Villa : The Aftermarth!

Well, its has taken me a couple of days to write about the bad result on Saturday for a couple of reasons. First of all have had a busy weekend (sorting out new house etc) but because I wanted to sit back and get my thoughts together and have time to read through the mountains of stories that were bound to errupt about Chelsea losing away from home again this season! Well I say again, but its only been two defeats! However, its the manner of the two defeats and the goals conceeded that is the cause for concern.

6 of the 8 goals we have conceeded this season are from set-pieces. Whereas we were so strong defending set plays its seems its all gone to pot in recent weeks. The article on extrafootie's website focuses more on JT's reaction that the game and I guess that have a point to be fair. They say:

"It seems Mr Chelsea himself John Terry is not at all happy with matters in West London, and this could be of major concern to boss Carlo Ancelotti.The Blues captain showed his disgust at the conclusion of yesterday's clash with Aston Villa, which saw Chelsea slump to their second away defeat in succession. Terry, 28, whose commitment to the cause at Stamford Bridge has never been in question, was visibly distraught as he trudged off the field of play and into the sanction of the away team dressing room - not quite kicking and screaming, but not far off it.

Yet again, he witnessed his team spurn a host of chances in front of goal, that left them empty handed on their return to West London. It's the type of form that is unlikely to bring silverware to the club, but if past events at the club are anything to go by then Ancelotti's job mightn't be as safe as was once thought.

Turn the clock back a year and Luiz Felipe Scolari was at the helm at Stamford Bridge. He too started impressively before a string of away defeats led to his eventual sacking. In his post-mortem press conference he talked of the influence that players like John Terry have at the club, and judging by the tough tackling stopper's latest outburst, he is far from impressed with life at Chelsea currently.

It must be noted that two away defeats on the bounce is no crisis, but Terry's extreme reaction seemed to reveal that there are other problems bubbling under the surface. Only time will tell if Ancelotti is able to work in harmony with the likes of Terry - who, given past events clearly holds sway not only on the pitch but off it too. One thing is clear however: if results don't improve, then there will be only one man who will take the blame. No prizes for guessing just who that'll be"

Like most of you I was surprised at JT's reaction but in a good way as It shows for all to see that its been someone's job to pick up the man and they let the team down. It shows his frustration but all of ours as we see Collins glide through the air unmarked to pounce and put them 2-1 up. Some people have said it was comical seeing JT like that! But mark my words someone got a bollocking once they were back in that changing room!

Martin O'Neills post match interview was interesting to hear. He said:

'I don't think Chelsea ever get the credit they deserve for being brilliant,' he said. 'This was a setback for them - brilliant for us, mind you - but they are really strong.

'Be careful about making assessments just on one game. Drogba and Frank Lampard have been around for a number of years, Michael Essien is as strong a player as you will see. They are really good.

'If you are asking me now, I don't think there is a massive difference from that side that won those titles to this. They play to a pattern, they can manipulate it and, with 20 minutes left out there, they were going for everything. While it was 2-1, they were just going for us.

'Do I see any sign of them ageing? Absolutely not. Not at all. Not one jot of it. I really don't see that criticism at all. I wonder where that came from? The fact they have lost twice now doesn't put them out of the race. I genuinely believe the team that finishes in front of them will win it.'

Its true that once we were 2-1 down we had our chances and should of taken at least one of the one-on-ones we had so you could say we were unlucky, but defending set plays like that, you don't deserve to win games. If we get these sorted out then we have a chance. Like O'Neil says, he believes anyone who finishes above us this season will win it, so there is a long way to go.

Petr Cech is confident about the situation as he has said:

"We gave United a chance to get in front of us and it is three points dropped unnecessarily,” the Czech Republic international goalkeeper said. "But there is still a long way to go.

"I think it is better to lose one game and win one than draw twice. We haven't got a problem playing away from home. It is unfortunate and we have to reflect on it, but we can repair the damage."

Let's bloody hope so starting with Weds night and Saturday against Blackburn.