Blues happy to be 'boring' - Clarke
19/09/2005 - 16:03:45Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho is not bothered by the ’boring’ taunts which have tarnished the club’s 100% start to the new season.
The Blues have won all six of their opening games without conceding a goal – a new Premiership record – but have done so without the free-flowing football which propelled them to a first title triumph in 50 years last term.
There was plenty of craft and ingenuity on show against Charlton on Saturday, and two superb finishes from Hernan Crespo and Arjen Robben pushed Mourinho’s men ever closer to Arsenal’s record of 49 consecutive unbeaten games in the Barclays Premiership.
Chelsea assistant manager Steve Clarke insists the players do not target records but two more are now well within their reach.
The Blues are just 15 games away from beating Arsenal’s record and a further six wins will give them the best start to a top flight campaign since Tottenham’s double-winning side put together 11 straight victories at the beginning of the 1960-61 season.
Eclipsing Arsenal’s record will be no mean feat but already the comparisons between the two sides are favouring Arsene Wenger’s team.
The Arsenal side which tore teams apart on its way to 49 unbeaten outings in a row included the pace and power of Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, the guile of Robert Pires and the mean Sol Campbell in defence.
They played some of the most awesome football ever witnessed in England before it all fell apart at Old Trafford in a game remembered more for pizza-throwing antics in the tunnel than the disintegration of Arsenal’s amazing run.
Chelsea, not surprisingly, have not had such plaudits bestowed upon them during their unbeaten run.
They have often been taunted for their regular use of the long ball and scraping victories with unimpressive performances. Indeed, at the start of the last campaign, they were labelled ’boring’ because of their propensity for nicking 1-0 victories.
According to Clarke, the squad do not care if the label sticks or not. They just get on with the important matter of winning and believes the fans know they are good to watch.
He said: “We ignore it. We don’t think about it. It doesn’t mystify us. We know we are a good team to watch and one that plays entertaining football.
“Ask our supporters if we’re boring – I know exactly what they’d say.”
Nor are they influenced by breaking records but there is one thing Clarke is adamant about and that is the desire and hunger of their expensive players to repeat the title glory of last year.
“Money doesn’t come into it,” insists Clarke. “The players are all top professionals who want to win everything. They showed that last season and they are showing it again this season.”
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