Flamboyant And Assured

So my reaction to the match was expertly summed up for me by Fabregas
‘I don’t think I am exaggerating if I don’t remember playing and enjoying a football match as much as I did personally in the first half’.

That first half was a scintillating and flamboyant display by the team that is not normally seen at Stamford Bridge. The one-twos, the PC-assisted passes and the runs by the attackers. It was mesmerising.

I am a man who values efficiency and loved the periods between 2004 to 2010 at Chelsea. The game plan back then was simple. Go and win, no matter what. Grind out results. Bully the opponent to submission. In other words, dont do Arsenal.

Those days were fun and just like in movies, the fun restriction was CF (Chelsea Fans). It was hard for the other teams to like us considering the fact that our daddy was rich and we were bullies too.

But in this period the team seems to be playing to entertain all. Pass pass pass with fewer shots on goals. But the gaffer has the team high in confidence and playing well to win and entertain us all. Long may it continue.

This team is not getting carried away and are careful not to drop their performance and lose confidence as summed by Fabregas again,
‘I don’t compare us with any other big sides because we haven’t won anything, this is just the beginning.
Everyone is talking well about Chelsea now, how great we are and then you lose two games they will talk about how bad we are. We have been long enough in football not to fall into this trap and to just keep going the way we want to achieve things.’

I must admit that I was a bit surprised by the scoreline. The 2-0 might suggest a much stiffer encounter than it was but credit to West Brom that they came into the second half with a game plan not to concede more.

With a man down against this Chelsea team that seemed like the most prudent thing to do. They were very organised at the back and sacrificed possession to protect their dignity. Not conceding in the second half would have been a real lift for them.

Manchester United, before last saturday, had suffered more injuries to their players than Boko Haram in the past 3 months and not really playing at their best. So how on earth did they get a win at the Emirates? You ask any Arsenal fun and the answer is simple.

Arsene Wenger.

The man who shrewdly guided Arsenal to its highest points and helped them build the enviable Emirates stadium has now become redundant at the club. The man who was once considered to be one of the brightest managers on earth is now not counted at the top even by his own fans.

His tactics are questioned, his signings are scoffed at and he seems to identify the problems with his teams a season or 2 later than everyone.

Arsenal has not won against United in their last 7 matches now. They failed to win any of the 2 matches against them last season when United were at an all time low and that was terrible for the fans to take. But Sunday’s loss is leaving a far bitter taste.

Fans are calling for his head and it might be justified this time. Old age is has made him lose his touch with the game and its harming the team and the English game as a whole.

It seems kind of funny that the 2 managers who seems to have problems with teams defending have found their teams susceptible at the back this season. Arsenal have conceded a third of their goals from counter-attacks and Liverpool cant seem to find a plug for the hole im their defence.

Let them ask the man who has made it his art to perfect it.

Jose Mourinho