Indonesian All Stars 1-8 Chelsea: Easiest of wins for impressive Chelsea
Indonesian All Stars 1-8 Chelsea: Easiest of wins for impressive Chelsea
The Blues were not tested in the slightest as they waltzed to victory in Jakarta
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Chelsea handed out a roasting on Java to sign off from their Far East adventure.
A penalty by Eden Hazard was followed by further first-half goals
from Ramires, Demba Ba and John Terry and strikes after the break by
Betrand Traore, fellow substitute Romelu Lukaku's brace and Ramires
again, while Chelsea also struck the woodwork twice.
Tomas Kalas' tame own goal gave the fanatical and relentless home
fans something to shout even more loudly about but this was a stroll as
Chelsea matched Arsenal's winning margin last week but with an extra
goal.
While Jose Mourinho insisted this result on the first leg of the
Blues' pre-season campaign did not matter, he did admit he wanted to
build a ''winning culture''.
Three successive victories represent exactly that and while this was,
by far, the least taxing of Chelsea's three tasks, against a side that
would struggle to make an impression in a sand pit, it was done with
ruthless efficiency.
More importantly, perhaps, Mourinho showed he plans to have more than
one tactical system in his locker this season, reverting to the 4-3-3
of his first reign.
In truth, watching Ryan Bertrand running in behind the Indonesian
right-back whenever he wanted, Hazard going through his tricks book and
the rest of the side playing as they fancied, the Special One will not
have learned too much.
But if players are looking to make a case for themselves this early
in preparations for the games that count, it cannot hurt, Lukaku's sheer
physicality confirming he has returned from West Brom ready to rumble
for the Blues.
Pitiful opponents do not make for a contest. Indeed, you suspect the
Chelsea players were more troubled by the mosquitoes than the Indonesian
All Stars.
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The only surprise, despite the fervour of the chants that cascaded
round the Stadium Utama Gelora Bung Karno for more than an hour before
kick-off, was that it took all of 21 minutes for Chelsea to go in front,
albeit courtesy of a miss to forget by Ramires.
John Terry was mugged by two home defenders in the act of shooting
and Hazard made no mistake as he sent keeper Kurnia Meiga the wrong way
from the spot.
It only needed the one pebble to set off the avalanche. Nathaniel
Chalobah - playing as the holder in the central trio - and then Wallace
both hit the post before two goals came in three minutes.
Ramires had an age to turn and fire home after good work by Hazard
and Bertrand and then almost as long for another shot parried by the
keeper straight to Ba.
When Terry nodded into a vacant net - courtesy of another Bertrand
delivery, flicked on by Gary Cahill - before the break the only question
was the scale of Chelsea's victory and whether they'd want to go easy
on their hosts.
The answer, definitely, was no. Traore - still officially 'on trial'
remember and set to be loaned out once turns 18 in September – curled in
a beauty, Lukaku had the freedom of the box to nod home Hazard's cross
before rampaging down the right to tee up Ramires.
One more for the hulking Belgian - set up by Lucas Piazon - made it
four in three games for him before Kalas, slow to respond, poked Greg
Nwokolo's low cross past Mark Schwarzer.
Not that anyone, outside the frenzied home fans, cared. Not that Mourinho cared about the game at all.
But three wins, 13 goals and a club finally at ease with itself and its supporters represent a pretty decent base.
And they've got David Luiz, Oscar, Juan Mata, Cesar Azpilicueta,
Fernando Torres and John Obi Mikel to join up with them on Monday before
the head to the USA 24 hours later. That will do for starters.
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