Can the Blues’ Backline Face Its Demons?

By Zain Alvi | 3rd August 2009

Can the Blues' Backline Face Its Demons? | read this item

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john-terry While Manchester City fans simply can’t wait for the forthcoming Premier League season to bask in the glory that could be created by their newfound prowess, Liverpool and Arsenal fans are reeling from the lack of trophies won by their respective clubs in recent years. As Sir Alex Ferguson and his men seek to cement an era that Manchester United has completely dominated in English football, however, one team will feel more unlucky than anyone else when it comes to falling short of the Red Devils in recent years. No surprises for guessing – I am referring to the FA Cup champions, Chelsea FC.

Now as an Arsenal fan, I have enough stories to narrate all day about the trouble I have faced when merely appreciating Chelsea. Unfortunately, English football has become increasingly ignorant of objectivity and city rivals seldom acknowledge the supremacy of one another. As far as I am concerned, though, being a great Arsenal fan shouldn’t stop anyone from accepting that Chelsea has clearly been the closest rival for Manchester United in the past half a decade. In fact, had it not been for a few unlucky moments, the Stamford Bridge outfit would have emerged stronger than the Old Trafford outfit.

In my opinion, the major difference between the two teams in recent years has been the misfortune suffered by Chelsea’s backline. While both rosters have been consistently stacked with powerful attacks, I feel that any competition between these two sides comes down to the manner in which both defenses end up dealing with the pressure. With composed performances from the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United have outlasted Chelsea’s rearguard, which is led by the outstanding skipper John Terry and arguably the best goalkeeper in the world in Petr Cech. Like I said, it really has come down to the element of misfortune on quite a few major occasions for the Blues.

In Moscow, John Terry was arguably the best player over the 120 minutes of football played by both the sides in the Champions League final two summers ago. However, he famously slipped while taking his decisive penalty, which ended up striking the post. In the aftermath of that missed penalty, Manchester United became the European champions. Terry was obviously not beaten by skill. I hope even the most staunch supporters of United realize that Terry’s bad luck gifted them the silverware.

Terry’s support system in the back, the oustanding Petr Cech, has suffered the same misfortunes while keeping United at bay. In addition to being beaten by his opposite number, Edwin Van Der Sar, in the aforementioned Champions League final from last season, Cech was also beaten by the veteran Dutch goalkeeper in the Community Shield two seasons ago. When time came to meet United again in this past season’s Champions League final, the Blues were once again unlucky as Andres Iniesta’s late goal condemned the Chelsea defense to a defeat that never should have been. In case you have forgotten, the Blues were robbed of at least three clear penalties over the course of the second leg of the semifinal played at Stamford Bridge.

To their credit, however, Chelsea rewarded interim manager Guus Hiddink with the ideal departing gift – a thoroughly deserved FA Cup trophy. Before beginning their defense of the title, the Blues will now also get another shot at Manchester United in the Community Shield in less than two weeks. As that game approaches quickly, a few questions come to mind. Will it come down to a penalty shootout yet again? If yes, can Petr Cech finally become the winning goalkeeper? And most importantly, will John Terry be able to defeat his demons from Moscow by stepping up to the spot to convert a penalty that will certainly get an inflated level of importance? To find out the answers to these questions, make sure to tune in to this season’s FA Community Shield, which to reiterate, is less than two weeks away.

Are Chelsea the favorites, the biggest challengers, or simply flawed? Have your say below!