Yes, we didn’t get to see any of Chelsea’s young talent beyond Borini and Hutchinson. Yes, Chelsea’s starting XI was filled with eight full internationals. Yes, it was only one nil and, to be fair to the hoops, Chelsea did need to bring on Lampard, Terry and Ashley Cole to make sure of the result. But yesterday’s 1-0 win against a solid QPR was a good result in which two young players made a significant contribution and two older hands got run-outs after long periods on the sidelines.
Chelsea had the best of the game and, whilst the papers tell a different story and QPR showed some threat on the counter, the Blues never really looked like conceding. In the first half Beletti, Borini, Joe Cole and Kalou all had good chances to give Chelsea the lead, and Hilario had very little to do in goal. The second half followed a similar course, but Kalou was able to break the deadlock on 53 minutes when Joe Cole put him through on goal. In a match where his decision making was a little off, it was good to see the Ivorian put the ball past the keeper. Borini only managed to find the keeper when he was put through on goal by Frank Lampard, who replaced the injured Malouda at half time.
This morning’s newspapers have suggested that Chelsea didn’t field enough young talent, and haven’t gone overboard with their praise for Borini or Hutchinson, either. One newspaper even said Chelsea’s line-up was ‘hardly the Arsenal approach’. I don’t quite get the criticism – we’re not Arsenal, we’re Chelsea. And our ‘approach’ wins things. Plus of course the verdict on Ancelotti’s team selection fails to recognise that, in previous Carling Cup fixtures, Chelsea have failed to even name two products of the youth system: last night was certainly a step forward.
It was a step forward for other reasons too. The instant impact of the likes of Macheda (has he played a game this season?!) at the end of the last year leads people – the media included – to expect young players to be an instant success as soon as they step on the pitch. In reality it’s not like that, and to make that kind of impact requires more than a large chunk of luck. As it was, Chelsea’s young players making their full debuts looked very good.
Borini played with a confidence and intelligence beyond his years. He made good decisions on the ball – could Kalou learn a thing or two? – and looks to have a good turn of pace. A first half header narrowly missed the target, and he would have hoped to have done better with his chance in the second half, but his performance was more than we could have expected. Hutchinson looked strong too, slotting in seamlessly alongside Ivanovic. Strong in the air and with a great reading of the game, it is testament to his ability that he was part of an entirely changed back four that was nevertheless able to keep a clean sheet (it’s also worth noting that Paulo Ferreira was back and had a predictably solid game). Chelsea’s first choice back four wasn’t able to stop Sunderland, Stoke or Hull scoring…
While Hutchinson and Borini have given themselves a great chance of getting more chances later in the season, the game also welcomed back Joe Cole and Yuri Zhirkov. The former understandably looked a little rusty at first, but soon started pulling the strings behind Borini and Kalou and showed a few glimpses of the Joe Cole of old with deft one-touch passing and the occasional jinking run. It was his ball that made Chelsea’s only goal of the game, but there’s more to come from Joe, who has the potential to really make the difference to a Chelsea side that can sometimes struggle to break down stubborn opposition.
Zhirkov looked rusty too, but this was his first game not only after injury but also on English soil. He was filling in for Ashley Cole at left back, and whilst I’ve no doubt he can play there, for me he looks more like a winger. He’s a relatively plain footballer – I don’t mean to do him a disservice at all – playing sensible passes and making good runs, but clearly also has the willingness to take a man on with a burst of pace. He may have shied away from one or two headers last night, but it was an encouraging display, not least because of a fantastic cross he whipped in from the left at pace that was narrowly headed wide by Borini. There’s more to come from the Russian, too.
All in all, it was a good enough performance and a win that sees Chelsea safely through the fourth round. We’d like to see more of Chelsea’s youth team make the grade at Chelsea, but early signs are if they’re good enough they’ll get their chance. Meanwhile Borini and Hutchinson have made solid starts, and Chelsea can welcome two outstanding talents to join a squad that is already flying high at the top of the Premier League. Dare I say it, things are looking up…
What the manager said
Ray Wilkins (stepping in for Carlo): “QPR gave us a tough game. It was a testimony to how well they played that we had to use all three substitutes. Frank is not a bad player to bring on at half-time and then Ashley and John to shore things up. Joe got 90 minutes, Yuri got a bit out of it and the two youngsters as well. It’s good for the young men to push themselves forward. It’s a competition we want to win. If we can blood a few youngsters along the way, all well and good.”
What the papers said
The Times:
“Until the arrival of Lampard, at half-time, Cole, midway through the second period, and Terry, towards the end, Chelsea had spluttered throughout the West London derby. However, once the big guns had been rolled out and got to work, they were stronger all round and always capable of nullifying a stirring late rally from QPR. Even if Ancelotti could be accused of not taking the competition seriously by fielding a weakened line-up, at least it gave the home fans a possible glimpse of the future.
“As expected, Chelsea exhibited the class. Joe Cole, the captain for the night, was everywhere, cutting in from the left flank and orchestrating all their best moves. He has been away a long time and it is nine months to the World Cup finals in South Africa, but his absence does not appear to have dulled his ambition or sense of adventure.”
The Telegraph:
“Its eight wins from eight for the Italian and 23 matches unbeaten - equalling the club record set by Jose Mourinho in early 2007 - for Chelsea. The sight - by the end - of John Terry, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard all on the field would suggest that Chelsea made heavy weather of this tie. Although hardly fluent, they didn’t. The arrival of the substitutes came for various reasons with Lampard upping the tempo as a half-time replacement, Cole replacing the tiring £18 million debutant Yuri Zhirkov, also returning from injury, and Terry, well, it looked like he fancied a run out.
“There were full debuts for Fabio Borini - the technically-gifted 18-year-old Italian striker who has caught Ancelotti’s eye but who looked a little lightweight at times - and Sam Hutchinson, 20, but others, such as Jeffrey Bruma and Nemanja Matic remained on the bench.”
The Independent:
“The Italian might have thought that he could pick any XI from his mighty 29-man squad to dispose of their west London neighbours from the Championship but he was wrong. The fringe players were not good enough and by the end of the game Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and John Terry were all on the pitch to steer Chelsea through to the fourth round of the competition.
“Unlike Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, Ancelotti does not have a team of brilliant academy players to play in the Carling Cup, although given the money his sporting director Frank Arnesen has spent, he really should. Instead, Chelsea have an enormous first-team squad who have to play at some point. For the likes of Paulo Ferreira and Juliano Belletti this is about as good as it gets.”
The Guardian:
“Much has been made of the lack of first-team progress of the club's youth players, who, until recently, were under the charge of the sporting director, Frank Arnesen. Yet, in some respects, the sight of two of them in the team was encouraging. Ancelotti may have discovered that it is no easy task telling John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole et al that they must start on the bench. Chelsea's leading stars always insist on playing.
“Rangers, mid-table in the Championship, were up for the fight. So were their supporters, who filled the Shed End. As a light rain fell, there was a real cup-tie derby under the floodlights. Chelsea…needed a spark in the second half and Lampard's introduction helped to provide it. Yet it was Cole who prised Rangers apart.”