The Centre Circle

I’ve been thinking it for a while now. I kept saying to people I know, “ This Chelsea team is getting old, it’s gonna show at some point in time”. Last night it did. For the third time in the last five games, Chelsea failed to last the pace. Maybe the length and intensity of the season is catching up with Terry, Drogba and co.

Last night they looked as if they might break Inter down in the first half, but some fantastic defending from Samuel, Maicon and  Lucio kept Chelsea out. As the night went on Inter came more and more into the game, in fact I can think of just one save the Inter goalkeeper made in the whole second half and the drive from Malouda was going wide anyway. The longer the game went on, the more Chelsea looked one paced and predictable. Midway through the second half, Ancelotti gambled, showed his hand first throwing on the more offensive Cole and then Kalou. Immediately Mourinho countered bringing on Stankovic and switching to 4-4-2, moving Eto’o into the middle. Bang! Immediately Inter carved a tiring Chelsea open, Sneider making a defence splitting pass. The Eto’o goal in truth was nothing less that Inter deserved, indeed had they taken their chances it should have been more.

Chelsea has been one of the two most dominant teams in English football for the past 5-6 years. However together they are growing old – Terry 29, Lampard 31, Alex 28, Drogba 32, Ferreira 31, Ballack 33, Joe Cole 28, Anelka 31, Carvalho, 31, Ashley Cole 29, Deco 32 Malouda 29, Belletti 33. It is fact that players start to lose a yard of pace as they hit the 30 year old mark, the wears and tears of season after season start to show with niggling little injuries etc. At the start of the season Chelsea looked fresh and inventive winning their first eight games. In the last 8 games they have won four and lost four. A big difference. The beginning of the end of an era.