Chelsea warming to the task

FA Premier League/Wigan 0 Chelsea 2:Avram Grant has been manager of Chelsea for 46 days in which time he has been derided as a dud, cold-shouldered by the club's supporters and likened in appearance to a cartoon toad by the name of Baron Greenback - all, it seems, for the simple reason that he is not Jose Mourinho.

A strange combination of suspicion and disparagement has attached itself to the self-titled Normal One ever since he stepped into the polished loafers of a man who could stop a room simply by walking through the door. Grant, it is fair to say, lacks his predecessor's force of personality. He has a hangdog expression and, to many Chelsea fans, there is still blood on his hands from the chain of events that led to the dethroning of the most successful manager in the club's history.

The replacement of Mourinho could never be seamless but Grant has never lost sight of the fact the most important people to impress are the players and, on that count, the Israeli is entitled to feel triumphant about the way the team have responded to his instructions. Wigan, admittedly the feeblest of opponents, were dismantled from A to Z and Chelsea have now put together four straight wins to move within three points of the top of a league that was supposed to be beyond them once Mourinho went.

Asked if he had proved something to his detractors, Grant politely declined the chance to blow his trumpet, in a manner that emphasised how different he is from Mourinho. He did make a point however about the durability of his players and, in the process, he deserves some of the reflected glory.

"This club was in a very difficult situation (after Mourinho left) and I don't think any other team could have turned it around in the way we have," he said.

"We have shown character and strength, we have played good football and we are right back in the title race. It was never going to happen in one day but in the last few games we have played in the style we want. People talk about Arsenal and Manchester United but we have our own style. It may not be like theirs but we still play positive football. And we have shown we are a very good team." None of which would be possible if the players regarded Grant with the scepticism that seems prevalent among supporters.

The only aspect to detract from an easy victory was the standard of opposition. Wigan's performance in an embarrassing first half could be summed up by the sight of Chris Hutchings leaving his dugout and driving his fist into his other hand to berate Paul Scharner for shirking a tackle with Didier Drogba.

Wigan have now lost six in a row and this was the most X-rated performance of their slump into the relegation zone. Shaun Wright-Phillips made it a particularly torrid afternoon for Kevin Kilbane, one of the more unlikely left-backs in the Premier League. One typical surge on the right of midfield set up Frank Lampard for the first goal.

Then, seven minutes later, Juliano Belletti picked up the ball on the right of defence, lit a cigar, stifled a yawn and moved unchallenged from one end of the pitch to the other, eventually scoring from the edge of the penalty area. It was difficult to recall such a collective case of generous defending in the top division.

Grant can see potential danger lurking in the African Nations Cup, when he will lose Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Mikel John Obi and Michael Essien, and he questioned the timing of the event, saying it should be held in the summer not January. In the meantime Chelsea are ticking along nicely - and maybe it is time their manager was cut a bit more slack.