Sir Tokyo Sexwale Posted May 1, 2006 Posted May 1, 2006 so it sayeth here The Premiership trophy stays at Stamford Bridge and Manchester United's challenge to Chelsea turned out to be nothing more than a little flutter of the heart before the steady pulse of the season resumed. Jose Mourinho is well on his way already to building a new history for the club. His Chelsea are only the second team in 22 years to retain the league title. The other side was, of course, United. Therein lies a reminder that in the whole of football history Chelsea have had only a walk-on part, even if it has stolen the show from time to time. Their superiority in the Premiership is beyond dispute, however, and ideas that United are on the rise were quashed on Saturday. Chelsea imposed their will from the start of the season, while others were still getting their bearings. The programme opened for them with nine consecutive league wins. United took nine points fewer from that stretch.If a single game encapsulated the merits of the Premiership winners, though, it was the win over West Ham last month. With the side 1-0 down and a man short following the dismissal of Maniche, Chelsea could envisage their lead over United being trimmed to a perilous four points. A desperate situation snapped all the inhibitions and entitled the players to an afternoon off from Mourinho's conservatism. Some fans view the eventual 4-1 win as Chelsea's best display of the season. That, however, hints at a problem. The other heady spell came against Barcelona when, with Asier Del Horno sent off, Mourinho gambled on shock tactics and committed his outnumbered team to all-out attack. In a tumultuous phase Chelsea took the lead and could have added to it before succumbing to defeat. Too often adversity has been needed to raise the level of performance. It is laudable that the side can react like that but there has been a dullness on too many other occasions. Saturday's win showed how good they really are. The resurgent form of United and, to some extent, Liverpool came when their positions were virtually hopeless and the pressure had diminished. Chelsea, by contrast, were at their most formidable as frontrunners. Following the defeat at Old Trafford in November, for instance, the champions took out their frustration by winning 10 league fixtures in a row. Yet it is impossible to avoid having reservations about Chelsea. Too often they have had to count on organisation and doggedness. Players such as Joe Cole have had good patches while Hernán Crespo and Didier Drogba intermittently brought potency to the attack, but a lavishly gifted figure such as Arjen Robben has offered far too little. There has, at the least, been a minor malfunction. After the title had been seized at the Reebok in 2005 the Bolton manager made some faintly sceptical remarks about the victors. "What is important for Chelsea is their next two or three signings," said Sam Allardyce. "That will be a key factor. If [the signings] don't work they might not have quite as good a season as people might think." Mourinho spent more than £50m on Michael Essien, Del Horno and Shaun Wright-Phillips. None can claim to have been outstanding and, even if their second seasons may be better, the fact remains that the manager still depends on the players he inherited in 2004. It has not gone exactly to plan for Mourinho and there is an ache in Chelsea's heart over their European ambitions. Apart from being eliminated by Barcelona, the side lost at Real Betis and did not score in two draws with Liverpool. Chelsea are sometimes too stolid. That might encourage United, Liverpool and Arsenal, were their own limitations not even more marked. As the rivals visualise next season, they had better prepare for the worst and anticipate a Mourinho side reinvigorated by the signing of players such as Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack. 50m.....kinell
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