voldemort

Not for the first time, a Chelsea win - this time, their progress to a second successive Carling Cup final - was built on the rock solid performance of their defensive midfielder, Claude Makelele, who used all his considerable experience to help frustrate Everton and keep alive the possibility that Avram Grant will win a trophy in his first season as Chelsea manager.

Even Everton manager David Moyes described Makelele's display as 'fantastic', but in an in-depth interview with the official Chelsea website, Landing Page | Chelsea, the French international said: "I think it is about the whole team.

"It is a pleasure when the manager of the opposition says that but I think the whole team defended well.

"The 15 minutes when the game started, we were strong in defence, the midfield was fighting and the team played good football. It was good for the mentality. The last three games the team has not conceded any goals and all the time we have opportunities. All the players now are doing a very good job."

Makelele stressed the importance of good communication within the team, explaining that, "Learning in football is never complete because it is not just about how you play football. It is about knowing all the players you play with, what they are like, talking, what the problems are.

"It is like the manager has a relationship with the players. I think the team needs relationships. You need to know your partners, you need to help each other and know all the things that happen in the game. You need to have complicity. That is what makes a team strong and that is why a player cannot know everything."

Asked if an important part of his job against Everton had been to deal with Tim Cahill, who was playing deeper than Andy Johnson, Makelele answered: "Yes, when I talk about complicity of the players, this is it.

"When he comes deep or Arteta or Osman come inside, I need to talk with the defence and speak about when to leave the players alone, when to catch them. It is all the time communication and I think my team-mates are doing well on communication. The best Everton play is when he [Cahill] plays.

"He puts the defence in trouble all the time. He moves a lot, he changes the position. Chelsea yesterday learned and listened and did it very well."

Makelele also told the club's website that much of his responsibility was to police any player moving into his area from his normal position.

He said: "I am looking all the time for players moving, talking all the time with players like Shaun Wright-Phillips who is doing very well. All the time you need to catch the man who comes into the place where a man is leaving. After that you have more players fresh for attack.

"All the time I am talking about communication because you need your partners to know your run, when you move, when you are dribbling.

"For me, when I do my job I am thinking about the team, not thinking about myself. I think about the equilibrium of the team. Now in some games we are very compact. Players listen very well how to do it for the team."

He revealed that he is a fan of Shaun Wright-Phillips - and that the exiting young winger had been a good learner.

"He is unbelievable," said Makelele. "All the time I have pushed him, I tell him, listen Shaun, you have a lot of qualities. You need not all the time to stay on the line. You need to come back off the line and in midfield, nobody can catch you.

"And he listened very well and knows your moves. He has the possibility to score and make goals. I am happy for him.

Grant has been rationing the 34-year-old's playing time this season to help conserve his energy for the most important games, but the imoact of the Africa Cup of Nations has hit the Chelsea squad hard. As a result, Makelele could be asked to play as many as three games in a week.

Assessing his fitness to cope with that workload, the former Real Madrid man said: "All the time I have been careful and I have had a good conversation with the manager and he knows me.

"He knows that I don't have the need to play all time and he has good young players - John Mikel Obi, Michael Essien - who need more time for playing.

"Me, I am here for some games. The manager knows I am here for the team when my experience is wanted and I like this.

Makelele joined Chelsea in the summer of 2003 from Madrid, and has seen many changes at Stamford Bridge. Reflecting on his Chelsea career, he said:

"I think Chelsea now is my heart. I don't know why, it is like I live all the time this team. You never know in football what will happen. I am just enjoying this moment I have with this club.

"I think it is one of the best clubs in the world now at everything - football, training ground, stadium, fans, the image it has in the world. It is amazing and sometimes I am thinking I have been here for everything as it has happened. I have been inside the project and it has been good.

"Now we play another final. People think it is now normal for Chelsea. That is our job, to repeat, repeat, repeat. You need to be very professional to repeat all the time this situation."

source:goal.com