Beyond Reproach

It was disappointing to see so many empty seats at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea’s opening Champions League game against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, but the main thing is that there were plenty of positives for the home side to take out of the game.

First, a dreadful defensive mix-up by the Germans enabled Michael Essien to grab an easy 24th minute lead. Then there was the good fortune of seeing the usually deadly Miroslav Klose miss two headers he would normally have buried. And in the second half Didier Drogba showed that he has lost none of his flair for earning penalties, with an ostentatious dive that had enough artistic impression going for it to convince an erratic referee that Clemens Fritz had committed a heinous foul.

Most important of all, Didier’s histrionics gave Michael Ballack the opportunity to show Frank Lampard how to score from the penalty spot. Which is highly appropriate since he had also spent the match teaching his team mate how to play in midfield.

As for entertainment, that was reserved for the television audience, who were treated to the spectacle of the Special One storming out of a post-match press conference to express his displeasure at several members of the media who have had the audacity to criticise Frank Lampard, a player considered by his manager to be far above the indignity of any form of censure.