Last week, Chelsea fired their coach Luiz Felipe Scolari after a string of very unimpressive results, and questionable tactical decisions, as I have pointed out in previous posts. I was very pleased with the solution that Abramovich and his lackeys came up with after sacking the ineffective Scolari. Guus Hiddink has been signed on, but only till the end of the season. A fine move, in my opinion, because Chelsea gets a good coach, who want cost an exorbitant amount of money thanks to the temporary contract, there won't be an inordinate amount of pressure on the new guy since he's temporary anyway, and lastly, a fresh, thought-out job search can be made for the next long-term appointment during the relative calm of the summer.
So, now what of this season though? Chelsea are still in the hunt (albeit barely!) for the Premier League title, FA Cup and Champions League. And as I've outlined in previous posts, the problems are numerous! So, I was expectant and apprehensive when I tuned in to watch Chelsea play Watford in the FA Cup 5th round this past weekend, with caretaker manager Ray Wilkins at the helm, Hiddink and Abramovich watching from the stands.
Wilkins started out with the same 4-3-3 formation, but with Kalou, Drogba and Anelka leading the frontline. A positive move, but when the first half ended 0-0 with Chelsea dominating possession as usual without managing to break through the Watford backline, I feared the worst and hoped that Wilkins would show enough testicular fortitude to switch the formation to a more attacking 4-4-2 in the second half! Boy, he took his time didn't he? Watford even took the lead against the run of play, but finally the Wilkins and Chelsea staff made the change that I clamoured for last week! Mikel, the defensive midfielder, was withdrawn for the young winger Miroslav Stoch who was promptly deployed on the right wing, with Kalou on the left and Drogba and Anelka playing together up top.
The result....just a hat-trick by Anelka in 15 mins as the game turned on its head, leading to a Chelsea win 3-1. Why did it take the Chelsea management so darn long to figure out this tactic was worth a shout?? I remain bemused, but at least, we have now seen it employed, and seen its worth, so I am hoping Wilkins, and more importantly, Hiddink, realize that they have to employ the 4-4-2 more generously even it may be slightly more risky to have a chance of winning some silverware this year! We now have some options at winger, Kalou, the young and impressive Stoch, and the loan signing Quaresma, who can be rotated through the rest of the games. Lampard and Mikel or Ballack, until Essien returns to full fitness, can run the show from midfield. It's not a watertight scheme by any stretch of the imagination, but from what I've seen this season, it probably is the best shot for Chelsea to win a trophy this year!
Perhaps, with Wilkins' belated but brave move last weekend, Chelsea have turned the proverbial corner this season. Hope springs eternal!
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