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| Picture: Twitter/Chelsea FC |
And, so, the ninth Premier League fixture of Project Restart and the first in which I had more of a vested interest than simply the opportunity to laugh, Nelson Muntz-style, at the misfortunes of rivals. Aston Villa-Chelsea was also the second game of the new order I’ve watched featuring the struggling Brummies, but of course, it was the Blues I’d come to see. Sort of.
The jury is still out, as far as I’m concerned, as to whether this glorified contractual obligation to get the season over and done with is actually any good. Every game I’ve seen since last Wednesday night’s re-opener between Villa and Sheffield United has been flat, mostly the result of empty stadiums rendering players somewhat unsure of themselves. We viewers may, of course, be able to tune in to audio options that provide artificial crowd noise, but it will always be a sound effect and no more. I’ve actually come to the conclusion that only hearing the players and coaches shouting at each other gives an on-the-ground authenticity you wouldn’t normally hear with 40,000 yahoos in full bait mode. Must be a nightmare, though, for TV censors hoping that the pitchside microphones don’t pick up the inevitable F-bombs that drop in the heat of battle. Must be a nightmare, too, for the extended scrutiny of players, such as Chelsea’s Mateo Kovavic, caught by Sky's all-seeing eyes spitting from the substitutes’ bench, clearly in breach of the coronavirus health-and-safety protocols.
Anyway, back to Villa-Chelsea. An altogether better game than any I’d seen previously in this strange reappearance of the national sport (though the BBC set the benchmark high by showing the Wales-Belgium tie from Euro 2016 immediately before the 4.15pm kick-off, providing a vital reminder of what football excitement can be when enriched by a profoundly impassioned support). This was also Frank Lampard's 100th game as a manager, though I had to think about that stat: 57 were as Derby boss last term, meaning that the Chelsea head coach, who turned 42 yesterday, still only has 43 matches under his belt at the club where he remains record top scorer.
Like Project Restart, the jury is also still somewhat out on Lampard as a head coach - having won 46 of those 100 matches - even if his mostly positive run until the lockdown gave some indication of the youth-driven project he is building at Stamford Bridge. It would be harsh, though, to put the blame for Villa opening the scoring on anything strategic. It looked to me like pure rust: Mason Mount, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and César Azpiliqueta all getting in knots with their respective marks leading to Kortney Hause sneaking in. It was a good goal, though, and against the run of play that Villa should have built on in the second half, given their precarious position second from bottom in the Premier League.
But no. On the hour of play, substitute Christian Pulisic smashed Azpiliqueta’s exquisite pass into the roof of Villa’s net, two minutes before the newly re-contracted Olivier Giroud piled in a second from distance. I’m going to be biased, but having endured dire 0-0s in recent days, seeing two good goals in as many minutes from your own side was enough to restore some faith in the whole shooting match. Smugly, it strengthened the Blues’ fourth place and creates a little comfort between them and Manchester United. That said, the rust still needs the wire brush treatment. 19 attempts on goal, of which only two were converted, is something for Lampard to worry about in the remaining weeks of this truncated and revived season.
The jury is still out, as far as I’m concerned, as to whether this glorified contractual obligation to get the season over and done with is actually any good. Every game I’ve seen since last Wednesday night’s re-opener between Villa and Sheffield United has been flat, mostly the result of empty stadiums rendering players somewhat unsure of themselves. We viewers may, of course, be able to tune in to audio options that provide artificial crowd noise, but it will always be a sound effect and no more. I’ve actually come to the conclusion that only hearing the players and coaches shouting at each other gives an on-the-ground authenticity you wouldn’t normally hear with 40,000 yahoos in full bait mode. Must be a nightmare, though, for TV censors hoping that the pitchside microphones don’t pick up the inevitable F-bombs that drop in the heat of battle. Must be a nightmare, too, for the extended scrutiny of players, such as Chelsea’s Mateo Kovavic, caught by Sky's all-seeing eyes spitting from the substitutes’ bench, clearly in breach of the coronavirus health-and-safety protocols.
Anyway, back to Villa-Chelsea. An altogether better game than any I’d seen previously in this strange reappearance of the national sport (though the BBC set the benchmark high by showing the Wales-Belgium tie from Euro 2016 immediately before the 4.15pm kick-off, providing a vital reminder of what football excitement can be when enriched by a profoundly impassioned support). This was also Frank Lampard's 100th game as a manager, though I had to think about that stat: 57 were as Derby boss last term, meaning that the Chelsea head coach, who turned 42 yesterday, still only has 43 matches under his belt at the club where he remains record top scorer.
Like Project Restart, the jury is also still somewhat out on Lampard as a head coach - having won 46 of those 100 matches - even if his mostly positive run until the lockdown gave some indication of the youth-driven project he is building at Stamford Bridge. It would be harsh, though, to put the blame for Villa opening the scoring on anything strategic. It looked to me like pure rust: Mason Mount, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and César Azpiliqueta all getting in knots with their respective marks leading to Kortney Hause sneaking in. It was a good goal, though, and against the run of play that Villa should have built on in the second half, given their precarious position second from bottom in the Premier League.
But no. On the hour of play, substitute Christian Pulisic smashed Azpiliqueta’s exquisite pass into the roof of Villa’s net, two minutes before the newly re-contracted Olivier Giroud piled in a second from distance. I’m going to be biased, but having endured dire 0-0s in recent days, seeing two good goals in as many minutes from your own side was enough to restore some faith in the whole shooting match. Smugly, it strengthened the Blues’ fourth place and creates a little comfort between them and Manchester United. That said, the rust still needs the wire brush treatment. 19 attempts on goal, of which only two were converted, is something for Lampard to worry about in the remaining weeks of this truncated and revived season.
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