As Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea side looked down on the rest of the Premier League during the international break, they could reflect on the most impressive of starts. Fourteen goals scored, none conceded and nine points is good by anyone’s standards and there is a sense that Chelsea have a few more gears left in them too.
The usual suspects – Frank Lampard, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba – have made strong starts to the season, but it is Florent Malouda who has particularly caught the eye, carrying on where he left off last season. No player has thrived more under Ancelotti than Malouda, who had previously looked a shadow of the player that tormented defences for Ligue 1 giants Lyon; he is now fulfilling his vast potential. Malouda is a confidence player and when he was struggling for form, he looked as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Now, his manager’s faith in him is paying dividends.
In addition to his composure on the ball and his willing work-rate, Malouda has been priceless for his goalscoring, particularly since Christmas. He managed a mightily impressive 15 goals from midfield last year, but should top that this season. The freedom provided by the disciplined Jon Obi Mikel and Michael Essien allows Malouda and Lampard to push forward with devastating results – the Frenchman already has four goals to his name after three games.
At home to West Brom on the opening day of the new season, Malouda helped the Blues put down a marker in a 6-0 rout. He scored Chelsea’s first early in the game, then tapped home their last goal late on. He added another from close range against Wigan and then struck the important opener at home to Stoke. Against stubborn opposition, scoring early is vital in breaking the resistance and Malouda has netted Chelsea’s first goal in all three games, paving the way for free-scoring performances.
During the Community Shield a month ago, Chelsea looked laboured against a fleet-footed Manchester United, losing 3-1 at Wembley and surrendering the first trophy of the campaign. Pre-season had brought a string of losses and Drogba was still regaining full fitness. Even Malouda was out of sorts. But then four weeks is a long time in the world of football.
Chelsea boss Ancelotti is in no doubt about the Frenchman’s impact, even this early in the new campaign. “He has started well and he is one of our best players right now", said the Italian. "I think that he has a good motivation after the World Cup. He was angry. He wanted to improve on his poor performance in the World Cup and I think he is doing very well.
"The World Cup is finished and sometimes you don’t do well – so it is a good motivation to come back and be excited to play with Chelsea. Sometimes he was angry – maybe hungry as well.”
It is certainly understandable that Malouda would want to put the World Cup behind him. It was a wretched experience for the entire French squad and Malouda, who was in red hot form during the latter stages of last season, suffered from the problems in the camp. He was restricted to a 15-minute cameo against Uruguay in the woeful 0-0 draw and then disappointed in the 2-0 loss to Mexico. Benched again against South Africa, he came on as a second half substitute to score France’s only goal of the tournament. All in all, it was a disastrous month.
But, as Ancelotti said, Malouda – and his international team-mate Anelka, for that matter – is using the summer of setbacks as motivation in the Blues’ hunt for trophies on all four fronts. And that can only be good news for the club’s supporters.
Chelsea have made the strongest possible statement that they will not relinquish their grip on the Premier League title – and, in Malouda, they have arguably the league’s most in-form talent. For all the promise of United’s young charges, the wealth of Manchester City and the spells of fabulous football on show at the Emirates, the Blues have been peerless thus far this season.
It would take a brave man to bet against them.
