Slipperduke
The Camden Cad
Meet the new season, same as the old season. If the starting line-ups looked a little familiar, so too was the mutual loathing shared by these two teams, a festering cauldron of hatred that bubbled up frequently in this surprisingly rumbustious encounter. Wayne Rooney's late strike forced a penalty shoot-out after Frank Lampard had almost secured the Shield with a particularly contentious goal, scored while Patrice Evra was flat out on the floor. Any moral high ground that United may have claimed from the incident was sacrificed ten minutes later when the Frenchman attempted to sever Ballack's left leg just below the knee-cap. A flurry of high challenges and scuffles then preceded a penalty shoot-out, which was eventually secured by Salomon Kalou's calm finish. And to think, some people dismissed this game as a hyped-up friendly.
There's never a bad time to defeat Manchester United, but new Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will still not be entirely happy with his side's performance. The much-vaunted 'diamond' formation struggled to stand up to scrutiny, so much so that there's a suspicion it may actually be a cubic zirconia. When Michael Essien, ostenisbly the right 'point', was dragged inside, Branislav Ivanovich looked horribly exposed. The fact that Ashley Cole was in such ferocious form on the left made this new set-up look even more lop-sided. Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba certainly enjoyed the first day of the rest of their partnership, but Lampard and, in particular, Florent Malouda were less comfortable.
As for United, this season will be chracterised by their ability to fill the gap left behind by you-know-who. Nani's early strike suggested that he was ready to step up from his lightweight performances of last season, but on closer inspection, it seems that his shot would never have beaten Petr Cech had the Chelsea goalkeeper realised that he was allowed to use his hands. There were some bright moments, particularly in the first half, but weaknesses at the back may still conspire against them.
Chelsea may have won the day in the end, but neither of these teams can walk away confident that another title is on the way. From here until the end of the season, much work remains to be done.
There's never a bad time to defeat Manchester United, but new Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will still not be entirely happy with his side's performance. The much-vaunted 'diamond' formation struggled to stand up to scrutiny, so much so that there's a suspicion it may actually be a cubic zirconia. When Michael Essien, ostenisbly the right 'point', was dragged inside, Branislav Ivanovich looked horribly exposed. The fact that Ashley Cole was in such ferocious form on the left made this new set-up look even more lop-sided. Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba certainly enjoyed the first day of the rest of their partnership, but Lampard and, in particular, Florent Malouda were less comfortable.
As for United, this season will be chracterised by their ability to fill the gap left behind by you-know-who. Nani's early strike suggested that he was ready to step up from his lightweight performances of last season, but on closer inspection, it seems that his shot would never have beaten Petr Cech had the Chelsea goalkeeper realised that he was allowed to use his hands. There were some bright moments, particularly in the first half, but weaknesses at the back may still conspire against them.
Chelsea may have won the day in the end, but neither of these teams can walk away confident that another title is on the way. From here until the end of the season, much work remains to be done.
