Vialli takes a swipe at Chelsea's title hopes

[the wes 7,212]

Gianluca Vialli believes Chelsea are going backwards this season because they can't beat the top teams.

The former Blues manager watched their dismal 3-1 defeat by Roma in the Champions League as a pundit for Sky Sport Italia and was shocked by how badly they played.

It was Chelsea's heaviest defeat in Europe's premier club competition for four years, while they have also suffered setbacks in the Premier League against their title rivals, losing against Liverpool and drawing with Manchester United.

Vialli said: "I don't think Chelsea are the same team as they were a few years ago. They don't have the consistency any more. They were beaten by Manchester United in the final of the Champions League last season and also lost against Liverpool at home the other week. Before they used to beat these teams."

Vialli feels manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, who has set his sights on winning all four trophies this season, was outthought by Roma counterpart, Luciano Spalletti.

He added: "Chelsea went to Rome to settle for whatever they could get and, when you do that, you end up losing the game on most occasions. Roma had a great reaction to this, especially after all the problems they have had recently.

"Spalletti changed the system, with [Francesco] Totti behind [Mirko] Vucinic as well as [Matteo] Brighi supporting [simone] Perrotta on the flanks, and this made life difficult for [Florent] Malouda. Roma showed great football with the ball to feet and it worked."

Captain John Terry blasted the players for showing a lack of fight in the Stadio Olimpico, claiming they "will get nowhere near the final" if they continue to perform as poorly. He added: "We didn't get out of first gear. It was a terrible night. We knew they'd been struggling and the pressure was on them."

[bombayblue™ 55]

i think the title and reporters inferences are completely off the mark from what vialli has said..

[Chelsea Lad 0]

I am worried that we can't beat big teams. We have struggled in both Roma games, against United and Liverpool and dare I say it, Spuds.

I read in a paper this morning, which is about right, that with our new style we are going to be inconsistent, our highs will be high but our lows will be very low.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

The media have manipulated his words and anchored a different meaning to the story, as ever.

[Aesthetic Relic 301]

I was thinking about this the other night.

I'm not saying LFS is nieve when it comes to tactics, but there are going to be games when we cant play the passing game he wants to see. Away from home, especially in europe you need to keep things tight and get the best result possible for the return leg. When/if we get to the next phase which will be a knockout format, we could find ourselves in a very sticky situation. I'm all for playing with flair, but we still need to play ugly at times.

The Roma game for instance. their fans were baying for blood from the players before the game. There was loads of pressure on them to perform. We on the otherhand were riding high with maybe a bit of overconfidence going into the game considering Romas league form and position. On the night we got outplayed and our players were well below par. Was that due to tactics/overconfidence or an off night?

I dunno, but it is a slight concern.

[EskWeston 696]

The Roma game was somewhat of a freak i feel. We were very comfortable for a long while and then the first went in! After that the players were so determined to attack and get back into the game that Roma managed to nick another couple.

I think we are going about things the right way this season, it is a big change and it will not always be perfect but i feel it is the right way for us to move forward. We have had some great results this season.

[Aesthetic Relic 301]

We have had some great results this season.

I cant argue with that. I dont want to see us getting Arsenal syndrome

[EskWeston 696]

I cant argue with that. I dont want to see us getting Arsenal syndrome

Nah, we are nothing like Arsenal. Arsenal are inconsistant - we are top of the league, and top of our Champions League group. The problem is we are still a work in progress and can't be perfect all the time.

People have jumped on the fact we conceded 3 against Roma but our defensive record this season has been outstanding.