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CARLO’S DIDI MEN OUTMUSCLED, Didier Drogba: "
AS a Didier Drogba strop goes, this one barely registered on the toy-throwing scale.
The bottom lip quivered ever so gently as it protruded in a look of mock inquisition and surprise when he was replaced by the striking colossus that is Daniel Sturridge - previously of Manchester City stiffs.
The genuine inquisition should have been into how Carlo Ancelotti’s patience with Drogba had somehow stretched until the 75th minute.
This was a throwback to his posturing past - the penchant for petty squabbles, the flouncing disagreements with team-mates and management, the positional ill-discipline.
In the context of his recent behaviour and form - and by recent we can drift back over a year - this was a blip, a freakish flashback.
It should not signal a return to his histrionic worst… but it did typify a Chelsea performance that was carved out of complacency.
After a few weeks’ bullying on flat tracks, they arrived on the first stretch of truly hostile terrain.
And were themselves bullied out of the contest.
Even with Michael Essien - bizarrely reduced to shooting from telescopic range - in the heart of midfield, they were outworked and outmuscled by a Manchester City team that does not major on artistic merit. They were distracted by the temerity of a collection of players rippling with physical intent.
Neutrals might not want to travel far and wide to watch Nigel de Jong and Yaya Toure in action but they were certainly effective yesterday.
The regal stride that had taken Chelsea through early-season cakewalks was disrupted - and they never regained their composure.
John Obi Mikel bickered with Ashley Cole, Bransilav Ivanovic appeared spooked by strong-arm opposition and Florent Malouda wandered around as though his mind was preoccupied by his own publicity.
And then there was John Terry. It’s not quite water under the Wayne Bridge but even the most vocal of City fans could hardly bother to jeer the Chelsea captain.
Instead, they revelled in the sight of him becoming regularly engaged in a series of pointless discussions with referee Andre Marriner.
Long after the final whistle, he was still bending Marriner’s ear, gesticulating and pointing. The finger of blame, though, could only be directed at his own team-mates.
Like a boxer who has floored a series of bums, the guard had been lowered ahead of this meeting with their first serious rivals of the season.
Terry, Essien, Malouda and Co are likely to return to a better standard pretty quickly.
And Ancelotti’s dismissive withdrawal of Drogba - he wanted someone young and fast was the gist of his pretty uninterested post-match explanation - should be a sharp reminder that a rehash of his immature ways is not acceptable.
In the short term, you can be sure Chelsea will respond. A Champions League tie against Marseille at Stamford Bridge and a collision with Arsenal at the same venue next Sunday should provide the perfect opportunity for that response.
But there were one or two indications to suggest Chelsea will not be as domineering as some think.
Certainly not as domineering as Roberto Mancini thinks.
His prediction they would win the title “easily” certainly seemed a gross over-simplification as Ancelotti sent on Sturridge - who has been promising for a couple of years without ever cracking it - and 17-year-old Josh McEachran for his Premier League debut. They say McEachran is a great prospect and he looked pretty composed during his brief cameo.
But when you are fighting to claw back against a fearsomely determined side, the introduction of a callow youth is unlikely to be a match-turner.
While Mancini sent on Adam Johnson - one of the warmest England players right now - along with the extremely pricey Emmanuel Adebayor and Jerome Boateng, Ancelotti introduced Sturridge, McEachran and, firstly, Yuri Zhirkov.
Two further youngsters, Gael Kakuta and Patrick van Aanholt, were also among the substitutes.
With a smattering of injuries and the clampdown on recruitment, Chelsea’s squad looks a touch thin and a touch too reliant on players who are moving towards the final phases of their career.
If this hard-fought, vitally-important- but-not-particularly-attractive City win highlighted one thing, it is Chelsea will continue to rely on Frank Lampard.
Without him, they lacked any sort of vibrancy in midfield, any real hint of attacking threat from that area.
Ramires - who, on this evidence, might take some time to prove his worth - has the build and gait of a long-distance runner. His spindly frame was not up to the job against opponents who were built for power, not elegance.
This City performance, of course, was not merely a triumph for work-rate, energy and physique.
Carlos Tevez - as intelligent a footballer as he is instinctive - always threatened to confuse a slightly laboured Chelsea defence, the Toure brothers were immense and David Silva, when not feeling obliged to track back, was as skilful as anyone.
It is not that pleasant to watch but Mancini’s livelihood will depend purely on what Premier League rung City have their foot on come Christmas.
Unlike Roman Abramovich, you suspect Sheikh Mansour is a billionaire content with results without the beauty.
Ancelotti suggested City are realistic title rivals.
But we still have a good chance, he reminded us with a lugubrious smile.
They do. But only if Drogba, Terry and the rest remember that not everything comes easy in the Premier League.
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