The Man in The Shed

 18th March - Two steps back

Sometimes I really hate football. I know the highs and lows come with the territory but this season has been more of a roller-coaster than most. For all the games we’d lost over the last 20 years or so we’d never taken a real hiding. I was quite proud of that. And then we get spanked twice in quick succession. So I had slowly recovered from that and tried to reassure myself that it was character building for the team and after the cup final loss we’d started to show some backbone again. And then this game happened.

So rewind to the start. First thoughts are to which players in the opposition are still ours and cannot play today – Kurt Zuma. Poor lad, his career never seemed to recover after that terrible knee injury a couple of years back. He was on the crest of a wave playing alongside Terry and really looking a Chelsea player. Fast forward to today and after a season with Stoke at the wrong end of the table he’d now rocked up at Everton. Could he become a Sarri disciple – I doubt it – so I cannot see him ever turning out for us again. Football can be an unpredictable career – just ask Victor Moses.

Team news for Chelsea – Alonso was back. So I was wrong. Emerson had not taken over as first choice left back. And Barkley started just to wind up the natives.

So what of the game ? Chelsea played a very positive first half doing everything but score. We’d hit the post (which was reported as the 20^th time this season) and stretched their keeper but the goal tally remained zero. Everton had played like a team struggling for confidence after mixed results.

The second half was a completely different story of course. The Everton manager had clearly been throwing teacups or whatever they can get away with these days (artisan chai teabags perhaps). The men in blue and white finally came out of their shells and the men in yellow left their motivation in the dressing room. As soon as the first goal goes in - from a corner we failed to clear properly, I could never see us getting back into the game. And then Alonso reminded us all again why he can be a defensive liability. As well as giving away a (soft) penalty he had been needlessly booked and could have been given a second yellow. For a minute or two it seemed that he’d lost the plot.

OK, so we did test their keeper and the energy added by Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi after they came on did liven the pace but I believe Sarri is right – this team does not have the mental strength to recover after going behind.

So the so called advantage of a game in hand has been lost. We also have the dubious privilege of still having to play both Liverpool and Man Utd. away. Fourth place is looking a tough ask.

It was hard to derive any positives from this game. Kepa managed to avoid dropping a cross and did save a penalty (even if it went straight back to the player to tap in). Emerson improved his chances of playing more league games simply by not being on the pitch. On a wider note the Europa draw has been kind to us. That maybe the only way Chelsea will make the Champions League next season.

So now it is an International break. That means we’ll all have to let this setback fester for two weeks.