West Brom played hosts to Chelsea this past weekend at the Hawthorns in a game that manager Steve Clarke had branded their second stern test of the season.
West Brom had been on a fine run of games and were on a 2-game winning streak. The 2-1 victory over the reigning European Champions takes this tally to 3 games now, while Chelsea have failed to win any of their last 4 games.
The Blues hit a slump ever since losing last month's game at home against Manchester United. They went on to draw their next two games, and then suffered their second defeat of the season against West Brom.
Shane Long had given the home side the lead in the opening 10 minutes and deservedly so. West Brom had been in control of the game, and Chelsea looked like they were struggling. They eventually got an equalizer before the first half ended, but found themselves
a goal down once again as http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Peter-Odemwingie-c29794 scored for West Brom after the break.
Chelsea made a series of changes in the second half, and it looked to be working as they saw more of the ball and attacked with purpose and intent.
However, it was not enough. West Brom were rock solid at the back, and defended resolutely. The visitors eventually ran out of ideas as the final whistle was blown, and West Brom went on to win the 3 points.
Chelsea did not look like a team that had won the Champions League last season, and despite spending so much money in the summers and previous seasons, the squad is short of options to call upon from the bench. Chelsea’s first 11 is arguably one of the finest
teams in the league, and despite having big names on the bench, Chelsea has not been able to capitalize on its squad depth.
Injuries and suspensions aside, Chelsea have been dismal in the last 4 games, while West Brom have been ever impressive. With November always proving to be a testing month for the side, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 need a result in the next game to bounce back and assert their
presence in the title race.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gary-Cahill-c14439 struggled to cope with Shane Long, who was perhaps the best West Brom player out on the pitch. The Irishman proved to be a handful with his strength and directness. Luiz has no place in this Chelsea side, but perhaps with John
Terry and Ivanovic out of the side, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Roberto-c31294 Di Matteo has no other option.
Gary Cahill was a much more calm presence at the back, but he also struggled with Long. At one point, the former Bolton man was completely outmuscled by the Irish striker.
Ryan Bertrand and Azpilicueta offered the Chelsea team something to be positive about, as both went forward with purpose and intent, but it proved to be meaningless as Chelsea lost the game.
In the middle, Mata and Oscar had been rested ahead of midweek’s Champions League fixture against Juventus. Romeu and Mikel did not provide Chelsea with much, and struggled to deal with the midfield combo of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Eden-Hazard-c11863
looked invisible aside from the equalizer he had scored. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Daniel-Sturridge-c10076 was the only positive factor in the Chelsea attack.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 man, and
once again, Chelsea have been wasteful with their transfer dealings, wasting a player of Torres’ calibre who now joins the list of players who were once the most coveted players in Europe, but faded once they moved to Stamford Bridge.
Mata and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Oscar-c28720 came on in the second half in an attempt to find an equalizer, and Chelsea looked better than they had in the entire game. They attacked and saw more of the ball, but even the likes of Mata and Oscar failed to rescue a point for the Blues.
West Brom can be proud of their performance, and it won’t be premature to say that the Baggies are strong contenders for a top 4 finish. Chelsea need a result badly if they wish to bounce back, and with this weekend’s game against Manchester City, it looks
difficult for Di Matteo and his men.
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