Mourinho and Chelsea Not Back Yet After Arsenal Win

Well they did it. Things could have ended up being a lot worse for Chelsea and Mourinho if they had lost to their rivals at the cribb. You can talk about the amazing record Chelsea had of always spanking Wenger and his boys, but the pressure was on. With a bit of help from Michael Jeremiah Dean and Chelsea's customary execution at crucial moments, they got back to their winning ways but most importantly...WITH a performance.







I had always said what was important for Chelsea to get out of their rut was not just winning. It was HOW they won. If they would have won by luck then there would be no evidence that the issue that have plagued them had been expunged. A proper performance would bring back the confidence in the players and that air of superiority they had last season that lead them to the title. Before the various incidents that turned the match in Chelsea's favor thanks to the mental-case that is Diego Costa, Chelsea were easily the better team and the most likely to score. This was thanks to Fabregas finally waking up and realizing what role he has to play in this team.


In all of Mourinho's teams, he has always had that creative gem. Deco, Ozil, Sneijder, Robben (somewhat). The reason why he bought Fabregas was to fit that role. A player who demands the ball, and gets things going. Mourinho's teams are not ones to keep hold of the ball and play possession football. It's about getting on with trying to get the goal which is what they did against Arsenal. Each time they had the ball, without thinking, Fabregas hit a long direct ball to Costa and Arsenal were under pressure. This was how the Chelsea of old played, with finding gaps in the defense with the minimum amount of passes used. It was Cesc who was at the center of it all.

With the red card incidents, Chelsea grew more into the game and you even saw Hazard finally start to play like he's supposed to, but would be better if he did it with eleven men. Despite all this, I am not yet convinced Chelsea are out of the woods yet. They always beat Arsenal, and their incredible record against them proves this. The victory and performance was needed, but the real test to see if they are back on track is when they face Newcastle away. It's not an easy place to play, no matter where those black and white crew are in the table. Chelsea and Mourinho have to keep the momentum going and go on that winning streak, and not rest on any laurels that are undeserved at this point. The signs are good, but a loss to Newcastle and City winning will take things back to square one with the mob calling for Mourinho's head.


For Chelsea to retain that title, they need Costa doing what he did against Arsenal (without the madness), Fabregas creating, the defense playing as well as they did and both Pedro and Hazard combining to add to the attacking spark of the team. If all these elements can come together, then we could yet still have an exciting title race we hope between Mourinho and Pellegrini.



HH