SOCCER:FOR CHELSEA, familiarity is breeding content. Carlo Ancelotti's team just cannot stop scoring. Squad rotation is the vogue, but the head coach's players speak of the beauty of the same band operating in the same 4-3-3 shape being repeatedly sent into battle.
The 4-1 win over MSK Zilina on Wednesday in their opening Champions League group game took Chelsea’s tally to a bloated 40 goals in their last 10 outings. This is 13 more than Arsenal’s 27, and twice as many as the 20 scored by Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.
Manchester City may have spent over €120 million this summer but have managed a paltry 11 goals in their last 10 games.
The Chelsea goal-fest has featured nine different players on the scoresheet, the majority of whom have played in at least nine of the 10 games. Before the Zilina encounter Chelsea had won 6-0, 6-0, 2-0 and 3-1 in the league to accumulate 21 goals this season.
Nicolas Anelka, whose brace against the Slovakian champions took his personal tally to six in those last 10 matches, in which he has played them all, confirmed Ancelotti’s selection policy is the reason why Chelsea are now winning by impressive margins.
“We don’t change so much the team, and everybody knows each other. This makes it easier for everybody so maybe that’s why,” the French striker said. “Chelsea has a lot of big players and everybody can score, which is good. We are trying to do this on pitch, to show it to everybody.”
Florent Malouda, with 10 appearances and five goals, agrees. “I think that’s our strength, we play a system where everybody knows what he has to do and players come in and out and the result is still the same,” said the 30-year-old, who played in the left of Chelsea’s front three in Slovakia.
“Everybody can score and it is difficult for the opponent teams.”
Also enjoying the feast has been Michael Essien. The 27-year-old Ghana midfielder missed the World Cup due to the cruciate knee injury that blighted last season’s campaign. But fit and ever present since the season’s start, he claimed the opener against Zilina and scored two against West Ham at the weekend.
“He is a machine, a train, and I am really happy to see Michael get his fitness,” Malouda said. “He is playing full of confidence, he is top and he is scoring goals. I think he will give more to the team and the best is still to come.”
It appears that after a spend of more than €717 million Roman Abramovich finally has the dream-team football he has chased since buying the club from Ken Bates in the summer of 2003.
The grinding, ruthless functionality of the Jose Mourinho vintage (2004-7) has gradually evolved into the smoothly-oiled goal-machine created by Ancelotti.
The prevailing view of Team Chelsea also appears to have softened: they offer exhilarating football played with a smile that rewards watching, and are becoming as likeable as the urbane Italian who leads them.
Next up on Sunday are Blackpool, who have made a fine start to their inaugural year in the big league. But they have suffered already their own 6-0 reverse, to Arsenal, and will hardly be overflowing with enthusiasm on the way down to the usually-impenetrable Stamford Bridge.
Anelka is aware opponents may now enter every match against Chelsea wary of a potential onslaught. “It’s good. Good for the confidence of the team because the team against whom we’re going to play know that everybody can score, so maybe they’ll be scared,” he said.
