UEFA Champions League- Chelsea routs Steaua
Steaua Bucharest: 0 - Chelsea 4
A Chelsea fan's view
This was the Schurrle show!!
First XI on the night: Cech, Ivanovic, D Luiz, Terry (c), Cole; Ramires, Lampard; Mata, Oscar, Schurrle; Torres
Chelsea were so much better than their host in all the departments of the game that you could say the eventual scoreline flattered the home team
Torres picked up a knock to his knee around the 8th min, and was replaced by Eto'o
Schurrle had the beating of the Steaua RB , Georgievski all game. In the 19th min, after beating him for the umpteenth time, he put in a pass for Eto'o whose scuffed shot fell kindly for Ramires. The Brazilian stabbed the ball beyond the keeper and in at the far post. Deserved first goal
About the 43 mins Mata threads a cracking ball through for Eto'o ( gosh, how we have missed this kind of passes from the diminutive one! ) The striker's burst of pace got him into the box, he beat his marker with a sharp turn but his effort was parried by the Steaua goalie only to see...wait for it... Georgievski clattering into the parried ball and hurtling into the net after it. 2- nil!
Mata hit the woodwork around the 50th minute after the best play around the box by the away team- a few crisps short passes and a delightful Oscar backheel ensured Mata had a clear sight of goal. It was unfortunate that this brilliant play didn't get the goal it deserved
About the 55th minute, a fantastic show-and-go from Schurrle on the hapless Georgievski on half-way, saw him past his man The German picks out Oscar, who prods it to Ramires to hammer home his second of the night. 3- nil!
Azpilicueta replaces Oscar and Willian replaces Mata with about 10-11 mins to go
Cech hurt his back while trying to save a deft chip around the 76th minute ( he could as well have being on holiday sans this effort by the host )
Georgievski was replaced soon after ( eventually put out of his misery, really)
90th minute- The icing on the cake: Frank Lampard finishes off a swift move. Eto'o surges down the left and finds Willian, who unselfishly slots the ball back to the edge of the area. Lampard strokes the ball in off the far post. Goal!
It wasn't more than Chelsea deserved for a very dominant performance
Positives
- Schurrle was huge! I'm sure he'd wish he plays Georgievski every week!
He epitomised everything good about wing play yesterday- direct, runs at defenders, gets behind them, neat dribbling, energetic and tracks back well, good final pass
- Ramires is our new big man- he has a knack for scoring in big games now.
- Mata is a Conductor. Simple
-David Luiz rules! He is a proactive CB rather than a reactive one like Cahill
- I was happy with Eto’o’s performance even though his finishing was still not there. He seemed much more integrated into the team play and was involved in each of the goals. I hope he breaks his duck against Norwich
Negatives
Not a lot in this game, unsurprisingly.
-this team needs to kill off the opposition when they are on top. At 1-0 up, they just lacked the cutting edge in front of goal, this allowed the opposition into the game briefly until that second goal was scored. Against better opposition, Chelsea may be punished for not making this period of ascendancy count
-Torres' knee injury. Just when you think he's finding form, this happens! Rotten luck. We hope the injury isn't something major
- Oscar seemed a bit sloppy and shot happy- particularly in the first half. He did improve in the second half though
A 4-0 win was just what the doctor ordered for CL progression and general team morale. Steaua wasn't great opposition to be fair but I’m hoping this result and performance will help guide this team into our next match and beyond
Blue is the colour, football is the game, Chelsea is our name. CHELSEA!
NB- Mourinho's hugging of Schurrle was symbolic. It just shows you what he's trying to do in his second coming. He won't 'spare the rod' but you'll 'get toffees' if you're a good boy. Haters would always hate his method though. It is what it is!
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