Chelsea’s goal glee

Friday, 21/10/2011

by Joshua Block, Shoot's Chelsea blogger

As we pass the halfway point of the group stage of this season’s Champion’s League, Chelsea are looking like a team that has regained its hunger for the greatest prize in European club football.

On the receiving end of a five-goal drubbing this week were Belgian champions Genk, but it could have been more if the Blues hadn’t eased off in the second half.

Still, it equalled the club’s highest win in the competition, the other five-goal margin coming against Galatasary back in 1999.

But it is not the records that will most please manager Andre Villas-Boas, it is the fact that his Chelsea side are finally beginning to combine his new attacking system with goals and fantastic team performances since the bitterly disappointing defeat at Old Trafford last month.

In fact, since that game against Man United he has seen 18 goals scored in six games, including a rare penalty shootout victory over Fulham in the League Cup.

The variety of goal scorers is indicative of Chelsea’s improved squad strength and depth as well, with 18 different players finding the net so far this season.

Ground has been clawed back in the Premier League title race and with the Manchester derby this weekend, there is another fantastic opportunity to gain on either team as they travel down the road to QPR.

After the latest round of European matches, the Blues occupy top place in their group and will now be eagerly anticipating the return fixture against struggling Genk, who have been unlucky with an injury crisis of late.

The scouts will have been focusing on the young Belgian starlet Kevin De Bruyne during the game on Wednesday, while they will no doubt continue their studies of him in Belgium.

The teenager has repeatedly expressed his desire to join former team-mate Thibaut Courtois in West London and he was given the stage to impress by being drawn in the same group as his preferred club.

Unfortunately for him, his team spent most of the game chasing the ball rather than being in possession of it.

It seemed that De Bruyne was the creative focus in the Belgian outfit as he was given the ball for most of their infrequent drives forward.

Although he spread the ball with finesse and tried some delicate through balls, his fellow players were not always up to speed and on occasion he was guilty of perhaps trying too hard and making the wrong decisions.

The youngster will be hoping to make more of an impression in two weeks' time.

Fernando Torres’ return to the team has already boosted the Blues, with the Spaniard bagging another couple of goals and being incredibly unlucky with two other chances in either half.

Oriol Romeu looks like a fantastic acquisition from the Barcelona youth academy, his technical ability and ball-winning has been exhibited in recent games.

Blues fans can look forward to seeing the continuing progress of Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata, who have both played themselves into being two of the first names on the team sheet since August.

But a large chunk of the plaudits deserve to be given to Villas-Boas, the self proclaimed ‘Group One’, who is steadily and stealthily creating his own team of stylish winners looking to achieve that elusive European glory.

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