THERE has been a suspicion ever since Michael Ballack signed for Chelsea that the German and Frank Lampard could be rivals as well as team-mates and when the England midfield player was required to cede penalty duties by his manager last night, those looking for strains within this team of established stars will have rubbed their hands together.
According to Lampard, they can keep searching for those tensions.
After three misses in his past four spot-kicks, he claimed to be happy to share the responsibilities not only with Ballack, but also with Andriy Shevchenko. We shall see.
As for the idea that Lampard’s importance to his club has been diminished by changes of personnel and system, an impassioned José Mourinho went out of his way to try to kill that one dead. Debate about the player’s form has been non-stop since a poor World Cup finals, but Mourinho vehemently argued that the player’s only mistake was setting ludicrously high standards in the first place.
“I spoke with him about it and for me he is guilty. Why? Because you never had a player like him in the last 10 years,” Mourinho said.
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“He scored so many goals so he is guilty. He played so many matches so he is guilty. He is guilty because he plays for Chelsea and because he puts 100 per cent of effort into every, every game.
“He is guilty because he beats an unbelievable record of consecutive matches and because he is such a good player. You should respect him more. I am angry at how you treat him.”
Mourinho added that Lampard could take the next penalty if he felt “cool” and if it was not necessarily a vital one. It was hardly 100 per cent backing. Ballack’s blast into the top corner could hardly have been more emphatic — trust a German to score from the spot — and it was in keeping with an assured individual display.
Ballack’s willingness to give the ball back to Lampard is one to keep an eye on just as there will be fascination in seeing how Mourinho juggles his resources. The wingless formation needs more work although there was enough quality on the pitch to overcome Werder Bremen and establish Chelsea with Barcelona at the top of group A.
Mourinho accepted that his team conceded too much territory immediately after the interval, when Miroslav Klose twice went close, but his main complaint was the bookings picked up by John Terry, Didier Drogba, Lampard and Joe Cole. Terry certainly had no defence but that did not stop Mourinho alluding, once again, to bias against his team.
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“I shouldn’t say anything,” he said, but he cannot help himself and he listed all the other clubs in the Champions League who had picked up one or no cautions. He never appears to stop and think that picking fights with officialdom might not help his case.
He had selected the most expensive line-up in the history of the English game, although not even all those famous names could sell out Stamford Bridge. They included Ashley Cole, who looked uncomfortable on his full debut.
That had less to do with the fallout from his book than suddenly finding himself without a left winger to pass to. Several times he was caught in possession, although the surprise was that Chelsea’s system was functioning at all, and not the glitches.
Mourinho argued that, with Arjen Robben still recuperating, Joe Cole fit only to come off the bench and Shaun Wright-Phillips in need of a rest, he had no wide men to call upon. Another bulldozing performance from Drogba, who appears energised by the arrival of Shevchenko, helped to compensate. The Ukraine international continues to look uncertain of how or where he is playing.
Chelsea can, and will, improve and yet they still had too much for a proficient Bremen. Lampard drove at the defence and, after a ricochet and a slip by Petri Pasenen, Michael Essien pinched the ball, advanced a few yards and sidefooted it into the net.
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It was a lead that came briefly under threat but, just as Bremen applied pressure, they conceded a soft penalty. Clemens Fritz was the man to push Drogba. Lampard handed the ball to Ballack. Willingly, he claimed.
CHELSEA (4-1-3-2): P Cech — K Boulahrouz, J Terry, R Carvalho, A Cole — C Makelele — M Essien, M Ballack (sub: J O Mikel, 89min), F Lampard — A Shevchenko (sub: J Cole, 82), D Drogba (sub: S Kalou, 86). Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, Gérémi, W Bridge, P Ferreira. Booked: Terry, Drogba, Lampard, J Cole.
WERDER BREMEN (4-3-1-2): A Reinke — C Fritz, P Pasanen, Naldo, P Womé — T Frings, F Baumann (sub: M Zidan, 86), T Borowski — Diego — M Klose, I Klasnic (sub: H Almeida, 65). Substitutes not used: K Jensen, J Vranjes, P Owomoyela, L Andreasen, C Shulz. Booked: Baumann.
Referee: K Vassaras (Greece).