Mourinho left seething as Chelsea draw blank
By Duncan White
Sport.Telegraph, 16th September 2007
This was supposed to be Andrei Shevchenko's redemption and the realignment
of Chelsea's title surge. Instead Stamford Bridge was left seething with
frustration and a sense of injustice as Chelsea stuttered for the second
game in succession.
Jose Mourinho's histrionics on the touchline were a testament to Blackburn's
resolution - this was the 15th game unbeaten for Mark Hughes's team - but
they also belied his anger at Chelsea's inadequacies.
With the talismanic Didier Drogba nursing a knee injury and Claudio Pizarro
exhausted from a transatlantic flight, Shevchenko was given his first game
of the season. His performance made it easier to understand why he is a
£30 million fourth-choice striker. He worked hard but played like he
had too much to prove. The nerveless assassin of Serie A looked anxious and
impotent: twice he missed free headers from close range and in the first
half, with his head down and a heavy touch, he wasted a one-on-one with
the outstanding Brad Friedel.
Even so, Chelsea should have won and were denied a goal by a a wrong decision
by a linesman. After just under an hour, Jole Cole slipped in Juliano Belletti
on the right and the full-back squared the ball across goal to the unmarked
Salomon Kalou. The Ivorian tapped into the net and it was only after almost
a minute of ecstatic celebration that he realised the linesman had flagged
him offside.
Mourinho was apoplectic. He brandished a video screen at the fourth official,
giving it a petulant slap for emphasis. This was Mourinho theatrics at work
and referee Howard Webb had to calm the Chelsea manager down. However,
crucially, Mourinho was right and Chelsea had been wrongly denied a goal.
"Why the goal was not given is a question for the linesman," Mourinho said.
"It is not a question for me, or the fans, or Mark Hughes. To me it was an
obvious goal.
"The fourth official has no other responsibility in the game, and this is a
sport where technology could instantly tell you whether it was a goal. I do
not know why the linesmen or assistant referees are not required to explain
their decisions after the game."
Still, the short-term injustice cannot obscure long-term problems in the
attacking options available to Mourinho. The Chelsea manager admitted the
absence of Drogba and Frank Lampard through injury left his side "without
ammunition", hardly a compliment to Shevchenko.
Where is the man the Chelsea manager can turn to if he needs that moment
of technical daring? Who can puncture even the doughtiest defence with
improvised guile? Arjen Robben, shipped off to Real Madrid, may have lacked
the macho attitude of the Chelsea dressing room, but they miss a player of
his subtlety.
While they lack flair, they have plenty of force. Mourinho was in no mood to
watch his team bullied by this robust Rovers side. Alex, the Brazilian
centre-back with the build of a heavyweight boxer, was preferred to Tal Ben
Haim as defensive partner for John Terry, presumably to negate the visitors'
aerial threat.
That tactic was a resounding success. David Dunn and Robbie Savage were
remarkably industrious in the centre of midfield and were certainly not
cowed by Michael Essien and Steve Sidwell. Still, Blackburn struggled to
open up their hosts: Petr Cech's only real test came in tipping over
Savage's looping shot late in the second half.
With Shevchenko misfiring, Essien was Chelsea's most potent attacking threat
and only an outstanding full-stretch save from Friedel denied the Ghanaian
when he connected crisply with a half-volley from 25 yards.
Mourinho realised his team needed shaking up with just over 10 minutes gone
in the second half: off came Shaun Wright-Phillips and Sidwell and on came
Florent Malouda and John Obi Mikel. Seconds later Kalou scored the goal that
wasn't.
Shevchenko had faded almost entirely in the second half, only to crop up
with five minutes to go at the far post, found by Malouda's inswinging
cross. Inevitably, his header was straight at Friedel.
Unfortunately, in clearing the ball Chris Samba slipped and was forced to
head away from close to the turf. Shevchenko went for the ball at the same
time and kicked Samba, without a hint of malice, in the back of the head.
The Blackburn defender received extensive medical treatment on the pitch
from both medical teams and was carried off strapped carefully to a
stretcher.
"That was the one negative from our point of view," Hughes said "We hope it
is not going to be too serious. I don't think he had come around when he
was in the dressing room so there is a bit of concern." The good news
emerging from hospital last night was that Samba had regained consciousness
and was talking.
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