Loss Leader

What an extraordinarily talented outfit Chelsea are. Take for instance their Champions League clash against Werder Bremen, which they managed to lose 1-0 – thus ensuring their qualification for the knock-out phase of the competition and at the same time jeopardising the prospects of the holders Barcelona, who must now beat Werder Bremen to progress.

It was clear from the first half alone that this was not your typical Chelsea. To begin with, they tended to get caught offside rather a lot, with experienced players like Joe and Ashley Cole somehow managing to mis-time runs like amateurs. And while they created a hatful of chances, they contrived to miss every single one of them. As early as the 9th minute, John Terry produced a brilliant header across goal from a free kick, leaving Mikel with the relatively simple chance of converting from 4 yards. Curiously he headed over the bar.

Worse was to follow. Ballack volleyed over from 4 yards. A Chelsea corner offered Drogba a header from 8 yards, which he missed. And a beautiful turn by Joe Cole left him with only the goalkeeper to beat from 7 yards. Except that he didn’t.

By that stage Werder Bremen had taken the lead, courtesy of a close range Mertesacker header from a corner, which was made so much easier by the fact that no-one was marking him at the time.

In the second half, Chelsea gave the impression of increasing the pressure without ever really looking like scoring. They dashed about earnestly enough but unaccountably seemed to come up short whenever they ventured into the final third. So Werder Bremen hung on for a famous victory, John Terry got booked (allowing him to miss the dead rubber but to return for the knock-out games) and Jose Mourinho looked suitably gutted.

Cynics will suggest that this was a football match in which one team wanted to win, while the other wished merely to give the appearance of wanting to win. They will imply that Chelsea tried to win the ball, but not as hard as usual. They pressurised the opposition, but not too much. They pulled shirts, but not to excess. They dived and disputed decisions, but without their customary conviction. And they created countless chances, only to spurn them. But when they go to Old Trafford, it will be a different story.

Still, who can believe the cynics when no less an authority than Andy Gray, who is a bit of a Chelsea fan, declared from his lofty position in the Sky that Mourinho’s men were absolutely determined to win the game.