Chelsea 6 - West Bromwich Albion 0

Date:	Saturday 14th August 2010
Competition:	Barclays Premier League
Chelsea: 8.0	(4-4-2) Cech, Ferreira, Alex, Terry, Cole, Mikel, Essien, Lampard (Benayoun, 64), Malouda, Drogba (Kalou, 69), Anelka Unused subs: Hilario, Ivanovic, Zhirkov, Sturridge, Van Aanholt Booked: Ferreira (58, Foul)
WBA: 4.2	(4-5-1) Carson 3.4, Jara Reyes 4.8, Pablo 4.7, Tamas 4.7, Cech 5.1, Mulumbu 5.7, Brunt 4.7, Morrison 4.0, Dorrans 5.1 (Cox, 67 4.3), Thomas 6.1 (Barnes, 84 4.6), Bednar 4.5 (Miller, 67 4.5) Unused subs: Myhill, Shorey, Olsson, Reid Manager: Roberto Di Matteo 4.9
Scorers:	Drogba (46, 55, 68), Malouda (5, 90), Lampard (63)
Referee:	Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear) 6.6
Attendance:	41,589 Home Fans 5.1 Away Fans 5.5

Dave Watkin:

OPENING DAY FIXTURES

It?s the start of our fifth Premier League campaign and once again we begin with an away fixture. After our three previous promotions, we were sent to Manchester United (lost 0-1), Blackburn Rovers (drew 1-1) and Arsenal (lost 0-1) and now it?s Chelsea. They happen to be the only four clubs to have won the Premier League ? someone doesn?t like us. After the ?great escape?, we played at Manchester City (drew 0-0).

Our last opening day victory in the top flight was 2-1 over Ipswich Town at The Hawthorns, on Saturday 19th August 1978, when the two Browns, Alistair and Tony, scored. For an away win in the old Division One, we must go back exactly thirty-nine years, to 14th August 1971, when Tony Brown netted the only goal at West Ham.

This weekend?s hammering is by far our worst ever opening day defeat; previously, in 111 league seasons, we?d never lost by more than three goals.

BAGGIES AT CHELSEA

Our record at Stamford Bridge in the Premiership is dismal; five defeats without scoring, conceding fifteen times. In fact, in the last thirty-two years, we?ve picked up just one point from eight visits! However, go back a season and on Saturday 30th September 1978, in front of 21,022 fans, the following team: Godden, Batson, Statham, Cunningham, Wile, Robertson, Robson, A Brown, Regis, Cantello, T Brown (sub. Trewick) came away with a 3-1 win, thanks to goals from Cyrille Regis, John Wile and Tony Brown. What?s more the Baggies moved into 3rd place in the table and Chelsea slipped to 21st. That season, we finished 3rd with 59 points (2 points for a win), Chelsea with 20 points, were 22nd (bottom) and relegated. Those were the days!

MATCH REPORT

As expected, Albion lost to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. We conceded an early goal and another seconds before half time. These opening sentences are identical to those I wrote after our visit two years ago! Unfortunately, this time Chelsea did not ease up after the break, but went on to take us apart.

The Baggies conceded three free kicks on the edge of the box in the first half and the way we defended them settled the result of the game. In the 6th minute, from a central position, Drogba drove straight at the keeper, Carson spilled the ball and Mikel set up Malouda for a tap in. Albion responded; a long range shot from Graham Dorrans was deflected by Roman Bednar and Cech had to scramble across his line to make a full length save at the foot of the post. Then, midway through the half, Roman Bednar was fractionally offside as he chipped the ball past Cech into the top corner of the net. We needed to reach the break without conceding another. The second free kick, from the right, was hammered goalwards by Lampard, this time Scott Carson made an excellent block but we were a tad fortunate that Malouda nodded the rebound over. However, in the 46th minute the game was effectively over. The third free kick, right of centre but further out, didn?t seem to pose the same danger. However, when Drogba stroked his shot goalwards, Tamas and Brunt in the wall parted and the shot finished just inside Carson?s left hand post.

In truth, the second half passed by in a bit of a blur. In the 57th minute, the home side netted their third set piece goal. Malouda curled an inswinging corner into the box, Terry?s glancing header was cleared off the line by Youssouf Malouda, but in a scramble, Drogba was quickest to react and slam the ball home from close range. In the 63rd minute, Chelsea scored their first goal from open play. A crisp passing movement was finished by Lampard with a low shot from ten yards. Luck deserted Albion in the 68th minute. Although we should have got the ball away, after it fell for Drogba, his fierce long range shot took a wicked deflection off Tamas to leave Carson helpless. Chelsea left the best ?til last. In the 90th minute, they appeared to be content just to keep possession, but a clever chip from Anelka found Malouda and he rounded Carson to fire home off the inside of a post.

I?ve chosen Jerome Thomas as man-of-the-match, at times he tormented his marker, but sadly there was no end product. His only challenger for the honour was Youssouf Mulumbu, who won the ball determinedly in midfield.

ALBION FORMRATE: POOR

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: JEROME THOMAS

agrillage:

Well we did not deserve to lose 6-0 but we did deserve to lose 3-0. Some poor defending, especially on set pieces. Chelsea took their chances and took their luck too. However, if Chelsea keep that team fit they will win the league by a country mile. We just played far and away the toughest game we will have this season. We will not be the last team to go there and get spanked this season. The season starts properly next week.

Yammess:

Wall, what Wall?

First two goals result of 'wall' chickening out, IMO. What's the point of a wall if you don't 'brave-up' to it? Altho', having said that, Carson should have held onto the ball, after it came thro', for the 1st. Bad keeping. Suppose we're bottom on GD. :-((

Thought we tried to play, which was good, and we shan't play Chelski again at the Bridge, but questions have to be asked of a few players. Thomas was good down the wing, BUT his crosses were c--p. Neither of our 'strikers' are up to it in this div. Altho' Biggish did try. His pace exceeds his ability, sorry. Usual suspects missing the target by miles when they tried to shoot. (over to you, Kevin)

Good learning curve for everybody at the club, not least Arkwright, but he ain't go'nna change his modus operandi. We shall toil again, in the stratosphere. Mind you, we shall see some good teams, and it'll be exciting trying to beat the drop. Not really depressed, trying to be realistic, and I'm still fairly optimistic.

Trying to find plusses. But it's difficult to judge, against a team who can bring on Abramovich, Kalou, Benyaoun etc, and end up treating it as a practice match. Next match will give a better idea. We deffo need to win those types.

COYB.

Paul:

We deserved to lose 6 0 that performance was abject. The pressure on the ball in midfield was entirely absent and to be honest utterly embarrassing. The lack of quality up front is going to haunt us. I am an optimist but this is the least capable team we have had in the premier. Surely Carson cannot hold his place though it would make little difference but hopefully an outfield player would be captain.

Kev Buckley:

My text-messaged thoughts, just before Chelsea got their second were simply these - "we have been here before".

In the end, despite the new manager and the new approach, it wasn't too hard to see the parallels with last top flight campaign, was it. An Albion side not looking out of place for periods but ultimately being let down by defensive howlers and ending up well beaten. Of course, with this being the start of the season, it'll be interesting to see who gets the blame: last time it was the manager and his tactics, never the players and their on-field inabilities in the basics of the game.

Before either team had really begun to develop a theme, except perhaps for Bruiser with a trademark Ooooooh-inducing shot from outside the box merely troubling the advertising hoardings after just 2m 45s, Carson showed just why English international keepers are now right up there with their Scottish bretheren of yore, failing to hold onto a ball that went right into his midriff and seeing the much sharper Chelsea players capitalising and accepting the captain's gift. Couldn't Carsonhave exchanged pennants before kick-off instead?

For a while though, after that nightmare start, Albion moved the ball around well, albeit without really threatening through the middle or on the right, and whilst Thomas, on the left, gave his opponent a really hard time, it was hard to see who he had in support so as to get in behind the Chelsea's back line. The other discernible tactic seemed to be the long raking diagonal ball from Brunt in the general direction of a pretty much isolated Bednar.

And then, as with so many games two seasons ago, just when you thought an Albion side might have given themselves some confidence against superior opposition, another howler at the back ended the game as a contest.

Drogba, later to be "awarded" a hat-trick by a deflection that altered the flight of a shot heading straight at Carson (OK, benefit of the doubt to Drogba then) so much that, had this been a physics experiment, the angle involved would have suggested the existence of the atomic nucleus, shot straight at and straight through a wall thereby negating the same nuclear theory. Two-nil at half time and game over.

In the second half, Chelsea, as you might expect, demonstrated just how easy it is for a side, largely untroubled by the defensive midfield striving of the opposition, to just step up a gear every now and then and be completely untroubled when delivering a final shot.

David Pleat, doing the TV punditry, suggested that RdM might take a couple of positives from the game, so I'll suggest Thomas and Mulumbu, the latter's willingess to drive forwards with the ball coming as quite a surprise to me but perhaps less to those with full coverage of, or widespread attendance at, second tier games.

Early days of course: plenty of time to make things better and for me to make it better? Offensively, drop Morrison and put Brunt on the right of the three, assuming you really do need to have him on his wrong foot, even if it does means we lose the long raking diagional ball approach. Defensively, forget about Brunt in the role that Beckham never got to play, even if it does means we lose the long raking diagional ball approach, and get someone who can tackle in alongside Mulumbu, otherwise, why have someone there.

cliff61:

Well it was dejavu to a certain extent wasn't it? Seen it all before. I was speaking to a bloke at H/T and he made the point, which I have often made, that Albion just don't seem to be able to "have a go" or to really play without fear, in the way that Hull did in their first season. (3-4 at old trafford, 2-2 at Anfield and 2-1 at Arsenal) Also making the point that if Albions first game was away at Wigan we would have been more than happy with a draw, whereas Blackpool go and thump them 4-0, something Albion have never got anywhere near to doing in our prem seasons. Is this because we have a different type of player? Midfielders who are nice on the ball but can't cope when the going gets tough?

For what its worth I thought Mulumbu and Thomas were excellent.

Stating the obvious but Carson was awful, he should never be captain, he spilt the ball in a similar way at QPR last season costing us the all important opening goal and Bednar, who I'm a fan off, was way out of his depth. I don't think Brunt can play in that position, he's to easilly brushed aside.

Paul Barnsley:

As Kev Buckley correctly said "In the end, it wasn't too hard to see the parallels with last top flight campaign, was it. An Albion side not looking out of place for periods but ultimately being let down by defensive howlers and ending up well beaten."

I would suggest that this pretty much sums yesterday up.

I thought Mulumbu was outstanding - passed it well, worked really hard and stood up to the onslaught well. Thomas looked dangerous (if a bit headless chicken a la Lennon/Wright Phillips at times) and I also thought that Dorrens had a couple of good moments. I was actually shocked in a good way at the quality of our play in the first half. All undone of course by individual defensive lapses.

I generally agree with the comments about Carson but I would be surprised if he was dropped on the basis of one mistake. The wall and cover for the first goal were suspect for me, although it was a clear howler by Carson. Dropping him now would not be good for his confidence would it?

For me the two changes I would consider are Jara into the midfield alongside Mulumbu and possibly Miller for Bednar purely on the basis that he has pace and power. Ultimately however we really do need at least one new forward before the window closes.

A heavy defeat at Chelsea was predictable but in terms of what it means for the rest of the season probably meaningless. Next Saturday will be a much better barometer and Sunderland exactly the sort of team we can usefully measure ourselves against.

Of much more concern to me than the defeat are three things:

The fact that despite personel changes - and much waffle on here and elsewhere about how the Head Coach has 'sorted out the defensive problems'- the individual defensive errors under pressure seem set to continue
Where are the goals going to come from? The system we are playing really does concern me as the 1 up top gets isolated and it invites teams onto us - and unlike the Championship these teams are not going to break down every 2 seconds and then stand and watch whilst Dorrens and Thomas hit them on the break. I hope there is a Plan B - as Plan A only works in the Championship!!
Confidence - yesterday will soon be forgotten but if we take further hammerings in the next 3 away games then heads could drop. And we'll be playing catch up.We could do with nicking a point at Anfield or the Asburton Grove imho, not only would be a useful one it would be massive for morale.