Monday 16 March 2015 12:19, UK
Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Southampton on Sunday saw them extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table without looking wholly convincing.
Diego Costa headed them in front only for Dusan Tadic to equalise from the spot before the visitors withstood a late barrage.
Adam Bate was at Stamford Bridge for Sky Sports and picks out five talking points to emerge from the match…
Are Chelsea out of sight?
“From one perspective a draw at home to Southampton is not a good result,” said Jose Mourinho after Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. “For me, that view is very acceptable. That is the feeling I have. The second perspective is we had a lead of five points from second place, and now it is six points with one less match to play.”
Manchester City’s defeat at Burnley on Saturday might have provided a welcome fillip for a Chelsea team reeling from the disappointment of Champions League elimination in midweek. However, it also adds to the sense that Mourinho’s men will be able to fall over the line in winning the Premier League title without the need to rediscover their form of the early part of the season.
It’s clear now that the hard work was done in those first 18 games where Chelsea picked up 45 points at a rate of 2.5 per game. That return has dropped to 1.9 points per game over the 10 matches since. Even so, if that more modest output is maintained for the remainder of the campaign, it will require one of the chasing pack to win all their games to oust the Blues from top spot. Chelsea are surely home and dry and there is a sense that their players know it.
Is Fabregas fading again?
Few men typify Chelsea’s season quite like Cesc Fabregas. The Spanish midfielder was in sparkling form from the outset of his debut season at the club and his tally of 15 Premier League assists makes him the most effective creator in the country. But his last 10 appearances have yielded only one assist, in contrast to the six in his first four games, and led to suggestions that Fabregas is suffering from a familiar late season slump.
The 27-year-old still created as many chances as anyone on the pitch against Southampton and with 121 passes in all – the fifth time he’s passed the 120-mark this season, more than anyone else – there was no denying that he was heavily involved throughout. But this activity also means that his failings can appear more obvious – Fabregas lost the ball on no fewer than 27 occasions on Sunday. At certain points in the second half, the crowd seemed to be becoming exasperated.
Losing possession twice in a matter of seconds drew audible groans while an unnecessary delay when well placed in the box seemed to be the product of a tired mind as well as body. Fabregas looks like a man who might need a rest – something that perhaps explains why a Chelsea team that scored three goals in a game on 12 occasions in the first 32 matches of the campaign have now failed to do so in any of their last dozen. They need Fabregas back to his best if they are to function at full capacity.
Superlative Schneiderlin
Morgan Schneiderlin on the other hand was in spectacular form. The midfielder looked physically strong and imposed himself in the centre of the pitch. In fact, he seemed to target Fabregas, frequently winning the ball off his Chelsea counterpart. He became only the sixth player this season to make 10 tackles in a match and the first to win possession on more than 20 occasions in a single game.
Schneiderlin also used the ball well when he got it – which was often (he had the most touches of any Southampton player) – and boasted the best pass completion rate of any starter on either side. Saints deserve to be regarded as a top side in their own right but it is now difficult to think of any squad in the land which Schneiderlin would not improve.
Is Forster pushing Hart?
The man of the match award went not to Schneiderlin but his team-mate Fraser Forster in the Southampton goal. The England international produced a series of impressive saves – most notably, two within a matter of seconds to deny Oscar at point-blank range and then Eden Hazard with the follow-up attempt. Another instinctive stop to keep out Oscar and a save with the legs from Loic Remy late on capped a stunning performance.
While Southampton manager Ronald Koeman was visibly irked at the line of questioning in his post-match press conference asking him to compare his player with England No.1 Joe Hart, that is surely a question that Roy Hodgson ought to now be wrestling with. Forster was the only fit player within the squad not to see match action at the World Cup in Brazil last summer but the keeper continues to impress and an opportunity against Lithuania or Italy later this month would be well earned.
Surrounding the referee
After all the drama about Chelsea’s rain dance to encourage Bjorn Kuipers to send off Zlatan Ibrahimovic in midweek, the contrast with the reaction of the Southampton players when Nemanja Matic fouled Sadio Mane on Sunday was marked. There was nothing nasty about the Serbian’s foul, of course, but it was curious how disinterested Saints seemed when a second yellow card would have seen Matic walk. Referee Mike Dean even appeared to reach to his top pocket.
Is it a lack of savvy on Southampton’s part or a welcome respect for the officials? There was a similar non-reaction, for example, when denied two penalties against Liverpool recently. However, having seen his Chelsea side made to wait since the first day in November to receive a spot kick of their own, Mourinho would doubtless feel his players are no experts when it comes to winning decisions.
But they do remain the Premier League’s best when it comes to winning points. Twenty-two more will be enough to mathematically guarantee the club’s fifth title and a third under Mourinho. Their form is not as scintillating as it once was but the job is now almost complete and that represents a significant accomplishment for their manager. “If someone had told me in August that at the end of March we’d be six points in front with a match in hand, I’d have signed for that immediately,” Mourinho said after the game.
