Just in case you thought they weren’t paying attention, Manchester United laid down a marker at the weekend in what was a comprehensive 3-0 trouncing of close rivals Chelsea.
With Liverpool failing to beat Stoke City for the second time this season, Man U’s win at Old Trafford puts them just one point behind Chelsea and five points behind leaders Liverpool. Of course, the fact they still have two outstanding matches – at home to Wigan and Fulham – means they now firmly hold the aces in the race for the Premiership title.
How’s it all going to end? No one knows for sure, but Man U’s demolition job clearly emphasized two things:
First, the defending champions are without question the team to beat this season. They’ve now gone 8 games without a loss - and without conceding a single goal as well – and, in terms of quality and balance, they certainly boast the best squad in the league. And it’s not just about big name players either; teamwork is the key to United’s success. Consider that Man U took Chelsea apart without Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes and Carlos Tevez. Man for man, Chelsea certainly looked the stronger side on paper. They had Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack in central midfield facing off with the unsung Darren Fletcher and 35-year-old Ryan Giggs. Yet, Man U clearly posed the bigger threat and Chelsea did not manage a single shot on target.
Man U’s schedule also puts them in a better position than any of the other contenders. Apart from their outstanding matches – which they still need to win – all their rivals still have to visit Old Trafford before the season is over, and the defending champions seldom slip up at the ‘Theatre of Dreams” where they’ve now won 23 of their last 25 matches.
Second, Big Phil Scolari’s regime at Chelsea is going anything but smoothly. It’s true that Chelsea have been injury-plagued all season, with Joe Cole, Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho all just returning and the influential Michael Essien still out missing. Yet Chelsea’s capitulation on Sunday wasn’t just down to underperforming personnel and questions have to be raised about Big Phil’s game approach and attention to detail. This was a far cry from Jose Mourinho’s well-drilled, ruthlessly swift attacking machine and a preponderance of square midfield passes and lack of width took the edge off their attacking game, leaving Drogba increasingly isolated and constantly tracking back into midfield.
The defensive lapses were even more alarming. Individually, Chelsea’s star-studded back four are more than a match for any attack, yet the team’s collective defending of set-pieces left much to be desired on Sunday. For the first goal, Nemanja Vidic’s free header could have been kept out by a defender on the far post, as was the constant in years past. To be fair, Chelsea are hardly the only top team to have abandoned this practice and I am constantly amazed at the number of goals that go in from corner kicks for lack of a defender at the post.
The third goal was even more shocking – or maybe Chelsea had already given up by then. I shook my head in disbelief when Chelsea left 19-year-old substitute striker Franco di Santo – 6 feet 4 but inexperienced - to mark Dimitar Berbatov as Ronaldo shaped up for a free kick from the left and it was no surprise when the youngster was easily screened off by Vidic leaving Berbatov free to
score. I’m no big Mourinho fan but there is no way di Santo would have been marking Berbatov under his watch – little details like that can make or break a season.
Chelsea will still trouble many teams this season, especially once their returnees settle in, but they are more vulnerable than they’ve been in years and the manner of their loss at Old Trafford – not just the result itself – only confirms what earlier draws with West Ham and Fulham had suggested.
As for leaders Liverpool? Well, another frustrating draw at Stoke suggests that Rafa Benitez’s team isn’t the finished article yet and the wait for a Premiership title isn’t quite over yet. Steven Gerrard very nearly saved the day again, but his supporting cast will have to take a little more of the burden if Liverpool want to stay in the running till March. The missing link at Stoke was the calm control and distribution of the injured Xabi Alonso, for my money, Liverpool’s most consistent player of the season so far.
Liverpool fans would have been further frustrated by Benitez’s refusal to go for broke and toss Robbie Keane into the mix as the clock ebbed away. Yet, that would have meant pulling Gerrard back into midfield for Lucas or Javi Mascherano – and thus moving the team’s top scorer and most likely goal scorer farther away from goal. It’s easy to point fingers after the fact, but Rafa’s decision came within a post’s width of paying off.
Nevertheless, Liverpool will rue results like these if they fall short in April. It’s been a decent run so far – one loss in 21 matches – and their taste for the big occasion might well keep them on track. A team that has given up a lead just once all season – in that defeat at Spurs – shouldn’t be written off too hastily but they’ll need to keep pace with United to have any chance at all.
