Chelsea 3 Ipswich 1:LUIZ FELIPE Scolari puffed out his cheeks, closed his eyes and shook his head, the Chelsea manager showing his admiration for Frank Lampard's 14th goal of the season, a scorching and untouchable free-kick from 30 yards that finally subdued the sporadic threat of Ipswich Town.
It was a moment to warm the heart of any Brazilian but Scolari had other reasons to be cheerful, not least the suggestion Michael Ballack is hitting his stride as the season enters its defining months. Ballack’s goals were beautifully constructed, the first after a neat incision by Ashley Cole and Lampard; the second, a curling 25-yard free-kick that exposed the positioning of ’keeper Richard Wright.
There were returns, as substitutes, from injury and cold-storage for Deco and Didier Drogba respectively – the latter overtly keen to play selflessly – while Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou produced flashes of class. With Joe Cole a long-term injury casualty and Florent Malouda struggling for form, the sometimes unheralded Kalou stands to become a key offensive figure.
Yet, as ever with Chelsea these days, there was also underlying unease; the gnawing concern that Scolari’s team, for all their possession and chances, have a certain vulnerability. It is most obvious on set-pieces, and again they conceded from one. Owen Garvan’s whipped free-kick was allowed to pass straight through the centre of the Chelsea defence, who were marking neither men nor zones. The ball hit Ricardo Carvalho, ricocheted off Gareth McAuley and Alex Bruce swept it home.
“It’s a little bit of a weakness and it’s a difficult period now,” Ballack said. “We have to be focused on set-pieces and defend. We have to improve, otherwise we sometimes kill our good game. We have a lot of possession, we play good going forward and then the opposition comes once or twice in front of our goal and we concede. It’s always a little bit not good for the confidence.”
There was a time if Chelsea were 1-0 up that a game was practically over, especially at Stamford Bridge. But now, opposing teams do not feel so suffocated and they believe they can score, and not only from set-pieces.
Chelsea have not kept a clean sheet for six matches and, after drawing level, Ipswich exposed them in a 36th-minute counterattack. Jon Walters pulled back an inviting cross and, with hearts fluttering among the home support, Danny Haynes lifted over the bar.
“For a little bit, we had them wobbling,” said Jim Magilton, the Ipswich manager. “We knew that both their full-backs like to get forward and we tried to exploit the space they leave behind them, and we did that. If Danny had scored, it would have been a good break for us.”
Even at 2-1, Ipswich flickered. Bruce got in behind Cole only to cross into the stands while the substitutes Jon Stead and Kevin Lisbie had half-chances. Chelsea could only rest after Lampard’s late strike fizzed in.
Next month contains pivotal fixtures for them – the Premier League visits to Liverpool and Aston Villa and the first-leg of the Champions League last 16 tie against Juventus at Stamford Bridge – and the feeling persists that Chelsea will court disaster unless they can tighten up.
“We have another game on Wednesday which we have to win,” said Ballack, “but the Liverpool game is always in the mind. We have not had good performances against the big teams and, of course, that has to change . . . If we want to go back to the top of the table, we have to win.”
Drogba’s introduction drew one of the loudest cheers but it saw Scolari shunt Anelka out to the right flank, although the Frenchman did appear to have some licence to drift inside. Only when Deco came on for the last 10 minutes did Drogba and Anelka play together as a partnership. As Scolari strives to gel the team, he continues to be flummoxed at how best to accommodate his two main strikers.
Carvalho, meanwhile, limped off with hamstring trouble and faces a battle to be fit for Anfield.
