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Alex Dimond's Chelsea Comment: Blues Must Avoid Getting Dunn(e) Again
Stop Blackburn's main man and perfect home record should remain intact…
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Oct 23, 2009 1:34:36 PM
Chelsea at home – another three points.
That is how it has been all season, and so it continued this week.
Chelsea made light work of Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, a result that reassured fans about the strength of Carlo Ancelotti's side; the 4-0 win also brought about the downfall of Atletico boss Abel Resino.
"I think it's what we wanted after the disappointment away to Villa, and we got what we asked for," captain John Terry said after the game.
"I think we started well in the Champions League with three clean sheets and three wins. In other years we have started well and got ourselves in the hat early on, which gives the manager options to bring in other players and try new things."
The victory maintained the club's 100 per cent home record in all competitions this season, a run the team will be confident of continuing when Stamford Bridge plays host to its second game of the week.
But their opponents on Saturday evening, Blackburn Rovers, are equally upbeat at the moment, after their memorable 3-2 win at home against bitter local rivals Burnley – a match that has already been turned into a commemorative DVD.
Encouragingly for the Blues, Blackburn have conceded three goals a game on average in their last eight league fixtures, a worrying stat for Sam Allardyce that is unlikely to improve, with Nicolas Anelka and the returning Didier Drogba on top form.
Drogba will for once find himself coming up against a defender that is more than equal to him physically. Christopher Samba stands an imposing 6ft 6in, and has the strength to outmuscle even the powerful Ivorian. But whether he can cope with Drogba's pace and movement is another matter.
With Frank Lampard back to goalscoring ways and Anelka proving himself a willing worker for the team, manager Carlo Ancelotti will be confident his players can take advantage of Rovers' dodgy defence.
Home and dry | Chelsea blunted Atletico's potent attack
The Italian's more immediate concern will be about ensuring his own backline is up to scratch.
Under Allardyce, Rovers have not simply become Bolton Wanderers Mk II. 'Big Sam' has been keen to give creative players like Morten Gamst Pedersen and David Dunn the freedom to play their natural game, with encouraging results.
Ancelotti will have to pay close attention to Dunn, who has scored in each of his side's last two games and looks far and away their most dangerous attacking player. His exceptional form has led some to suggest England boss Fabio Capello should hand the 29-year-old a surprise call-up.
"Who knows? It's difficult to get in the England team given the amount of quality players they have," Dunn said after last week's win against Burnley.
"I'll keep doing my best for Blackburn. You never know."
Whatever his international prospects, after Richard Dunne's vital contribution for Villa last weekend, Ancelotti will not want to suffer at the hands of the Irishman's namesake (minus the extra 'e') – especially as the Englishman seems to be revelling in his new role playing off the main striker.
In recent weeks that main striker has been Chelsea's own Franco Di Santo, but Premier League rules forbid the on-loan striker from playing against his owners and so Jason Roberts will probably come back into the starting line-up.
Blackburn do share some traits with the Bolton of old, however, particularly in their aerial threat. Both central defenders – Samba and Ryan Nelson – stand well over six foot, and consequently will be an obvious threat from set pieces.
No time to dance | Samba is a big presence, literally
With Chelsea having been caught out in that area last weekend against Villa, Ancelotti will hope that his team have learned everything that they worked on at the training ground, after a week of set-piece drills.
The 50-year-old also has a couple of selection problems ahead of the game. Ricardo Carvalho, seemingly identified by the Italian as a weak link defensively this season, was dropped against Atletico in favour of the more robust Branislav Ivanovic.
It will be interesting to see if the Serbian keeps his place, especially as Blackburn's attack is more about mobility – something Carvalho usually deals with well – than aerial ability.
The same could probably have been said about Atletico though, so Ivanovic will be quietly confident of keeping his place.
If Ivanovic does start, Juliano Belletti will probably slot in again at right-back as Jose Bosingwa is still recovering from a hamstring injury. The Brazilian utility player was solid in mid-week, and his attacking tendencies could well cause Rovers some problems down their left flank – the visitors look weaker in that area since selling Stephen Warnock (who was impressive for new club Villa last week).
It will also be a big game for Deco, who has filled the position at the top of the diamond in recent weeks.
Winning salute | But Deco will feel he can play better
He has seemed off the pace so far this season, with his undoubted class and creativity only glimpsed.
Having recently come back from injury, Ancelotti seems content to give the 32-year-old time to find his feet, and indeed the Portuguese international's performances have improved in recent weeks.
Saturday could be the game where he really makes his mark, especially as coming up against the likes of Keith Andrews and the emerging Steven Nzonzi shouldn't hold any fears.
Ancelotti might also consider restoring Lampard behind the front two.
With John Obi Mikel, Alex and Yuri Zhirkov the only other players unlikely to feature (all carry slight knocks), Ancelotti will demand another commanding home performance from his most important players, before he gives them a rest for Wednesday's League Cup clash with Allardyce's former club Bolton.
Alex Dimond, Goal.com UK
That is how it has been all season, and so it continued this week.
Chelsea made light work of Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, a result that reassured fans about the strength of Carlo Ancelotti's side; the 4-0 win also brought about the downfall of Atletico boss Abel Resino.
"I think it's what we wanted after the disappointment away to Villa, and we got what we asked for," captain John Terry said after the game.
"I think we started well in the Champions League with three clean sheets and three wins. In other years we have started well and got ourselves in the hat early on, which gives the manager options to bring in other players and try new things."
The victory maintained the club's 100 per cent home record in all competitions this season, a run the team will be confident of continuing when Stamford Bridge plays host to its second game of the week.
But their opponents on Saturday evening, Blackburn Rovers, are equally upbeat at the moment, after their memorable 3-2 win at home against bitter local rivals Burnley – a match that has already been turned into a commemorative DVD.
Encouragingly for the Blues, Blackburn have conceded three goals a game on average in their last eight league fixtures, a worrying stat for Sam Allardyce that is unlikely to improve, with Nicolas Anelka and the returning Didier Drogba on top form.
Drogba will for once find himself coming up against a defender that is more than equal to him physically. Christopher Samba stands an imposing 6ft 6in, and has the strength to outmuscle even the powerful Ivorian. But whether he can cope with Drogba's pace and movement is another matter.
With Frank Lampard back to goalscoring ways and Anelka proving himself a willing worker for the team, manager Carlo Ancelotti will be confident his players can take advantage of Rovers' dodgy defence.
Home and dry | Chelsea blunted Atletico's potent attack
The Italian's more immediate concern will be about ensuring his own backline is up to scratch.
Under Allardyce, Rovers have not simply become Bolton Wanderers Mk II. 'Big Sam' has been keen to give creative players like Morten Gamst Pedersen and David Dunn the freedom to play their natural game, with encouraging results.
Ancelotti will have to pay close attention to Dunn, who has scored in each of his side's last two games and looks far and away their most dangerous attacking player. His exceptional form has led some to suggest England boss Fabio Capello should hand the 29-year-old a surprise call-up.
"Who knows? It's difficult to get in the England team given the amount of quality players they have," Dunn said after last week's win against Burnley.
"I'll keep doing my best for Blackburn. You never know."
Whatever his international prospects, after Richard Dunne's vital contribution for Villa last weekend, Ancelotti will not want to suffer at the hands of the Irishman's namesake (minus the extra 'e') – especially as the Englishman seems to be revelling in his new role playing off the main striker.
In recent weeks that main striker has been Chelsea's own Franco Di Santo, but Premier League rules forbid the on-loan striker from playing against his owners and so Jason Roberts will probably come back into the starting line-up.
Blackburn do share some traits with the Bolton of old, however, particularly in their aerial threat. Both central defenders – Samba and Ryan Nelson – stand well over six foot, and consequently will be an obvious threat from set pieces.
No time to dance | Samba is a big presence, literally
With Chelsea having been caught out in that area last weekend against Villa, Ancelotti will hope that his team have learned everything that they worked on at the training ground, after a week of set-piece drills.
The 50-year-old also has a couple of selection problems ahead of the game. Ricardo Carvalho, seemingly identified by the Italian as a weak link defensively this season, was dropped against Atletico in favour of the more robust Branislav Ivanovic.
It will be interesting to see if the Serbian keeps his place, especially as Blackburn's attack is more about mobility – something Carvalho usually deals with well – than aerial ability.
The same could probably have been said about Atletico though, so Ivanovic will be quietly confident of keeping his place.
If Ivanovic does start, Juliano Belletti will probably slot in again at right-back as Jose Bosingwa is still recovering from a hamstring injury. The Brazilian utility player was solid in mid-week, and his attacking tendencies could well cause Rovers some problems down their left flank – the visitors look weaker in that area since selling Stephen Warnock (who was impressive for new club Villa last week).
It will also be a big game for Deco, who has filled the position at the top of the diamond in recent weeks.
Winning salute | But Deco will feel he can play better
He has seemed off the pace so far this season, with his undoubted class and creativity only glimpsed.
Having recently come back from injury, Ancelotti seems content to give the 32-year-old time to find his feet, and indeed the Portuguese international's performances have improved in recent weeks.
Saturday could be the game where he really makes his mark, especially as coming up against the likes of Keith Andrews and the emerging Steven Nzonzi shouldn't hold any fears.
Ancelotti might also consider restoring Lampard behind the front two.
With John Obi Mikel, Alex and Yuri Zhirkov the only other players unlikely to feature (all carry slight knocks), Ancelotti will demand another commanding home performance from his most important players, before he gives them a rest for Wednesday's League Cup clash with Allardyce's former club Bolton.
Alex Dimond, Goal.com UK
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