Have Chelsea Lost Their Fight?

Before our game against Arsenal, Scolari was singing John Terry’s praises, informing the world’s press he was “born as a captain”.

 

Mind you, by the time the final whistle came, having previously already warned his team-mates the Gunners were still a threat irrespective of their apparent poor form, it sounds as if the players felt the full force of some of his leadership qualities.

 

Terry, like the rest of us, must be wondering what the hell is going on all of a sudden as the poor form that seemed to slowly creep into our game has now got a firm grip.

 

Out of the Carling Cup, just about hanging on in the Champions League and totally unconvincing at home in the Premier League—this isn’t the Chelsea we’d got used to. This isn’t the side who never knew when they were beaten, the side who could go a goal up and refuse to give the opposition another sniff of the ball, or even the side who could go a goal down and throw everything but machetes at the opposition to turn it around.

 

No wonder John Terry is reported to have torn strips off everyone in the dressing room after their toothless response to conceding in the second half of a game for the first time this season. Not that he’d have helped matters if his two-footed lunge had been punished on the day, but at least he wasn’t hiding behind the nearest blade of grass I suppose.

 

I remember last season and how bitter I felt about some of the decisions the club were making. Sacking Mourinho was one thing, but when it came down to replacing him with Avram Grant, well that was a whole different ball game.

 

Fair play though, by all accounts, the players totally ignored him and the Tom Jones sidekick they brought in to make up the numbers, and just got stuck in. It wasn’t pretty, and to be honest, I whinged like a bitch for the duration—and yet looking back, what they lacked in style, they made up for in determination.

 

They might not have won anything, but they certainly didn’t wave any white flags the minute they went a goal down in a game either.

 

I’m not suggesting for a second that I want a return to digging out results game after game in a style about as pleasant to watch as Scolari’s predecessor  in the buff, god knows I prayed for something resembling a decent game of football for long enough.

 

But on the other hand, whilst I get a buzz out of Scolari’s attack-minded ethos, I really can’t see what good racking up our goal difference will do if we can’t even play, never mind defend against our closest rivals.

 

So, as much as it pains me, I’m going to go along with the Chelsea captain’s sentiments and concede that Chelsea need to remember some of that mentality Mourinho instilled in them—and get back out there and fight.