Ancelotti's fine-tuning pays off

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Fulham 0 Chelsea 2: FOR A man unfamiliar with these parts Carlo Ancelotti's sense of etiquette was exquisite. There was a great sporting event in progress at The Oval and Chelsea were self-effacing. The bashfulness, of course, did not prevent them from winning to maintain a perfect record in these early days of the Premier League season.

The best way to make progress might be to do nothing at all, just so long as you are in charge of Chelsea. Ancelotti is no meddler and it would have been vanity to dismantle the work of his caretaker predecessor, Guus Hiddink.

A team that has been through several changes since Jose Mourinho was in charge must be thankful when it is left in peace. Ancelotti’s influence is being felt in the details. Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba have looked disconnected in times gone by, but they dovetailed so well here that each set up a goal for the other. “I was sure they can play together because they are fantastic strikers and they have different qualities. Anelka is very quick while Didier is stronger,” said the Italian.

Ancelotti extolled Anelka, in particular, for being so rounded a performer he can play on the flank, at centre-forward or just behind the attack. That versatility can cause food for thought. The Chelsea manager, for instance, felt Anelka had stayed a little too far towards the right in the first half. Subsequently, the player got himself into the middle well enough to kill off Fulham with his goal.

Ancelotti is eerily free of worries at present. He was even untouched by reports of a training-ground fight last week at a practice match between his team and the Qatari side Al-Ahli. A Chelsea spokesman said he had not been present and that the matter would be resolved between the clubs.

Potential conflicts were comprehensively addressed at Craven Cottage. Fulham were simply not permitted to put up a fight. Their manager, Roy Hodgson, was receptive to the idea his team had been feeling the effects of last Thursday’s Europa League qualifier with Amkar Perm. “We certainly played like that,” he agreed. “Our energy levels were low.”

Fulham were drained because Andrew Johnson sustained a shoulder injury in that match that will keep him out for a couple of months. There is no other attacker on the books with his mobility or talent. It was no surprise to find the Craven Cottage manager, in his programme notes, again decrying the challenge, during the Europa League qualifier against the Russian side, that did the damage to his striker.

Chelsea’s first clean sheet of the campaign felt overdue and Johnson’s absence all but guaranteed that the visitors would come through the afternoon unscathed.

The issue is acute. Fulham may have impressed by coming seventh last season, but they were joint 14th on the scoring charts. The lack of Johnson will pain Fulham even more in games to come. The club has now won once in the past 26 encounters with Chelsea.

Hodgson was exasperated that Jonathan Greening, who has arrived on loan from West Brom, could not take part because the signing deadline for this fixture was missed by 90 minutes. According to the manager, the delay was caused because it took so long to negotiate the fee for Greening’s agent.

At least there was nothing in this game to cause Hodgson deep resentment. Chelsea’s opener could have been disputed, but there is no questioning the outcome. If Drogba was offside when he finished off a fine move six minutes from the interval, the margin was too fine for any Fulham player to launch into furious dissent.

That first goal had been refined. Frank Lampard fed Anelka on the right and his pass set up Drogba to shoot low into the far corner of the net. Although Anelka eventually struck on his own account, this was a somewhat dull contest as Chelsea took great care in their work. With that first clean sheet on his record, Ancelotti will approve. In the first half there might as well have been some sort of agreement about the respective responsibilities.

Fulham were ready to defend at length and the visitors were preoccupied with probing attacks. The contrast was unavoidable. Hodgson’s side lacked the means to keep the match in the balance. In the 76th minute, Drogba delivered a sharp pass and Anelka rounded the goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer before easing the ball into the net.

Chelsea kept Michael Essien on the bench so that he could rest. The exhaustion belongs for the time being to the opponents who must encounter Ancelotti’s side.

Guardian Service