A distraction or a shining light?

A distraction or a shining light? 

The international break. A sickening thought in a life of a football fan. Very rare, do I find a supporter, who enjoys the words 'international' and 'break' in the same sentence. However, it is a timely distraction from the chaos that is happening with Chelsea football club.

   Week one began with calamitous defending against Swansea City, which ended in a fortunate draw at the Bridge. Thibaut Courtois was sent off as Willian was caught napping, allowing Bafetimbi Gomis to sneak in one on one. The big Belgian had no other option but to try and win the ball with his feet, which he didn't, resulting in him having an early bath. Although, the controversy didn't stop there. Deep into injury time, with the score two-a-piece, Eden Hazard is fouled and looking for medical attention. Naturally, the Chelsea medics are rushed onto the field. Strangely, this angers Mourinho. Why you ask? Good question. With Chelsea already down to 10 men and Eden Hazard gaining treatment on the sidelines, Chelsea are now 2 men down. Fortunately for the Blue supporters, Swansea were not able to capitalise. The game ended two-all. Chelsea medics banned for the foreseeable future of attending football matches. Ridiculous.

   Week two ended Chelsea's unbeaten run of one match. With Thibaut Courtois suspended, up stepped new signing Asmir Begovic. The Bosnian, making his first competitive debut, ensured star striker Sergio Aguero, was only limited to one goal. Matters got worse at half-time as the heart of Chelsea's back line, John Terry, who was never substituted by Jose Mourinho prior to the trip to the Etihad, was relegated to the bench. In stepped inexperienced yet huge potential, Kurt Zouma. Did he manage to nullify the team from Manchester? No. The game ended 3-0 to the hosts. Chelsea football team look a mess.

 
    Week three. New signing Pedro Rodriguez, pinched from the noses of Manchester red, was making his first debut for Chelsea. He was rightly awarded man of the match as Chelsea hung onto three precious points. With John Terry sent off, early in the second half, after losing out in a foot race with Salmon Rondon, sure put the cat amongst the pigeons. West Brom, 3-1 down at this point, even manage to get a goal back to ensure there are still troubles for Chelsea. The game eventually finishing 3-2.

   Week four. Jose Mourinho suffers only his second home defeat in 100 games as Chelsea tumble to a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge. Dear oh dear. Chelsea dominated possession in the first half but were unable to capitalise and ultimately, it was Palace who took the lead, early into the second half. As time ticked, Chelsea got a goal back thanks to loanee Radamel Falcao. His first goal in Chelsea colours. However, as I was celebrating, it was Palace who regained the lead, thanks to absent defending from Chelsea and that was that.

   Am I relived there is an international break before a tricky test at Goodison Park? Or will we fall to a second defeat in a row?

   I am relieved. It gives an opportunity for Jose Mourinho to have more time to plan for this tough test. Everton are no push overs and I have faith the Portuguese tactician gets it right. Last year, Chelsea beat Everton 6-3 at Goodison Park, arguably the best game of the season.

   In order to get a positive result, I feel players such as Branislav Ivanovic and Cesc Fabregas need to be relegated to the bench and the two to replace them should be, Baba Rahman and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The latter two, show desire, hunger and energy whereas the former, are out of form and both got given the run around in the first four games. Kevin Mirallas, Aaron Lennon, Gerard Deulofeu and Aiden McGeady aren't going to be waiting for Mr Ivanovic to catch them up. The same can be said for Cesc Fabregas. Ross Barkley will be extremely hard to handle if there is no brick wall in front of the defence.

The early Saturday kick off will surely show if Chelsea football club have any chance of retaining the Premier League title.

I wait with anticipation to see the line up and the outcome of the upcoming fixture. 

January transfers

January transfers

   Following a nightmare performance by Chelsea FC, one I wish to forget very quickly, I do believe Chelsea need to make a few purchases, while also find a new suitors for certain players. The main positions where Chelsea need to strengthen are; CDM, RM and possibly at CB.

   Let's begin with the CDM role. Nemanja Matic was run rigid at White Hart Lane. When he was suspended against Newcastle, there was no cover. John Obi Mikel is no way near in the same bracket as the powerful Serbian. What answers will Jose Mourinho have if Nemanja Matic gets injured? The Mikel-Fabregas pivot doesn't quite excite us Chelsea supporters as much as when Nemanja plays.

    Potential buys for CDM? 

- Sami Khedira? Rumoured to be unhappy under Carlo Ancelotti and his contract running out very quickly. At the age of 27, he is at the peak of his career too.

- Morgan Schneiderlin? Has proven experience in the Premier League, tabloids reported in the summer that he was seeking a move away and being aged 25, could potentially have room to cement a position.

- Sven Bender? A German CDM who perhaps lacks the publicity that he requires in the Borussia Dortmund side. As Dortmund sit in 17th position (bearing in mind there are only 18 teams in the Bundesliga) Sven Bender could be an interesting option to bring into the Premier League. Also bear in mind, he is 26 year old. 

Let's forget signing Paul Pogba because it simply won't happen. The Blues will not be paying £60 million or anywhere near the same type of money after learning what a certain Spaniard can do. 

   Sell: John Obi Mikel. The big Nigerian simply isn't Chelsea standard. Although he has been popping up with goals of late (3 goals in the last 2 seasons) the man is simply frustrating to watch. Sideways and backwards passing is not always the answer.

Potential buys for RM?

-  Marco Reus? A player who cannot be hated (supposedly). Despite the fact he is injury prone, when he's on form, he is truly phenomenal to watch. When analysing Chelsea games, almost every team doubles up on Eden Hazard, imagine if there was almost a carbon copy who was taller on the other side. This is potentially what each world class team have. Robben and Ribery. Ronaldo and Bale. Messi and Suarez.

- Raheem Sterling? Stalling on his current Liverpool contract, could Chelsea potentially pounce? Would certainly be interesting to watch Hazard on one side and Sterling on the other.

Sell: Mo Salah. I'm not really sure why Chelsea bought him in the first place. I have a feeling it was so that Liverpool couldn't buy him. A waste of money and squad depth in my opinion. He doesn't offer anything different than Willian or Schurrle apart from his blistering pace.

Potential buys for CB? 

In spite of Chelsea's heroic displays at the back (minus the game at White Hart Lane) the one soar thumb this season, is Gary Cahill. Woeful displays of late had me screaming in front of the TV. Normally a very composed, calm and careful defender, he has been costing the West London side vital points. Now, I think he should be dropped until he recovers and Kurt Zouma to fill in for him. This potentially could be tricky because I'd rather see Zouma on loan to a Premier League side for the rest of the season meaning he plays every week.

-  Raphael Varane? Chelsea have been rumoured for 2 years now to make a bid for the young French centre back. Jose Mourinho is a huge admirer and I wouldn't be complaining if the Real Madrid defender found a new home at SW6. The only problem I'd have is where would that leave Zouma, Christensen and Kalas in the long run? 

First and unbeaten

First and unbeaten 

    Full time: Chelsea 2 Arsenal 0

   As Chelsea kept their third clean sheet in a row, it was a feisty affair at Stamford Bridge. A game of few chances, Chelsea took them all. Firstly, Eden Hazard, dancing away from three challenges before being brought down by Laurent Koscienly in the penalty area. The Belgian dispatched his penalty with ease, sending Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way. After that, Chelsea were composed, confident and calm in their play, allowing Arsenal to have the ball yet limiting them to few chances.

   In the second half, it was of a similar story, Chelsea sat out the game, allowed pressure to come onto them and hit Arsenal with a long ball by Cesc Fabregas (a former Gunner) which was taken brilliantly by goal-machine Diego  Costa, who dispatched beautifully over the Arsenal goalkeeper. Game over.

   The final whistle blew, the game was won by The Blues 2-0 which seemed very comfortable however, as a Blue supporter, I had moments where I thought Chelsea could be in trouble, with Arsenal creating a couple of good chances. The game ended with Chelsea having only 3 shots on target with 5 in total yet, Arsenal, who had 10 shots, could not fire a single shot on target. The pace of Sanchez, Welbeck and later Chamberlain,which could have really worried Chelsea, was nulled by the  defence, Matic and Fabregas. There was simply no room to breath.

 
   Although Cesc Fabregas was awarded Man Of The Match, I believe Oscar had an exceptional game, tracking back, helping the defence, working as a unit and showing attacking threat at the other end too. A lot of praise has to go to the man who hardly gets mentioned and that is, Nemanja Matic. In my previous blogs, I have always produced positive admiration for the Serbian and he was on form again today! He produced a powerful display, clearing up ahead of the back while attempting to move the team forward. He possesses great physicality, good vision and a strong work ethic, and that will be key in the Champions League and the Premier League this season.


   To sum up, Chelsea produced a great win to maintain a 5 point gap at the top of the table and a 9 point lead ahead of Arsenal, who plummet all the way to 8th!  

  

The difference

The difference

   After a lackadaisical start by The Blues, conceding a goal early in the first half, seemed to breach life into Chelsea FC. The comparison can only be made from last season where a standard 2-0 win against Hull City was the start to a trophy-less campaign. A Jose Mourinho-esque win, won comfortably, no goals conceded and a solid yet lacklustre display last year was the typical style of Chelsea Football Club. However, this time around, after seeing big heads depart and bringing in world class players in addition to the maturity of Andre Schurrle, Chelsea won the opening game 3-1 against Burnley. There was an evident hunger in the side. Strong, powerful and physical, Chelsea FC are on top of the pile after one game. This of course, means nothing.
   Jose Mourinho referred back to Cesar Azpilicueta at LB, something that was only seen last season which was very effective, as Chelsea went on to only concede 27 goals in the Barclays Premier League. Burnley, were a team who showed fight and spirit, scoring first with a superb strike from Scott Arfield. Thibaut Courtois (who was making his debut for Chelsea) couldn't prevent it from reaching the back of the net. This seemed to be a wake up call for Chelsea as alarm clocks rang inside their heads. A mere three minutes it took for Chelsea to equalise through another new deubutant Diego Costa. Branislav Ivanovic causing problems, the ball hits the post and kindly deflects to Diego Costa who smashes it home. Diego Costa could have added another if he wasn't controversially taken down and then booked by the referee, Michael Oliver for an apparent dive. Video replays further show that he in fact, was taken down and Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty. The game was 1-1 at the time.
   However, the following goal was pure artistry. 25 passes were played through the move to lead to a fantastic goal by Andre Schurrle, a man who has leaped strides over the past twelve months. A beautiful mazy run by Eden Hazard, who found Branislav Ivanovic and he found yet another new recruit in Cesc Fabregas, who played an exquisite pass to Andre Schurrle to overturn a 1-0 deficit in seven minutes, breathtaking to watch. A friend of mine has ALREADY described it as a contender for goal of the season. A third came twelve minutes before half time from the foot of Branislav Ivanovic, who had a superb game at right back. A great delivery from Cesc Fabregas again, this time from a corner and it found Ivanovic in space, which he really shouldn't have had, to break down a spirited Burnley side.  The second half, Chelsea took the foot off the gas and nulled Burnley to limited chances while creating far less of their own. The game finishing 3-1 to away side (Chelsea) who play another promoted side Leicester City on Saturday 23rd August at Stamford Bridge at 3 pm.
   On a side note, I still believe Chelsea are lacking a back-up striker to Diego Costa. This is the only issue that worries me currently within the squad. There are a vast number of strikers who are available and would cost a reasonable sum. A few names touted around are Loic Remy, Mattia Destro and Wilfred Bony. Personally, Loic Remy will be the cheapest of the three and has had experience at two different Premier League sides. For under £10 million, I would gamble on Loic Remy who has failed a medical at Liverpool. Apart from this little scare, I am optimistic of this new season.

  

One striker bought, one job saved

One striker bought, one job saved

   With the Premier League season fast approaching, I still believe there are one or two signings to be made. Only the end of July, I had thought Chelsea's team was complete. A minimum of two players above average in every position - Thibaut Courtois and Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta, Eden Hazard and Andre Schurrle etc etc etc. I was feeling very optimistic about the season ahead. 

  

   Now, only a week after, I'm again having a few doubts. Chelsea have sold Romelu Lukaku for £28 million and loaned Ryan Bertrand to Southampton in recent weeks. The LB position needed strengthening this summer with Ashley Cole and Patrick Van Aanholt leaving the club and evidently, Ryan Bertrand not being able to fill the void. Filipe Luis was brought in to solidify and enhance the LB position having played Cesar Azpilicueta, the right back, in unfamiliar territory last term. This time round, I believe Filipe Luis and Nathan Ake will be enough to hold the position with again, Cesar Azpilicueta able to slot in at left back if needs must.


   My doubts come from the striker department - a familiar song sung by the Chelsea faithful. Of the three strikers Chelsea had at the Bridge last term, only one has survived the axe. Demba Ba waved goodbye to England as he headed towards Turkey, in the shape of Besiktas and Samuel Eto'o has been released of his duties. Fernando Torres is the only man standing from striking options of last term. Diego Costa has come in to be the main man at the Bridge this season with the returning hero of Didier Drogba! Now I'm one to be optimistic in situations, but in the unlikely event of Diego Costa being suspended, due to his short fuse or even worse, getting injured, and Didier Drogba in the African Cup of Nations, are Chelsea going to rely on the hardworking but goal shy Fernando Torres? I'm not too impressed.

   I have always been one to give Patrick Bamford the fourth slot as striker in order for him to learn from experienced heads such as Didier Drogba but I can't deny, I'm screaming for one more striking option. Mario Balotelli? Radamel Falcao? Edinson Cavani? Maybe a cheaper option in Loic Remy? Or perhaps the physicality of Wilfred Bony?

   Well in truth, I would prefer a physical player who is used to the Premier League and that only comes from Mario Balotelli or Wilfred Bony although wouldn't disagree with any mentioned above. Even though he failed his Liverpool medical, Loic Remy knows the Premier League, how to score goals and supposedly a small buy-out clause for Top 4 teams, below £10 million if I remember rightly.

   I highly believe that if Chelsea are left with Fernando Torres for a long period of time, Chelsea again finish the season trophyless, Jose Mourinho's name will be a mere memory among Stamford Bridge.

Let's hope Chelsea are ready when they arrive at Turf Moor.



  

Chelsea review

Chelsea review

  As the season draws to a close, the majority of Chelsea fans believed a trophy would be on the cards come May, with The Special One back at the helm. It was not to be a fairy tale ending in his first season back. Knocked out in the penultimate hurdle of the Champions League (semi-final) to Atletico Madrid, ran the Premier League to the wire with a some very questionable results and suffered terrible defeats to Man City in the FA Cup and Sunderland in Capital One Cup.

On a more positive note, Chelsea named their player of the year earlier this week and the candidates are:
- Eden Hazard
- John Terry
- Gary Cahill
- Cesar Azpilicueta

   With every match considered, I would personally like to mention Willian as a contender, who began the season a little rusty but with every match, began to cement his place in the Chelsea starting eleven. His engine is second to none and his passing is also very precise. His amazing off-the-ball work is what has prompted Jose Mourinho to start Willian in most games this season. He is a battery-power bunny. A solid debut season for the Brazilian. An improvement would be for him to work on his dead ball situations. Time and time again, they would be poor deliveries from a corner or a free-kick.
 Another player to consider is Nemanja Matic. Granted, he only arrived back in Jan 2014 for £21 million from Benfica, his contribution has helped a lot in the Premier League and it was evident at times that his powerful, defensive work rate with some key assists and dribbles were missed in the Champions League this campaign. Reminding me of the Road Runner (the cartoon) for some strange reason, his tireless work ethic and steel is exactly what Chelsea needed to solidify the defensive position.
   Having mentioned this, I would pick a top three with ultimately Gary Cahill as the winner, Cesar Azpilicueta in second and Willian in third place.
  Improvements must be made for next season if we are to WIN the Premier League and WIN the Champions League having been eliminated from both at the last hurdle. Firstly, I think John Terry, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard should all be given new one-year deals but it doesn't look likely. If they are to be rejected of new deals, I wish them all the best in the latter stages of their careers and hopefully, they'll come back one day.
    A striker is crucial. Romelu Lukaku coming back is very handy and will indeed mean we have a physical target who is hungry for goals however, Chelsea need one or perhaps two more deadly strikers. Diego Costa or at least someone of his calibre is a must and an impact striker in the shape of Javier Hernandez, would benefit the forward line immensely. I think with Ramires going missing in a lot of games this season, someone in the form of Ivan Rakitic wouldn't be a miss to compete for a starting spot next to Nemanja Matic. A left back would be ideal with the thoughts that Ashley Cole has played his last game, Ryan Bertrand out of favour and Cesar Azpilicueta naturally, a right back. Luke Shaw? Alberto Moreno? Felipe Luis? Your guess is as good as mine on this one however, I'd ideally like Luke Shaw who is the youngest, has experience in the Premier League and is also English. Thibaut Courtois and Kurt Zouma should also return to the Chelsea squad.
   Bearing this in mind, the World Cup is next so all these transfers could be scuppered with injuries, sky-high prices and other external factors.
   A solid season for the Blues of London but we need to improve next season if we are to end the season with trophies in the cabinet!

On a small side note:
My friends and I predicted who would win the Champions League in August. Without any hesitation, I immediately said Chelsea, two of my friends had said Bayern Munich which nobody disagreed with and a third friend had said Napoli as an outside bet to win the Champions League. Eliminated in the last sixteen of the Europa League to FC Porto having come third in their Champions League group.

Make or break

Make or break

   Our game against Aston Villa was heart breaking. I think on the whole, a draw was deserved. It was a huge blow and it didn't help that the referee got a fair few decisions wrong.
 
   Having watched the game live on the television and then again on Match Of The Day (football highlights show) I am adamant that Nemanja Matic's goal was wrongly disallowed. There are a few rumours why it was disallowed - for handball or he was offside, neither seem to be the case. It simply wasn't to be.

   The second incident (there are a lot of these in this game) came shortly after. Joe Bennett slides through Ramires as the Chelsea midfielder charges at the goal - for me it was a straight red card. He gets a lot of Ramires, if he doesn't do this, Ramires does have a goal scoring opportunity, I can't see why it wasn't a red card.

   The third controversial decision is Willian's 2nd yellow. Having watched this over and over again, Willian's arm is on Fabian Delph and the Villa man goes down. I don't think he was right to go down, it's not enough for him to fall over, let alone get a 2nd yellow for Willian. Softest yellow card I have seen given to a Chelsea player recently.

  A fourth strange decision soon followed. Ivanovic fouled leading up to what I will describe as an outstanding piece of imagination by Fabian Delph. Why didn't the ref stop the game and dish his yellow to Mr Delph?

   Then a lot of astonishing decisions soon resulted one after the other, in a short space of time. Ramires red card was right - I have to agree, this is an awful challenge and unfortunately, Ramires had to go and will miss a crucial game against Arsenal next Saturday at Stamford Bridge. Shortly after, Mourinho, his backroom staff, Lambert and his backroom staff as well as Gabriel Agbonlahor charge onto the pitch. Jose Mourinho politely (from what I've seen) asks to speak to the ref for 5 seconds. The result is a sending off into the stands. Why? Why only Jose Mourinho? Why not Mr Lambert too? Jose Mourinho also witnessed Gabriel Agbonlahor's arm on Ramires' neck. Where is his red card?

   I wasn't impressed by Mr Foy's management of the game. I also believe football should allow a manager to have one decision which he can challenge in each half and three experts, perhaps two referees and a former player, all have to agree in order for this decision to be overturned.

   After what is likely to be an emotional return in midweek for former Chelsea legend, Didier Drogba, I'm going to look ahead to our London derby with hopefully a Champions League quarter final secured this season. Having narrowly beaten Spurs, Arsenal (Chelsea's next Premier League opponents) now trail The Blues by four points and also have a game in hand. I imagine if Chelsea win against Arsenal, it will derail Arsenal's title credentials for at least a season.

The starting eleven I would choose would be;

Petr Cech - consistent performer, Chelsea's number 1 in recent years and possibly the best goalkeeper in the Premier League.

Branislav Ivanovic - always gives his all for Chelsea, on the whole, shows consistency in performance and a solid right back.

John Terry - captain, leader, legend.

Gary Cahill - has been a defensive rock under Jose Mourinho and his partnership with England counterpart, John Terry, hasn't gone unnoticed.

Cesar Azpilicueta  - an amazing season this right back, converted left back is having! Defends and attacks and hopefully, for many more years.

David Luiz (if recovers from injury) - although a liability in defence as he is the last man back, I think he functions effectively in midfield, especially if he has someone like Nemanja Matic alongside him. 

Nemanja Matic - an exceptional purchase in January and extremely pleased to have him back.

Andre Schurrle - very unpredictable. Evidently, can handle the Premier League as shown by his hat trick against Fulham yet lacks a lot of consistency.

Oscar Emboaboa - having gone off the mark recently, he is still an extremely valuable asset in the team.

Eden Hazard - should be given young Player of the Year award. His performances have been unstoppable at times.

Samuel Eto'o - although an ''old granddad'' Samuel Eto'o is showing he still knows where the back of the net is and will be crucial, if Chelsea are to beat Arsenal.

Subs: Schwarzer, Kalas, Mikel, Lampard, Salah, Ba, Torres.

Venue: Chelsea FC v Arsenal FC
           Saturday 22nd March 2014
           12:45pm KO