Chelsea 3 Wolves 0:SOME LEVEL of normality has been restored to Chelsea's season. Players retired on Saturday night reassured by victory after weeks of uncertainty.
Fans could depart revelling again in an efficient dismissal, illuminated by the slippery attacking of two livewire wingers and an impressively mobile midfield.
Only Andre Villas-Boas stuck to a familiar routine. The manager’s mood may have improved as he returned home, but this was no time for celebration. Not with football to scrutinise and future opponents to dissect. This has to be only the start of the recovery.
Chelsea remain in fifth place and distant of the Premier League’s summit but the first-half goals prised from Wolverhampton Wanderers will have had a restorative effect on confidence. The visitors were obliging, both in presenting the home side with opportunities and by missing the excellent chances they eked out against a jittery defence.
Villas-Boas was insistent that this was “an important win” but not the be-all and end-all. It might have felt more critical had Wolves not caved in so early but, by the second half, thoughts were already drifting to the trickier tests ahead.
The first of those will be Liverpool in the League Cup quarter-final tomorrow, a competition that will again offer some of Chelsea’s younger players the opportunity of a first-team appearance.
Oriol Romeu, quietly impressive in manipulating the ball from the base of midfield, would hope to retain his place and Frank Lampard, rested here on four yellow cards, will offer experience at his side. The youthful inclusions around him will be “a worthy risk for the future of the club”, according to the manager. The call has been for the owner to retain long-term vision; the manager can offer a glimpse of the future against Liverpool.
Yet it is in the Premier League and Champions League, where Villas-Boas accepts he will be judged.
The next month brings matches against Newcastle United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
“That time will define the pattern of the Premier League,” Villas-Boas said. “It should give us a good idea of where we stand. All of these teams sit on top of us. If we do well, we can overtake them. This was not a (critical) game. That game comes against Valencia (next week) in the Champions League. So we need to build on this victory.”
The fluid movement and bite in Chelsea’s midfield, combined with magnificent contributions from Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge, offered promise, even if fragility remains at the back. Rob Edwards and Stephen Ward should have scored twice apiece for Wolves.
Chelsea’s wingers proved more ruthless after Nenad Milijas’s pondering in possession and Wolves’ indecision at the resultant corner allowed John Terry to open the scoring. The Chelsea captain was later booked for time-wasting and will miss the visit of Liverpool.
Wolves will have expected more than this, particularly given the anxiety that had gripped the arena in the opening exchanges. Instead, they offered up the worst possible combination: they were profligate in attack, slack at the back.
“You could sense the relief when Chelsea scored,” said Mick McCarthy. “It was everywhere. But I’d sooner be under pressure with the squad he has than a lot of others, believe me.”
His own side were depleted here, injuries and suspensions having stripped them of key personnel. They will hope they can find more rhythm when Sunderland visit on Sunday.
Chelsea can only seek to maintain this kind of momentum. In the aftermath there were supportive words from Mata for the manager who brought him to England, to suggest this squad remains committed to the man in charge.
“He is very warm with us, very close to us,” said the Spaniard. “His age is not important. He won every tournament he could win with Porto, and having had that experience at his age shows how good he is.
“We all have a lot of faith in ourselves as a team, in our coach. We always knew that we will have better moments than the ones we have been through. Every team will go through a spell like that in the season, not just us.”
Wolves, with one win in 11 league games, are enduring a lengthier lull, though both of these teams can recover.
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