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  • <P>Chelsea peppered the goal (with even Petr Cech involved) but failed to trouble Julian Speroni</P>
    <P>With Eto'o injured, the onus has been on Fernando Torres to step up from the bench and fill the breach.</P>
    <P>However, the Spaniard could only deliver an inauspicious performance against Palace. The most memorable aspect of his contribution on Saturday came after he latched onto a Stuart O'Keefe back-pass only to turn away from goal before scooping a tame effort over the bar.</P>
    <P>Asked about Torres' display, Mourinho said: "I prefer not to. I like to analyse individual performances when I can say phenomenal performance."</P>
    <P>Despite Chelsea racking up an impressive 21 shots at goal against Palace, Julian Speroni had just two efforts to deal with. It spoke volumes for the away side's sloppiness in front of goal and added considerable weight to the notion that Chelsea are a clinical striker away from real success.</P>
    <P>Width from full-back</P>
    <P>While there is little that Mourinho can do to address Chelsea's striker conundrum mid-season, there are other areas of frustration.</P>
    <P>Wastefulness from full-back proved a problem on Saturday. Cesar Azpilicueta created one excellent opportunity from left-back but saw little of the ball in comparison with Branislav Ivanovic on the right - and that was an issue for Chelsea.</P>
    <P><BR>Branislav Ivanovic's wayward crossing was a problem for Chelsea as he failed to find a target</P>
    <P>Ivanovic has been something of a revelation in belying his build to prove an effective outlet at full-back, but this was not his finest outing. He often found himself in space as Yannick Bolasie failed to track back, but failed to take advantage of this opportunity, completing none of his frequently wayward crosses.</P>
    <P>Although Ivanovic remains a robust option, if Chelsea are to break down teams on a <a title="Ronaldo 7 shoes" href="http://www.2014-soccercleats.com/nike-mercurial-cronaldo-c-10.html"><STRONG>Ronaldo 7 shoes</STRONG></a> more regular basis, there must be a temptation to restore Ashley Cole and switch Azpilicueta back to right-back once the England man is fit once again.</P>
    <P>Squad strength</P>
    <P>Of course, Cole's current unavailability highlights an unusual problem afflicting Chelsea at present - a lack of squad depth.</P>
    <P>Tomas Kalas was the only defender on the bench at Selhurst Park, while one wonders whether Mourinho was completely comfortable in throwing on newcomer Mohamed Salah at such a crucial juncture of the season.</P>
    <P>With Ramires and Willian suspended, Chelsea looked a little short of options.</P>
    <P>Belief</P>
    <P>"Their spirit and desire was stronger," said Mourinho after the game.</P>
    <P>The Chelsea boss has done a fine job of taking the pressure off his players this season. But those actions might just prove a double-edged sword.</P>
    <P>After all, given his comments, <a title="hypervenom phantom" href="http://www.2014-soccercleats.com/nike-hypervenom-phantom-c-19.html"><STRONG>hypervenom phantom</STRONG></a> he can hardly blame his team if they now lack the utter conviction required to come through those tough moments and win the title.</P>
    <P>Chelsea are still in it, but as Mourinho told us all along, it seems likely they won't quite have enough to go all the way.</P>

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    Posted 2014-03-31
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