Chelsea comfortably conquered
another Milanese side 2-0 last night in New York and will now meet former boss
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid in the early hours of Thursday for the Guiness International Champions Cup in Miami.
Blues manager, Jose Mourinho, had
defeated his old side Inter Milan by the same scoreline less than 72 hours
previously and will now come up against another former employer in Real, whom
he left this summer to be replaced by 2010 Premier League and FA Cup double
winner Ancelotti, himself a one-time Champions League winning player and coach with AC Milan.
A first-half Kevin De Bruyne
strike in front of nearly 40,000 at the Metlife Stadium and an injury time goal
for new signing Andre Schurrle were enough to see off a disappointing AC Milan
side who will be disheartened by their showings against English opposition in
pre-season, having shipped five to Manchester City during a bizarre first half
in the Audi Cup last Wednesday.
De Bruyne’s was his first for the
club after spending last season on loan in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen
and rounded off a slick Chelsea passing move, in which a first-time Oscar
lay-off fed Eden Hazard in the left channel before the Belgian squared to his
compatriot, who calmly wrong-footed Christian Abbiati in the Milan goal with a
side-footed effort from 12 yards.
Chelsea were on cruise control
for much of the game and never really looked like surrendering their lead once Michael
Essien and the impressive Marco van Ginkel had begun to dictate proceedings
behind the incessantly interlinking Oscar and Hazard, who were a constant
menace to the Milan side - and Cristian Zapata in particular -
throughout the first period.
On a stodgy surface, the Blues
were by far the better side; well organised in a 4-2-3-1 formation that easily
adapted to form a 4-5-1 in defence and a 4-3-3 or even a 4-4-2 when counter
attacking, with the ever-improving Oscar taking up a very advanced role, at
times appearing almost alongside Demba Ba as they dragged their opponents out
of position at will.
Seven changes at the interval
briefly stifled their progress but within five minutes of the restart the
Europa League holders were in total command once more with chances falling to
substitutes Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, Ramires, John Terry and the lively
Victor Moses.
However, it wasn’t until stoppage
time that the second goal their performance thoroughly deserved arrived and it
was another first for the club, this time for the £18m man, Schurrle, who made
amends for two wasted opportunities earlier in the second half by pouncing on a
Moses cut-back to clinically drill a volley past a motionless Abbiati into the
far corner from inside the area.
Mourinho will be ecstatic with
the control exerted by his team in spite of a host of changes made at the break
and will go into Thursday’s final with a number of selection headaches to
soothe.
Will the Portuguese opt for the
neat interplay of Oscar, Hazard and De Bruyne that passed the Italians off the
park in the first half or the more direct approach of Ramires, Mata and Moses
that drove Chelsea on during the second 45? Will he again look to utilise the
two as he seeks a first-choice XI for the visit of Hull City in two weeks’
time?
Either way, Thursday’s game
promises a great deal of entertainment and not just from the touchlines, where
both managers will be greeting familiar faces in unfamiliar territory.
Blues line-up (1st half): Cech
(c), Azpilicueta, Bertrand, Ivanovic, Cahill; Essien, van Ginkel; De Bruyne,
Oscar, Hazard; Ba
Blues line-up (2nd half):
Schwarzer, Ivanovic, Cole, Terry (c), Cahill; Ramires, van Ginkel (Mikel 65);
Moses, Mata, Hazard (Schurrle 69); Torres (Lukaku 86)
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