Norwich 0-0 Chelsea - Slow and laboured Chelsea drop more points!

I have said it time and time again now, you have to earn the right to win any game against any opposition in the Premier League and let's face it, once again Chelsea didn't do that against a hard working and plucky Norwich side yesterday.

We keep hearing that the players have jetting off for some warm weather training in Majorca for five days ahead of QPR away in the FA Cup next week and it seemed to me that quite a number of players had one eye on the plane already.

No disrespect to Norwich at all, but ahead of this one, looking at both sides and the quality on the pitch, you would have expected Chelsea to win the game IF they played as they can. Far too many players failed to turn up for the game. In addition to that Frank Lampard looking to pick up a worrying injury twenty minutes in and was replaced by Malouda which was a strange one for me.

I am a firm believer that you pick your best side in every game (if players are available) to get the game won and then make the necessary changes. I had heard that Romeu had picked up a knock but if he is fit enough to be named on the bench, he should be starting. So when Lampard came off, I would have put Romeu on and pushed Meireles further forward. That never happened, Malouda came on and fitted in with the rest of the players that remained one paced and laboured.

Chelsea needed urgency and to take the game to Norwich. We had plenty of possession but did little or nothing with it. The problem we have of late is that we get into the final third and people become greedy. You are reading reports of Torres missing the target again and I admit, that's one he should have scored, however it's the other times where he could have been played in and wasn't that frustrates me. This week it was Juan Mata.

Mata, who was one of only four or five players who could walk off that pitch knowing they played OK, had his first chance in the first half where wide left around 8 yards from goal inside the box, he choose to shoot and side footed the ball towards the far corner which was easy for the keeper to get down to his left hand side to save it. Had Mata looked up, Torres was 2 yards away from him, in space with a chance to side foot the ball passed the keeper in a better position but was ignored! His frustration was there for all to see as he gestured to the man who ignored him again!.

We simply have to play quicker to get games won and to feed Torres and give him the service he thrives on. Norwich gave Chelsea at times an example of how to do that. In Holt and Morison they have two strikers who are on form, who both work hard and knew their role in the game if they were to get anything from it.

Paul Lambert is a good manager and man manager and his players were happy to let Chelsea sit and dominate possession knowing that as soon as they won the ball back, they would get the ball forward quickly. Norwich played really well and created more than enough chances to threaten our back four.

Chelsea were far too slow, too laboured and too casual yesterday. In games like these it's about who wants it more and it pains me to say it, but at times it seemed that Chelsea expected to win this one and played like it, Norwich demonstrated more desire to try and win the game by defending well and getting the ball into dangerous areas quickly.

In my eyes, only a few Chelsea players can hold their heads high for the way they worked hard all game and played OK. Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, John Terry and Raul Meireles deserve a mention but man of the match for me was David Luiz. People moan and criticise his style of defending but for me lately, he seems to have calmed it down more and is concentrating on the defensive side of his game and was immense for Chelsea.

The problem about yesterday was, if you only have a few players up for the game and determined to play well when others around them don't seem to be bothered, then you do not deserve to win anything, let alone three points at Carrow Road.

Just think back to how their supporters reacted to getting a point against us and their first clean sheet of the season. Like I said, I don't mean any disrespect to Norwich supporters at all when I say this but that showed how much of a big result it was for them.

The problem is, it showed again yesterday just how far behind the likes of City, United and Spurs Chelsea have become this season. Good luck to Norwich for the rest of the season, play like that and you will stay up no problem.

Chelsea have a job on now to stay fourth!

KTBFFH

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