They say that first impressions are the most important, that a reputation can be shattered in a moment, and you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Well, if that’s the case, then Chelsea have dispelled the very myth that has crippled their image of yesteryear.
The 5-0 mauling of a youthful and lacklustre Middlesbrough side at the weekend had reporters and observers purring at the sumptuous and, at times, simply wonderful brand of football played by the team in blue.
From the moment ‘big’ Luiz Felipe Scolari took over the reins at Chelsea this summer the demeanour and whole image of the football club have changed. The blues, this season, have sidelined the much chastised chief executive Peter Kenyon from public appearances and replaced the highly controversial and systematically deprecating ‘special one’ Jose Mourinho’ in favour of the gentle incandescent and likeable Felipe Scolari.
This season under ‘big Phil’, Chelsea have played football of the utmost beauty; one of stupendous attacking creativity, delightfully blended with total conviction and played with consummate professionalism. Of the 11 competitive games played by the boys on the Fulham Road, 27 goals have been scored with a paltry three goals conceded, including four wins of 4 goals or more.
Chelsea, currently sit pretty at the top of the Barclay Card Premiership alongside fellow pace setters Liverpool. A potentially explosive showdown will be played out between these two sides at the weekend where maybe a truer reflection of how both teams are fairing will be conducted. In between that mouth watering clash, Chelsea face a much more delicate opponent in the shape of AS Roma in this Wednesday's Champions League matches. A 4-0 drubbing by Inter on Sunday has Roma peering perilously close to the bottom of Seria A, way off the current pace set by their victors at the weekend. A positive performance by Chelsea who are playing at their somewhat impregnable home ground of Stamford Bridge should see them walk out comfortable winners, given there are no dramatic changes in luck or form from both sides.
The Chelsea name, as it were, has not been mentioned with such disgust or distain over recent months. A new found affection that has had both journalists and football commentator’s rightly drawing fire away from the once negative persona Chelsea presented with stupid ignorance, infavour of a softer more radiant approach that Phil Scolari is transmitting.
With an abundance of first team regulars omitted from his squad through injury, seven to be precise, an amorous Scolari gave the gathering press a lexis of harpsichord like melody, which contained an uncompromising dexterity. There were no complaints about the numbers lost through injury, no backs to the wall pre match dribble consisting of the same nonsense about internationals during the season and petulance akin to grumpy old men; take note Rafa Benitez. He simply said that the injury concerns he faced were a challenge to him and would make him a better manager. Oh, the symphony playing into the ears of the press must hit an excitable nerve to even the most disapproving of football fan!
They have stopped this pubescent ‘everyone hates me’ syndrome that had a nation of disgusted and judgemental suitors drawing daggers in their backs. This shift in impetus came when they appointed Scolari, who has breathed fresh air into the blues. They have become approachable and dare I say it, liked by others. Their free flowing cavalier approach to football has seen them acquire friends and fans along the way. The old Chelsea under Mourinho and Avram Grant were effective but cold, powerful yet distasteful, now a thing of the past.
It must be pointed out that Liverpool sit adjacent to the Blues at the top of the Premiership, with Arsenal and Manchester United, if they win their game in hand, a couple of points further back. For all the exuberance and aesthetic brilliance played in South London, it is no guarantee that success will follow, just ask their North London rivals Arsenal. However, there is a new found belief and consensus amongst football followers; one that has seen the style and image of Chelsea change. With positive thinking, positive results and humble off the field relations, Scolari’s men have built the foundations for a new breed of football: one that talks pretty, plays pretty and looks pretty.
This, for all the impressive results and endearing press Chelsea are receiving at this moment is exactly the style and branding Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, wanted Chelsea to covet. His vision when he took over the football club 5 years ago was to create one of the most admired and decorated teams in the world. A team playing beautiful football with flair that fans marvel at, with an intensity and purpose about their play that fuels their appetite for success.
The season is long, with a bumpy road lying ahead, and just like any other premiership year, their will be twists and turns at ever corner. You can’t win any silverware in October, that is for sure, but you can certainly win over a bipartisan crowd and get yourself into a position of dominance. Only time will tell how successful Chelsea and their new hero, Phil Scolari, can be, however, there is a growing feeling amongst those in football that this season might be painted a bold colour that will over power all others in this very English of canvases, that colour… is blue.
