The Man in The Shed

31^st August – Missing again

It wasn’t a great start to the season for me. Missing in action against Leicester and away again for Sheffield United. OK, so I did have the compensation of a weekend in Bilbao but I wouldn’t be able to see a live game now until Liverpool.

Watching on recorded TV on my return I loved the pre-game flags. The other “revolution” at Chelsea over the last year or two has been the gradual return of former players in a variety of roles. Although Lampard has had most of the column inches the Chelsea fans will have noted Cudicini back helping our Italian managers, Eddie Newton, Morris and Cech plus both Ashley and Joe Cole working with the younger lads. I thought they had brought back Makelele to sort out Bakayoko as he had done at Monaco, but perhaps that is beyond anyone.

Credit to our opponents. I don’t believe that the bookies expected them to get automatic promotion last season. And to do it with an English manager.

Well our starting eleven was getting so young that it was in danger of resembling a kindergarten ! Tomori was in for his first start. A sensible and logical decision as he will have played against these players last season in a Derby shirt.

The first half resembled the last home game in some respects with a fast start and two more Abraham goals.

Sadly, the second half was also very similar with the team conceding in the first minute of play and heartbreakingly giving up an OG in the 89^th minute.

Regrettably, but unsurprisingly this season, Zouma became the latest black player to then receive racist abuse for conceding the own goal.

The slightly more considered Twitterati then began to share stats showing that the goals we were conceding were mostly down our right hand side. The logical conclusion made was that it must be Dave’s fault. Firstly, nobody was asking who else was playing on the right hand side and should have been providing cover and secondly this was being used to promote the immediate need to get young James into the side. Realistically, however good James turns out to be he will still be exposed without help.

So what did we learn from this game ? Tomori didn’t look out of place, we’re still looking exposed without Kanté, and the second half performances are way short of the first. We need Rüdiger and Kanté back quickly. Luckily the international break would give us two weeks to work on them both.

Two weeks to twiddle our thumbs until our next game – away to Wolves !