It’s Terry’s Chelsea
Skipper puts aside troubling week to help Blues beat Arsenal
HE PUMPEDhis fist in that familiar, aggressive fashion as he ran towards the Chelsea fans before applauding them as he received their unmitigated praise. But the show didn’t end there.
Off came the boots, as the captain made his way into the crowd, climbing over the hoardings and handing his footwear to two ecstatic boys in the front row. John Terry was among friends, perhaps a rare feeling this week having been fined and banned by an FA disciplinary hearing for using racist language.
Eventually he had to turn back to reality, making his way to the tunnel, passing through hostile territory to the by now familiar chants of “scum, scum”, although only from a handful of fans.
And Terry could endure that easily enough. As is so often the case, he had won his own victory. His team had scored an important win and he had played well. For when his career comes to an end, he will not measure it in friendly testimonials – league titles, FA Cup wins, will dominate.
Possibly that Champions League medal will merit a mention, though the fact he did not play might be glossed over. But Terry, for now, marches on, unapologetic, leading his Chelsea team with him.
Chelsea remain unbeaten, top of the table and already seven points clear of Arsenal. They are by no means flawless but there is a growing sense of cohesion about the club.
Again they did without Frank Lampard, fielding Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard. Perhaps unsurprisingly against a higher quality team they fared better than they did against Stoke a week before, none more so than Mata, the instigator of this victory. Ramires, too, was excellent.
But yesterday’s win was a mix of the old Chelsea and the new. There were neat dummies and the trademark reverse flick from behind the legs from Hazard and there were Mata and Fernando Torres, combining with Oscar in a more Latin link.
But there was also Terry’s old Chelsea, the ugly, defiant one that refuses to let teams pass.
For when Arsene Wenger spoke of a lack of “personality and authority” in his Arsenal team, you could not but think of Terry. His human deficiencies are manifest, just as his footballing qualities are obvious. No Chelsea team under his direction, would have conceded as Arsenal did yesterday.
Roberto Di Matteo said he had considered resting Terry amid the controversy, but common sense prevailed. “It was the right choice to pick him,” said the Chelsea boss. “He showed his leadership qualities.”
As for Wenger, he was clearly infuriated. Had his team failed a test of their title credentials?
“Completely, yes,” he said. “We gave the game away. They had three shots on target, scored two goals from two soft set-pieces. Defensively we were just not at the level you have to be in a big game like that. That’s where we were punished. For the rest we showed quality, spirit, but we have to show more personality and authority on the goals we conceded.
It was a frank assessment but undeniably true, with Laurent Koscielny, brought in for Per Mertesacker — who had started the season well — primarily, though not exclusively, at fault.
For Chelsea’s first goal on 21 minutes, a free kick from the edge of the area was delightfully lofted by Mata towards the far post. No one from Arsenal attacked the ball and as Torres and Koscielny wrestled, the Spaniard found an innovative way of winning the battle – hooking his leg round the Frenchman to direct the ball home.
Arsenal kept passing the ball persistently and on 43 minutes Gervinho equalised.
Yet, you could sense the nervousness in Arsenal’s ranks when Chelsea were awarded a free kick on 54 minutes in an almost identical position as the one that had enabled them to open the scoring. Mata curled it around the wall into the six-metre box and Koscielny, caught in a moment of indecision, ended up deflecting it in. – Daily Mail