Is Chelsea's Dominance Beautiful or Not?

As a Chelsea fan, I have been ecstatic with the recent run of form we have had. We look unstoppable, but as we all know - no team is unstoppable.

My sister however happens to be an Arsenal fan, and I'm predicting an interesting discussion (to say the least) when I next speak to her about the match. She loves the way Arsenal out-class teams with their superior passing and movement.

I will confess it is quite a frightening sight as a rival when you watch Arsenal toss aside teams your side has recently struggled against. However, after the match at Porto, I had no worries about the Arsenal match - except maybe for the referee, (as a Chelsea fan you learn that you can make the best team in the world look ordinary and still lose thanks to the referee.)

So barring any major decisions going against us, I was convinced we would beat Arsenal.

At Estadio do Dragao, we invited pressure, but restricted them to long shots. They did surprise us with the intensity of their attack at times, but we weathered everything they threw at us. Going down the wings we always looked dangerous as well, so it wasn't too surprising when Anelka netted the only goal of the game.

At the Emirates, it was a similar story. We played within ourselves, allowed them to come forward and become frustrated as we bullied them off the ball. With just the solitary striker, they ran out of options fast. After the first goal, I said to my friend "We're just going to make it even harder for them now."

And so we did, and when the second came, It was a nailed on three points. It was a lucky deflection, but it highlighted the vast difference between the organisation of both defences, and the importance of having a fantastic left back in the side.

I said to my friend as the second half kicked off "This will be an uneventful half, we're just going to frustrate them and try and catch them on the break." I wasn't far off. The only difference being that the third goal didn't come from a break, it came from a free kick.

As a an aside, I have a bone to pick with the Arsenal fans and others who point to the disallowed goal. Even if it was the wrong decision, I could point to the two penalty decisions that didn't go our way. And it was the right decision since Eduardo's foot was dangerously high.

But down to the main question: Was the tactical masterclass beautiful or not beautiful? I think you know what I think.

Turning up to a home match and hoping to beat one of your main rivals playing the way you always do is called lazy management. Turning up to an away match with a specific game plan in mind that you have worked on with your team to win the match - that's brave management, the type that wins trophies.

The true beauty in football is in the tactics.