Ballack Vows to Plug Gap As Chelsea Dig Deep Into Reserves

It is easy to get nostalgic over tedium. Anyone craving a win at all costs will relish an incident-free game once their team has edged in front. Even Roman Abramovich, who did not attend Chelsea's 4-4 draw with Aston Villa on Boxing Day, might have felt a pang for the austerity of Jose Mourinho, the manager with whom he parted company in September.

The visitors were even permitted to get the first of their two equalizers while they were down to 10 men, after the red card for Zat Knight, and while Chelsea were still at full strength, before the dismissals of Ricardo Carvalho and Ashley Cole. Although the side may be merrier under Avram Grant, the exuberance is accompanied by a loss of trenchancy.

Villa, the better team over the match as a whole, exposed that with the enterprise and talent of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young on the flanks. Chelsea no longer take so much care to stamp out fun. When Everton pounced for a late equaliser at Stamford Bridge last month, James McFadden was unhindered as he cut in for an effort that led to Tim Cahill's goal.

Against Villa, Chelsea conceded four goals in a game for the first time in exactly four years, since the Boxing Day beating for Claudio Ranieri's line-up at Charlton in 2003. Apart from the missing John Terry, Grant's defence was at full strength in the Villa match.

They suffered, in part, because of one terrible mistake by the goalkeeper Petr Cech and a display by Carvalho, even before the appalling two-footed leap at Agbonlahor, that rendered an outstanding defender unrecognizable.

Results have been reasonably good under Grant but his side lie seven points off the lead in the Premier League and the gap may expand. Carvalho has to serve a three-game ban comprising tomorrow's fixture at home to Newcastle, the New Year's Day match at Fulham and an FA Cup tie with Queens Park Rangers.

Suspension is expected to rule out Cole tomorrow and the red card for Knight excludes him from a trip to Wigan. Both clubs have appealed in the cases of the latter pair and a ruling is expected today.

The referee Phil Dowd's verdicts had admittedly partisan endorsement. "I had the ball and two guys, not just one, came and one pushed me," said Michael Ballack of the penalty awarded for Knight's challenge on the verge of half-time when Chelsea were 2-0 behind. Andriy Shevchenko converted it. Martin O'Neill was adamant, too, that Cole had handled for the 90th-minute penalty that Gareth Barry struck home for a 4-4 draw.

Chelsea are severely diminished. Frank Lampard has a thigh injury and will be out for a few weeks, Florent Malouda is also hurt, Didier Drogba may not recover fitness before it is time to set off for the African Cup of Nations next month and the broken bones in Terry's foot need time to heal. In addition Grant should work on the assumption that Cole will join Carvalho in being banned.

"We have a big squad but these are big names and it is a lot of big names," Ballack said. It is not lost on him that he and Shevchenko ought to compensate substantially for other absences. The German, in his first Premier League outing this season after ankle surgery, found the net with a free-kick. Shevchenko, claiming a second goal for himself with a sumptuous drive before setting up Alex to score, showed that talent and shrewdness are intact even if he no longer has enough speed to justify that £30m fee.

"We always want to play," Ballack said of himself and Shevchenko. "He couldn't show it every time in the last two seasons. We are self-critical and we can play better but you need a good feeling for the team, not just yourself. It's different football in England. I hope we can show this more. It's not just us, it's the team. We need the other players with us, it's always a relationship with everybody. You come to a new club and you have to adapt."

Considering that Chelsea announced the midfielder's signing all of 19 months ago, Ballack's wish to present himself as a disoriented newcomer is far-fetched. Nonetheless, Chelsea will agree to any interpretation that occurs to him so long as he comes to the fore in an awkward spell for the club.

Absent friends

Injuries

Carlo Cudicini Ribs No return date

Didier DrogbaKnee surgery Then international duty; possibly away until mid-February

Claude MakeleleEar op Out for a 'few weeks'

Florent Malouda Knee No return date

Frank Lampard Thigh Out for a 'few weeks'

John Terry Broken foot Out until Feb 10

Suspensions

Ricardo Carvalho Three matches

Out until Carling Cup tie on Jan 8

Ashley Cole One match

Suspended pending appeal

Michael Essien One match

FA Cup v QPR, Jan 5

African Cup of Nations Jan 20-Feb 10

Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou, Mikel John Obi

Countries can demand players' release 15 days before, ruling them out of the FA Cup tie on Jan 5, with an absence of up to five weeks