CHELSEA V PORTSMOUTH

By Rick Glanvill and Paul Dutton

 

"They're off!" That was how the 'Chelsea FC Chronicle' welcomed the club's debut season back in 1905 and there seems little reason to change a good thing.

 

In fact, that could be Chelsea's motto for the coming campaign. Yes, a new manager has arrived with a change of emphasis, and one or two new players have gone with others, mostly squad members, heading out.

 

But in the analysis of last season, reaching the last stage of all but one cup, losing out by narrow margins in both finals, and missing out on a third Premier League title in four seasons by just two points is no cause for grand redevelopment. When the abysmal list of lengthy injuries to key players is recalled, the same performances seem heroic.

 

So the bathwater is to be changed but the baby is still being raised properly. It is tempting to read too much into the way new boss Luiz Felipe Scolari set out his teams in preseason games. With some of his squad arriving late after their Euro 2008 exertions, others on the sick-list, there was plenty of experimenting to be done. He still hasn't seen Didier Drogba play. Still, no doubt aided by Steve Clarke's astute knowledge of the Chelsea squad and the domestic league, the Brazilian familiarised himself quickly enough to say publicly that he knew 85% of his starting XI for this game.

 

The auspices are, so far, that his side will move the ball at a faster tempo than the last few seasons, and attack with more abandon from the back. Will he dispense with orthodox wingers? Will he use as many midfielder powerhouses as he can? Will the formation be 4-diamond-2 or 4-2-3-1, or both?

 

We can't wait. Bring on the battle for all four titles. 

 

 

TALKING POINTS

 

With the signing of Peter Crouch it might be tempting to think that Harry Redknapp (frankly one of the few English managers whose sides have always avoided long-ball tactics) will be playing a more direct route one style this season. (Fascinatingly, in the Champions League on Wednesday Liverpool hoofed it long as if the former Chelsea season ticket-holder was still playing for them.)

 

More usually, Pompey have played the ball patiently through midfield, bringing attacking right-back Glen Johnson as well as playmaker Nico Kranjcar into the action. More often than not the aim is to set the clever Jermain Defoe through on goal. Crouch, who despite his height is not an especially powerful header of the ball, never the less produces enough knock-downs in the box for Defoe to fill his boots.

 

The two looked isolated from play and each other against United in the Community Shield, but Redknapp is expert at drawing the best from players.

 

Another problem exposed at Wembley was Pompey's lack of pace, throughout the side but especially in defence (Johnson aside). With pace down the flanks and Deco's guile Chelsea will look to exploit their solid but sometimes cumbersome last line. Scolari has asked Nicolas Anelka to play more forward and centrally, and has been on fire in preseason. New signing Younes Kaboul, who was dropped by Tottenham after several costly errors last season, will need to be at his most alert if he plays.

Those readers attending this match should be aware that there is a new ticket entry system in place at the Bridge. Season ticket-holders can now scan their cards to open the entry barrier (much like the Oyster system on the Tube), while supporters with paper tickets should insert them in the slot. Be aware that unfamiliarity with the system may well produce delays and there may be larger queues than usual, so plan ahead.

And finally, a new 'Premier League anthem' is apparently to be played at every ground this season during the 'fair play handshake'. Can anyone still hum the last one?

Weekend fixtures involving last season's top four

Sat    12.45pm    Arsenal v West Brom

Sat    5.30pm      Sunderland v Liverpool

Sun   1.30pm     Chelsea v Portsmouth

Sun   4pm          Manchester Utd v Newcastle

 

 

* Chelsea and Portsmouth have never contested the opening game of the season.

 

* Portsmouth's last away win on the opening day was 20 years ago at Shrewsbury (third flight) in 1988.

 

* Chelsea have won the last six and eight of the last nine opening day games. The only blip being the 1-1 draw against Newcastle in 2001. Coventry were the last team to beat us in 1998.

 

* Last season Portsmouth achieved their highest position in the Premier League finishing eighth, and best in the top flight since 1954/55 when they ended the season four points behind champions Chelsea. 

 

* Only Chelsea with 13 and Arsenal and Manchester Utd 10 won more than Pompey's away league wins last term. Their away record was won nine, drawn one, lost nine. Away wins came at Blackburn, Fulham, Wigan, Newcastle, Birmingham, Aston Villa, Reading, Bolton and West Ham.

 

* Pompey's top Premier League scorers were Benjani 12 (now Man City) and Jermain Defoe eight. Chelsea's were Frank Lampard 10 and Didier Drogba eight.

 

 

WE HAVE HISTORY

 

Last season Pompey gained their first-ever Premiership point against Chelsea when debutant Defoe equalised Anelka's deft finish at Fratton Park. Despite a strong defensive performance by Harry Redknapp's men at the Bridge a Frank Lampard goal had earned Chelsea a 1-0 win earlier in the campaign at the Bridge.

 

Pompey had not even scored in the Premier League against Chelsea until the now-departed Benjani struck in October 2006.

 

 

* We welcome FA Cup holders Portsmouth to Stamford Bridge. Pompey's success at Wembley in May was their first major trophy in 58 years since they completed back-to-back league titles in 1948/49 and 1949/50.

 

* Portsmouth are looking for a fourth successive win in the capital following wins at West Ham in April and against West Brom and Cardiff at Wembley in April and May.

 

* Chelsea are looking to extend our unbeaten run against Portsmouth to 25 games. Our last defeat came 48 years ago in December 1960 in the League Cup when a 19-year-old Peter Bonetti was playing his 25th game for the club.

 

* Portsmouth's last victory at Stamford Bridge was in fact their biggest win against us. They won 5-1 just over four months after Chelsea had won the League in September 1955. Since then, Chelsea have remained unbeaten at home for 15 games in all competitions.

 

 

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING MATCH

Chelsea 1 Portsmouth 0

Premier League, Saturday August 25th 2007, Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea (4-4-2)

Manager José Mourinho.

Cech

Essien       Ben-Haim   Terry (c)     A Cole

Wright-Phillips    Mikel         Lampard    Malouda

Pizarro       Drogba

Booked None

Scorer Lampard (30)

 

Kanu         Utaka

Taylor        Muntari      Davis         O'Neil

Hreidarsson                Campbell (c)       Distin                Lauren

James

 

Manager Harry Redknapp

Portsmouth (4-4-2)

Booked Davis, Muntari

Referee Alan Wiley

Crowd 41,501

John Terry made his 300th Chelsea start.

 

 

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE
The referee is Mike Dean

 

There are some important changes to the Premier League's rulebook to note at the start of this season. The manager's three substitutes can now be chosen from seven players on standby - an increase of two. Of course, Luiz Felipe Scolari will be used to that from managing teams at international level. Will this overdue improvement provide chances for more youngsters and home-grown players to have an impact off the bench?

This season The FA has also launched the 'Get On With The Game' initiative, with a number of fresh policies aimed at improving communications and understanding between the referee and players. The most noticeable to spectators will be that only team captains can protest decisions with the referee. Chelsea players have been unfairly singled out in media coverage of the issue of respect for referees, but hopefully The FA's changes will improve relations between players and officials.

 

It is a shame, perhaps, that there is still no requirement for officials to explain decisions post-match to balance things up.  

 

CHELSEA STATS

Once again home comforts could be decisive this season. Stamford Bridge is now an extraordinarily formidable fortress. Chelsea have completed four Premier League seasons (2004/5-2007/8) undefeated on the Fulham Road. On the other hand, protecting precious records might produce the wrong mindset. And the Blues' seven home draws - more than anyone else in the top six - proved debilitating in the last campaign. Manchester United lost once at Old Trafford but earned 17 wins and a total of 52 points there, compared to Chelsea's 43 at the Bridge. Scolari, the fourth man to manage Chelsea in this proud unbeaten sequence, would still settle for the higher points tally come May. 

 

* Didier Drogba, currently on 80, is one goal away from overtaking the great Gianfranco Zola and early hero Bob Whittingham in the list of Chelsea's all-time goalscorers. Two more would take him past 1930s legend Hughie Gallacher.

 

* Chelsea are looking to extend our record unbeaten league run at Stamford Bridge to 83 games since our last defeat against Arsenal on February 21st 2004.

 

* The Blues are unbeaten in 102 consecutive domestic matches at Stamford Bridge (if penalty shoot-outs are excluded).

 

* We are hoping to extend our club unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge in all competitions to 69 games since our last defeat on February 22nd 2006 when Barcelona beat a ten-man Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League. That has been our only home defeat in the last 127 games since February 2004.

 

* Chelsea are on the longest current unbeaten run in the Premier League of 21 matches (15 wins, six draws) since the defeat at the Emirates against Arsenal last December.

 

* Chelsea have not lost when scoring first in the Premier League for 42 games (36 wins, six draws) since the 2-1 defeat at Tottenham in November 2006.

 

Chelsea's last six games

Apr 22    Liverpool           A  D 1-1   Champions League semi-final

Apr 26    Man Utd            H  W 2-1

Apr 30    Liverpool          H  W 3-2  CL semi-final (aet)

May 5     Newcastle        A  W 2-0

May 11   Bolton               H  D 1-1

May 21   Man Utd            N  D 1-1   CL Final (lost 5-6 on pens aet)

 

 

 

POMPEY STATS

In finishing eighth in the League last season, Portsmouth completed draws against all of the eventual top four at Fratton Park. In the reverse fixtures away from safe harbour on the south coast, however, they lost all four.

  

Does Pompey's masseur charge by the yard? The recent addition of Peter Crouch (6'7") has lengthened his already considerable workload: David James and Kanu are both 6'5", Pape Bouba Diop 6'4" and Djimi Traore a comparatively diminutive 6'3". The challenge for pitchside photographers this season will be to get the faces of all of those, plus that of tiny Jermain Defoe (5'7"), all in the same goal celebration close-up.

 

KEY STAT - CHELSEA'S 100% RECORD

Chelsea have won every home fixture against Portsmouth in the Premier League:

2003/04 Chelsea 3 (Bridge, Lampard, Gérémi) Portsmouth 0

2004/05 Chelsea 3 ( Drogba 2, Robben) Portsmouth 0

2005/06 Chelsea 2 (Lampard, Robben) Portsmouth 0

2006/07 Chelsea 2 (Shevchenko, Ballack) Portsmouth (Benjani) 1

2007/08 Chelsea 1 (Lampard) Portsmouth 0

 

 

* Since the formation of the Premier League in 1992, Pompey have won two of their five opening day fixtures since promotion back to the top flight in 2003. They were both at home to Aston Villa in 2003 and Blackburn in 2006. Their single defeat was against Tottenham at Fratton Park in 2005 and two draws against Birmingham at home (2004) and Derby away last season.

 

 

*This will be Portsmouth's sixth season in the Premier League.

 

POMPEY IN THE PREM

                    Pts    Pos

2003/04     45     13th

2004/05     39     16th

2005/06     38     17th

2006/07     54     9th

2007/08     57     8th

 

LAST LINE-UP

 

Portsmouth v Man Utd

Aug 10 2008, Community Shield (4-4-2)

                               

                                          James

 

Johnson         Campbell        Distin      Hreidarsson (Lauren 80)

 

Diop          Mendes (Mvuemba 75)     Diarra      Kranjcar (Utaka 60)

 

                               Crouch      Defoe

 

 

 

 

 

Pompey's managers this decade

Tony Pulis             2000

Steve Claridge     2000-01

Graham Rix          2001-02

Harry Redknapp  2002-04

Velimir Zajec        2004-05

Alain Perrin          2005

Harry Redknapp  Dec 2005 to date

 

* Pompey have lost four of their last five away Premier League games.

 

Pompey's last six games

Apr 20    Man City             A  L   1-3

Apr 27    Blackburn          H  L   0-1

May 3     Middlesbrough  A  L   0-2       

May 11   Fulham               H  L   0-1

May 17   Cardiff                 N  W  1-0 FA Cup Final

Aug 10   Man Utd              N   D  0-0 (lost 1-3 on pens) Community Shield      

 

NEW BOYS

This is the first opportunity for Chelsea's latest arrivals to perform on home soil. The arrival of former Barcelona playmaker Deco and - should he recover from injury - Jose Bosingwa from Porto already looks exciting. Deco appears immediately to have excelled in the deft, one-touch style of play under Luiz Felipe Scolari, while in his brief cameo before succumbing to injury Bosingwa looked a mirror image of flying full-back Ashley Cole. Think Brazil's Cafu and Roberto Carlos.

 

That is not to overlook the excellent preseason form of a player who arrived only in January, Nicolas Anelka (six goals in four games, including four against Milan), nor the newest name on the first-team squad list, 19-year-old Argentinean Franco Di Santo. The goal-hungry Crespo emulator from Mendoza is a far more traditional number nine than previous incumbent Steve Sidwell, the industrious midfielder who has moved on to Aston Villa.

 

On a sad note, this will be the first season since 2002/3 that Chelsea face a campaign without the 'battery in the watch' that was Claude Makelele - a player so definitive he has a midfield role named after him.     

 

Portsmouth have spent around £60m since last summer. The most recent additions are lanky forward Peter Crouch from Liverpool and athletic defender Younes Kaboul from Spurs. Kaboul is likely to feature in central defence, while Crouch will partner Defoe upfront.

 

Completed summer transfers

 

CHELSEA

In: Deco (Barcelona, undisclosed), Jose Bosingwa (Porto, undisclosed)

Out: Steve Sidwell (Aston Villa, undisclosed), Claude Makelele (PSG, free), Tal Ben Haim (Man City, undisclosed), Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart, undisclosed), Hernan Crespo, (released), Claudio Pizarro (Werder Bremen, loan), Anthony Grant (Southend, free), Ben Sahar (Portsmouth, loan), Shaun Cummings (MK Dons, loan), Ryan Bertrand (Norwich, loan)

 

PORTSMOUTH

In: Peter Crouch (Liverpool, undisclosed), Glen Little (Reading, undisclosed), Ben Sahar (Chelsea, loan), Younes Kaboul (Tottenham, undisclosed), Jerome Thomas (Charlton, loan)

Out: Sulley Muntari, (Inter Milan, £12.7m), Milan Baros (Lyon, loan expired), Pedro Mendes (Rangers, £3m)

 

OTHERWISE ENGAGED

There are no suspensions on either side. However, Ben Sahar, who has joined Portsmouth on loan until the end of December, is ineligible to play.

  

Chelsea v Portsmouth in all competitions

Games played       77

Chelsea wins        32

Portsmouth wins  21

Draws                    24

 

Head-to-head in the League at Stamford Bridge

Games played      35

Chelsea wins       17

Portsmouth wins  6

Draws                   12

 

Rick Glanvill is Chelsea's official historian. Paul Dutton is the club's official statistician.