Chelsea travel to Napoli today in search of a performance and result that could revitalise their season. The Blues will be hoping they can restore some English pride after Arsenal suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Milan last week.
After another disappointing result at the weekend in the FA Cup, the pressure continues to mount on Andre Villas-Boas and Tuesday’s game in Napoli could be a defining game for the Blues boss. If Chelsea were to lose, many fans will be calling for Villas-Boas’s head and as we all know Roman Abromovich is not the most patient man in football. The task that awaits a Chelsea team low on confidence is not an easy one either as Napoli have some great attacking flair at their disposal.
Weak Defence
The glory years under Mourinho and even Ancelotti seem a million miles away now and the success they both had was based on a solid defensive unit, this is something the Blues have not had this season. John Terry has been dogged by injuries and off the field problems and David Luiz positioning and decision making continues to baffle many. Gary Cahill has not been able to tighten up the back four since his arrival from Bolton and even one of Chelsea’s most consistent performers Petr Cech has looked shaky in recent weeks.
This does not bode well for the Blues for their trip to Napoli. Although the Italian side only find themselves 6th in Serie A at the moment they will certainly fancy their chances of getting a result in the first leg. With a frontline that is the envy of many sides in Europe, Napoli will know they are capable of securing a lead to protect at Stamford Bridge in the second leg.
Napoli Firepower
The key men for Napoli on Tuesday are likely to be the front pairing of Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi with Marek Hamsik pulling the strings behind them in the midfield. With players like this at their disposal and Chelsea’s continued problems at the back it is hard to see Villa-Boas and his side keeping a clean sheet on Tuesday. Cavani has already netted 15 league goals this season following on from the 26 he bagged last term as his stock continues to grow worldwide. Chelsea on the other hand are struggling up front.
Drogba and Torres have both been way off their best all season and this has left Villas-Boas with a real selection headache of who to play. The general feeling is that Torres will have to start scoring soon because he is a quality player, however it just hasn’t happened yet and how much more time can he be given? Perhaps Tuesday could be the day if Villas-Boas decides to stick with the Spaniard but if it backfires again he will be questioned as Drogba has a CV that boasts a large number of important Chelsea goals.
Season Defining
Tuesday’s game could be a catalyst for Chelsea’s season if they get the right result. While a cloud of doom and gloom surrounds Stamford Bridge at the moment, an away victory could change all that. Chelsea are still in the FA Cup, could still secure a top four finish and could still win the Champions League. If they were to achieve all of that you would have to class it as a successful season. Tuesday’s game will be a difficult one but if Chelsea can use their superior Champions League experience to their advantage it could help them kick on in all competitions until the seasons draws to a close.
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