I'm touching wood

[sals]

So January has come by and finished in a flash, two of our most integral players disappeared for a month and many, including the 'great' Sir Alex Ferguson predicted this was going to be the time that our title race took the biggest hit. However Ferie is not a soothsayer and so it proved, during that period five games were played, five games were won. Three premier league matches were played, three premier league matches were won. Goals for: 12. Goals against: 3.

This sounds pretty good as if the wheels are fully in motion, we outlasted the rough patches and now we just need to ride the momentum through to the finish. However the feel of invincibility the team showed during the Mourinho era just doesn't quite seem to be there. The Burnley match is case and point of this, we dominate the game and yet we leave it so late to score the winner, during the match we also gave them chances to go ahead and should it have been a more clinical team we could have faced a very undeserved defeat. Hard for me to say it but i would consider ourselves lucky to win a match that we should have won by four or five.

Now the irony out of all of this is that we were predicted to struggle without a certain Didier Drogba, he returns for the Hull match and whilst scoring a fantastic goal we suddenly drop points. How is it that the return of the man who has carried our season results in the end of a win streak? Now i'm not usually a pessimist when it comes to Chelsea but i just don't know which team i'm about to watch when we play anymore. Sometimes i'm treated to a spectacle of football such as the sunderland match, other days i watch a strong defensive performance where we don't give the opposition a sniff and take our chances, such as the Birmingham match. Or seemingly just as frequently i have to suffer through matches like Burnley and Hull, not knowing if we are going to concede a unlucky goal or have a defensive slip up (or howler) and fail to capitalise or even create chances up front.

The positive is on these days that i see a resilience and a determination in the team to keep pushing, a resilience that was not shown through the Scolari era but i fail to see how a team can show such solidity in one much and such a frailty a couple of days later. How a team can score seven without the worlds best striker against a decent side (granted with injuries and in poor form) and with his return only score one against a hull side in the relegation zone.

It also wasn't so long ago that we suffered a very bad patch, we made it out of it still top of the league but that was down to a great start of the season. Should another patch hit us before the end it could derail us severely. I hate to compliment United and Fergie but they can keep their nerves right down to the finish and between now and the end of the season they are not going to drop a great deal of points. Have we got the nerve to match them toe to toe? If it is down to the wire (which is likely) come the end of the season will we be able to travel to Anfield on the second to last round and take 3 points from Liverpool?

At this stage I'm just not sure. United have lost (in my humble opinion) the worlds best player and yet they manage to keep up with us, we have had disruptions such as losing four players for a month and now fitting them back into the squad and I won't even get started on the whole JT issue as that is a separate topic but that will surely have an affect on the team. I don't want to come across as a kneejerker or a pessimist here as i have a lot of faith in the manager, the team and the club but these are some issues that I have been thinking through for a while now. I still think we are in the drivers seat to take out this title but when we go into matches I just don't know whether we are going to watch and marvel at a team that would take apart anyone in the world, or whether we are going to watch a team that struggles against clubs fighting for survival.

At this stage, without the feel of invincibility and without the consistency before each match i'm going to have to touch wood and whisper a quick prayer.

[yorkleyblue]

..................................a load of thoughtfully typed stuff..............................................Now i'm not usually a pessimist when it comes to Chelsea but i just don't know which team i'm about to watch when we play anymore. Sometimes i'm treated to a spectacle of football such as the sunderland match, other days i watch a strong defensive performance where we don't give the opposition a sniff and take our chances, such as the Birmingham match. Or seemingly just as frequently i have to suffer through matches like Burnley and Hull, not knowing if we are going to concede a unlucky goal or have a defensive slip up (or howler) and fail to capitalise or even create chances up front. ................................................................................

....................................some more stuff

Now see, that's called FOOTBALL! It's the same as it ever was and it's the same for EVERY fan of EVERY team. Ask any gooner!

[Zola]

We haven't been good in the past couple of matches..call it football if you want, but in reality, a team going for the title should surely destroy teams like Hull.

[The Brit]

teams like utd should destroy teams like burnley but they lost...it's that kind of season

[geezer]

We haven't been good in the past couple of matches..call it football if you want, but in reality, a team going for the title should surely destroy teams like Hull.

Given Burnley were the other team in the couple of matches you mentioned it's worth noting Man Utd lost to them and Arsenal drew with them whereas we beat them so swings and roundabouts for all it seems.

[Zola]

This is true, but Utd were awful then, they are looking much sharper now.

We need to get a result on sunday or the wheels could start to spin off.

Utd wont be dropping points @ home to Pompey.

[Bridgeboy]

I think you are right Zola, A good 4-0 drumming of Arsenal this Sunday will sort things out. If JT gets the nod from Capello on Friday then I feel a rampage coming on at the Bridge.

JT for a hat-rick anyone ? That is goals by way.

Edited February 4, 2010 by Bridgeboy

[Zola]

I'm going raving on Saturday night to see John Digweed. Its been a long time haha.

I will be shattered on sunday afternoon and if they get beat it will be horrific.

A 4-0 drumming would be most pleasing!

Its well needed.

[Chippy]

It amazes me how if UTD slip its cos they are getting into form now and have had there bad games and the same with Arsenal unyet we are supposed to just bulldoze all aside in an unstoppable drive to regain our title..

As Yorkley said Football is rarely like that and watching Arsenal Everton in August was as far from watching Arsenal Sunderland later in the season as you can get but nobody wonders why the first game they played has not meant when they were ordinary a few times after that it never meant they were then out of the race, thats because like us and Man UTD they often come up against stubborn little obstacles along the way that they on that particular day..be it through the players the tactics or the weather they have just failed to overcome.

That doesn't mean they can't win the title this year, it just means they have to keep doing their best to let it happen as little as possible.

Other teams need to be given credit for the way they have approached a lot of games this season against the top four and the gutsy displays some of them have given, even (and I bite my lip typing it) the likes of Phil look at me got his tactics right with Hull the other night and got the players up for the battle.

There will be a few more upsets along the way but we should be thankful that our worst loss we had the excuse of ging down to ten men and the others were at least top teams playing well.

I quite enjoy the way this season you actually get a hope of the smaller teams taking points off the big guns.

[Bridgeboy]

It amazes me how if UTD slip its cos they are getting into form now and have had there bad games and the same with Arsenal unyet we are supposed to just bulldoze all aside in an unstoppable drive to regain our title..

As Yorkley said Football is rarely like that and watching Arsenal Everton in August was as far from watching Arsenal Sunderland later in the season as you can get but nobody wonders why the first game they played has not meant when they were ordinary a few times after that it never meant they were then out of the race, thats because like us and Man UTD they often come up against stubborn little obstacles along the way that they on that particular day..be it through the players the tactics or the weather they have just failed to overcome.

That doesn't mean they can't win the title this year, it just means they have to keep doing their best to let it happen as little as possible.

Other teams need to be given credit for the way they have approached a lot of games this season against the top four and the gutsy displays some of them have given, even (and I bite my lip typing it) the likes of Phil look at me got his tactics right with Hull the other night and got the players up for the battle.

There will be a few more upsets along the way but we should be thankful that our worst loss we had the excuse of ging down to ten men and the others were at least top teams playing well.

I quite enjoy the way this season you actually get a hope of the smaller teams taking points off the big guns.

Spot on, the difficult away trips have added a bit of spice to this years league.

This year's title winners could be winning it with one of the lowest ever points haul.