Southampton 2-1 Chelsea: Fatty Shows His Hand
By Since66
March 31 2013
Fatty showed his hand at St Marys yesterday by putting the FA Cup and Europa League trophies before Champions League qualification by making SEVEN changes to the team that beat West Ham two weeks ago. One change was forced – Juan Mata was unavailable due to a virus – allegedly. Why should Fatty worry about Champions League next season?
He isn’t going to be around, he just wants trophies to add to his CV and a freebie trip to the States at the end of the season, when The Blues take on Man City in St Louis.
Why should he care?
He is sending out enough mixed messages as it is at the moment.
First he bemoans the physical pressure being put on the players with four games in nine days and then headlines lacking intensity after the poor 2-1 defeat.
Let’s face it. Chelsea were poor but take nothing away from Southampton, they made Chelsea look poor and Chelsea left St Marys the same way as Liverpool and Man City sides have – with their tail rooted firmly between their legs – after a right old kicking.
Why should he care?
Chelsea just couldn’t get going.
Southampton didn’t allow Chelsea to.
Southampton closed down Chelsea at every available opportunity at it was no surprise when Southampton took the lead when Rodriguez played a neat 1-2 on the edge of the area, before slotting home past Cech in the far bottom corner.
Chelsea’s equaliser came from ‘Captain, Leader, Legend, One England Captain,’ JT, who rose unmarked and high to head in a Marko Marin corner, a significant contribution by Marin, because he didn’t do anything else in the game until he was hauled off to be replaced by Hazard on the hour.
Marin’s corner may well go down in the clubs history as probably THE best dead-ball kick seen this season. Ha! (Irony, sarcasm…. Ed)
Parity didn’t last that long.
Mikel fouled Lambert and from the resulting free-kick from 30 yards or so, Southampton’s lead was restored and although Cech managed to get a touch, the shot was too powerful to stop as it screamed into the net.
Chelsea’s only other chance of note came at the start of the second-half when Moses scuffed a shot goalbound only to see substitute ‘keeper Davis tip the ball on the bar.
For Chelsea to create only two decent chances all game was simply not good enough despite all of the ‘alleged’ talent on display and it just reiterates the negativity of Fatty’s tactics and team selection.
Southampton: Boruc (K Davis h/t), Clyne, Yoshida, Hooiveld, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Cork, S Davis (Fox 84), Puncheon (Ward-Prowse 61), Lambert (c), Rodriguez
Goals: Rodriguez 23, Lambert 34
Booked: Lambert 82, Schneiderlin 87
Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Terry (c), Bertrand, Mikel (Ramires 71), Lampard, Moses, Oscar (Benayoun 75), Marin (Hazard 60), Torres
Goal: Terry 32
Booked: Torres 75
NEXT UP: FA Cup 6th Round replay v Man Utd (H), Monday 1/4/2013, k.o. 12.30pm
THEN
NextGen Series Final: Chelsea U19s v Aston Villa U19s, k.o. 5pm (UK time) Monday 1/4/2013
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