SOCCER: Napoli 3 Chelsea 1:THESE ARE the moments when Andre Villas-Boas, for all his outward confidence, could be forgiven for wondering how much longer a man with Roman Abramovich's lack of tolerance is prepared to stand by him when the evidence of Chelsea's deterioration is so overwhelming.
His team were not as dishevelled as Arsenal had been against Milan at San Siro last week but, at times, they were not far off. They began badly, took the lead via Juan Mata with a lucky goal and then demonstrated all of the poor defending and decision-making that has undermined them so badly since Villas-Boas moved into power. It was truly desperate stuff and, on the balance of play, they can count themselves fortunate that the damage inflicted by Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani was not worse.
Napoli played with a penetrative edge that should encourage them to think they can score at Stamford Bridge and ensure there is no English side in the quarter-finals for the first time since 1996.
Perhaps the most disappointing part for Villas-Boas was the way his team made such a pig’s ear of holding on to the lead once Mata had pounced on Paolo Cannavaro’s mistake. This was probably the one moment of the night when this chaotic, throbbing stadium was thrust into a sudden, damp silence. Yet Chelsea did not have the wit or know-how to keep the ball, take the edge off the game and frustrate the crowd any more.
There were moments, undoubtedly, when they badly missed John Terry’s experience and reassuring presence. David Luiz and Gary Cahill both looked vulnerable but what Chelsea really needed was leadership. Napoli scored twice to turn the game upside down. At this level an away team cannot be so generous.
The warning signs had been in place even before Cannavaro made a wretched attempt to clear Daniel Sturridge’s low cross and managed only to slice the ball into the air and leave Mata clean through on goal. Mata’s finish had a calmness that was incongruous with the rest of Chelsea’s play.
They had been lucky not be behind by that point. Lavezzi, Cavani and Marek Hamsik were elusive opponents, a constant menace in the way they interchanged positions. Even so, what happened between the opening goal and half-time demonstrated a conspicuous lack of Champions League knowledge on Chelsea’s part. It is too simplistic to say it would have been different if Frank Lampard was playing but Chelsea’s fans could be forgiven for missing the old guard.
Terry, Lampard and Ashley Cole have made, between them, more than 1,300 appearances for the club but none was in the starting line-up. As it turned out Cole, who had reported himself fit, did replace the injured Jose Bosingwa but this was an experimental line-up and the home side repeatedly cut them open.
Petr Cech had already made three splendid saves before Lavezzi dropped his shoulder, advanced into a shooting position and curled a shot into the far corner. Raul Meireles, whose booking for handball means he is ineligible for the return leg, had been guilty of not closing him down and Chelsea’s defending was even worse in first-half stoppage-time, when Cannavaro crossed from the right and Cavani got in front of Branislav Ivanovic, the decisive touch coming off the Uruguayan’s shoulder.
Chelsea will reflect on that moment, at 1-0, when David Luiz sent an unchallenged header over the crossbar from Mata’s corner, but when Napoli could have established an unassailable lead.
Cavani missed a decent chance early in the second half, quickly followed by Lavezzi wasting an even better opportunity.
The sixth-placed side in Serie A were playing with great purpose but the galling thing for Chelsea was that they contributed so heavily to their own downfall. David Luiz is simply far too error-prone, a danger to his own team. What should have been a routine clearance came back off Cavani and, when Cech raced out to clear the danger, he was caught in no-man’s land. Cavani squared his pass for Lavezzi to fire into a hopelessly exposed net.
Cole’s goal-line clearance from Christian Maggio’s shot prevented the ordeal getting worse but this was another night when the Premier League has to ask itself what has gone so wrong in Europe.
Guardian Service
NAPOLI:De Sanctis, Campagnaro, Cannavaro, Aronica, Maggio, Inler, Gargano, Zuniga, Hamsik (Pandev 82), Lavezzi (Dzemaili 74), Cavani. Subs not used: Rosati, Grava, Dossena, Fernandez, Britos. Booked: Cavani.
CHELSEA:Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Bosingwa (Cole 12), Ramires, Meireles (Essien 70), Malouda (Lampard 70), Sturridge, Drogba, Mata. Subs not used: Turnbull, Torres, Mikel, Kalou. Booked: Meireles, Cahill.
Referee:Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain).
