Reaction: Answer without Lampard was magnificent

Wednesday, Dec 28, 2005

A draw at Manchester City, José Mourinho believed, would have been a positive result. To gain a win left the Chelsea manager highly satisfied, especially as it was achieved without the talismanic Frank Lampard.

“Frank was feeling bad during the day and the doctor was with him,” revealed Mourinho after the game. “He wanted to try to play in the warm-up but it was completely impossible to do it.”

Lampard’s illness, that saw him withdraw from the game during the on-pitch team warm-up, brought an end to his landmark 164 consecutive Premiership game run.

“It was a big test from the mental point of view to play without Frank because we play all those games with him and ten minutes before you realise he is not playing.”

Mourinho challenged his team to prove they were not reliant on one player, however good he is.

“The answer of the team was magnificent,” was his assessment of the response.

“Eidur Gudjohnsen individually played a very good game in the Lampard role. We had players like Gérémi who is a great example. He doesn’t play a lot but when he plays he is unbelievable for the team.

“These are the matches you know one point is a result. It is important for the players not to panic, keep control of the game and don’t make defensive mistakes. If we don’t score a goal, a point in these circumstances would be a positive point but I think we deserved the win because defensively the team was amazing, the answer in midfield without Lampard was fantastic and we always looked like we could score.

“There were not many chances but now and again we threatened. So when we scored with ten minutes to go, it is time to control the game and go home with three points.”

Man City manager Stuart Pearce thought the game had 0-0 written all over it.

“It was a tactical game of chess with few chances,” he said, ruing the late winner. “If Joey [Barton] had taken his chance early on it might have been different. Chelsea took their chance when it fell to them.”

Pearce had followed Chelsea’s two previous opponents, Fulham and Arsenal, in changing from his normal formation to counter the Champions. He opted to switch from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1.

“Tactically we maybe got it right throughout the team,” he decided after seeing his side restrict Chelsea’s openings for most of the game. “When you put as much into your job and don’t get anything from it is disappointing. I can’t fault a single one of my players from a team ethic point of view.”

As Mourinho reviewed his players sitting 11 points clear at the top of the Premiership having dropped points in only two games so far, the team ethic was at the forefront of his thoughts as well.

“We are very strong and have more points than at this stage last season. Around the world you can’t see many teams fighting like my team did tonight. You don’t see big stars fighting like this. This is not the power of the money, this is the power of the group. This is the power of a group of friends working together.”

by Paul Mason

--- dejavu, i must say, jus happened to read this and somehow it struck me.
nothing is impossible

today a food court auntie asked me,
"boy, what do u want to eat?"
grrrr
thats the prob with girls having short spunky hair and flat boobs.
i lurve my hair
but little puny raisin peanuts, PLEAse GROW!
mayb i should do my daily "i mus increase little Seeds" exercise
or have some Pep talk with my bombay mangoes during bath
wahahhaha