Chelsea crumble at White Heat Lane

AS ash clouds continue to mass over Europe, Carlo Ancelotti’s message to his Chelsea players after a potentially defining day in the Premier League title race will be similar to the advice given to trapped tourists: stay grounded and don’t panic.

Simple guidance but hard to follow, certainly if the anxiety they displayed at White Hart Lane is anything to go by. Most perturbing for Chelsea supporters will be that their performance was embodied by captain John Terry, who conceded a penalty and was deservedly dismissed for two reckless challenges after a generally clumsy outing. Add Didier Drogba’s attempt to get himself substituted in bizarre scenes at the start of the second-half, and Ancelotti could be forgiven for worrying that his side might wilt under the weight of expectation.

Chelsea not only lost the game, but they lost their heads. They could not cope with Tottenham’s passing and movement, and in reality should be thankful that their goal difference advantage over Manchester United stands at three – because that edge could have been completely eroded were it not for profligate finishing from Spurs.

Just six days after the title looked sewn up when Manchester United failed to win at Blackburn, the west Londoners now hold just a one point advantage at the summit of the Premier League. Questions will justifiably be asked about Chelsea’s mental strength: did Paul Scholes’ late winner at Eastlands suck the life out of them? Do they have the nerve to see it out in their three remaining games?

Stoke and Wigan at home, Liverpool away; win all three and Premier League glory is theirs. Stay calm, battle through those games, and Manchester United’s attempt to win an unprecedented fourth championship in a row and 19th overall will be over.

That will be Ancelotti’s maxim, but having now failed one big test at White Hart Lane, Chelsea’s trip to Anfield on May 2 becomes increasingly pivotal in the destination of the title. It also, of course, poses a testing conundrum for Liverpool supporters, who will surely be torn by the knowledge that victory for their side could benefit their bitter rivals.

Terry will now be suspended for the visit of Stoke next weekend – a game in which they could badly miss him under an aerial bombardment – but Ancelotti is right to remind us that Chelsea are still favourites to win the title. They should be able to win their remaining fixtures, but then they were expected to beat Spurs.

Last Tuesday they were decidedly unsteady as they scraped past Bolton; at Tottenham they were completely frozen by stage fright. Manchester United secured a dramatic win three hours earlier and when Chelsea were asked to respond, when the ball was lobbed back into their court, they failed.

The mental effect of that result on both sides should not be underestimated, for while it put United back on Chelsea’s tails, it gave Spurs the opportunity to re-take fourth place, transmitted to them a new vigour after their monumental efforts four days earlier in beating north London rivals Arsenal for the first time in 11 years. Tottenham exploded out of the blocks and Chelsea had no answer. After three defeats in their last four visits to Tottenham, the ground they used to call ‘Three Point Lane’ is no longer Chelsea’s happy hunting ground.

Too flat, too static, too slow. Chelsea could not make their numbers advantage in midfield count, as Tom Huddlestone and Luka Modric dominated Chelsea’s threesome with movement, passing and commitment. Frank Lampard, late goal apart, spent most of the afternoon chasing Modric’s scampering shadow; John Obi Mikel should have conceded a penalty before he was withdrawn due to injury; while Deco and Michael Ballack, who replaced Mikel during the first-half, offered no attacking threat whatsoever.

Ancelotti completed all three of his substitutions by the start of the second-half but if that was his plan B, it didn’t work. Chelsea could not stop Gareth Bale’s surging runs while Tottenham nullified the threat of Drogba, Lampard and Florent Malouda.

Drogba is Chelsea’s most devastating player, his 32 goals this season attest to that, but there is an increasing perception that his presence in the team can sometimes hinder the overall performance. Perhaps, after all, it is no coincidence that Drogba started on the bench for Chelsea’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford earlier this month. It was a day to forget for the Ivorian striker, reminiscent of his tepid displays in both legs of Chelsea’s Champions League exit to Inter Milan.

Drogba’s so-called injury and Terry’s dismissal epitomised a dreadful day for Chelsea, a failed opportunity to build a cushion at the top of the league. Yet it was a perfect afternoon for the competition, with the title race now likely to go right down to the last day of the season.

So an Icelandic volcano grumbles and talk will now gather that clouds are hovering over Stamford Bridge. It is up to Ancelotti to make sure Chelsea keep their heads – or their league challenge could erupt.