bridge views - the thinking fan's chelsea blog

Supreme showing from Chelsea's Malouda was no coincidence or surprise

Chelsea’s 4-1 victory over West Ham on Saturday was a game of two halves. A below-par first half from Ancelotti’s men saw most of Chelsea’s players put in undistinguished performances. The second half was an altogether different game, with Chelsea finally converting their dominance of possession into chances and goals.

Florent Malouda, however, stood apart from this otherwise schizophrenic performance, consistently causing West Ham problems down the left flank from the first minute. The Frenchman’s showing caused quite a bit of fuss in both the stands and the media but, in truth, no-one should have been surprised. On the one hand, Malouda ‘has previous’ when it comes to good form. On the other, more crucial, hand his performance – and the results of that performance - was testament to what he and Chelsea can achieve when a capable player gets chalk on his boots.

Malouda had stagnated under both Mourinho and Scolari to the point where Chelsea paying £13m for his services looked like money thrown away. Under Hiddink he vastly improved however, and his very respectable return of 11 goals last season was only one part of a vastly improved contribution to the team under the Dutchman. Back in May last year I wrote a piece praising Malouda’s improvement, and suggested it was largely down to a shift in attitude that saw him take more responsibility on the pitch. You can read that post here.

In the early months of Ancelotti’s tenure it looked like that improvement may have been a false dawn and the old, less effective Malouda was back. Frustration from the stands – and probably from the management, too - grew.

For the first half of the season however, the Frenchman was locked into playing a narrow and often withdrawn role in Ancelotti’s famous midfield diamond, rarely playing as a traditional, out-and-out winger. Whenever Chelsea’s creativity as a whole was stunted by crowded midfields and narrow back fours, Malouda was arguably the greatest individual victim of the formation’s attacking flaws.

The impact of the changed formation on Malouda’s contribution to the game is marked. The images below (courtesy of the Guardian’s chalkboards) show Chelsea’s Premier League games against West Ham this season. On the left, Malouda’s passes during the dour December 1-1 in which Chelsea’s diamond looked incapable of breaking down a disciplined Hammers’ defence - in the end, Chelsea were lucky to take a point. On the right, his passes during Saturday’s routing of the same opposition. 



The difference is clear – not only was Malouda far more involved on Saturday, but he was far more involved in wider and more advanced positions. How many crosses – or even attacking passes - did he deliver into the box during the December game? None. By spreading the play wider on Saturday, Malouda was given the space to either run at the full back or whip dangerous crosses into the box from the final third. He looked a different player, and the team benefitted from more space and better service.

The benefits of playing Malouda, probably Chelsea’s only senior naturally wide attacking player (an indictment on our transfer policy, if you ask me), haven’t been lost on Ancelotti who has played the Frenchman in the last nine consecutive Premier League matches. And Malouda’s stats are starting to profit from that run in the team. In scoring nine goals, he has only been bettered by Drogba, Anelka and Lampard (and if it weren’t for penalties he would have the same number as the Englishman). Along with Drogba he has made eleven assists this season, just one less than Lampard.

On average, Malouda has scored a goal every 2.5 games this season in the league, and made an assist every 2.8. Adding assists and goals together, he has contributed a goal every 1.3 games. Lampard – who receives universal praise from Chelsea fans every game – has contributed a goal every 1.2 games, and that includes scoring six penalties.

Malouda is on course for his best season to date in a Chelsea shirt and, if Ancelotti continues to instruct him to play wide, he can play a pivotal role in Chelsea’s stuttering push for silverware. Being the only player likely to be capable of recreating anything like the magic of Robben or Duff on the wing, Malouda may just have made himself invaluable to his manager.

Chelsea season in stats: goals galore, effective Malouda and when they don't win

It’s been a funny old couple of months for Chelsea fans. A rich vein of form brought top of the league elation by the beginning of December, but turgid performances over the next few weeks saw new anxiety set in. January brought both the African Cup of Nations and some emphatic victories, but reviving fortunes were punctured by a dismal showing at Hull. In the very next game came a professional performance and a two nil win over Wenger’s Arsenal.

The top Premier League sides have been dropping more points and conceding more goals than in previous seasons, and it’s been a roller coaster ride. On the surface, however, it’s not looking bad for Chelsea who can boast a 72% win record under Ancelotti (Mourinho managed 71% in his three years), twenty clean sheets and having only failed to score once. What better time, then, for bridgeviews.co.uk’s monthly look back over the stats to look at what they can tell us about Chelsea’s progress?

Goals galore: and four players are getting all of them
In contrast to recent years, Chelsea have been prolific in front of goal this season, scoring 85 goals in total. Most have come at home, where the Stamford Bridge faithful have already celebrated 56 goals.

It’s in the league that the improvement in front of goal under Ancelotti is most marked. We are now two thirds (66%) of the way through the Premier League season and, having scored 60 goals, Chelsea are already 88% of the way towards matching the total number of goals scored last season, and 83% of the way to matching the club’s Premier League record (72). Scoring at rate of 2.4 goals per game, Chelsea are on target to score 92 over the course of the season, just five less than Man Utd’s current record of 97.

Perhaps even more surprising is that Chelsea are keeping up with their normally more attacking counterparts this season, having scored just one less than Man Utd and the same number as Arsenal. And they said our attack was ageing... 

 
Looking at the goals that have been scored however, it’s clear that the vast majority are being scored or created by four players: Drogba, Lampard, Anelka and Malouda. Between them they have scored 53 goals – 62% of all Chelsea’s goals – and made 31 assists. Drogba’s worth is clear for all to see, contributing (by way of scoring or providing an assist) a goal every 0.8 games, but Malouda’s effectiveness is perhaps more surprising. He’s made far less appearances than Drogba and Lampard (just 19, many from the subs bench) and has contributed a goal every 1.2 games. Lampard’s record stands at having contributed a goal every 1.3 games.

But a leaky defence is costing points
On the face of it, 20 clean sheets – that’s one in 56% of all the games Chelsea have played this season – looks a very good record.

If Chelsea don’t pick up any silverware this season however it will be because the defence is not what it once was. Petr Cech has been beaten 20 times in the league already this season – just four less than were conceded in all of last season combined. The club is comfortably on course for its worst defensive record in the league for five years, when 30 goals were conceded in 03/04.

A goal down? Chelsea probably won’t come back
Over the last five years Chelsea have earned a reputation for composure, resilience and mental toughness. But the stats suggest something a little different this season. In all of Chelsea’s 36 games so far this season, Ancelotti’s men have conceded the first goal 11 times (that’s nearly one in every three games). And in those games Chelsea have only come back to win four times, drawing six of them.

That might not seem so bad, but consider those stats in the face of Chelsea’s record against the so-called ‘big four’, which reads four games played, four wins, eight for zero against. Those eleven teams who have scored against Chelsea first aren’t typically the league’s best clubs, but mid to lower table opposition. The reason Chelsea aren’t further ahead of Man Utd is because of a worse than normal record against lower table opposition, and too many draws having conceded an early goal – the West Ham game being a case in point.

Playing away isn’t so easy
And no, I’m not referring to John Terry’s private life. Chelsea’s record at home – in contrast to last season – has been astonishing under Ancelotti, with 89% of all games played at Stamford Bridge ending in Chelsea victory. Chelsea have won 92% of all home league games, racking up an average of 2.9 points per game.

Away from the safety of SW6 however there is a very different picture. Chelsea have won just 50% of all away games in the league, and scored just 1.8 points per game in the process. Across all competitions, they have scored half as many goals away (21 compared to 39 at the Bridge) and concede more, too (12 compared with 8). Only a third of Chelsea’s clean sheets have come on their travels.

Many of the stats above can be rationalised – you can understand why they’re working out that way. Many, for example, have speculated that Drogba’s increased return is down to him being more consistently partnered with Anelka or Ancelotti understanding how to ‘man manage’ him. But the difference between home and away performance – such a dramatic change on last season’s form – is more difficult to explain. I’ll be posting on this later in the week. In the meantime, if you have any ideas why Chelsea’s luck is drying up away from home, please post a comment.

You might also be interested to read:

• How the stats looked in January: prolific scorers and losing form
• How the stats looked in December: all or nothing football and the trouble with playing away

Most improved Malouda?

To use the tired cliché, Florent has somewhat had a season of two halves.

 

It’s strange – back in 2007 he joined Chelsea and made an immediate impact in his first competitive game against Utd in the Charity Shield. He looked a typical Mourinho signing: a bit of pace and skill, but with strength as his defining attribute. I very distinctly remember him shrugging off one or two Man Utd defenders to reach the ball first and score his first goal for the club from a tight angle. See it here.

 

All that proved a false dawn – the rest of the 07/08 season saw him stumble into intense mediocrity and 08/09 under Scolari was no different. As a fan he was beyond infuriating, his stubborn refusal to take responsibility, try and beat a man or even just attempt positive play made him an almost entirely redundant member of the team. By comparison, Kalou’s always positive approach meant I overlooked his limitations.

Six months on, we’re approaching a close season in which we all expected Malouda to be shown the door. But after a reversal of epic proportions it would now be more surprising to see him leave. He hasn’t shown extra skill in my book: but it’s his attitude that’s made him a better player. Now he’ll look forward rather than backwards. Now he’ll make a driving run towards the byline or take a shot at goal. A rush of goals in the last couple of months mean he’s averaged a goal every four games over the season: respectable, and something Joe Cole hasn’t achieved since 05/06. He’s a nailed-on starter for tomorrow’s cup final.

 

Kalou, on the other hand, has turned suddenly from a player with potential to a player who hasn’t started to deliver on that promise.

 

Maybe Malouda’s revitalisation is down to Guus’ coaching, and there’s a potential worry that he’s only improved as the stakes have got higher on the pitch. Regardless, for me Malouda is the Chelsea player who has improved the most over the last 12 months. Do you agree? Let me know who else might deserve the accolade…

 

Oh, and Florent, if you’re reading this: no offence, but think the hair through again mate. Just a suggestion.

 

Malouda in stats:

07/08 – 36 appearances, 3 goals

08/09 – 43 appearances, 11 goals