Arsenal vs Swansea: Will the Gunners bounce back from Chelsea mauling?

Photo: Sky Sports

Arsenal’s home tie against Swansea tomorrow evening will be a true test of the Gunners’ mettle, with Arsene Wenger’s 1001st game in charge at the club holding even more meaning than the reaching of the century milestone at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Click here for my preview of Arsenal's crunch tie against Swansea

Chelsea Player Ratings vs Swansea – Ivanovic Impressive

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Click here for my Chelsea player ratings as the Blues triumphed 1-0 over Swansea on Boxing Day - on Soccerlens.com

Lampard Caught Up in the Circle of Life, as Chelsea Begin to Shed their Skin

Rafael Benitez, it seems, has drunk deeply from the poisoned chalice – one that he willingly poured himself. Quoted on Tuesday as the harbinger of the end of the Chelsea ‘old guard’, his words have been met with derision and a bitter resentment that all but sums up his time in the hot seat so far.

"Everyone knows the legends have been here and what they have achieved but you have to see new players coming in. It's part of life.” Benitez said on the eve of yet another damning defeat to Swansea in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday, “You have to think about the future and move forward, bring in new players and try, at the same time, to bring the best out of those you have.”

These words will ring truest with Frank Lampard, who has seen his status as ‘untouchable legend’ take a dramatic turn for the worse. He now has the air of a man out to prove a point, not that his is a point that needs proving. A glittering career, littered with as many personal and team accolades that could be attained; Lampard has become one of the finest examples of the beautiful game in living memory. His recent exploits have seen him lead Chelsea to glory in Europe’s premier stage, and continue over into the new season with similar swashbuckling roles.

How then, ask the multitude of fans, players and pundits alike, can Chelsea justify not offering their living legend, who is on the verge of becoming their top ever goal-scorer (from midfield), a new contract?

Perhaps Benitez should have delved into the quote books, and presented such a statement as one Harold Wilson, ex-Prime Minister, delivered - “He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”

 

It has been said ever since Carlo Ancelotti’s departure in 2011 that Chelsea are a team in transition. Transition is not an overnight sensation; it is a carefully constructed beast, with a multitude of cogs and parts, physical, and emotional. And this process is still young at the London club, even though the seeds have been well and truly sown for all to see. The aged front line of Malouda, Drogba and Anelka has been successfully phased out, and in its place, a vibrant, youthful and clinical array of stars are now terrorising defenders all over the country.

 

Clubs that look to revolutionise their playing style, and construct a new-look team, often start building from the back. But this is not the case at Chelsea. With some claiming that Chelsea won last season’s Champions league purely on the merits of their unbreachable defence (as well as a bit of luck), it seems that the backline is not in need of an overhaul. It is rather their attack that has seen an influx of new talent. Now all that’s left to address, logically, is their midfield.

Already with Ramires and now a reshuffled David Luiz, they have two young, vivacious Brazilian destroyers; one much akin to a terrier, the other a rabid sheepdog. So where does a 34 year old Lampard, so tuned to the old Chelsea playing style, fit into this new machine?

Take the case of Alessandro Del Piero. A stalwart if ever there was one, his 19 year dynasty was brought to an abrupt end as Juventus saw an opening for change. Fans of the ‘Old Lady’ were beside themselves with grief and anger at the news. None could fathom why the board had decided to dispense with their hero, a hero who had followed them down to Serie B following the 2006 match fixing scandal, and then led them to an undefeated 2011 top flight championship.

At 37, and his contract drawing to a close, it was time for a new era to begin. His work was done, in the eyes of the Juventus hierarchy. And have Juventus suffered in his absence? Not a bit. Oozing fast, exciting football, dark horses for the Champions league, and holding a five point lead in Serie A, Juventus are a team that have successfully completed a full footballing cycle. Del Piero’s exit was inevitable, despite the obvious melancholy. Change is often necessary, but correct timing and handling of it is even more vital.

Benitez understands this, saying “They (Chelsea’s older players) were so successful that now everybody can see only the players who won, but you have to see the new players coming and maybe winning in the future. It is difficult."

In Juan Mata, Eden Hazard, and Oscar, Chelsea have laid down the blueprints for a new system. The overpowering triumvirate of Lampard, Essien and Makelele that brought about so much success for the Blues is almost but a loving memory. Their power and physicality, with Drogba and Michael Ballack also fitting the bill, defined an era for Chelsea.

 Now, armed with a new array of weapons, Chelsea’s minute trio are looking to usher in a new decade of dominance – which leaves Frank Lampard a beloved relic of times gone by.

 

As with Drogba, now with Lampard, and maybe even Ashley Cole and John Terry in the near future, sacrifices are part and parcel of change. We must praise Chelsea’s willingness at attempting to change an entire team’s heart and soul, rather than lambast them for the inevitable casualties that ensue.

We are looking at a situation not unlike a cocoon hatching into a butterfly; as the hunt for young blood continues to transform Chelsea from their rock solid foundations, into a beautiful, free flowing footballing entity.

However, Chelsea fans will pray Roman and his millions ultimately forge something natural and prevalent, taking their beloved club away from the Frankenstein-esque muddle that Benitez oversaw against Swansea.

Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights. ~Pauline R. Kezer

Links and Pictures: BBC Sport, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Youtube, www.dawncompk.files.wordpress.com, www.taipeitimes.com, The Daily Mail, www.english.gazzetta.it

The Trouble With Money

Speaking from a personal standpoint - the chance to earn a promotion in the workplace, and with it a large salary increase and additional professional respect is something all us working people strive for, and often crave on a daily basis. So why is it that when a footballer, when given the chance to ply his trade at a world-renowned club, can be roundly criticised from all corners as if it were a decision that warranted collective pity? We wouldn’t condemn a sales assistant’s choice to take a manager’s position? We wouldn’t look on with scorn if an actor earned his big break by scoring a part in a Hollywood blockbuster; but football is an entirely different arena.

 

Take Scott Sinclair for example. The 23-year-old winger started life at league two outfit, Bristol Rovers, before moving to the glitz of the Kings Road, Chelsea. After a series of mixed experiences on loan from the London club, he ended up being taken on by Swansea City. At this stage, Sinclair had gone from promising young firework, to a ‘nearly’ player settling for a league that suited his ability. No doubt he was capable of real dramatics, but these he showed all too rarely.

To his credit, Sinclair took up the challenge of reinvigorating his dwindling career, and starred in the Welsh club’s rise to the Premier League. Back on the big stage, he continued his fine efforts, playing all 38 games that season, and scored eight times. Scott Sinclair had arrived back on the scene it seemed, and he was out to prove his doubters wrong. But, regardless of his heroics for the Swans, it was still clear in many fans and pundits minds, that Sinclair had indeed found his level: over-performing for an over-achieving side that were enjoying Premier League status and surprising everyone with their continuing survival.

But then, in came Manchester City. Fresh from their first league title for forty-four years, the champions were looking to strengthen their already formidable squad. There were many who looked on in surprise at City’s decision to go in for the winger last summer, considering his non-existent international pedigree, and the brilliance of City’s existing team. It wasn’t just Swansea fans that thought that Scott’s ‘promotion’ was a dangerous, potentially career- threatening decision. And here we are, not four months later, with Sinclair already not considered for top flight games for City. How achingly predictable.

There have been many other examples over the years. Chelsea are in fact chief culprits of signing players everyone could see would not make the grade. Scott Parker, Steve Sidwell, Tal Ben Haim, and Shaun Wright-Philips came and went, not before showing the world on the biggest stage possible, that they were indeed not good enough to bounce with the big boys. These players opt for a joyride on the billionaires’ crooked rainbow, all the way down to the comforting pot of gold at the bottom.
Is it me, or are these types of signings so obviously wide of the mark, that they can be condemned even before the player has taken his seat for the first of many stints on the bench?

But can we blame the players for giving it a shot?
Maybe the agents for pushing their charges into firing line with contrived promises of grandeur?
Or is it the internal politics at ‘super-clubs’, which can see them enter bizarre summer dealings, and sign obscure ‘talent’ when points need to be made, examples set, and precedents changed?

Money talks, as we all know, but nothing is perfect.  

 

Photo credits: Daily Mail, The Mirror, financialexpress.com, glitterazi.com