Pat Nevin: Jobs well done

There is only one place to start for Chelsea legend Pat Nevin as he writes this week’s column, and that is back at Stamford Bridge on Saturday when a team from Old Trafford left empty-handed…

Saturday evening and Jose Mourinho placed a conundrum in front of Louis van Gaal which no doubt the Dutchman quickly understood. The problem was that try as he might, he and his players just couldn’t find a solution. It isn’t the first time Kurt Zouma has been positioned in the deep midfield to curtail an opposition threat. Every Chelsea fan will remember the job he did on Christian Eriksen in the Capital One Cup final back at the start of March. Stop him playing and stop him supplying Harry Kane and you stop Spurs. Hey presto, the silverware is back at Stamford Bridge.

Another big game and another big call for Kurt, could he do a very different job in roughly the same area, this time against Marouane Fellaini? The Belgian is magnificent at bullying other players, out-jumping, out-chesting and basically out-muscling opponents. Recently he has been pivotal to Man United’s progress but on this occasion he more than met his match. Few can match Fellaini in the air. It may be the case that no one in world football can out-leap Kurt Zouma. In the end he dominated Fellaini who remained at best peripheral throughout.
He wasn’t the only important player that had to be neutralised. Few know better than Chelsea folk just how dangerous Juan Mata can be when given half-a-yard of space, so a job had to be done there with our former favourite. I doubt if anyone has ever given Juan such close harassment during a game of football than his countryman Cesar Azpilicueta did. Of course we know that Dave gets tight, but this was invading Juan’s personal body space to an almost impolite level. Juan left to warm, affectionate applause but his effect on the game was almost negligible.
Of course the rest of the team had to do their jobs and stick to their tactics fairly rigidly and of course they did. United did have lots of possession but I must say I didn’t feel particularly stressed about it, it was rarely dangerous ball they had in front of our defensive lines. After we scored I didn’t think they had a snowball’s chance in the Sahara of getting the two goals they needed. It was again another strategic masterclass and we don’t care a jot whether or not the only respect given from outside is grudging. These are the games that are to be won, with the attacking skilful creativity used when needed.
Which of course brings us to Eden. The other week on this page I said with good team defending, it was likely that Eden Hazard will be the man who wins the league for us if we make it to the top of the pile at the end of the season. His influence has become so pronounced it is basically accepted wisdom now that he is the one opponents have to stop above all others. Remember other managers know this and they still can’t seem to do anything about him. Fouling, doubling up, sometimes trebling up on him, trying to stop service getting to him or trying to get his marker to push him up the other end of the pitch making him defend. They quite simply have tried every trick in the book and none are having the desired effect so far.

You have to sit back and sometimes just enjoy watching a brilliant player performing at the very top of his ability. Sure there will be ups and downs as his career continues and I still think he will improve, but right now it is a special time. He seems to be carrying no injuries and is playing with such a youthful, joyful lack of inhibition that I would say there are only two other players in world football clearly entertaining on that sort of level.
Messi is fabulous but even Ronaldo for all his greatness seems less joyful, more professionally honed than our star. Maybe it makes the Portuguese a better all-round player, but this professionalism and drive has taken away some of the off-the-cuff genius moments, replacing them with the tried and tested. The Portuguese is a wonderful player, but I love the totally instinctive brilliance that only youth and its joyous naiveté can bring. Long may Eden stay injury-free, young at heart and also playing for a team that allows him to do exactly what he wants as soon as he has the ball at his feet!
Before the Man United game, I felt a draw against both them and Arsenal would be perfectly acceptable considering the league table but we already have three points in the bag instead of two. Now like the rest of us I am getting a little greedy. The management and the players will hold the party line saying they do not care how and where the points come, as long as we get over the line in the end. I agree but wouldn’t it be rather fine to go to the Emirates and all but kill off Arsenal’s title hopes at their place.
The celebrations after the QPR game were exceptional on the field by the players. On Saturday the celebrations were fabulous around Stamford Bridge from the fans as the game drew to its inevitable winning close. I suspect any result, be it a win or a draw against Arsenal will usher utter delirium up the blue end in their stadium. Now that is one game I suspect every Chelsea fan around the planet would love to be at and I am no different. Even on the TV or radio I suspect it will still be a great occasion, I simply can’t wait.
Last week the quiz question was, ‘Who was the tallest player ever to win the Chelsea Player of the Year award?’ The ‘possibles’ included Micky Droy, Peter Osgood, JT, Ken Monkou, Ruud Gullit and Didier Drogba but most correctly suggested that Peter Cech at 6ft 5in was and is the tallest man to win the award. There can of course only be one randomly chosen winner and this week it is Madeniet Erkegul from Mongolia.
This time to have a chance of winning a DVD of the Capital One Cup win, signed by Cech, could you tell me which player in the Premier League era has scored most goals for Chelsea against our old rivals Arsenal?