Chelsea: The New Invincibles?

I know it’s only been one game, but it’s not only me who’s thinking it. Right?

Joe Cole, Anelka, Lampard and Deco formed the quartet of goal scorers who punished Portsmouth for being a better-than-average team who dared not to put 10 men behind the ball at Stamford Bridge. What was Harry Redknapp thinking when he came up with his game-plan? Did he believe that his two average strikers (Crouch and Defoe) would really threaten the central defensive triangle of Carvalho, Terry and Mikel? There’s no doubt that Redknapp should have played a defensive game if he didn’t want Portsmouth to get hammered, but don’t let his mistake detract from Chelsea’s brilliant performance.

Joe Cole impressed from the kick-off in the first game of the season and scored the first goal. Joe Cole’s impressive performance is not to be ignored given his lack of opportunities to play in the last few seasons. Deco showed the vision and coolness in possession which belies his Brazilian blood and rounded off the game with a swerving goal from 25 yards out. However, Bosingwa, rather than Deco, has been Chelsea’s key signing. I was lucky enough to be sitting on the right side of the pitch Chelsea were attacking in the first half, so I had a particularly good view of Bosingwa bossing the right flank. The addition of Bosingwa on the right and Ashley Cole on the left gives Chelsea two Brazilian-style attacking full-backs to provide width and speed.

The only weakness in Chelsea’s squad is up-front. Anelka scored and looked dangerous, but he didn’t put in the extra effort required to stretch for a couple passes which could have been converted into goal-scoring opportunities. We have yet to see Monsieur Anelka really push himself to reach his potential yet again. Shevchenko must be given a good run of games before January, when Scolari must take the decision to keep him, if he finally comes good, or sell him for an inevitable loss. Kalou has shown ability, but not enough for Scolari to think he could score 20 plus league goals if he was given a starting striker role. So, that leaves Drogba as the only fully reliable striker. However, Chelsea will definitely score more goals from midfield than from their strikers as Lampard, Deco and Joe Cole will push forward in all games. Still, the addition of Robinho would complete the Chelsea squad. Better still, why not buy Berbatov? Spurs are prepared to sell him for about £30m and they would prefer not to sell him to Manchester United. With Berbatov leading the forward line for Chelsea, it would be game over for Man U, Arsenal and Liverpool.

OK, so Chelsea smashed Portsmouth and have a strong squad, but what of Man U, Arsenal and Liverpool. Well, I have the feeling that Liverpool will drop out of the top 4 this season and finish as low as sixth. Why? That’s what my next article will be about. Man U without Ronaldo at his best will finish second or third. The Portu-geezer has probably started wearing Real Madrid pyjamas to bed in anticipation of his likely move to the Bernabeu at the end of the season. Tevez and Rooney are talented strikers but they need good midfield service. If Ronaldo does not perform, the task of creating opportunities will fall to Nani and Andersen, who have the skills required but not the experience to undo the likes of Chelsea. Old Red-Face may have to resort to fielding Scholes and Giggs to provide service to his strikers, which would be particularly satisfying after his comments about Chelsea being too old to win.

That leaves Arsenal as the team most likely to challenge Chelsea for the title. In their games against FC Twente and West Bromwich Albion, Arsenal didn’t show the qualities needed to be Premier League champions. However, they have a number of key players to return from injury, in particular Rosicky, Toure and Fabregas. Also, Wenger has stated that he will be buying a midfielder. Once again, fans and journalists alike don’t know what to expect from Arsenal this season. If Van Persie stays injury-free, he should bag about 20 to 25 league goals; remember he had a great scoring run at the start of last season before he was injured. Also, Samir Nasri comes with a lot of games for Marseille under his belt and is considered a very talented player.

Apart from Chelsea’s trips to the Emirates and Old Trafford, I can’t see a game that Chelsea are likely not to win, let alone lose. Newcastle, Man U’s regular six-pointer, have already shown that Man U can be shaken at home; and once again, Arsenal failed to kill-off weak opposition at home. So, Chelsea’s trips to Arsenal and Man U could be fruitful. Even though it’s just been one game, only one team has shown their intent to win the title. So, can Chelsea become the New Invincibles? It’s worth a punt!

By Sam Jordan.