Chelsea keeps pace. Barely.

Chelsea escaped again today 3-2 on a 94th minute match-winner today against Wigan. I don't know what to make of them of late - they are not playing up to their potential and find themselves constantly needing late goals to win or equalize. Yet, they keep getting them. Is the conclusion, there is trouble looming with their continued patchy form? Or is this mark of a champion, a team who finds ways to win when not at their best?

Mourinho finally started Robben and played Essien again at right back. This formation makes them inifintely more dangerous - their posession % was way down, but the quality chances created were way up. They scored 2 goals and might easily have had 4 in the first half. There was so much more space and they attacked more fluidly today. I won't say I (and Boris) told you so, but Robben did have 2 assists to go along with the match winner in the 94th minute.

I will say the Blues look more vulnerable in back, but that may also have to do with Terry being injured. Boularohz after the heights of shutting down Ronaldinho seems more of a red card threat than anything right now.

I have seen oddsmakers giving as high as 65 to 1 on Frank Lampard to score the most goals in the EPL. I believe he has 6 right now, which is 4 behind Drogba, who has 10. I think there is a lot of value to this bet if Mourinho maintains this formation (or even better, drops Ballack for Joe Cole when he is fit), as Lampard benefits most when Chelsea plays with Robben (and or Joe Cole).

Lampard still is not at that insane level of form he maintained for almost 2 seasons - his little touches to free himself for a shot have been just a bit off. Even today he deked 2 defenders with a great fake shot, cutting it back to his (adequate) left foot for a great look from the top of the box. But he took another touch and the chance was gone. When he does shoot, however, he looks to be regaining his compass on shots (see the stunner v Everton). With PKs, direct kicks, and increased goals from open play, I would not be shocked to see him as the leading goalscorer at seasons end.

I think Drogba picked up a knock early- he seemed to be signalling for a sub in the 1st half and laboring for much of the game. If they do lose him to injury, Chelsea will be without their 3 most crucial players- Terry, Drogba, and Cech. And they weren't really playing well when all 3 were fit. And still they are oddsmakers' faves to win both England and the Champions League. Needless to say, this is a deep, talented squad.

I had been wondering who would be first to be loaned out - Kallou or Mikel. Kallou scored and looked a little more comfortable. Mikel, to be fair, came on late, but still looks lost out there. I'm betting on Mikel.

Inane comment of the match: The pundit in the 34th minute with Wigan down 2-0. "Wigan must score the next goal." Thanks for that.

I do not think Wigan will face a relegation battle this year, despite this rough patch they have been suffering through (and rough Christmas schedule they face). They play well for Paul Jewell and the squad always seems to play for each other. They dominated 50/50 balls today and always seem to do a lot of little things well.

Emile Heskey, whom we have seen little of since early in the season, had 2 goals and a fabulous game (I hate to admit it). He was a real menace up-front and provided a great target for his teammates. He also won the free kick that led to his vital goal to pull back to 2-1 at the end of 1st half.

The Idiot Returns: A Treatise on Wingers

It has been almost 2 months since I have written a post - what can I say, I'm lazy. But I have also been bored by the EPL so far. Recently, while fighting off sleep during another drab fixture, I was theorizing to my dog, Archie, about how goal scoring is way down. Lo and behold, I just heard the prem is running behind Italy in goals per game. That says a lot to me about how uninspiring the bulk of matches have been so far.

Well this past weekend of EPL matches showed signs of life (and scoring and creation), inspiring me to write again. I know the world of soccer (and of Letters for that matter) breathes a sigh of relief. For my grand return to blogging I offer a shoddy theory on the importance of wingers:

Pundits and commentators often point to strikers and their increased or decreased production as the cause for a teams rise or fall. Goals are obviously vital to a teams success, but I think wingers and their effect on a team's fortunes are vastly underrated.

Look at 3 sides struggling to repeat their form from last year thus far: Chelsea, Blackburn, and West Ham:

It is funny to put Chelsea here, considering they have 36 pts from 16 matches, but they are not playing as well as they did last year. Sheva has taken most of the blame (and he has deserved much of that at this point), but I think they are creating far less this year. And that I put down largely to the removal of Robben from the first 11 and the injuries to Joe Cole.

Instead of playing a winger, they sacrifice width in order to play the wildly ineffective Ballack and try to attack through an over-crowded middle. (Watching in the 70th minute against Arsenal on Sat I had assumed Ballack had been substitued to start the second half - I was shocked to find out he was still on the pitch.) I don't know if there is interference from above and Mourinho is forced to play Sheva and Ballack, but it just isn't working.

Chelsea doesn't posess the clockwork passing of a Barcelona or Arsenal and have been largely toothless with this formation. Sheva has been awful with his touch and passing, but it is not like he is blowing point blank chances constantly. There are just not that many of those being created, and those that are usually come from Dorgba's speed, strength, endeavor, or flopping. Not much out of the midfield.

Blackburn's drop in form has been largely attributed to the loss of Bellamy (huge) and a rash of injuries. For me, the biggest reason is the drop in form and playing time of winger Morten Gamst Pederson . He was fantastic last year, providing goals and great crosses from dead balls and open play. He has been largely ineffective this year and Blackburn have struggled to create or score goals.

I ascribe West Ham's (and Allen Pardew's) decline to many more factors than simply Yosi Benajoun's drop in form. The loss of Dean Ashton and the unsettling Argentine disaster were big. Nigel Reo-Coker has been the worst midfilder in the league this year, edging out Michael Ballack. Apparently there is word that Arsenal came in for him and West Ham refused and he is now pulling a Chimbonda. Whatever the cause, he sucks right now. Tevez has the excuse of transisition to a new league, and though he has shown signs of life lately, he is still not scoring. Paul Konchelsky has suffered a huge drop in form this year.

With all that, I still think that Benajoun's drop in form has played a large part in the disaster thus far. Would a healthy Dean Ashton help? Absolutely, but there is not much being created for the strikers right now. Last season people (me included) loved their style of play - it was free-flowing open and attack-oriented. And much of that style's successful moves went through Benajoun. Without him in top form they seem confused about who they are and how to attack - they have no identity, can't get results, and are awful to watch.

Compare those 3 teams' struggles vs the succes of Manchester United. Think about what a "great" year Louis Saha is having - he has been really good and scored 8 league goals, but think how many golden chances he has missed as well. I think if the slumping Sheva had the same chances, he would have a bunch of goals.

Man U is creating more chances than anyone save perhaps Arsenal, who show ambivalence about scoring despite their dominant play. And no one is creating more chances than the best winger in the world right now, Christiano Ronaldo. He is nearly unstoppable and creates chance after chance for himself and teammates. Ryan Giggs has been lauded for having a superb season, and I agree he has played well. But he is no longer asked to consistently create from the left side - almost everything goes through Ronaldo and Giggs has been pinching in from the left to take advantage and score from more central positions.

Another team who started off brilliantly and has since struggled is Aston Villa. Again, much credit went to Martin O'Neill (whom I adore). But I think much of their rise in fortunes could be linked to the emergence of Gabby Agbonlahor as a real threat from the wing. During this recent Villa slide, O'Neill has been playing him more forward, often with his back to goal (O'Neill did it again v Sheffield and Gabby was totally ineffective). Agbonlahor may one day return to what I am told is his natural position of striker, but they desperately need him running at defenders down the wing. I think Villa's slump in form (and goal scoring) is directly related to his ineffectivenss of late. Btw, I was dead wrong in thinking Angel would start scoring - Lerner better get another striker in January.

Tottenham is another team to look at in this light. To start the season they were awful - if possible their play was even worse than their results. Culprits cited were the large player turnover, Berbatov not settling, and Defoe and Keane being inconsistent. But Aaron Lennon was injured during most of this barren run and Spurs were creating almost nothing for their strikers.

Now, they are really getting their shit together, and it coincides with the return of Aaron Lennon. They did get some results with him injured, but I thought they still looked horrible going forward. With him back they are a dangerous attacking side again (and tore apart Charlton 5-1 on Saturday) and they are climbing the table.

I think part of the reason wingers get short shrift is much of what they do doesn't result in a hard, easy-to-digest statistic, like a goal or assist. But wingers are so often the drivers of a team's attack.

Look at the Chelsea/Arsenal match - Chelsea was really flat (and down 1-0) until they brought on Robben, who immedeately started torching Arsenal down the left side. Granted, I might have liked to see Robben pass on those sharp-angled shots he took and his play did not directly result in a goal. But he stretched the Gunners defense who had previously been packed in tight, and Essien took advantage (from right back no less) of the newly created space on the right to smash one of the goals of the year. Chelsea created all of their best opportunities once Robben was on the pitch, just like they did when he came on down 1-0 against Man U. Robben had no goals or assists in either match, but his presence and creation from the wing completely changed the complexion of both matches and Cheslea nearly overcame 2nd half deficits in both.

A few other thoughts on what I have seen so far:

3 of the most reviled players - Djiouff, Ronaldo, and Drogba are having 3 of the best seasons in the league. Djiouff is irritating and an admitted cheater, but has been playing the best, most consistent, football of his prem career over the last year. He wins free kicks, he holds up the ball well, he draws fouls, he poaches goals, and he creates goals for others in open play. No wonder we have seen little of Stelios this year. Ronaldo and Drogba are the leading candidates for Player of the Year.

I was wrong on James Beattie - I thought he would flourish, but he has been ineffective and unable to pick up the slack during this rash of injuries for Everton. I was right to wonder about Everton's depth and they are proving an infinitely weaker side without Cahill and Arteta (and I guess Phil Neville and Osman, who had been ineffective of late). Before his injury, Arteta single-handedly won the match against Bolton (1 of only 2 wins in their last 9 Prem matches). Andy Van der Mede has shown signs of a return to form, but I think Simon Davies is way past it. I think Everton will struggle to finish in the top half as injuries and fixtures mount.

I was right on Harry on Portsmouth - his team performs no matter who he puts in - the only player, perhaps outside of Kanu and his goals, who has been irreplaceable is David James, who has been playing out of his mind. I think they will definitely finish in the top half, potentially snagging a place in Europe, though it will be difficult with Spurs and Liverpool climbing the table.

I think Man City has found some of the form they lacked when they were flirting with relegation earlier this season. They are not out of the woods yet, but the vital Joey Barton looks to be finding some form and the continued emergence of Micah Richards bodes well for avoiding the drop. I might be wrong on Samaras who has been indifferent of late.