5 reasons Sunderland can beat Chelsea
You might think it's an open and shut case. You might be right. Chelsea's trip to Sunderland looks like an open and shut case. Away win, move along, nothing to see here. But you might be wrong. Despite the fact Chelsea are, essentially, champions before Christmas and being roundly touted to repeat Arsenal's invincible unbeaten premier league season, there are reasons for hope on Wearside. Vague reasons for sure, but where's the fun in logic ? So in honour of Chelsea's effortlessly awesome 5 nil shellacking of Schalke in the Champions League this week, here are FIVE reasons why Sunderland CAN beat them tomorrow.
1. THEY DID IT LAST TIME
Who was the last team to beat Chelsea in a Premier League match? Sunderland, at Stamford Bridge, on Saturday the 19th of April, last season. Obviously it was last season. NO one beats Chelsea this season. But they haven't played Sunderland yet.
2. THEY DID IT LAST TIME....AT THE STADIUM OF LIGHT
The last time Chelsea came to Wearside, they lost. It was just before Christmas last year in the League Cup Quarter-Final. The Black Cats had scored an own goal (not a huge surprise) and time ticked down on a routine and predictable win for the Blues. Then long-lost loan star Fabio Borini burgled a late equaliser. It went to extra time on a freezing cold night, the Black Cats suddenly became brilliant, Ki Sung-Yeung got the winner and all the Sunderland players and most of the fans had a joyous pile-on in the North West Corner. True, it was a cup tie, not the premier league, so tomorrow there'll be no extra time and no second chances. True, Borini and Ki have gone home, so someone else will have to score the goals. But these are incidental details that should not detract from the fear Chelsea will be feeling in their bones. And anyway, we all know who's going to score the goals.....
3. "ONE, TWO, JOZY'S COMING FOR YOU. THREE, FOUR, BETTER LOCK YOUR DOOR......"
Points 1 and 2 have hopefully established, beyond any reasonable doubt, that Sunderland are Chelsea's bogey team. Every bogey team needs a bogey man. It seems clear that man is Jozy Altidore. The Black Cats American striker has a less than fearsome goalscoring record (he never scores). But his last league goal for Sunderland (his only league goal for Sunderland) was in this corresponding fixture almost exactly a year ago. OK, Sunderland lost that night, but that's just another incidental detail. Some months later, Jozy jumped from the bench at Stamford Bridge to take the tumble, that led to the penalty, that led to the goal, that led to the win, that led to the Great Escape. It was Chelsea's first ever home league defeat under Jose Mourinho and he was REALLY annoyed about it. True, that may make him keen for revenge tomorrow. That's definitely a possibility. But on balance it's surely more likely that Jose Mourinho, and probably John Terry, are really, really scared of Jozy Altidore.
4. PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Sunderland have won more trophies than Chelsea so far this season. Lee Cattermole picks up the North East Football Writer's Association Player of the Year award this weekend. He's a man who divides opinion. Most Sunderland fans, a few Wigan fans and some Boro supporters love him. Everybody else hates him. To everybody else he's a thug who gets booked and sent off a lot. But why would someone like that win regional player of the year awards? Possibly because he's found his perfect home as guard dog in Gus Poyet's system. Possibly because he's the sort of on-field leader most mid-ranking teams desperately need. Possibly because he's a much, much better player than most people give him credit for. Possibly because Yohan Cabaye left for Paris in January. It's probably all of those reasons. If Sunderland beat Chelsea, you can pretty much guarantee Lee Cattermole will have played a blinder. To be fair, he'll have to play a blinder if any of this rubbish is going to play out, because of reason number 5.
5. INVINCIBLE? IMPROBABLE
Chelsea are going to win the title. That has been broadly accepted by everyone before the presents have been unwrapped. The narrative has moved on. Can this Chelsea, this wonderful Chelsea, match the achievement of Arsenal's "Invincibles" in 2003-04 and go a whole premier league season without defeat. Well.....probably not. It's only ever happened once in the premier league era and it's only happened once for a reason. Basically, it's incredibly hard. It's not just your big-hitting rivals you have to worry about. It's your promoted upstarts, your inconsistent provincial underachievers and Stoke City, away, on a cliched wet Tuesday Night. The more people talk about it and the closer you get, the more everyone, EVERYONE wants to be the team to beat you. Sunderland's Head Coach Gus Poyet said last week he thinks it's hard for any team to be invincible in this day and age and in a recent press conference Jose Mourinho said (massively self-reverentially) that "the defeat will come". And anyway, that Arsenal "Invincibles" team was special. They had a terrific goalkeeper in Jens Lehmann, a mean defence with Sol Campbell in his pomp, a beefy midfield featuring the peerless Patrick Viera, creativity to burn with Robert Pires and Dennis Bergkamp and a lethal striker in Thierry Henry. What have Chelsea got to match that? Well, to be fair there is Thibaut Courtois, John Terry, Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa. But they will lose at some point. Probably. Why not at Sunderland tomorrow? Or if not that, how about Newcastle NEXT weekend? Not convinced? No, me neither.