Where Chelsea are and where they're headed.

Two points behind, two dramatic games, and two last games before welcoming the new year, where are Chelsea now and where are we headed?

The match against Everton at Goodison Park was nothing short of maginificent. One of the best matches I have seen so far. If there were such a thing as Chelsea 'Game of the Season', that definitely would be a contender, of course the others being the away game against ManUtd at Old Trafford and at Nou Camp against Barca during the Champions League Group Stages. To come back from behind, not once but twice, through magnificent goals from Lampard and Drogba, whose goal I consider a contender for 'Goal of the Season' and win the game was nothing short of dramatic but effective. We deserved to win the game.

I'm quite certain though many Chelsea haters (and even some neutrals) are still clammoring that we win because we cheat, calling Drogba the worst diver of all and Robben a runner-up, and Stamford Bridge, the school of diving. So the two often dive, but so do other players from other teams. While it is unacceptable, it has admittedly become a tactic. Chelsea are a strong team and the current champs, back to back if I may say. As a consequence people started hating them, especially as Abramovich whimsically throws money on our way for our spending on players. But remember, weren't ManUtd also hated being the champs (with Fergie's arrogance)? It's the way football goes, I guess.

So Mourinho gave offensive comments about England and Everton striker Andrew Johnson, accusing him of diving, which eventually gave way to their first goal of that match. But I suppose every other coach and even some players under the heat of the moment plus given a particular and significant circumstance- in this case, Chelsea's chance to narrow the gap between them and ManUtd down to two- we could expect them to say quite a lof of things- rubbish or otherwise, couldn't we? Besides, the man has apologised. For someone with a personality like Mourinho, we should actually be thankful he even bothered apologising. While it was the right thing to do, we just couldn't expect every other man to admit his mistake, could we? So the issue is over, let's move on.

Everton played a good game, but we ended the game the way it should've. No one is denying the boys of Goodison Park did a remarkable job but given the terrific individual acts alongside the magnificent team effort and spirit, we clearly showed class and reiterated why we were champions.

HOWEVER. The match against Wigan showed the complete opposite. While we managed to win, it was admittedly due to sheer luck. Even Mourinho admitted that. Robben's been consistently playing well, albeit not scoring goals. But in that match, he scored his first crucial goal in months, putting an end to his goal drought, in the extra time. Without it, we could've drawn with a team from the bottom half of the table. That match would've widened the gap once again. THANKS TO THE EXTRA TIME.

In our last few matches until last week against Everton, the pattern was do bad in the first half, get back on track, catch up and own the second. In a sense, that is more acceptable than owning the first half and then slowing down on the second, handing over to the opponent the chance to get back at us (and lead), if ever we created an edge on the first half, or just simply lead. That's exactly what happened at JJB Stadium. We did great in the first half, though it wasn't even completely our own. In the early minutes we saw Wigan take possession but later on, we managed to score what the Blues have thought to be enough to win the game. We thought it was over but Emile Heskey's penalty goal claimed otherwise. Perhaps many of us thought, ah, Chelsea would score a couple more in the second half. After all, that has been the pattern in the last few matches we've had. But we could only get surprised at how the second half turned out.

WE WERE TERRIBLE. Terrible passes, terrible defense even, and finally a couple of terrible players. It was in that match that I joined the petition of thousands of other Chelsea fans: We need Cech back in the goalpost; we need John Terry back in defense! The last couple of weeks , I realized how Boulahrouz and Hilario are slowly becoming (if they aren't already) liabilities to the team. In Hilario's first match against Barca during the Champions League Group Stages, I applauded him for a job well done. But where is that man now? I guess we were lucky that some of the shots didn't go in. Otherwise, we would've lost. Hilario's goalkeeping just doesn't look right. There were instances when the ball could've easily gotten in. (I don't know if it's the slow reflex, the lack of exposure, or simply his lack of talent.) Then there's Boulahrouz. His bad games have led us a couple of times to conceding goals. I could only be very thankful for several things in that match: that Lampard is scoring once again, that we have such a kind of team spirit and... that there was a long extra time, which allowed Robben to present us fans our early (and memorable) Christmas gift- his saving goal.

Apparently, we couldn't play the same way week after week if we want a three-peat. Looking at the team's number 1 opponent, Manchester United is playing what is perhaps the most attractive football at the moment. Their squad is composed of a terribly quick midfielder in Ronaldo, excellent strikers in Rooney and Saha, and a couple more good players in Giggs, Scholes and Ferdinand. (Feel free to name more if you want.) They are in top form, no doubt about it. Honestly, I don't think the arrival of Larsson in the team would make much of a big difference, if only to increase their goal difference. The only way for them is to keep playing well. And the way for us? Well, there's a looong way for us.

One, again, we need Cech (Cudicini will actually do) and Terry back in the field. Two, we need Sheva to find the form he had in Milan and Joe Cole to be 100% fit and start playing again. Three, we need more goals from players other than Drogba. I'm starting to worry that Chelsea is becoming a one-man goalscoring team. Finally, and probably what sums up the first three and the most important, we need to be in top form. At the moment, we are haunted by injuries yet we manage to win our matches albeit not always convincingly (and get luck on our side at times) while ManUtd are truly blessed to be free from injuries.

So this is how things must go: we maintain the kind of performance we've given week after week (with the exception of that last match against Wigan), we get our injured players back 100% fit, we find our top form, and... ManUtd to finally get the injuries, knowing how tight their first team is, without so much the flexibility and depth Chelsea have. Even if the good things happen only on our side, then we can be more than sure to win the trophy for the third time. We can't afford to just be at level with ManUtd; the goal difference is going kill us. They are the scoring machine of the League at the moment. The only way to beat that is to disallow draws and defeats in the second half of the season and start winning everything convincingly.

Remember, it is not always Christmas.