Anelka and Drogba Combine Forces at Last for…a Nil-Nil Draw

By: Laurie | February 19th, 2008

I almost volunteered to liveblog the Olympiacos-Chelsea Champions League game today. Glad I didn’t. I would have spent all of my energy desperately trying to type names like Djordjević and Stoltidis and Kovacevic and Torosidis. (Note to self: Never liveblog Greek games. It can’t be healthy dealing with all those syllables.)

But I guess that’s not really relevant. Chelsea were the favorites in this game, at least partly because of the possibility of January addition Nicolas Anelka and African Cup of Nations returnee Didier Drogba playing together. I find these two guys to be among the most interesting strikers around, so I figured Chelsea manager Avram Grant would stick them on the field from the start and the rest of us would sit back and enjoy the fireworks.

Alas, the game didn’t start out that way. Grant was wedded to 4-3-3, which put Drogba in as the lone striker and Anelka on the bench. I’m not sure if Drogba is still suffering from an African Cup of Nations hangover or what, but he looked less than spectacular. Actually, they all did. Chelsea split possession very close to 50-50 in the first half, with neither side looking threatening. Second half Chelsea dominated possession but looked less than lethal. Best description of the game?

There was little to enthuse about as both sides struggled to find any fluidity during a game that rarely threatened to entertain.

It was far from the best advert for free-flowing football and Chelsea seemed quite content to pass the ball around without purpose until they lost possession.

That about sums it up. This game made me realize one of my favorite things about wifi. I can put the computer on my kitchen counter, and when the game gets really boring, I can do my dishes.

My kitchen, post-game, is very clean.

But back to the Anelka-Drogba thing. Finally, in the 74th-ish minute, I got my wish. Anelka went on, and Drogba did not come off. Rapture! Or it would have been if they’d actually done anything together. Unfortunately Avram stayed with 4-3-3, putting Anelka in on the left wing. Not his strongest position. Nico did his best with it, but there was no chemistry up front. Anelka (and Salomon Kalou on the right) both had a couple of pretty individual moments, but there was no click among players that could have resulted in a score. End result: an extremely disappointing nil-nil draw.

I’m choosing to believe this was strategic on Grant’s part and not a sign that this pairing will be a dud. Of course he chose this lineup for defensive reasons, going for the draw, expecting that they can win the second leg without benefit of away goals.

That’s the only possibility, right?

(For Chelsea blogger Jack’s view on things, check out Chelsea Offside.)

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cfc069

and when Cech has a go at Drogba LOL LOL - aww bless him - first game back after ACN and injury and his goalkeeper has a go!!

Roll on Sunday!!

Be a much better game for you to blog Laurie, or you could always clean your kitchen again!!!

KTBFFH
Jack

You know it's bad when Makelele is providing the creativity in midfield.
Michael

Chelsea didn't play well together today. The fact that the players have been split up by the ACN for so long might have had something to do with it. Also, Grant chose not to pick Lampard or Terry, but to rest them for the upcoming Carling Cup Final. Chelsea nearly always play better with those two in the line-up.

Chelsea's defense looked tight as always. From what I could see the only thing missing from Chelsea's game was chemistry. To generate better chemistry they needed John Terry on the field as a general, Lampard in the middle distributing the ball (really, he is one of the best long-passers in the EPL), and maybe a different formation.

I agree with you about the strikers, Laurie.

It would have been fantastic to watch Anelka and Drogba play up front in a 4-4-2. And I was hoping to see Grant employ a 4-4-2 diamond. Anelka was wasted on the wing. Perhaps as his partnership with Drogba develops, Grant will play them together up front. But I doubt he really wants to go back to the 4-4-2 having played the squad in a 4-3-3 so frequently this season.

One thing that did stand out to me tonight was the ineffective wingers. Neither Joe Cole nor Malouda really had the burst to go past a defender on the outside. That, or Grant didn't want them to. All four of Chelsea's wide men should have the athletic ability to get by an Olympiakos defender.

Unfortunately Makelele, for all his superb awareness, positioning and tackling, simply cannot anticipate or complete a pass. He looked great on the defensive side but gave away possession enough to make me doubt his contribution.
Ian

I watched this match online and I actually thought Olympiakos represented themselves quite well in midfield, putting together some nice passes and such. Still, they had to know that they are probably not going to be the team that breaks Chelsea's streak at the Bridge, and should have tried harder for a home goal. It seemed like Oly were banking on a lucky break from a set piece, and they certainly got enough corners, but their corner deliveries were all pretty weak. If you're gonna beat Chelsea, you have to beat them on your own pitch, and Oly didn't get it done.
Erinti

Aw, c'mon, the names aren't that bad. (And you could always copy-paste or do what the Greek fans do and refer to those guys, for example, as Djole, Iero, Kova, and...OK, Torosidis doesn't have a nickname that I know of, but still.)

In any case, I wasn't able to even watch the match and I'm falling asleep just seeing it described. Man, here's hoping for a more exciting London leg, even if it means Oly die horribly.