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Chelsea Comment: John Terry Leads By Hapless Example
Skipper's off-field problems spill on to park in humiliating reversal.
Feb 27, 2010 10:45:00 AM
By Alex Dimond
Wayne Bridge might have refused the pre-match opportunity to shake John Terry's hand, but Craig Bellamy and Carlos Tevez showed no such qualms as they landed knockout punches against Terry's Chelsea during a remarkable 4-2 win.
In Chelsea's first home defeat to a team outwith the recognized Big Four since 2004, the Blues fell apart as 'Team Bridge' — otherwise known as Manchester City — embarrassed their hosts on an afternoon where they simply seemed to want it more.
Bridge may have been booed — despicably if not unpredictably — all afternoon by the same fans who used to cheer for him, but such antics had little effect as the left-back put in a fine performance considering the circumstances.
Indeed, perhaps it only spurred the Englishman's team-mates on, as Bellamy and Tevez did the business for their team, with two goals apiece that combined pace, power, precision and no little individual quality.
The home side, in contrast, seemed to struggle to really get their act together throughout. The fact they took the lead was more through luck than judgment, as Joe Cole provided one exquisite pass for Lampard to take advantage of.
Once Tevez had equalized on the stroke of half-time, the Blues seemed worryingly unfocused, and it came back to haunt them. Individual errors — from Hilario, Carvalho, Mikel, Belletti and Terry — cost them dearly for each goal.
Of course Chelsea fans will no doubt have been cursing the irony when they saw Mike Dean award a penalty and dismiss Juliano Belletti for an incident virtually identical to the one involving Salomon Kalou that Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez ignored in the 2-1 defeat by Inter in the Champions League last midweek.
After burying the subsequent penalty that made it 3-1 and effectively rendered the game over, Tevez showed his solidarity with his beleaguered team-mate in his celebration. It was one moment that seemed to exemplify how the away players had rallied to their team-mate's cause, a unity the home players failed to match when it came to their under-fire and out-of-form leader of men.
In addition, City's players seemed to derive extra determination to perform from their distaste for the Chelsea captain.
"I know what JT is like, and nothing surprises me about him," Bellamy said after the game.
"I think everybody knows what he is like. But that is off the field. On the field he is a great player, and it's always going to be difficult playing him and his team. Today was a big, big result for us. When the counter-attack got going we do have players who can score goals."
But against City, Terry was not great. He was beaten easily by Tevez for his first goal, and was woefully late with a challenge on Adam Johnson that earned him a booking. Things only got worse after that and it was noticeable how few players rushed to Terry's aid as he was confronted by Tevez after a tussle.
And his malaise seemed to rub off on the rest of his team. Michael Ballack's late sending off seemed to sum up events from the home side's perspective — it was an inexcusable, petulant act from a player who had seemed frustrated throughout.
From that moment a fourth goal, courtesy of Bellamy, always looked on the cards — and only the folly of Gareth Barry gave Lampard the chance to make the scoreline semi-respectable from the spot.
Today was always going to be an emotional game for the two players who have grabbed headlines for the last month, but every player on the pitch seemed caught up in drama of it all. While Manchester City's players channeled that emotion into an effective performance, Chelsea's crumbled completely.
This wasn't a performance of potential champions, this was an embarrassment.
Carlo Ancelotti now has to go away and give some serious thought as to how he reverses what seems to be the first signs of a worrying path towards self-destruction.
On this evidence, 'Team Terry' is treading the same dangerous path as its leader.
Get all the latest EPL news with Goal.com's England page.
In Chelsea's first home defeat to a team outwith the recognized Big Four since 2004, the Blues fell apart as 'Team Bridge' — otherwise known as Manchester City — embarrassed their hosts on an afternoon where they simply seemed to want it more.
Bridge may have been booed — despicably if not unpredictably — all afternoon by the same fans who used to cheer for him, but such antics had little effect as the left-back put in a fine performance considering the circumstances.
Indeed, perhaps it only spurred the Englishman's team-mates on, as Bellamy and Tevez did the business for their team, with two goals apiece that combined pace, power, precision and no little individual quality.
The home side, in contrast, seemed to struggle to really get their act together throughout. The fact they took the lead was more through luck than judgment, as Joe Cole provided one exquisite pass for Lampard to take advantage of.
Once Tevez had equalized on the stroke of half-time, the Blues seemed worryingly unfocused, and it came back to haunt them. Individual errors — from Hilario, Carvalho, Mikel, Belletti and Terry — cost them dearly for each goal.
Of course Chelsea fans will no doubt have been cursing the irony when they saw Mike Dean award a penalty and dismiss Juliano Belletti for an incident virtually identical to the one involving Salomon Kalou that Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez ignored in the 2-1 defeat by Inter in the Champions League last midweek.
After burying the subsequent penalty that made it 3-1 and effectively rendered the game over, Tevez showed his solidarity with his beleaguered team-mate in his celebration. It was one moment that seemed to exemplify how the away players had rallied to their team-mate's cause, a unity the home players failed to match when it came to their under-fire and out-of-form leader of men.
In addition, City's players seemed to derive extra determination to perform from their distaste for the Chelsea captain.
"I know what JT is like, and nothing surprises me about him," Bellamy said after the game.
"I think everybody knows what he is like. But that is off the field. On the field he is a great player, and it's always going to be difficult playing him and his team. Today was a big, big result for us. When the counter-attack got going we do have players who can score goals."
But against City, Terry was not great. He was beaten easily by Tevez for his first goal, and was woefully late with a challenge on Adam Johnson that earned him a booking. Things only got worse after that and it was noticeable how few players rushed to Terry's aid as he was confronted by Tevez after a tussle.
And his malaise seemed to rub off on the rest of his team. Michael Ballack's late sending off seemed to sum up events from the home side's perspective — it was an inexcusable, petulant act from a player who had seemed frustrated throughout.
From that moment a fourth goal, courtesy of Bellamy, always looked on the cards — and only the folly of Gareth Barry gave Lampard the chance to make the scoreline semi-respectable from the spot.
Today was always going to be an emotional game for the two players who have grabbed headlines for the last month, but every player on the pitch seemed caught up in drama of it all. While Manchester City's players channeled that emotion into an effective performance, Chelsea's crumbled completely.
This wasn't a performance of potential champions, this was an embarrassment.
Carlo Ancelotti now has to go away and give some serious thought as to how he reverses what seems to be the first signs of a worrying path towards self-destruction.
On this evidence, 'Team Terry' is treading the same dangerous path as its leader.
Get all the latest EPL news with Goal.com's England page.
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