Well well well!. What can I f**king say?. I am absolutely bouncing, been walking around all day with a huge smile on my face!. Four wins on the bounce and four clean sheets to boot. The impossible has now become possible. To go to the Bridge and completely nullify the trio of Drogba, Anelka and Torres is an achievement in itself, to nullify the whole team was really something else. Did Chelsea choke?, no, we choked them. Kenny and Steve did a great job in setting their stall out and the players did an even better job carrying out the plan. What I've noticed more than anything in the last few weeks is the way Kenny has chosen different formations to tackle different teams, something we didn't see with previous managers.
The 3-5-2 attack come 5-3-2 defence worked seamlessly and Chelsea didn't know how to deal with it. Putting Kelly and Johnson on the flanks to deal with Cole and Bosingwa breaking out proved to be the masterstroke and the most crucial battle on the field. We hardly saw either wing back on the attack and that is a credit to both Johnson and Kelly putting massive shifts in. Kelly is growing in stature, game by game and he really is going to be a powerhouse of a player in a couple of seasons. Johnson, while I don't think he's most happy with where he's been playing, is getting his head down and has improved enormously under the guidance of Kenny.
The back three of Agger, Carra and Skrtel worked really well and full credit goes to Skrtel for at last putting a good shift in after the last few shaky performances. I think a lot of that was to do with the reassuring presence of the legend that is Carragher. What a f**king colossal performance again from the leader of the back, that goal saving block from Torres and the way he outmuscled Drogba on several occasions were testament to his greatness and desire to win at all costs. His presence galvanised the defence, you'd never have thought it was his first game back since November. Agger had a stormer too, kept Torres quiet and dispossessed him on several occasions, frustrating the f**k out of the traitor. This style of football is what Agger loves playing, the instruction to play it on the deck and play it sexy.
Another player I've been impressed with under Kenny is Lucas Leiva. He's really starting to come out of his shell and I'm hoping that by the end of the season he'll be a lot closer to the player he could really be. A lot of credit has to go to Kenny again for giving him that license to roam forward a lot more than he did under the previous managers. Marshalled the back three well and made some crucial blocks and tackles. Still needs to work on his passing though. Meireles had a stormer too, all over the park and willing to run into space quite often, another player who has been a revelation under Kenny. The goal he scored was sublime, a really cool finish under a lot of pressure. My mate said it was a sitter?, what the f**k!. He was running across the penalty area, the ball was coming across him, he was running flat out, he had a space of about 2 foot to put it into due to Cech, Terry and Ivanavovic blocking the goal. Combine that with the fact he had both feet off the floor when he hit it and he was moving horizontally in the air, then I'd say that his technique was fantastic and the finish was bang f**king on!.
Gerrard was like a man possessed, you could tell that both himself and Carragher were determined to slam Torres' words back down his f**king throat!. He was everywhere and Lampard didn't get a look in, all our midfield were hunting both Lampard and Essien down like rabid dogs!. The ball in from Gerrard for the goal, and may I say what a f**king pass it was from Kelly that put him in, was absolutely outstanding. It dipped perfectly between Cech, Ivanovic and Kuyt, Kuyt dummying the stab as Cech and Ivanovic flapped and watched it go past them and Meireles buried it. After their misunderstanding in the first half I thought we would have played more on that indecision between Ivanovic and Cech but it wasn't to be. I don't know if anyone else notices this but Cech is always reluctant to take physical contact, ever since that collision with Stephen Hunt about 5 years ago. I know it's understandable but I feel it's a weakness that teams should exploit. That helmet is his comfort blanket and until he removes it I feel there will always be that element of vulnerability in his game.
Kuyt has come in for a lot of stick from me this season and rightly so but against Chelsea he led the line well. He fought for everything and in games or wars like this he rises to the occasion. He makes a nuisance of himself and it was good to see a striker defending from the front again, something we've been missing in the last 12 months or so. My only qualm with Kuyt is that he's never going to beat his man in a one on one situation, he's never going to get in behind the defence and score goals. He held the ball up well and in all fairness, with the style of football we're playing at the moment the that isn't such an issue anymore as there is always plenty of support coming from the middle.
I'd like to say last but not least but I'm afraid it's last and least, Maxi Rodriguez. He had a f**king nightmare and I'm not talking about the miss either. He was absolutely terrible and runs about like a headless chicken with no end product. Another thing that pisses me off is when he gets tackled or muscled off the ball and goes down like a cheap whore. And why does he always clutch his left f**king shin?. I've lost count of the times where I've actually seen him get kicked in the right ankle and thigh and he still clutches his left shin. Half the time I think it's an act because he feels like a right tit when he loses the ball so feigns injury to hide his embarassment. In fact it just highlights the embarassment as he puts us under more pressure with a man down in defence. He really has got to go in the Summer and I'll be very surprised if he survives the Anfield cull.
Pepe Reina, not a lot to say really. The defence were fantastic and he had very little to do bar that leg block. It's nice to see him having some easy games under Kenny after the bombardment he constantly suffered under Roy Hodgson. The belief in these players has been beautiful to see, they are playing for each other, they are playing for us, they are playing for the Club. But most of all I think they are playing to please Kenny. Kenny and all his staff have worked miracles in a short space of time, credit goes to them all and also the away fans at the game yesterday, they were f**king awesome!. Singing until the end and giving Torres what for. Well done lads.
To recap then, Carragher for MOTM, was everywhere and fought like a lion. Meireles with a great goal and performance but he really needs to stick his leg in more often, I counted at least ten challenges that he sh*t out of. Maxi can shape up or f**k off. Everyone else, 110% effort and commitment. Kenny and the staff, brilliant tactical masterclass and massive respect for turning us back into a force again. That win yesterday sent out a message to the rest of the League, rest assured that Spurs and Chelsea will be looking over their shoulders with fear in their eyes for the rest of the season.
Had to go to work straight after the game so I watched the post match interview with Carra, Meireles and Kenny when I got home this morning and I must have rewound it at least fifteen times!. Loved hearing Carra and Meireles saying team every other word and Kenny's interview was fantastic!. He really knows how to get a message across, he really loves this Club and he knows exactly what he wants to do next. You can tell by the way he never pauses before he answers a question, it's coming from the heart. There is nothing to hide, no agenda, just a love for this Club, his family. I am on cloud nine, I haven't been this happy for a long long time.
« Last Edit: Feb 08, 2011 01:21:40 am by hardcoresoldier »
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