Thought provoking blog by Clayton Beerman on Chelsea’s current lack of form…
Is it just me or are we looking a bit desperate? You will get no argument from me that once again we got the wrong end of at least 3 appalling decisions against Burnley. Had we had got one or both nailed on penalties we would have been home and hosed on Saturday but we didn’t and that’s where my problem begins.
Despite being top who can honestly say we have played well in the last couple of months? With the exception of Swansea away some of our play has been without intensity and lacking creativity. Some will argue we reached the Capital One Cup but there were never times when we dominated the tie in the way Liverpool did in the first leg at Anfield. I am not for one minute questioning the will to win or attitude which got us through. Wins against Everton and Villa were laboured but the sign of a good side is winning when not playing well and we are certainly doing that. Then in all of that who can forget Bradford.
On Saturday I thought we were slow out of the blocks and failed to inject any real tempo. Yes we had many bad decisions but leading 1-0 in a game is never enough and for me we did not test their keeper enough. I can not remember any real saves he had to make in the second half and not too many in the first. We were comfortable until the sending off but never threatened to kill the game. I understand that this was after an away champions league game but that was a Tuesday not Wednesday fixture and with the greatest respect this was Burnley who only ventured over the half way line when we went down to 10 men. Bottom line is we didn’t play very well.
The team on Saturday was good enough to win and should have done. I am however becoming increasingly baffled by the Cuadrado purchase. He has not played long enough for me to have an opinion on how good he is but our manager says and I have no reason to doubt him, that we will see the best of him next season. Why on earth therefore did we then sell a guy with a season and half’s experience who wasn’t exactly shabby and replace him with someone who needs time to settle in? Why not do the trade at the end of the season?
I think that Costa hasn’t hit his straps again since the suspension. He spent a lot of Saturday in a huff. Yes he didn’t get a lot of 
decisions but seemed more intent on rucking than winning the ball. He had two chances in the second half where a couple of months ago he might have scored; he was just that yard off. That being said it’s hard to think of one clear cut chance created for him either on Saturday or last Tuesday.
Where has the creativity gone? Before Christmas home and away we were playing some amazing football , some of the best I’ve ever seen us play , so what has changed? I don’t get the fatigue thing, these guys are fitter than ever before. Also teams have got wise to us and are harrying us more and committing numerous tactical fouls breaking up our play. The treatment of Hazard has been appalling but teams rotate the fouler and no one (apart from Stoke) has gone out to maliciously harm him. It’s so sad we can not enjoy watching him play.
The initial impact of Cesc has also been lessened , through opposing teams more aware of his danger and a slight drop off in form. Also we are trying to walk the ball in. I fully understand we often play against the 10 men behind the ball but the lack of shots from outside the box is baffling. Against Everton Willian tried and we all saw what happened.
In addition we are suddenly looking vulnerable in the air at the back. It’s strange because Thibaut seemed to be collecting everything early in the season. Whilst it is great to see Petr play and I am huge fan, the swapping of keepers does not help the defence or the keepers. In Jose’s first spell he had a back 4 which did not change and championships are built on defence. With the tail end of the season upon us we need a settled back 4 and stick with it.
All that being said what a nightmare performance from Atkinson. The two penalty claims are free kicks anywhere else on the pitch; he missed the appalling challenge on Matic altogether and now has the gall to say he saw it. How, what an earth was he doing? I have never seen a season where we have been on the wrong end of so many bad decisions. The tone was set in the first half of the first game where Costa was booked for diving where the correct decision was a penalty and a sending off both in our favour.
I am not convinced however that Jose going on to SKY and highlighting the position will achieve anything. I know this situation needs to be highlighted but Jose’s post-match comments were brilliant and dealt with it. Ultimately we just need to get on with it. Games are not going to be replayed, points are not going to be given back and leg breaking tackles are not to be punished.
There is obviously no embarrassing the buffoons at the FA or the referees association. The only response is to win the league and if we can do it this year after all this we can stick two fingers up at everyone. There is a finite amount of points we need and we are good enough to get them. Personally I prefer the media blackout to the media overload.
WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS
I wasn’t in Paris but as a regular contributor to this fine website I felt I should say something. I’ve been going to Chelsea since the late 60s. I have witnessed the awful behaviour of some of our fans through the decades including the quite reprehensible booing of our 
own black players. I have heard the appalling anti-Semitic chants but over the decades things have become less overt.
So when I heard about the incident on the Metro whilst I was saddened and upset in equal measures I was not surprised. In addition people who were in Paris speak of the “usual” RAF bomber songs and taunting the French about the 2nd world war. I feel for the club. I do not think there is anything they can do that will be enough for some people. It’s been said elsewhere but its worth repeating, that we had the first black manager, the first all overseas eleven, we have an ethnically diverse squad and management and a Jewish owner. What are these people on?
I simply cannot comprehend their abhorrent behaviour, best illustrated to me at a home game against Leicester in the 90s (The game where Frank Leboeuf hit a 90th minute screamer). On that day Leicester had a black goalkeeper called Peggy Arphexad. Every time the ball went to him a guy sitting at the back of the MHU would boo but moments later he was encouraging Marcel Desailly, who was apparently his “brother” as he kept shouting “come on bruv”. To this day I remain baffled by this form of colour blindness. I hope and pray that Sunday passes without incident but I am not holding my breath. Just bring that trophy home on Sunday!
Clayton Beerman @goalie59
