da bet7： Chelsea were already outnumbered in the Stade Louis II even prior to kick off, as the Atletico Madrid supporters filled out their end of the stadium—a contrast to the Chelsea end. The choice of setting for the Uefa Super Cup has come under criticism, and rightly so. Hosting a European game in Monaco at this time is hardly the best move by football’s governing body, summing up the irony of their forceful drive towards Financial Fair Play.
da realsbet： But Atletico Madrid’s performance shouldn’t have come as a great surprise to many, at least not to those who have seen the good work from manager Diego Simeone and the transformation from Gregorio Manzano’s short time with the club. However, was the final score line of 4-1 in favour of the Spaniards a true reflection of their might, or was it a result that highlighted the problems that Chelsea are still to face this season, despite their ambitious outlay this past summer?
There’s no running away from the impact Radamel Falcao had on the game. In fact, there’s no running away from the impact the Colombian striker has had on this Atletico team since his arrival from Porto last year. Arguably, and with a lot of evidence, this is the best natural striker in European football—of course, not including Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, neither of whom are natural strikers.
The quality and threat of Falcao was highlighted earlier in that week as he hammered three past a helpless Athletic Bilbao. His ability to use either football equally well, his composure and trickery in the box and, above all, his unpredictability means he is a menacing presence against even the best defences. On the day, Chelsea’s defence simply couldn’t cope. The European champions were not so much beat at their own game from last season, but instead were relentlessly attacked by a very confident trio of forwards.
But that’s the problem from this Chelsea side: they were yet to play a team this season who really could counter the impressive line up of their squad. Reading found their way to goal at Stamford Bridge, Wigan were perhaps unlucky not to get on the score sheet on the opening weekend of the season, and Newcastle were a shadow of what we know they’re capable of. The only real quality Chelsea have faced this season was Manchester City in the Community Shield; would Chelsea have beaten the Premier League champions even if Branislav Ivanovic hadn’t been sent off?
Maybe it really is a case of title talk coming too early for Chelsea. Besides the impressive spending this summer, what have they really proved? Firstly, they can’t combat one of the best forwards in the game, and what about their own attacking talents? Surely the likes of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Frank Lampard could have got the better of a group of Spanish waiters masquerading as defenders. Or does that logic only apply when we’re talking about Real Madrid and Barcelona’s dominance?
Roberto Di Matteo still has plenty to do with his Chelsea team. He has to oversee the settling in of all his new signings, not just Hazard. It’s imperative they find other avenues to goal when Fernando Torres hit’s a brick wall, and he really has to get the best out of Juan Mata as one of the focal creative points in the side. In comparison, Atletico had a very settled starting XI. Diego Ribas was the only departure this summer, as he rejoined Wolfsburg following his one-year loan spell. Chelsea were overrun too easily by a team who were not about to be intimidated by the richness of their background—both in the bank and in the trophy cabinet.
I’m not convinced of Di Matteo’s qualities to mastermind an attack to capture the Premier League title. Yes, he got his selections right last season, notably in the Champions League final, but is he really good enough to oversee a charge that betters the quality in Manchester? Hitching a ride with lady luck will work in cup competitions, but it’s a completely different thing to come out on top after 38 league games.
For now, lets chalk that game off as another point for Spanish football. Following Bilbao’s demolition of Manchester United, Atletico gave another good account of the excellent technical quality in La Liga—a quality that stretches well beyond just the top two.
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