Chelsea 0-2 Swansea City: Don't Blame Ivanovic
By Since66
January 10 2013
What a week of highs and lows (more lows than highs I reckon) for Chelsea’s No.2, Branislav Ivanovic. Last week against QPR he missed two headers that on another day would have gone in. Then on Saturday he scored at Southampton.. yep you know it.. with a header. Then the new magazine came out with Ivanovic on the front cover complete with a big beaming broad smile and finally, last night, disaster for the giant Serb.
He was at fault for both of Swansea’s which could seal the demise of the European Champions League Cup Wembley dreams.
Take nothing away from Swansea. They earned their good fortune. They set-up themselves up for a draw, hoping to nick a goal and instead got two thanks to Chelsea’s continued charity work for good causes.
I don’t blame Ivanovic at all, I genuinely feel sorry for the bloke who was so distraught at the end as he waited for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.
The fault for Chelsea’s inefficiencies last night lay firmly with The Portly One. So much for giving it all the big one about getting Torres to score again. The poor bloke was passed around by the likes of Ramires, Oscar, Mata and Hazard and NOT ONCE was Torres given the opportunity to get in the box, but once Demba Ba came on for the final twelve minutes, BA caused mayhem in Swansea’s defence.
Why ‘The Portly One’ left it so late to bring Ba on is bewildering considering how badly Chelsea needed a goal and the way Torres was struggling, and why, after his two goal debut at Southampton did ‘The Portly One’ not start with Ba in the first place?
Why didn’t Super Frank start, bearing in mind he was ‘rotated’ at St Marys?
All the service a striker needed was fed into the area. Ba had two headers which one was saved, one flashed past the post. Ba had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside and adding insult to injury he was booked for ‘simulation’ by challenging for a loose ball.
We all know Torres was an Abramovich signing. Unfortunately Chelsea do not suit Torres’ style of play. Torres is a footballing striker. He needs the ball played to his feet and to be given the opportunity to turn and run at defences like he used to do in his days up north, but because Abramovich flashed the cash, the pressure and comparisons have been unfairly labelled on Torres since the day he signed, over two years ago.
I would let him go and let him go as soon as possible – put the poor bloke out his misery
This situation with Torres is like watching Shevchenko (another Abramovich signing) struggle to make an impact. When Ballack signed at the same time, I dreamt of through balls after through balls being laid at Sheva’s feet for him to run onto for a chance at goal, but again Chelsea did not play Sheva to his strengths nor play him that often!
It is going to be one almighty ask to go to The Liberty and have to score three or more goals to win (two for extra-time) and not to concede, bear in mind though our last two visits have ended 1-1, but Leeds and Southampton were hit with five…. So there is hope!
Two of Chelsea’s best chances came in the first-half from Ramires and Mata. Both contrived to disguise their efforts as passes to the goalkeeper.
Chelsea: Turnbull, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Cole (c), Ramires (Lampard 70), Luiz, Oscar (Marin 82), Mata, Hazard, Torres (Ba 78)
Booked: Ba 90
Swansea: Tremmel, Rangel, Chico, Williams (c), Davies, Britton, Ki-Sung-Yueng, Hernandez, De Guzman, Routledge (Tiendalli 62), Michu (Graham 83)
Goals: Michu 38, Graham 90
Booked: Hernandez 41, Chico 47
NEXT UP: Stoke City (a) Oh Great!!, Saturday 12/1/13, k.o.3pm
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