Peering through the bare facts of a third consecutive defeat at Old Trafford may at first seem to offer little consolation to Chelsea.
But if ever there was a case of putting an optimistic slant on a painful defeat, then surely it came in Sunday’s 3-1 reverse against the reigning champions.
It’s tricky not to sound bitter bemoaning two “offside goals” and a fortunate third while lamenting a number of missed chances, notably a Ramires effort and of course Fernando Torres’ bewildering empty-net blunder.
United’s display, in an enthralling match, was full of pace, power, skill and some clinical finishing.
Their preferred 4-4-2 formation once again ultimately proved the difference against Chelsea, exposing a lack of width with incisive counter-attacking and taking their opportunities in clinical fashion.
But – and this shows how good United are – they will certainly play better than that this season and lose.
In contrast, Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas will see his side play about half as well and win at a canter in the coming months.
“Mata has made a telling contribution already and there is the promise of much more to come.”
However, among the doom and gloom of a result that means Chelsea are already five points behind Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, two Spaniards (yes, one of which was Torres) and two Portuguese give plenty of cause to look forward with confidence.
The first Spaniard, the much-maligned Torres, was excellent throughout; he was aggressive, prepared to run at the back four and take people on, showed good skill with the ball at his feet, got on the end of several good chances, made a couple for himself and also teed up an opening or two.
Torres looked every bit a world-class player, and scored a wonderful goal. Unfortunately his game will be remembered by most for his catastrophic miss. More unfortunately, you can understand why…it was as bad a miss as you are ever likely to see.
The second Spaniard, Juan Mata, while nowhere near as headline-grabbing as his international colleague, is having a massive impact.
Mata’s arrival in English football seems to have passed with a relative lack of interest outside of Stamford Bridge because of the furore surrounding the Manchester clubs.
Add to that Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal wobbles, the usual can they/will they title-challenge talk at Anfield, the Torres factor and Didier Drogba debate, and you can understand why the frighteningly gifted, nimble-footed – and equally nimble-minded – midfielder has almost slipped off the radar.
But Mata has made a telling contribution already and there is the promise of much more to come.
Forget the goals, the classily taken debut strike in his brief cameo appearance off the bench in the 3-1 win over Norwich and the straightforward, but composed, close-range finish against Bayer Leverkusen. Forget too the assist via the crafty free-kick against the post in the win at Sunderland.
His willingness to accept the ball no matter how tightly marked, his ability to make full use of it and pick a pass, and crucially his skill in sparking the play with one-touch precision is what Chelsea needed.
Chelsea have often been accused of being ponderous and lacking the urgency in the final third. Mata provides that urgency, enabled to do so by the energy and drive of Ramires and the clever link-up play of Raul Miereles.
John Mikel Obi, talented as he is, can sometimes seem to slow the play, whereas Meireles could never be accused of being laboured in possession.
And while it would be ludicrous – bordering on offensive to many Blues fans – to compare the Portuguese midfielder to the legend that is Gianfranco Zola, his influence on the team could be such that in five years’ time, it’s a comparison that sits comfortably. He is a player that sets the tone for the way a team plays.
Meanwhile, the second Portuguese – the manager – seemed relatively happy in defeat, knowing his side is beginning to show the confidence he oozes and knowing, that in Torres he has a cutting edge suitable for the style of play he wants to introduce.
And also, that in Meireles and Mata, he has the platform and creative spark to provide for his £50m striker.
This post was last modified on 19/09/2011
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Sean, it's a fair point about Mikel, he is such a talented player and rarely gives the ball away and is a real team player. But he does slow the play more than many holding midfielders. Maybe it's a mindset thing cos that is the way Chelsea have played for so long. He is good enough to change but at the moment I think other players give more dynamism. Steve C, again I agree - although only to a point. Living up to expectations will be tough but the expectations should be huge when he's that talented - I'm sure he'll thrive on it. I've seen enough of him already to think he could be the man to influence our style of play for years. And Barney - defensively we look a bit shaky - but mainly out wide cos of the system and the sheer number of players we commit to attack. Long gone are the Jose days where Chelsea would play a decent Premier League side and the opposition would muster just one shot on target in 90 minutes. Chelsea got so much unjust criticism under Jose. But Roman wanted the change. I suppose you can't have it all! The defence looks more shaky cos they are exposed a lot more these days.
Absolutely agree the outlook is much brighter than the United result suggests. BUT need to improve at the back still not as sound there as in previous seasons.
Mata's a very good player but I think next season and beyond will be when he really shines it's important not to put too much expectations on his shoulders he's still young and finding his feet in England. Good player though!
Mata's quality but am not convinced by Meirelles as thought he was a bit over rated at Liverpool...bit unfair too on Mikel who does a lot of work for the team and doesn't get the credit he deserves IMO.