There’s been a lot of talk about Michael Ballack, particularly following his absence against Villa – weird his absence has drummed up more interest than his performances so far this season but maybe that’s because in a similar way to Makelele for a long time, his real contribution only becomes clear when it’s missing?

Anyway, during the internationals, TheChelseaBlog had a bit of a rant about Michael Ballack’s decision to play through the pain barrier for his country at the risk of missing out for his club.  Funny thing is, I remember someone having a go that I’d dare suggest he was anything less than the bionic man – of course he’d be in the squad against Villa!  Except, as we now know, we didn’t have the technology to rebuild him, so he wasn’t in the squad against. And as we also know, just like the Wigan game when our German midfielder was also absent – we lost.

Strange really, because whilst, on the outside he might not appear to be playing his best ever football at Chelsea (in fact, I’d have said he’d been pretty poor so far this season), he’s obviously a bit more effective in our midfield than he’s given credit for.

The thing about Ballack is, when he’s on the pitch for us, he never looks like he’s putting the effort in – but maybe that’s just how it’s perceived? Because we definitely seem to miss that ‘lack of effort’ when it’s absent altogether. I can’t quite put my finger on it, I mean we know that even with his absences he’s managed 3 goals so far this season, so we can’t argue he’s making some sort of contribution offensively and he’s obviously happier with the ‘diamond’ than Lampard. For a start, Lampard looks even less happy in the diamond when Ballack’s not in it, so whatever it is he’s providing this season it’s obviously significant.

And what about defensively? Is it Ballack’s tackles we missed against Wigan and Villa, his ability to close players down? Or maybe just his physical presence, particularly in set-pieces? Make your own mind up exactly what it is about Ballack that seems to make him a vital part of our midfield this season.  

For me though, this subtle way he seems to hold the midfield together can mean only one thing – in Ancelotti’s ‘diamond’, what Michael Ballack provides is the glue.

Slightly more valuable than the Six Million Dollar Man eh?

Filed under: Current Players, Rants