Chelsea want to play it safe

Fulham travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Anything less than a win would further dent the Blues’ chance of regaining the Premiership title

Martyn Herman

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has much to ponder as he prepares his side for Saturday’s local derby against Fulham at Stamford Bridge.

His defence is leaking alarmingly in the absence of injured skipper John Terry, playmaker Joe Cole has a fractured foot and winger Arjen Robben is struggling to be fit. Add to that Andriy Shevchenko’s failure to recapture the form that used to grace Milan and stand-in goalkeeper Hilario’s unease and it is easy to see why Mourinho has the blues. At least he can content himself with the form of Didier Drogba, without whom Chelsea’s bid for a third straight title may have already perished.

Drogba took his league tally to 12 with two goals in the 2-2 draw with Reading on Tuesday. Terry may need back surgery and Mourinho could spend some of owner Roman Abramovich’s millions in the January sales. Until reinforcements arrive his immediate priority is to dig in and keep leaders Manchester United firmly in his sights.

“To win matches at the moment we have to score three times. Sometimes you do it, sometimes you don’t,” Mourinho said of the defensive woes that have resulted in two goals conceded in each of their last three games. “Especially after we lost (William) Gallas and (Robert) Huth in the summer. There is not enough cover so at this moment, we have problems.”

Chelsea are unlikely to receive much sympathy, such has been their spending power in recent seasons. Fulham, who have been hit hard by injuries, would love nothing more than to put another dent in their glamourous neighbours’ title defence. They beat the champions at home last season and only lost at Stamford Bridge 3-2 to a late Hernan Crespo strike.

While Mourinho frets, his United counterpart Alex Ferguson has enjoyed a perfect holiday programme so far with the 3-1 defeat of Wigan coming after a 3-0 win at Aston Villa. He even had the luxury of resting Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand against Wigan.

Ronaldo came on for the second half, scoring twice in four minutes to take his league tally to 10. United now have a four-point gap and are in such free-scoring form that Reading should pose few problems on Saturday in their first-ever league visit to Old Trafford.

Ferguson is too experienced to take anything for granted, however, against a neat and tidy Reading side managed by Steve Coppell, a former United favourite. The earlier meeting this season resulted in a 1-1 draw.

“We didn’t expect that (Chelsea’s draw with Reading),” he said. “It just goes to show football can knock you on the head and turn the tables on you. But if we maintain the consistency we’ve shown over the first half of the season, we’ll have a marvellous chance of winning the title.”

Arsenal are languishing 14 points behind United in third place but have been on a scoring spree, banging in nine goals in their two Christmas fixtures so far. They will need to show plenty of grit as well as flair on Saturday when they visit a Sheffield United side hovering just above the relegation zone. In the absence of injured skipper Thierry Henry, Gilberto Silva has worn the armband and manager Arsene Wenger is full of praise for the Brazilian.

“Everybody is realising how important he is for us,” said Wenger. “He is slowly getting the credit he deserves.”  Elsewhere on Saturday the battle for Champions League spots intensifies with fourth-placed Bolton Wanderers taking on fifth-placed Portsmouth and sixth-placed Liverpool at seventh-placed Tottenham Hotspur.