SUPPORTING Chelsea is like buying into a blue-chip stock.

There's the uncertainty and the occasional dip in form (e.g. the 0-0 draw against Cluj in the Champions League). But one thing I know for sure is that the stock will soon turn in a sterling performance because of its strong foundation.

Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in Chelsea's last Premiership match against Middlesbrough.

Key players like Joe Cole, Michael Ballack, Petr Cech, Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien, Ashley Cole and Deco were missing due to injuries, when they were up against Boro at the Riverside.

While not exactly a David and Goliath match (that would have been Arsenal v Hull or Stoke v Spurs, which incidentally were major upsets and further shows that Chelsea's the best in London), Boro have a reputation of being giant-slayers and have one of the best records against the top four.

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With the much-depleted Chelsea squad weighing on my mind, I thought it would be a close one, with Chelsea just nicking it by 2-1.

As it turned out, I need not have worried, as Boro were swatted aside with absolute ease by Chelsea's second-stringers.

The deft passes, the teamwork, the beautiful goals - it was a fabulously one-sided match and a great morale-booster ahead of the big match against Liverpool, the only other team with a 100 per cent record.

Kudos to Liverpool for their heart-stopping comebacks, but, and I know I would get lambasted for this, I honestly don't understand why people have been saying this would be the season where Pool would be real title challengers. They haven't been playing well and are way too dependent on Fernando Torres for goals.

In their last two matches, they've only managed to come back into the game when both Man City and Wigan were reduced to 10 men. They've been leaking goals at the back, whereas Chelsea's defence has been almost air-tight as seen from the number of clean sheets they've kept. (Five in all and a miserly three goals conceded as opposed to Pool's six, four of which came in their last two matches).

Pool may seem to have Lady Luck on their side at the moment and 'support' from the man in black, but that record is set to end tomorrow at Fortress Stamford Bridge.

Celeste Tay
Admin Manager