Chelsea 0-0 Newcastle: Home Form Still a Concern for the Blues

CHELSEA 0-0 NEWCASTLE

 

I was thinking as this one headed ever closer to a predictable 0-0 at home to Newcastle that this could very well be the story of our season.

 

Chelsea just aren’t convincing anybody at Stamford Bridge, but then again, this isn’t a new thing. Despite that "record" we drew far too many at home last season and it probably cost us in the end—let’s hope Chelsea sort it out before history repeats itself again this year.

 

Joe Kinnear’s Newcastle side put in a pretty stubborn defensive display and as often seems to be the case at Stamford Bridge, we had plenty of possession yet failed to make it count. In fact, Chelsea totally dominated in terms of possession (61 percent to Newcastle's 39 percent) and shots at goal (26-2) but just couldn’t break down the resolute Newcastle back-line.

 

Scolari sounded a bit narked after the game with the suggestion that Newcastle had played for a draw but the fact is, such is our reputation for giving points away at home, why shouldn’t they? Surely the onus is on Chelsea breaking them down?

 

Yet whilst Chelsea flooded the midfield keeping the ball pretty easily, and Newcastle failed to get a proper foothold in the game, they still managed to ride out every storm that came their way whilst Chelsea squandered the opportunity of opening up a gap at the top of the table.

 

Chelsea certainly had their chances and yet a combination of dodgy finishing and Shay Given’s keeping kept them out. Given’s only real slip coming in the 52nd minute when he parried an Anelka shot, quickly pounced on by Joe Cole, who tapped it in, only to see it chalked off for an offside decision against the Frenchman.

 

Given made up for that mistake when he somehow managed to keep a lofted Lampard shot from going over the line with some serious back-pedalling.

 

The second half pretty much carried on in the same vein as the first, with Chelsea having most of the possession and goal-scoring chances and yet remaining unable to make the breakthrough. So once again for all Chelsea’s huffing and puffing at Stamford Bridge, they failed to blow the opposition down, dropping another two points in the process.

 

So that’s nine points dropped at home this season and with us still only in November, it’s time Scolari addressed whatever it is that’s going on here.

 

Joe Kinnear seemed happy enough despite Newcastle’s lack of creativity in the game, after all, you wouldn’t have put money on them getting anything from Stamford Bridge a couple of months ago.

 

As for Chelsea, another pretty frustrating result at home although not exactly a complete disaster with Liverpool and United’s results mirroring our own.

 

TEAMS:

CHELSEA

Cech, Terry, A.Cole, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Malouda (Kalou 72), Lampard, Mikel, J.Cole (Ballack 82), Deco, Anelka

 

NEWCASTLE

Given, Coloccini, Enrique, Beye, Bassong, Gutierrez (N’Zogbia 77), Guthrie, Duff, Butt, Martins (Ameobi 61), Owen