The Harding Perspective: Thoughts on Cardiff
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Loading ...Here @JoeTweeds looks at some of the key themes and takeaways from our 4-1 over Cardiff City.
I always hear the same rhetoric concerning José Mourinho from opposition fans: the media love him unequivocally and he can ultimately do no wrong. I have pointed out why this is complete waffle earlier in the season; however, if you truly needed convincing then this game was the ultimate example. Fleeting mentions to his tactical changes in some press reports versus next to nothing in the television space were in stark contrast to his “sending off”. No agenda? Right-o!
Tactical gambits
Mourinho has gambled on occasions this season and it has backfired or not come off as intended. Nevertheless, as he gets to know his side and their strengths the likelihood of making impactful substitutions increases. It worked at Norwich, even though we were quite open at points, but it was devastating against Cardiff.
With the sides level at 1-1 Mourinho made a bold move to replace Mata and then Bertrand in quick succession. Mourinho’s introduction of Oscar reshaped and directed our attack. Eden Hazard was at his sparkling best and had tormented his full-back all game long and Oscar drifted to link play from the left flank in lieu of this.
Moreover, it was the introduction of Torres that proved to be the key decision. Replacing Bertrand, who was playing well, meant Chelsea moved to a 3-2-3-2 formation. This was at times a hybrid front five and it meant that we often were able to work the ball into excellent areas. The pressure leading to the corner from which the goal came was a result of the overload system that Mourinho had clearly tried to create.
The more the players work with Mourinho the more these types of power plays will become second nature to them. Unlike at Everton where the move never clicked, Cardiff looked dangerous for a brief moment before the tactical switches dominated. The pressure that created the corner was a direct result of intended spatial overloads – particularly in wide areas.
Two minutes after the shift to a 3-2-3-2 Samuel Eto’o had opened his Chelsea account with an excellent finish. Mourinho’s tactical shift had worked wonders and yielded a goal almost immediately. Using Oscar to dictate the play in a different fashion to Mata before orchestrating his overload strategy was genius. Even more pleasing was the instant shift to a back four with the Azpilicueta substitution.
It was slightly comedic watching Eden Hazard panic as he found himself playing as the worlds most technically gifted and attack minded left back for all of 2 minutes. Oscar, noticing that he was probably a little (a lot) better defensively than Hazard, swapped with him shortly afterwards. With Cardiff having to attack for the first time in the game our two creative forces tore Cardiff to pieces. The 4-1 score line ultimately could have been more as Chelsea discovered that killer instinct that has been lacking for some time.
Bertrand impresses
There is certainly a lot of expectation on whoever eventually fills Ashley Cole’s boots. Cole, the outstanding full-back of the past ten years, remains one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players. With Patrick Van Aanholt impressing on loan in Holland, so much so that he is being talked up as a potential World Cup left back, Ryan Bertrand will no doubt be feeling some pressure.
My personal take on Bertrand is that while he takes time to come up to speed, when he is playing regularly he is actually a very good full-back. I think he has the pace, willingness to attack and delivery to eventually replace Cole. His confidence in timing his attacking forays should grow with more games, but his completion of 28/30 forward passes was extremely pleasing.
Bertrand offers natural width and interestingly enough he tends to receive passes ahead of the ball, suggesting that he offers more of an attacking outlet than a conservative one. Defensively he was untested but was successful in his only tackle attempt. Bertrand could ultimately save us a lot of money in looking for an Ashley Cole replacement because the need for undoubted world class quality at the full-back position lessens each season.
There are numerous reasons as to why this is the case, but ultimately can you reel off 5 undeniably world class ‘true’ wingers, i.e. Robben? If you can, how many are playing in the Premier League? The position is becoming less about one-on-one duels and more about collective defensive responsibility. To this end I feel if Bertrand plays regularly he can fulfill that role well.
Hazard’s Achilles issues subside
Something has not been quite right about Hazard for a lot of this season. He was exceptional in the Super Cup, but has apparently been carrying an Achilles issue for a while. Despite this he tops or is near the top in all the attacking statistics that you might wish to make arguments from. Maybe because of what we know he can produce it “feels” like he should or could be doing so much more?
This was undoubtedly the first game in some time where Hazard completely ran the show. There were questions about the quality of Cardiff’s right back, but considering we have seen Hazard turn Lahm inside out this season it might be worth remembering that Eden is actually quite good. Bright enough to score the first, the creator of the second, his off the ball movement led to Oscar’s shooting opportunity for the third and the scorer of the fourth. This should be the type of performance to expect from Hazard on a weekly basis.
Defending David Luiz
Yes, before the inevitable comments roll in about him being a liability, he was at fault for the goal. That is one goal. Not every goal that we ever concede. The salivating media immediately delved into the David Luiz handbook and made out like this was a weekly occurrence. I think Luiz has made two mistakes all season, with one being the sole reason a goal was scored. Other players who get high praise, like Vertonghen, can make multiple mistakes in a game and it not be highlighted. Baines, likewise, gets skinned for Hull’s goal at the weekend but to no criticism whatsoever.
Nevertheless, it was nice to see QPR’s Nedum Onuoha dismiss Chris Kamara’s attempts to label him a poor defender. When asked about whether he was a liability and more of a central midfielder Onuoha responded by telling Kamara, “honestly, that is something that I cannot agree with. Speaking to a lot of people who have played against him they tell me how difficult he is to play against.”
We are all aware that David Luiz is high risk, high reward and there is potential in his game for mistakes. I would also like to think that we are all equally aware that Luiz is by and large a superb central defender with a skill set very few in world football can match. Mourinho will continue to work with him and find the consistency that he has shown for stretches this season. Patience is the key as he has all the ability in the world. Barcelona and Bayern Munich do not want him as their first choice centre back because he is average.
Time wasting tactics
The very last thing I wanted to briefly address was Cardiff’s insistence to waste time from about the 5th minute of the game onwards. It says something when your goalkeeper is booked around the 50 minute mark for time wasting. To see it employed to such a level completely undoes any sympathy (not that I had any) for our equaliser. (It is also very poignant to note that hardly any media outlet has mentioned that their goalkeeper should have been sent off for a deliberate handball outside the area).
For Mourinho to be sent off for expressing consternation at the referee’s new found insistence that every restart happen within two seconds was laughable. Letting such a negative tactic pervade for so long was ridiculous. Do I blame Cardiff? No, of course not. I blame the referee. If teams are going to waste 30-45 seconds taking any set piece/throw-in/goal kick, then a simple booking early in the game stamps it out. José being sent to the stands was purely a result of the referee’s incompetence - nothing untoward.
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