Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United: Di Matteo knows he can't blame it all on man in black

 
Simon Johnson29 October 2012

Mark Clattenburg isn’t the only person who should be looking back on what happened at Stamford Bridge yesterday with a sense of regret while also regarding the future with some concern.

As the possible recriminations over what the referee did or didn’t say to two Chelsea players reverberates around the game, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Roberto di Matteo’s side have suffered a potentially costly defeat here in the title race.

There were mitigating circumstances, for while the investigation into Clattenburg’s alleged use of “inappropriate language” is just beginning, the match officials can certainly be found guilty of making some woeful decisions that had a direct influence on the result.

With Branislav Ivanovic already off, Fernando Torres should not have been shown a second yellow card for diving and Javier Hernandez’s winning goal was scored from a clearly offside position.

However, Chelsea’s ability to bounce back from their first Premier League defeat this season and their first home loss to Manchester United in a decade depends on how quickly they stop playing the blame game and realise they were just as culpable. It is all too easy to concentrate on a scapegoat like Clattenburg in such circumstances, but he was not the reason why Chelsea had to fight from two goals down to begin with.

Chelsea have rightly been praised for their entertaining football this season, however their main strength is also fast becoming their biggest weakness. The trio of Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard are a joy to watch on the ball, but when Chelsea lose possession high up the pitch they are looking increasingly vulnerable on the counter-attack.

On top of that, Di Matteo’s men are starting to develop a worrying habit of starting halves of football too slowly. The warning signs were there. Last week at Tottenham they went from leading 1-0 at the break and being in complete control to going 2-1 down inside nine minutes of the restart. Their lethargic attitude as they emerged from the confines of the dressing room was just as responsible for the dramatic turnaround as Spurs’ improved play.

While the excellence of Mata and Co ensured they came back to win at White Hart Lane, Chelsea weren’t so lucky at Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League three days later.

On that occasion they conceded a sloppy goal after only three minutes and were lucky not to be on the receiving end of a heavy defeat. By the time Hazard, Oscar and Mata were able to make an impact, they were two goals down and their comeback proved too little too late.

The players spoke of lessons being learned going into the Manchester United game, especially as they use a similar style to the Ukrainian champions. And yet for the opening 30 minutes Chelsea were in complete disarray against an impressive Manchester United side, trailing by two goals and staring humiliation in the face.

Once again Di Matteo’s side were slow off the blocks and with both full-backs looking to get forward, there were too many open spaces for their experienced opponents to exploit.

David Luiz, who was having one of his ‘Playstation’ performances, was unfortunate to score an own goal to start with, yet the ease in which Wayne Rooney found space on the right in the fourth minute to cross to an unmarked Robin van Persie was alarming.

The fact the second goal, in the 12th minute, was virtually a carbon copy, with Antonio Valencia providing the cross for Van Persie to find the net himself this time, was criminal.

Some may wonder if the experience of John Terry and Frank Lampard, who were sitting in the stands due to suspension and injury respectively, would have made a difference, but then both were present on the pitch in Ukraine in midweek when they made a similarly poor start.

Granted, the manner in which Chelsea played their way to parity with goals either side of half-time from Mata and Ramires was both thrilling and noteworthy for its character, yet one wonders why they didn’t play with such intensity to begin with.

Even Di Matteo appeared to concede there is much room for improvement.

He said: “We can put a lot of teams under pressure, but we have to improve defensively on these situations because you don’t want to give away goals and have to chase the game. Change and progress needs time, but as we all know, time in football is very precious. We know what we want to do and we are starting to see some kind of philosophy in this team. You can see this style can work as long as everyone keeps the responsibility of defending as a team.”

The tests keep on coming with a rematch against Manchester United in the Capital One Cup in two days’ time, plus League games against Liverpool and Manchester City on the horizon. There are also vital fixtures to decide their Champions League fate. One suspects it is up to Chelsea whether they pass them or not.

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