Chelsea 4-0 Blackpool. Video/Report - A game of two halves!.

Chelsea beat Blackpool 4-0 this afternoon at Stamford Bridge and maintained their 100% start to the season. After a blistering start to the game scoring after a minute and three more before half time, it seemed that Chelsea would continue their goalscoring exploits in the second half. Now whether it was due to Blackpool's change in tactics or Chelsea lacking the killer instinct, it wasn't to be and for me was lazy and disappointing.

Chelsea started well in the game and from a corner taken by Didier Drogba down our left hand side, Ivanovic flicked the ball on at the near post and Salomon Kalou tapped home from 6 yards. The perfect start and 1-0 Chelsea.

Chelsea looked comfortable and with Blackpool's change to their normal formation and opting to play a holding midfielder in front of their two centre backs, Chelsea had space to knock the ball about. Chelsea were passing the ball really well and Ashley Cole was being played in time after time again as Blackpool were torn apart by Chelsea.

Chelsea made it two as a ball was played through to Didier Drogba down the right hand channel. Drogba was onto it like a flash and spotted Malouda in the box. Drogba crossed the ball between the keeper and the defender perfect for Malouda to tap home and make it 2-0 Chelsea. At this point you had to have thought "game over!".

Blackpool to their credit carried on trying to play football. In Charlie Adam he was always looking to play in DJ Campbell up front on his own but he was isolated the whole half. The problem for Blackpool in the first half was the movement of the Chelsea players. Paulo Ferreira was also looking to get forward down the right in addition to Cole down the left and they were stretched and couldn't deal with it.

However, the closest Blackpool came to scoring was through Baptiste. He came forward with the ball, dropped his shoulder and fired a shot from 20 yards that was heading into the corner, Petr Cech dived to his left and managed to get his finger-tips to the ball and divert the ball wide for a corner. Blackpool were encouraged.

However their encouragement was short lived as Chelsea made it three through Didier Drogba. A long ball once more out wide left on the edge of Blackpool's box down our left hand side found Cole. He took a touch inside and played the ball square to Drogba, who on the spin, swiveled and fired a shot towards goal that took a heavy deflection off the defender that had wrong footed Gilkes in goal. Despite his effort to stop the ball he couldn't and the ball found it's way into the corner. 3-0 Chelsea.

Chelsea made it four once again through Florent Malouda. The "hard-working" Drogba won the ball back easily on the half way line and played the ball with the outside of his right foot to Kalou in between the centre half and the full back and Kalou was onto it at the right hand edge of the box. As Blackpool's defence and midfielders got back in position, Kalou took a touch, looked up for once and played a ball square to Malouda who first time, fired the ball back across goal from left of centre and the ball hit the bottom right corner. 4-0 Chelsea and we were cruising. It was no more than Chelsea deserved.

Chelsea today looked comfortable without Frank Lampard, John Terry and Nicolas Anelka and sitting in the stands Lampard had to have been impressed. We were fantastic and Blackpool looked to have no answer. As the players disappeared down the tunnel at half time we wondered what we could do in the second half and how we would approach the game. Would Carlo make changes? Would we see Chelsea become even more rampant? What could Ian Holloway do and say to his side to keep them going in the second half?. Even the Sky pundits felt for Blackpool (as below).

To his credit Ian Holloway did make changes and decided to employ another forward. Off came a defender, the holding midfielder was moved to right back and Gary Taylor-Fletcher joined DJ Campbell up front. After watching it back a typical Ian Holloway moment. As he walked back up the tunnel to take his seat in the dugout it was almost as if he said to the fourth official "how long to go!" just before the second half kicked off. Funny that as he didn't need to worry!.

Just three minutes into the second half with Holloway barking instructions to his side, Taylor-Fletcher combined with DJ Campbell and played a ball through to the left corner of our box. Campbell hit a first time shot as the ball moved into the box, Cech out like a flash and managed to get a part of his body to the ball. Cech's contact with the ball took some speed of the shot and Ivanovic was able to clear the ball of the goal-line. A warning for Chelsea that Blackpool despite being 4-0 down were still going to try and play.

Holloway once more sprung into life and brought on Brett Ormerod and Marlon Harewood and went with 4 forwards on the pitch!. Who in their right mind playing Chelsea being 4-0 down would do that, only Holloway.

Blackpool begun to have alot more possession of the ball at the beginning of the second half compared to the first half and that was credit to them. Their possession nearly created another goal as Taylor-Fletcher picked the ball up just inside the left corner of our box, came inside onto his right foot and chipped the ball up looking to lob Cech. Cech managed to adjust his feet and push the ball over the bar. Blackpool fans began to find their voice.

Chelsea began to get their foot on the ball still created our chances. More often that I like to think about though, our possession was wasted by a shot high and wide, a wasted cross and chance to score and that left a sour taste in my mouth after the game as we all know that if we played with the same level of committment and displayed the same killer instinct as we had in the first half we really could have buried Blackpool.

Kalou played Drogba in between the centre back and full back down our left hand side and picked out a perfect cross for Malouda at the back post. With the defender jumping for the ball in front of him, Malouda did well to make contact with the ball as he lept of the ground for a scissor-kick. The ball hit the ground first and it made it easier for Gilkes to tip the ball over the bar.

Still once more Blackpool and through the impressive Charlie Adam in particular, continued to try and play and create chances. Adam played a ball over the top to DJ Campbell again on the right hand edge of our box 10 yards from the byline. He looked up and crossed the ball into the near post to Harewood who had made a run in front of Alex and his first time effort hit the side netting as the Blackpool fans thought they had scored.

Ashley Cole had another chance to score as a cross once more from our left hand side looked as though would be met for a goal by Kalou, he missed the ball completely but the ball came to Cole at the back post. He took a touch and then another when he should of hit the ball first time. He waited too long and the chance had gone.

Chelsea then should of had a penalty right on full time as after a scuffle with the ball in the box, Drogba was brought down 8 yards out. The Referee already had his whistle in his mouth and blew up for full time instead. Chelsea 4-0 Blackpool.

Ancelotti said after the game:

"Blackpool had a good reaction after the first half, they made some chances to score and also we didn't play so well, After 4-0 up it was difficult to maintain concentration and stay in focus in the game, we had a lot of opportunities to score but it was not fantastic play like the first half.

The first half was very good for us, it was a pleasure to watch my team playing like we played first half. But I am not angry about the second half because I know very well there are a lot of games in this period and maybe the players are looking to these next games. Maybe they lose a little bit of concentration during the game.

It could be that it is an easy start, We didn't play against the top teams but we played very welland this is the most important thing. Now it is important to maintain the same level of play against the top teams but I think that we are able to do this.

It is important to have confidence in our play and now we have confidence and we know very well that the next game will be more difficult. It is an important test to show the same level of play away against a fantastic team like Manchester City.'

Ian Holloway said:

"The tactical change did not work at all. I should have gone back [to our normal attacking system] earlier but when I went back to what we do the game was over by then.

No matter what we do against the top teams we are light years off them. They are awesome with their mental approach and the way they go about games. I would have been silly to think we did not have to do something different against Chelsea but I think we would have lost no matter what we did.

I thought we were absolutely useless in the first half, but we drew the second half, Chelsea showed a champion's mentality from the first corner and all our game plan went out of the window after about a first minute.

Some teams have taken us for granted but the champions didn't. Some of their movement was a bit different, I had not seen that before and it caused my players problems. I have seen in the flesh now how good Drogba and Essien are. I have seen some football in my life and the way Chelsea played is an absolute credit to Mr Ancelotti and their players. Some of their moving and passing and running is phenomenal.

So to sum up todays game you have to read that last sentance again above from Ian Holloway and that tells you exactly how good Chelsea were in the first half. Unfortunately like on Wednesday against Zilina our second half performance for me anyway wasn't as good.

Maybe that's me being greedy, being disrespectful of Blackpool to which I promise I am not but if we played the way we did second half as we did in the first we really could have made our goal difference in the league table much better than it already looks.

What I am going to do is go on record to also state for the Blackpool fans out there reading that maybe it was down to Holloways decision to go with four strikers in the second half. They forced us further back, I can only remember Ferriera getting forward once or twice compared to the first half.

Chelsea sit top of the league with 15 points out of 15 and a goal difference of +20. We take on Newcastle in the League Cup on Wednesday where Carlo has already gone on record to state that some of the kids will play, then onto the arguably the first "test" of the season against Manchester City at Saturday lunchtime in what hopefully will be a much better 90 minute performance to bring the three points home.

As for Blackpool, with 7 points out of 15 already playing just one game at home they have to be pleased with how things have started for them. Besides today and Arsenal, they have been a match for Fulham, Wigan and Newcastle and I believe under Holloway and his approach to games they will continue to surprise teams this season.

Forgive me Chelsea fans but it's stories like the Blackpool one that make you realise just how much playing Premier League football means. These fans will continue to get behind their side all season long and I for one will be looking with interest hoping that they can do enough to stay up.

Their fans will read this and think that it's one thing hoping and another to deliver on the pitch. With Ian Holloway in charge and as long as their Owner, Chairman and the Board of Directors remain patient with him at the helm, they definately have the right man for the job.

Good luck to you Tangerines for the season!. If you are honest deep down today you would have enjoyed your day but know that it could have and maybe should have been so much worse!!.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ferreira, Alex (Bruma 71), Ivanovic, Cole; Essien, Mikel (Benayoun 77), Ramires (Zhirkov 74); Kalou, Drogba (c), Malouda.
Unused subs Turnbull, Kakuta, Sturridge, Anelka.
Scorers Kalou 1, Malouda 11, 40, Drogba 30.
Booked Drogba 36.

Blackpool (4-1-4-1): Gilks; Eardley (Taylor-Fletcher h-t), Keinan, Evatt, Crainey; Bapiste; Grandin (Ormerod 60), Vaughan, Adam (c), Varney (Harewood 60); Campbell.
Unused subs Halstead, Southern, Cathcart, Carney.
Booked Eardley 37, Vaughan 53.

Referee Mark Clattenburg.
Attendance 41,761.

Carefree & KTBFFH!