Chelsea should begin campaigning now for a self-perpetuating European League. Then they would never again have to play the likes of Bradford and St Gallen, whom they find so difficult to beat.
Yesterday Chelsea once more showed a preference for playing mightier opposition with a comfortable dismissal of Liverpool. Claudio Ranieri has been coach for only three games and he is as perplexed as anyone why the team switches so easily between Jekyll and Hyde. Asked which was the real Chelsea, the one that rolled over against the Swiss or the one that came back thrillingly to draw 3-3 at Manchester United and won yesterday, the Italian coach replied: "I wish I knew."
The team's spirit and concentration made the difference from Thursday, he said, though when asked why those qualities had made a reappearance he again shrugged his shoulders.
However, three points in his first home game in charge - Chelsea's first league win since the opening day of the season - will have taken some of the pressure off. Not that Ranieri should get too worked up about this victory. Apart from the goals, Chelsea hardly worried Sander Westerveld in the Liverpool goal.
To pop the champagne because of a win against a side who were arguably worse than St Gallen would be overdoing it a bit. Liverpool, who have never won at Stamford Bridge in the Premiership, gifted Chelsea two goals, struggled to conjure up any creativity going forward and played with a half-heartedness that does not bode well for their championship pretensions.
The most animated member of their staff was the coach Phil Thompson, whose aggressive remonstrations with players and officials alike also included a stand-up row between the dug-outs with Ranieri and the Chelsea coach Ray Wilkins.
The former England defender does his side no favours with his wild rantings and it could be argued that he even incites the fans. The Liverpool travelling support was right behind the visiting dug-out and took their lead from him.
Liverpool and Chelsea have a lot in common: expensively assembled sides managed by foreign coaches employed to win the title but struggling to live up to expectations. Unlike Chelsea, Liverpool are through to the second round of the UEFA Cup, so it might have been expected that Chelsea would come into this game lacking some confidence.
But that was remedied on nine minutes when Sander Westerveld gifted them a goal, punching Gianfranco Zola's corner into his own net.
Still in a state of shock, Liverpool conceded a second within a minute. A move down the right ended with Zola's clever ball between two defenders which found Eidur Gudjohnsen, making his first start, on the edge of the area. The Icelander passed on the ball to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who showed a striker's instinct by sweeping the ball over Westerveld.
In his search of an answer to Chelsea's problems, Ranieri rang the changes yesterday. The young midfielder Sam Dalla Bona was also given his first start and responded with a heartening performance, demonstrating accurate passing and neat feet.
However, after the opening burst the game went a bit scrappy, with Liverpool going closest before the break through the otherwise disappointing Michael Owen and Dietmar Hamann.
In the second half, Liverpool continued to press froward, and Nick Barmby shot just wide from close range. But then Liverpool gave Chelsea another goal. Young England hopeful Steven Gerrard played the ball back to Stephane Henchoz but left it short. Gudjohnsen nipped in, rounded the goalkeeper and slotted home his first goal for the club.
Robbie Fowler, on as a substitute, almost pulled a goal back with a close-range shot fired just wide, but the game was beyond Liverpool by then.
"We are not at the level of some of the teams at the top," admitted Gerard Houllier afterwards. Ranieri is not the only one with riddles to solve.
CHELSEA: de Goey, Leboeuf, Desailly, Hasselbaink (Flo 80), Wise, Le Saux, Melchiot, Ferrer (Babayaro 72), Gudjohnsen, Dalla Bona (Morris 76), Zola. Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Aleksidze. Booked: Wise. Goals: Westerveld 10 og, Hasselbaink 11, Gudjohnsen 71.
LIVERPOOL: Westerveld, Henchoz, Ziege, Babbel, Heskey, Owen, Hyypia, Hamann, Gerrard, Barmby (Fowler 67), Carragher (Heggem 67). Subs Not Used: Murphy, Arphexad, Traore. Booked: Gerrard.
Referee: D Gallagher (Banbury).
