Matchday 4

White Hart Lane: "We're second?!?!!?! WHAT?!"

Chelsea – Burnley (3 – 0)

The first game of Week Four was Chelsea hosting Burnley at Stamford Bridge.  The lunch-time affair was a repeat of last year’s League Cup tie which saw Chelsea beaten out by penalty-kicks.  That’s no way to end a match… I’m not bitter.

Burnley had shown so much promise coming into this match.  Week 3 they defeated a deflating Everton and even earlier, Manchester United.

These results begged the question, would Burnley be able to keep up their performance level through their hellish first five fixtures?  They still have Liverpool at Anfield next week.

Chelsea’s only question was how many goals were they to win by on Saturday?  Chelsea hasn’t played a team that finished in the top-six last season except for Fulham, whom they decapitated like a Barbie doll last week.  Although relatively untested, Chelsea look even better than last season.

To my surprise, Burnley had a couple of great chances to get ahead of Chelsea after a botched breakaway effort by Anelka.  Burnley looked like they were about to pull another upset on a Big Four club.  This time would have been away from home.

Petr Cech’s great goalkeeping kept the Blues from quickly getting behind two goals against a freely playing Burnley.

Chelsea dominated possession for most of the game, but could not show much for it.  Burnley keeper Brian Jensen played out of his mind all match and managed to keep Essien, Ballack, Lampard and Anelka out of the net for most of the affair.  It wasn’t until extra time in the first half that a carefully placed ball by Drogba and a great run by Anelka put Chelsea ahead.  A Ballack header just after the break and an Ashley Cole rip from the left side of the box put Chelsea up 3 – 0 by the 52.  Despite efforts from Essien, the score was to remain as it was until the final whistle.

Burnley played bravely and were only defeated by the class of Chelsea not their effort.  Burnley are tenth in the EPL right now.  This is a direct consequence of their hard work, grit and phenomenal leadership from the bench and around the pitch.  Despite last year’s result in the Carling Cup and my loyalty to Chelsea, you will see me cheering on Burnley in every match they play this season [except for the Chelsea replay at Turf Moor].  They are a perfect example of when a true team can accomplish.  They have just added the services of striker David Nugent from Portsmouth which will help their goal total for the next six months, the length of Nugent’s loan.  Now, the question still remains.  How long can Burnley keep up its level of play?

Chelsea showed that when in attack their options are not just up front with Anelka and Drogba.  The midfield and even the defense got in on the scoring at the Bridge.  Instead of being providers, other players are scoring for Chelsea.  This is only good news for Carlo and the Chelsea faithful.

Tottenham Hotspur – Birmingham City (2 – 1)

Birmingham City coming into their match against Tottenham had not had much luck since their return to the Premier League.  The team had only managed to scrounge up 4 points in 3 matches compared to the 9 of Tottenham before the start of their match.  Adding to Birmingham City’s woes was the absence of 7 key players from the starting XI.

Tottenham got off to a hot start, and were proving why they deserved their top spot in England.  Larsson provided a couple of chances for Birmingham, but could not capitalize getting behind the Spurs’ defense.

The biggest news from this game came in the form of Peter Crouch.  Although he scored against Doncaster in Carling Cup action midweek, Peter Crouch had yet to score in the EPL this season.  Crouch made an immediate impact.  He played with a purpose and created chances for himself by using his size and skill in the box.  His impact came at a cost as Croatian playmaker Modric was taken out of the game due to a broken leg that will have him out for more than a month.

Crouch took advantage of a great set piece and service from Lennon and scored in the 72nd minute.  Birmingham returned fire quickly with the aid of another impact substitute, Cristian Benitez.  The Ecuadorian player disrupted the Spurs defense enough to see his mate Lee Bowyer strike one in from inside the 6-yard box.

Unfortunately, a mistake from Birmingham’s Carr left the City defense open to a breakaway in the 95th minute.  Led by Aaron Lennon, Tottenham scored their second and final goal in dramatic fashion as they assured the rest of England that they could win close matches.

The top two clubs in England deserve to be where they are.  As the table begins to take form and leave teams like Portsmouth and Wigan behind, Tottenham are proving themselves as a team to be recognized.  I don’t believe they have the quality and depth to be able to crack the top four, but rest assured, if they keep this pace, they will make a run for a top five finish in April.   Tottenham are proving themselves to be a resilient team that are ready to see a game to its end.  They aren’t letting up until the final whistle.  Squads with that sort of tenacity are hard to keep quiet.  With the winds of disbelief  swirling about the football world, they are picking up disrespectful debris concerning Tottenham and their low expectations.  Expect Spurs to play with a larger chip on their shoulder as the season goes on as the deniers grow in number .  They will use that fire to push into a single-digit finish.