (4-diamond-2): Jaaskelainen; Ricketts, Cahill, Knight, Samuel; Muamba (M Davies 65), Basham (Robinson h-t), Cohen, Lee (Gardner h-t); K Davies (c), Elmander.
Scorers
Booked Robsinon 55
Sent Off Samuel 45
Chelsea (4-diamond-2): Cech; Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry (c), Ferreira; Essien, Ballack, Lampard, Deco; Anelka, Drogba.
Scorers Lampard (pen) 41, Deco 60, Knight O.G. 81, Drogba 90
Booked Ferreira 78
The Blues had been on top from the beginning but had found no way past the superb Jussi Jaaskelainen, until Didier Drogba was hauled down in first half injury-time by Jlloyd Samuel.
The defender was red-carded, allowing Frank Lampard to fire home the opener from the spot, before Chelsea took full advantage of the extra man in the second period with an entertaining display.
First Deco doubled the lead after a smart counter-attack, before a Zat Knight own goal and Didier Drogba put the icing on the cake in the final 10 minutes.
We arrived in the north-west with something of a mixed bag form-wise, three consecutive wins had brought 13 goals and three clean sheets, but all of those games had been at home, and this visit to the Reebok Stadium came off the back of consecutive away league defeats.
Bolton though has been a happy hunting ground for Chelsea in recent years, with wins recorded here, without conceding, in the last six seasons.
Carlo Ancelotti would have to continue that trend without both first-choice full-backs, Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa still absent through injury, allowing Branislav Ivanovic and Paulo Ferreira to continue on the flanks, while Deco was selected in preference to Joe Cole at the top of the midfield diamond.
Having been beaten 4-0 at Stamford Bridge in midweek, Bolton manager Gary Megson decided to match our diamond formation, a decision that almost reaped rewards in the first minute, but Johan Elmander's header looped over Petr Cech's crossbar.
It was 12 minutes before the Blues could get a decent look at Bolton's goal, when Nicolas Anelka crossed for strike partner Drogba, but the ball was just behind the Ivorian who couldn't direct his header.
A minute later the roles were reversed as Drogba laid it right to Anelka, whose powerful shot was turned around his near post by Jaaskelainen. The keeper made an equally impressive save from the corner, tipping over a loose ball that looked destined to dip under his crossbar.
On 20 minutes the Finn was in action again, preventing Drogba from a certain goal with a quick-witted rush from his goal after Cahill, auditioning for a regular place in Fabio Capello's England squad, had clumsily lost out on the edge of his own area.
At the other end Bolton worked a shooting opportunity for Tamir Cohen, but the Israeli's curling effort was straight at Cech.
Although Chelsea were having the more of the ball, we were in no way dominant as the half-hour approached, with Bolton doing a reasonable job of containing their opponents.
Cahill though was not having the best afternoon. Another hashed clearance fell to Drogba, whose cross eventually reached Ivanovic and the Serb made no mistake in lashing home at the second attempt, only for an offside flag, raised against Michael Ballack, to rule the goal out.
At the other end Bolton's aerial power was proving troublesome, as Elmander again won a free header, flicking on for Kevin Davies who should have hit the target from inside the Chelsea box.
Six minutes before half-time a Bolton corner ended up with Cahill on the edge of the area, but having failed to connect properly twice on defensive duty, he over-struck his shot at the other end, the ball flying a yard or so over.
Next it was Elmander's chance to have a go, after he fashioned half a yard of space in front of Carvalho, but he too failed to work Cech, who must have been considering taking the second half off such is Bolton's poor scoring record against us at the Reebok.
Into injury time, Ballack slotted a perfect ball through for Drogba, who looked certain to score as he entered the Bolton box, before having his leg clipped by Jlloyd Samuel before he could shoot.
It left referee Peter Walton with little option but to point to the spot and dismiss the defender, a childhood team-mate of John Terry.
Lampard stepped up to take the penalty at the opposite end to that which he sealed the Premier League title in 2005, and coolly sent Jaaskelainen the wrong way to give Chelsea a lead we just about deserved, and leave Bolton wondering how they would find a way back into the game a man down.
Megson made two changes at half-time, with the ineffective Chung-Yong Lee and Chris Basham with Ricardo Gardner and Paul Robinson, but it was Cohen who had the early opportunity to equalise.
Fortunately for Chelsea, Michael Essien was on hand to sniff out the danger before Cohen, playing in the hole, could shoot.
At the other end Drogba got the better of Bolton's defenders twice in quick succession, but still could not beat Jaaskelainen who was having an inspired game.
Ivanovic was fouled on the right-hand edge of the Bolton area on 55 minutes, and while everybody expected Drogba to shoot, he pulled the ball square for Anelka, whose shot was well charged down.
A corner resulted, eventually falling to Lampard 25 yards out. There was only one thing likely to happen, and sure enough he tried his luck, only to see the ball cannon back hard off the crossbar.
The Blues were approaching full throttle, and it wasn't long before the second goal arrived.
Ricardo Carvalho broke from defence down the left and picked out Anelka in space. The Frenchman turned to see Deco in space further to his right, and found his man. From there it was all about the little Portuguese, who turned inside his marker on the edge of the area to create space for himself, and curled the ball calmly beyond the helpless Jaaskelainen. A fantastic goal.
At 2-0 down with half an hour remaining, there wasn't really anywhere to go for Bolton, who by now were being outplayed and out-thought as well as outnumbered.
Their forays forward were all too rare to suggest the result was under threat, though Ivanovic did have to make a last-ditch tackle to prevent Gardner from an easy tap-in, and then the Jamaican skewed a decent opportunity wide with 15 minutes to go.
Rather than go for the jugular, Chelsea looked to be preserving energy. Ferreira was a little too relaxed when chasing a loose ball, catching Sam Ricketts a fraction late and going into the referee's notebook.
Back on the front foot, Chelsea began to threaten again as Ballack and Essien both sought to shoot, before we were rewarded with a third courtesy of a Zat Knight own goal.
Lampard had volleyed wide to Carvalho, playing his own version of total football on the left wing, and when he skipped past Kevin Davies and crossed with the outside of his boot into the danger area, Knight could only nod it into his own net as Ivanovic closed in. The former Aston Villa defender protested against a high foot from the Chelsea man, but the goal stood and the three points were well and truly secure.
To add further shine, Anelka, Deco and Lampard combined to tee up Drogba, who after a frustrating afternoon could not miss a simple volley from six yards.
To their credit Bolton never gave up, but having gone a man and a goal down, they were always going to be up against it, even before taking into account Chelsea's stylish performance.
The win guarantees top spot ahead of next weekend's match with Manchester United, who play later this evening against Blackburn at Old Trafford.
Next up for Chelsea is Atletico Madrid in Spain on Tuesday, and on current form, that's 17 goals in four games and none conceded, it would be daft to bet against Ancelotti's men.
Bolton (4-diamond-2): Jaaskelainen; Ricketts, Cahill, Knight, Samuel; Muamba (M Davies 65), Basham (Robinson h-t), Cohen, Lee (Gardner h-t); K Davies (c), Elmander.
Scorers
Booked Robsinon 55
Sent Off Samuel 45
Chelsea (4-diamond-2): Cech; Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry (c), Ferreira; Essien, Ballack, Lampard, Deco; Anelka, Drogba.
Scorers Lampard (pen) 41, Deco 60, Knight O.G. 81, Drogba 90
Booked Ferreira 78
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