Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Is the title race wide open now?

If Carlo Ancelotti survives this season, he may refer to last night's victory over Man Utd as the turning point in what has been a tumultuous campaign for the Blues.

With rumours intensifying of a replacement being lined-up to take over from the Italian in the summer, Chelsea's 2-1 win over the Devils may have given Ancelotti some much needed breathing space.

For once, his cosmopolitan side displayed some rare English character to comeback from behind and hand Sir Alex Ferguson his second defeat of the season. Perhaps Ancelotti has finally figured out what needs to be done to get the millionaires in his squad to step it up a notch although it may be too late now for the Blues to get back into the title race. And he still needs to figure a way of getting some goals from Fernando Torres before the season's over.

Still, Chelsea's victory last night has handed their London rivals, Arsenal, a major boost in their quest for the Premier League. The Gunners are now four points behind Man Utd with a game in hand (against Tottenham, no less) and with a genuine chance of winning their first league title since the 2003/04 season.

But can Arsene Wenger's men finally end six seasons of underachievement? Based on the Carling Cup final last Sunday, that would seem like an unlikely proposition (even ludicrous, some might say).

Still, no one doubts the fact that Wenger's side is equipped with enough talent to win the Premiership this season. However, it takes a little bit more to win league titles.

As I've mentioned in an earlier piece on the Gunner's victory against Barcelona, Arsene Wenger's biggest weakness is his reluctance to alter Arsenal's tactics according to its opponents, especially the ones that are more than willing to put 10 men behind the ball.

On several occasions this season, Arsenal have been left frustrated without the maximum points against sides that employ such tactics and its almost certain the Gunners will face more sides like this before May. And if the Carling Cup final was any indication, Arsenal may have to wait a little longer before it lifts the Barclays Premiership trophy again.

No comments:

Post a Comment