BLUES STUNNED BY SWISS MINNOWS
Chelseas European odyssey ended prematurely with a flaccid performance in
Switzerland as they lost 2-1 on aggregate to St Gallen.
Fielding the same formation that started against Manchester United in the
Premiership on Saturday, Chelsea looked no more at ease and were easily out-maneuvered
by a compact and fluent Swiss team.
All of Claudio Ranieris bullish talk of the need for commitment and
discipline seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as the Blues expensive collection
of star names misfired horribly and handed the Swiss champions only their second
European win in 31 years.
The pressure on the Italian is bound to grow and the teams performance -
particularly in the area of commitment - in Sunday's match at Liverpool, will
come under enormous scrutiny.
The honeymoon is already over.
The first half was disastrous for Chelsea as they conceded a two-goal lead to
drop behind on aggregate, lost Roberto Di Matteo to a suspected broken leg, and
looked disjointed and slap-dash at every turn.
The principal problem was the central defensive pairing of Frank Lebouef and
Winston Bogarde. Rather like an Laurel and Hardy, they got each other into
several fine messes, either through one failing to play offside when the other
did or both leaving the difficult defensive business of marking and tackling to
the other.
Leboeuf, barracked by his own fans during the first-leg victory at Stamford
Bridge, was especially poor, although on the evidence of Bogardes European
debut, Claudio Ranieri will think twice before selling him. The Dutchman was
rarely better and even less committed.
Lacking the drive of injured skipper Wise in midfield, the Blues never got a
grip on the game, and the pattern was set in the 16th minute as Gallen striker
Sascha Muller latched onto Lebouefs weak clearance to hit a rising snap-shot
which Cudicini saved superbly.
Two minutes later and the breakthrough came as Muller tucked home Charles
Amoahs cross with barely a whimper of protest from the Blues defence.
The Swiss sides second nearly came on 26 as a lightning break engineered
by the lively Amoah ended with Gane shooting just wide from inside the box.
That warning went unheeded and on 33 it became 2-0. Again it was a quick
break, this time down the right and Amoah got the reward his efforts deserved,
sweeping home Ganes cross.
Stand-in skipper Graeme Le Saux was easily Chelseas best player and he set
up Chelseas first chance on 38, but Hasselbaink headed his cross wide.
By that time Di Matteo was off, the victim of a gruesome, but accidental
clash with midfielder Daniel Imhof.
Half-time was a blessed relief and Ranieri used it well, rearranging his side
by withdrawing Flo and introducing Jody Morris. Chelsea went to 4-4-2 and looked
much more balanced.
Morris and the lively Dalla Bonna (on for Di Matteo) provided much-need
impetus in midfield and the visitors began to threaten. Despite Ranieris
reported efforts to change Chelseas pattern of play, though, everything
continued to go through Zola.
Hasselbaink nearly broke through on 65 but was thwarted by excellent work
from the previously redundant Jorg Stiel in the St Gallen goal.
Substitute Eidur Gudjohnsen should have got the crucial strike a few moments
later, but failed to make contact with Zolas cross.
Still Chelsea continued to press and on 72, the Georgian Rati Aleksidze, on
for Panucci, beat Stiel with a bullet drive from outside the box. Unluckily for
him, it cannoned back off the bar.
Apart from a Zola run thwarted in the six-yard box, that was as close as
Ranieris side came. Towards the end, St Gallen rolled back the years by
taking the ball into the corners to kill time, inviting challenges which
Chelseas clumsy defenders were only to happy to provide.
At the end, Chelsea's players couldn't wait to leave the pitch.
Ah, well, theres always the Worthington Cup.
St Gallen: Stiel, Guido, Muller (Contini 88), Nixon (Collacino 72),
Imhof, Gane (Berger 68), Amoah, Zwyssig, Zellweger, Jairo, Dal Santo. Chelsea: Cudicini, Panucci (Aleksidze 46), Leboeuf, Bogarde, Le Saux,
Melchiot, Morris, Di Matteo (Dalla Bona 32), Flo (Gudjohnsen 57), Hasselbaink,
Zola. Agg (2-1)
St
Gallen 2-0 Chelsea (Agg: 2-1)
Mueller 19, Amoah 37
UEFA Cup First Round Second Leg
Subs Not Used: Suhner, Pinelli, Winkler, Eugster.
Booked: Muller, Jairo.
Goals: Muller 19, Amoah 35.
Subs Not Used: Hitchcock, Ferrer, Terry, Harley.
Booked: Leboeuf, Dalla Bona.
Att: 15,500
Ref: P Gariban (France).