The dust has settled at Stamford Bridge for sometime now, but clouds of it were raised as we drove a coach and horses through Citeh?s midfield at the weekend and that game will live long in the memory. I?m still not over the shock of watching two teams, vying for a place at the top, compete in such an expansive way, yet provide an end result so overwhelmingly one sided. Credit to Avram Grant, but most of all a credit to Chelsea, shedding as it did the winning ugly shackles of the Jose era.
Yet this style of play had a new ingredient in the mix, perhaps best described as a sort of risk free persona - we?ve waltzed through you once and we?ll do it again and again until we grow tired of doing it. Not that we did grow tired of doing it - we were still doing it in injury time - but throughout the 90 minutes that total football mantra of unstoppable self belief, aligned to expression of skill, was there for all to see. Credit to Henk ten Cate in this respect, as anyone prepared to check out his football background would have already known.
It would also be unfair to ignore the contributions of Paulo and Belletti, who looked as though they could perform anywhere on the park and often did just that. It would seem that our full backs, with the game standing at one or two-nil, no longer look at the halfway line as if on the edge of a precipice. Credit to Steve Clarke for his liberated influence in this area and also his continual display of loyalty to the club at an extremely difficult time - just sign your contract, Steve, please.
So it?s all good news so far? Well no, the opposition was only Sven?s newly cobbled together blue suede Swede shoes and, whilst they?ve been tripping the light fantastic for a while and are well heeled, they look more than a little porous. The real test comes in December when we go to the Emirates and the Gunners try to put on a show of strength, whilst at the same time passing us to distraction. Before last Saturday, stealing some of our old combat gear would have been seen by them as the best way to get a home win, but now they will view us in a different light and wonder if the final outcome might be a case of ?Suits us, sir!?
Okay, it is too early to be considering this fixture, but one thing is certain - it won?t be Citeh all over again, because only a fool would suggest that they are in Arsenal?s class. That said, Wenger continues to bemoan his team?s missed chances along with No.2 son-in-law, who openly admits to still having nightmares involving Didier, Senderos and crosses coming into the box. On the other hand, how ironic it would be if we ended up searching for a winner in a classic only to be caught on the break in the dying moments of the game. Callista will tell you it is bound to happen, just as our current spate of clean sheets is bound to end soon, but how would you react if it occurred in a crucial six-pointer, when chasing a win away from home? All part of the entertaining style learning process, or gutted that we didn?t shut up shop? Replies on a postcard please to:- A Grant, 6 The Bridge, Style-Over-Substance, Ponders End.
Yet this style of play had a new ingredient in the mix, perhaps best described as a sort of risk free persona - we?ve waltzed through you once and we?ll do it again and again until we grow tired of doing it. Not that we did grow tired of doing it - we were still doing it in injury time - but throughout the 90 minutes that total football mantra of unstoppable self belief, aligned to expression of skill, was there for all to see. Credit to Henk ten Cate in this respect, as anyone prepared to check out his football background would have already known.
It would also be unfair to ignore the contributions of Paulo and Belletti, who looked as though they could perform anywhere on the park and often did just that. It would seem that our full backs, with the game standing at one or two-nil, no longer look at the halfway line as if on the edge of a precipice. Credit to Steve Clarke for his liberated influence in this area and also his continual display of loyalty to the club at an extremely difficult time - just sign your contract, Steve, please.
So it?s all good news so far? Well no, the opposition was only Sven?s newly cobbled together blue suede Swede shoes and, whilst they?ve been tripping the light fantastic for a while and are well heeled, they look more than a little porous. The real test comes in December when we go to the Emirates and the Gunners try to put on a show of strength, whilst at the same time passing us to distraction. Before last Saturday, stealing some of our old combat gear would have been seen by them as the best way to get a home win, but now they will view us in a different light and wonder if the final outcome might be a case of ?Suits us, sir!?
Okay, it is too early to be considering this fixture, but one thing is certain - it won?t be Citeh all over again, because only a fool would suggest that they are in Arsenal?s class. That said, Wenger continues to bemoan his team?s missed chances along with No.2 son-in-law, who openly admits to still having nightmares involving Didier, Senderos and crosses coming into the box. On the other hand, how ironic it would be if we ended up searching for a winner in a classic only to be caught on the break in the dying moments of the game. Callista will tell you it is bound to happen, just as our current spate of clean sheets is bound to end soon, but how would you react if it occurred in a crucial six-pointer, when chasing a win away from home? All part of the entertaining style learning process, or gutted that we didn?t shut up shop? Replies on a postcard please to:- A Grant, 6 The Bridge, Style-Over-Substance, Ponders End.
