I have deliberated on this piece for the past two days: should I? Should I not? Actually I watched the first 45 minutes of Chelsea vs Burnley and at the interval; I had to enter a seminar which meant I couldn’t watch the second half of the game. Abound minute 65, I checked for scores and it remained 1-0, and I began to fret for Chelsea: was this Burnley side so defensive that they were being stubborn at the bridge? Was it a hangover from Paris that was clogging the wheels again?
I knew whatever the case; this game still had a twist to it and with the Man City game to kick off later, my fear was that Chelsea might just wobble in the dying minutes, allowing Man City the luxury of starting their game only eight points, instead of ten, behind Chelsea. How right I was.
Disappointed? Yes
In case you haven’t heard, and according to Jose Mourinho, minutes 30, 33, 43 and 69 were the key moments of the game between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
I agree with Jose Mourinho that those four moments were crucial to the result on Saturday, I agree that Mr Atkinson had a terrible day at the office, but I do not agree that Chelsea did enough to win on a day they had to win. So what happened during the rest of the game?
Chelsea scored one goal and Burnley equalised, full stop.
Well, Chelsea dominated the game and had so much possession, but that didn’t translate into a result. Thibaut Courtois made two world class saves to deny Burnley and Chelsea were lucky to finish the game with one point.
And Diego Costa failed to score again.
If you’re going to win the league, these are the games you have to win emphatically, regardless of the officiating or the other events around or on the pitch.
These are the sort of teams you take the 3 points off at home, at this point of the season enroute to being crowned champions.
Any great team would still have seen off that Sean Dyche’s team that came to Stamford bridge on Saturday, fact is Chelsea didn’t and they couldn’t.
I’m sorry but I just don’t buy into that bad refereeing theory any longer, and it’s just not good enough for a talented team like Chelsea, whose aim is to win the league.
Okay, important decisions didn’t go Chelsea’s way and I sympathise with Jose and the boys in blue, but I’m sorry the team did not do enough to win and the worrying thing now is that the goals are leaking at the back because of the offensive tactic Jose has deployed.
Yes it’s great to play attractive football, and yes it’s good to be labelled ‘the best team in the premiership’ but all that count for nothing if Chelsea leave the podium empty handed at the end of the season, and currently the signs are ominous.
Tottenham stand in the way of the first prize on Sunday, PSG are the second antagonists in Europe, and Manchester City has engaged from the rear in the Premiership, and the race is heating up fiercely.
Can this Chelsea team overcome all obstacles, hurdles, referees, and all other challenges to win the league?
Against PSG I think Chelsea was shown a lot of respect but they just couldn’t bite.
I watched the first 45 minutes against Burnley and I just couldn’t see where the 2nd goal was coming from.
Only Thibaut Courtois denied PSG from what would have been a rout at the Parc De Prince, only Thibaut ensured that Chelsea came away with a point at the bridge on Saturday and only Petr Cech ensued that the Everton game was not lost at the bridge. Worrying signs?
Despite the five point advantage, the mind games have started and this is now a duel between two teams and a test of resolve for many of the players on both sides, and even the managers.
In the combat, Chelsea have blinked first now and Man City now have the momentum. They play Liverpool on Saturday and Chelsea will not play due to Capital One final they play the following day.
If Man City leave Anfield with a result, they have a huge psychological advantage and the pressure would increase in the Chelsea camp.
I have no doubt in this Chelsea team as to the potential or talent abound. My worry is that they have not won anything together as a team yet; my worry is that Diego Costa has stopped scoring, and my worry is that Thibaut Courtois and Peter Cech are winning games and taking points for the team as opposed to the strike force that Mourinho has assembled.
Chelsea still have to go the Emirates and still entertain Southampton, Manchester United and Liverpool in the run up to the Premiership, and they navigate PSG in the champions league in a tie that is still very much open.
Unfortunately the whole season may well hinge on the Wembley Final, without Matic. This for me is THE KEY MOMENT; the Wembley final, not the four keymoments Mourinho highlighted on Saturday.
If Mourinho’s boys triumph over Tottenham, then maybe, just maybe, they’ll get the second wind needed to go on and win the Premiership, and maybe they’ll acquire the boldness to go on and make a statement in Europe. But if they fail to lift the cup on Sunday, their confidence might just be knocked back, and the pressure may just be too much for this team to bear in the run up to the Premiership race.
CITY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CHELSEA SLIP
As Man City started their game against Newcastle, they already knew the result of the Chelsea game, so they turned it on and demolished Newcastle, playing a brand of football that was just plenty of joy to behold. While Costa seemed to have lost his way in front of goal for Chelsea, Chelsea has no back up man to step in. On the other hand however, Aguero is still in the mood, shooting Man city towards the title, and there is enough cover in Dzeko, Wilfred Bony, and Jovetic. And as we have seen previously, if the strikers fail to deliver, there are goals from trigger happy midfielders; Toure, Nasri, Silva aand Lampard. Can Chelsea or any team stop City’s March?