Chelsea FC '08/'09 Season Review Part Two: New Year, New Faces

The New Year did not start well for Chelsea, with a last minute equaliser from Southend forcing a replay in the FA Cup third round tie, an extra fixture that an injury stretched squad and an under pressure manager could scarcely afford to concede. 

Things went from bad to worse the following weekend when Chelsea was thoroughly embarrassed at Old Trafford. Manchester United's 3-0 victory was barely contested by Chelsea, whose frustration was evident to any spectator.

The cup replay was another poor game for Chelsea. They went behind on a goal which resulted from a Southend corner, one of about 14 conceded by Chelsea in the whole match.

Going in at half time 1-0 down may have been the final blow for the Blues but the intervention of Michael Ballack on the stroke of half time gave them an inch of breathing room.

Chelsea dominated the second half as the League One side failed to match their fitness levels, and went on to win the game 4-1. However, it was by no means an easy victory.

Chelsea's Premier League form was no better, with a 2-1 victory at home to Stoke made much more difficult that it needed to be. With numerous chances squandered by the home side, Stoke took the lead on the 60th minute and looked very much like getting the win.

The attitude towards the manager had been frosty at best, but that game turned it toward outright hostility as Scolari failed to make any changes to the failing tactics of the team.

Belletti's goal in the 88th minute to salvage what fans thought was a point, brought jubilation.

When Lampard's winner went in in the 94th minute it felt like we'd won a cup.

In the fourth round of the FA Cup, Chelsea were once again at home to lower league opposition, this time in the form of Championship side Ipswich Town. Once again the sides were level at 1-1 at half time.

Again, it was the fitness levels, as well as Frank Lampard and a Michael Ballack double, that saw the game end 3-1 to Chelsea.

It was looking as if there was no longer anything particularly special about a side which last season had competed in one of the best Champions League Finals in living memory, and had battled back to contest a league that had seemed all but lost.

A 2-0 home win against Middlesboro was followed by a 2-0 loss at Anfield, a result which saw even third place in the league looking doubtful, as Chelsea's performances continued their downhill slide.

Finally, a stalemate at home to Premiership newcomers Hull City broke the camel's back, and Luiz Felipe Scolari was relieved of his duties as first team coach. He became the third manager to part company with the club in two years.

One of his last actions as coach had been to sign Ricardo Quaresma on a half-season loan from Inter Milan. This seemed to me to be a work of genius, as he is an exciting player who would have brought an extra dimension to a side that looked flat at best.

However, he was not given a chance and ended up seeing out his loan spell in the reserve side, a disappointing waste of time and talent.

Temporary replacement manager Guus Hiddink, on the other hand turned out to be neither disappointing nor a waste of time.

The change in the attitude of the team was immediately noticeable as they played as if with a new wind during their 3-1 win over Watford in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Whilst Ray Wilkins was acting as caretaker manager for the game, Hiddink had already been introduced to the squad, and his influence was apparent.

Whilst scintillating displays were still not forthcoming, Chelsea's work rate improved dramatically with the arrival of the new manager. Their renewed focus saw them win the Champions' League first knockout stage 1-0 against Juventus, sandwiched between a 1-0 victory at Aston Villa and a 2-1 home win over Wigan.

A seemingly revitalised Drogba secured the only goal of the game against Portsmouth on March 3. He was on target again in Chelsea's next two games, a 2-0 victory over Coventry in the cup and a 2-2 away draw with Juventus.

Drogba's goal in Turin was reminiscent of Bob Dylan in 1963, with fans left wondering "how many times must a ball cross the line, before it is given as a goal?"

The draw was enough to secure a 3-2 aggregate win for Chelsea, setting up a Quarter Final clash with Liverpool. Fatalistic Chelsea fans were beginning to sense a theme emerging.

However, "The Bison" had returned in the form of Michael Essien, who had capped his return to the side following six months out injured with a goal in Turin, a goal he virtually repeated against Man City in the league the following week.

Essien proved immediately just how essential he is to Chelsea's midfield and his return, combined with Hiddink's determination and football sense, brought life to a team that just a few weeks previously had appeared on the brink of total failure.

The Premiership had been out of Chelsea's hands for a while up to this point, and it became a battle with Liverpool for second place alone after a 1-0 loss to Tottenham, despite the subsequent 2-0 victory over relegation candidates Newcastle.

While the League was a long shot, it seemed that with Hiddink there was a real chance of silverware at Stamford Bridge, possibly even the big one. I mean the really big one.