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Other Shoe Takes Forever to Drop for Chelsea
Posted Apr 15th 2008 11:17AM by David J. Warner
Don't you sometimes wish that Chelsea would just hurry up and self-destruct already?
We've known for some time that this team will look completely different next August. Every player faithful to Jose Mourinho has had one foot out the door since he was sacked last September. Avram Grant has not produced the "attractive football" that club owner Roman Abramovich demands. Grant's managerial mistakes have caused Chelsea supporters to shout at him, "You don't know what you're doing!" -- during home games.
Yet there are the Blues, still in the Champions League semifinals and still in second place in the Premier League behind Manchester United, still not willing to collapse, even with a manager nobody likes and players ready to jump ship.
At least, that's what we thought until stoppage time of yesterday's Chelsea v. Wigan tie. Wigan sub Jason Koumas crossed the ball into the box and found Emile Heskey, who nudged it past Petr Cech, a goalkeeper who's one step away from wearing an NFL helmet during games. Heskey's goal gave Wigan an improbable 1-1 draw, leaving Chelsea 5 points adrift of the title with 4 matches to play. Man U's magic number is now 7.
To his credit, grant won't concede the title. Everyone else, however, seems to know exactly what's coming, and it all comes down to one thing -- Avram Grant can't finish. Not like Mourinho could.
Now it seems, all that's left to do is watch the script play itself out. Chelsea will only manage a draw against Man U on April 26. Grant will be outmaneuvered by Rafa Benitez in the Champions League semis. The club will end the season with no trophies. Come July, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and several others will follow the Special One to Milan or Madrid or wherever, while Grant gets kicked upstairs and a new big-name manager takes his place, forming a completely different team bought with Abramovich's riches.
This has been in the works for months. We all know just how badly this movie will end. Getting to that end, though, is taking an awfully long time. James Cameron ended Titanic faster than this.
Don't you sometimes wish that Chelsea would just hurry up and self-destruct already?
We've known for some time that this team will look completely different next August. Every player faithful to Jose Mourinho has had one foot out the door since he was sacked last September. Avram Grant has not produced the "attractive football" that club owner Roman Abramovich demands. Grant's managerial mistakes have caused Chelsea supporters to shout at him, "You don't know what you're doing!" -- during home games.
Yet there are the Blues, still in the Champions League semifinals and still in second place in the Premier League behind Manchester United, still not willing to collapse, even with a manager nobody likes and players ready to jump ship.
At least, that's what we thought until stoppage time of yesterday's Chelsea v. Wigan tie. Wigan sub Jason Koumas crossed the ball into the box and found Emile Heskey, who nudged it past Petr Cech, a goalkeeper who's one step away from wearing an NFL helmet during games. Heskey's goal gave Wigan an improbable 1-1 draw, leaving Chelsea 5 points adrift of the title with 4 matches to play. Man U's magic number is now 7.
To his credit, grant won't concede the title. Everyone else, however, seems to know exactly what's coming, and it all comes down to one thing -- Avram Grant can't finish. Not like Mourinho could.
Now it seems, all that's left to do is watch the script play itself out. Chelsea will only manage a draw against Man U on April 26. Grant will be outmaneuvered by Rafa Benitez in the Champions League semis. The club will end the season with no trophies. Come July, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and several others will follow the Special One to Milan or Madrid or wherever, while Grant gets kicked upstairs and a new big-name manager takes his place, forming a completely different team bought with Abramovich's riches.
This has been in the works for months. We all know just how badly this movie will end. Getting to that end, though, is taking an awfully long time. James Cameron ended Titanic faster than this.