By Ian Grant
After experiencing the atmosphere at Arsenal on Saturday, I had the opportunity to go to Stamford Bridge, with a couple of Chelsea fans on Wednesday night and ask what is the difference? Can Arsenal catch Chelsea?
There was an electric atmosphere of glorious expectation. These are the best of times for Chelsea. It seems centuries away from the dog track of the sixties/seventies. The closing of one of the side stands keeps the noise in, whereas four years ago it evaporated.
Although holding only slightly bigger numbers than Highbury – there is more space. People are consequently more laid back.
Chelsea had their reserve side out including Bridge, Crespo, Wright-Philipps and Geremi. But counting up transfer fees of players on the pitch – it came to £135m – a higher value than any Premiership first team. From memory, Arsenal’s last Saturday was around £30m and Man U’s around £111m.
As the game progressed, I thought this isn’t really football – more like the psychological equivalent of Lions v Christians. Such was the size and skill factor in Chelsea’s favour. Charlton’s transfer fees were around a sixth of Chelsea’s.
Chelsea basically bully sides into submission. If they don’t open the door by stealth (Crespo), they do it by bludgeoning (Drogba). If Wright-Philips trickery isn’t working, they try a different form in Joe Cole (or Damien Duff). If central midfield isn’t functioning, they swap Lampard, Makalele and Essien around.
Everything is built from the back. John Terry is the rock on which Chelsea are founded. And Carvalho, Gallas and Del Horno weren’t playing.
Charlton, although having less skill to a man, had great team organisation, kept their shape and worked their socks off. And they deserved their luck.
Is there any footballing way of stopping Chelsea medium term? No. But the football authorities could do so at a stroke by bringing in a budget cap, of say £100m.
The couple of Chelsea fans I was with said it is ridiculous to keep on spending. They also said it was the best – most competitive game, they’d seen all season (Charlton are, after all, second in the league).
There’s a common perception of Chelsea as the evil empire. But being there it just wasn’t so. Chelsea fans are justified in enjoying their good fortune and it is natural that comes above considerations of where the money came from and its effects (like Russian poverty, environmental damage and disenfranchisement of fans of the national and potentially European game). It is not their fault, after all.
There’s also an argument, perpetuated by the media that we should be grateful to watch high quality teams. But this side hasn’t got and is unlikely to have the magic aura of greatness of the Man U of Best, Law and Charlton; of Revie’s Leeds, and some of the Liverpool teams of the seventies and eighties.
The national game is at stake and far more important and is currently headed for the swanney. It is down to the footballing authorities to act on a cap, rather than act like Nero.