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Newcastle travelled to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in the reverse fixture of the match on December 6 that had put paid to hopes of an unbeaten season for Jose Mourinho. Since then Chelsea have played well for the most part, with only one major blip – the 5-3 nightmare at White hart Lane. Newcastle on the other hand have seen quite a change in their fortunes since.For starters, the Magpies have a new caretaker manager, with Alan Pardew replaced by John Carver. After beating Chelsea 2-1 at home they have lost to Arsenal, Tottenham, Sunderland, Manchester United, and Leicester in League and Cup matches.Kurt Zouma and Petr Cech were given their first and second Premier League starts this season respectively. Gary Cahill and Thibaut Courtois were given a rest. John Terry made his 648th appearance for Chelsea, moving to 3rd in the all-time list at the club.Newcastle welcomed back TIm Krul in goal, who missed the last 8 league games. Luckily for the Blues, Papiss Cisse who has consistently managed to score against them, was away on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
#1 Chelsea take 3 points, Newcastle take heart
After an embarrassing defeat to bitter rivals on New Year’s day, the pressure was on Jose Mourinho’s squad to go out and show that they were indeed Champion material. Surprisingly, Chelsea who have been strong starters this season struggled to do anything with the ball for majority of the first half.
Their only goal came late in the half, from a quick corner by Willian, who cleverly passed it to Branislav Ivanovic, only for him to put it on a plate for Oscar to slot into goal. Right from kick-off, Newcastle showed great organisation and broke well on the counter, with Cabella and Sissoko being the pick of the players in the first half.
Cabella showed great footwork on more than one occasion, when he squared up John Terry to fire a shot, which Cech did well to save. On another occasion he got past Matic and turned Azpilcueta inside-out to burst down the line.
It was all Newcastle in the first half with Sissoko striking the bar and Gouffran firing a thunderous shot at Cech. It could have been a different story if the Magpies managed to go in goalless at half time.
#2 Mourinho still special
In the press conference building up to the match Steve Holland claimed that Jose Mourinho was the best manager he had ever worked with. Mourinho surely showed what a difference he could make in 15 minutes.
In the first half Chelsea had a few issues to deal with – their passing was not as fluid as usual, Sissoko and Cabella were given too many opportunities to run at the defence and even the counter attacks were consistently thwarted by Newcastle.
There was a clear change in tactics in the second half, a with it a marked change in desire. They blocked off anyone trying to run through the middle, pressed the ball higher up the pitch and that is what led to their second goal. Diego Costa worked incredibly hard to harry Williamson, which allowed Hazard to nick the ball. A couple of passes and a cheeky flick from Oscar later, Diego Costa had the ball at his feet, from where he only had to dummy and shoot to beat Tim Krul with ease.
Although Chelsea never really commanded the game, the high-pressing tactics and a few cynical fouls on the half line meant that Petr Cech was hardly troubled in the second half.
#3 Diego Diego...
In what could be termed as a ‘pleasant surprise’, Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge have developed a Spanish accent. With chants of “Diego Diego” echoing across the stadium the Spanish international has become a favourite with the Blues, due to his relentless work rate, feisty attitude and prolific goal scoring rate.
And he exhibited all those traits today. He seemed a bit short on confidence in the first half when he tried to pass, or cut back on to his other foot instead of shoot at goal. And although he played a bit wider than he normally does, he kept working and reaped the rewards in the second half.
He is now the top scorer in the league with 15 goals, going past Sergio Aguero with a great strike.
Besides scoring the goal, he created another brilliant chance when he beat three defenders and Tim Krul to shoot on target only for Coloccini to hack it away just in time.
He had the best sort of game a striker can hope for, holding the ball and linking up play as well as making runs into the channels when required.
#4 All Play and no Rest
All play and no rest is making Chelsea a dull team.
Cesar Azpilicueta limped off the pitch with a groin problem, and the rest of the team seemed like they would rather be in bed than the pitch.
Chelsea looked tired from the start and that was hardly a surprise. In a squad with enviable options, 10 of Mourinho’s men have started more than 16 matches at this stage of the season already.
John Terry has started every Premier League game this season, and the Blues captain surely is not at his peak fitness. His game seems flawless, except when he is found lacking in speed when put in a one-on-one situation with a pacy forward.
Jose believes in having a small squad with a bunch of “untouchables”, but the method has its loopholes. With Chelsea competing on all four fronts, it seems increasingly difficult to see how the players would manage to keep up the intensity till the end of the season.
#5 Newcastle need to stop the slide
Newcastle have now lost 6 out of the previous 8 games, conceding 20 goals over that period. They have slipped to 10th in the league, with Stoke just one point behind with a game in hand.
The change in management has definitely hastened that slide. John Carver, the caretaker manager has given hints of an “unsettled dressing room” if a permanent appointment is not made soon.
Papiss Cisse has proved to be their saviour more than often this season. And with him not returning possibly till February, at the African Cup of Nations, Newcastle are potentially standing on a banana skin.
The Newcastle board needs to take quick action if they want to remain in contention for a European spot. They surely have too much quality to be pulled into a relegation scrap, but with unrest brewing, it needs to be remembered – stranger things have happened.
