Chelsea's Tactical Conundrum

Debate has gone on for far too long and will definitely be going out throughout the season, especially here at ChelseaFC360.com.

Here's how our attack has largely looked like -

Arsenal 1 -2 Chelsea - Tactical Analysis

Arsenal 1 -2 Chelsea - Tactical Analysis

Chelsea grabbed all 3 points, in a very fiesty London derby and asserted their title credentials for this season. Much was said about the formation and tactics Di Matteo would chose , especially here at Chelsea FC 360 and RDM made the perfect choice.

What We Learned From Arsenal Match : 29.9.2012

What We Learned From Arsenal Match : 29.9.2012

12:45 GMT, Emirates Stadium... Arsenal v Chelsea. Halftime : 1-1. Full Time : 1-2. Lovely day at the Emirates for us. An all around fantastic performance from the Blues that kept us top of the league. There were many things to take away from the match :

1. John Terry is absolute class.
2. Juan Mata is still our key playmaker
3. Fernando Torres is back and firing.
4. Ramires-Mikel combination is great.
5. Can't afford to sit back after scoring.
6. Ashley Cole is in top form.

Match Report: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea

Match Report: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea

Roberto Di Matteo made only one change to the team that beat Stoke last week with John Terry replacing Gary Cahill in defence.

Chelsea XI: Cech; Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Mikel; Mata, Oscar, Hazard; Torres.

Arsenal v/s Chelsea Preview: Battle for London Supremacy!

“London’s first London’s finest”, “London is ours” these are the 2 obvious chants you will get to hear when the two sides meet at Emirates on Saturday. The two clubs have long fought for the supremacy in London and although history favors Arsenal, Chelsea have managed to turn things around in the past decade.

Di Matteo: Big Game Every Time

Di Matteo: Big Game Every Time

Roberto Di Matteo spoke to the media on a range of issues ahead of a local derby that could very well have title ramifications come the end of the season.

Chelsea v/s Arsenal: Arsenal's Tactical Analysis

Chelsea vs Arsenal - Arsenal tactical analysis

Probable Lineup - Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Vito Mannone, Kieran Gibbs, Thomas Vermaelen, Per Mertesacker, Carl Jenkinson, Lukas Podolski, Abou Diaby, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Santiago Cazorla, Olivier Giroud

Arsenal have a strong defense which looks rather strange as they are used to having defensive vulnerabilities. They have conceded the least number of goals in the Premier League along with Chelsea. The only weak point of the Arsenal defense are their flanks. Crosses are very common at the Arsenal box and they just keep coming in; but thanks to Mertesacker most of these corners are well dealt with.

A little CFC Youth Report

Chelsea Youngsters

This piece will aim to focus on the great youngster we are lucky to have at Chelsea. I'll only be writing about the players who are currently aged 23 or under, otherwise we could be here all day.

We are blessed at the amount of amazing youngsters we have under contract at Chelsea. Many already play for the first team and some out on loan still learning their trade. One day, they should all be part of a great Chelsea squad with even more new faces.

Thoughts on John Terry's 4 game ban

Thoughts on John Terry's 4 game ban

John Terry was today fined £220,000 and banned for 4 games racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. This trial came after John Terry had already been cleared in a court of law in early July when there was a unanimous verdict of not guilty, and Terry walked free thinking that his name had been cleared in the process. However, the FA continued with their trial of John Terry, almost setting out to have an agenda against the Chelsea captain, to the extent that JT has now retired from international football due to the FA making his position untenable. 

BREAKING NEWS: Terry Banned For Four Games By FA

BREAKING NEWS: Terry Banned For Four Games By FA

John Terry has been found guilty of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand during the match that took place between QPR and Chelsea in October 2011.

The offence supposedly took place during an altercation between Terry and Ferdinand in the local derby which QPR would go on to win 1-0. A police complaint on the whole matter was filed by a QPR fan and John Terry was eventually tried in Westminster Magistrates' Court where he was eventually acquitted. However, the FA judged Terry to be guilty on the "balance of probabilities" rather than "beyond reasonable doubt".

Taking it on the chin and marching on!

Taking it on the chin and marching on! 

Maybe the difference in fine is Terry is a champion of Europe and Suarez is a Carling Cup Winner – Rick Glanvill (Chelsea FC Historian )

The FA find John Terry guilty and give him a 4 match ban and 220K fine. Just one game more than a regular red card? – Gary Lineker

Arsenal, Tottenham, Norwich and Manchester United are the teams Chelsea will face in the next 3-4 weeks and it’s an absolutely crucial period for Chelsea, who will be devastated by the loss of their captain. Though it looks like he can be eligible for the clash at the Emirates, it’s still not confirmed.

The Hammering of Wolves: A Sign Of Things To Come

The Hammering of Wolves: A Sign Of Things To Come

Chelsea beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-0 in the third round of the Capital One Cup in a match that was ridiculously one-sided. Even though Wolves are now a second division side (it's also worth noting that they rested a few key players) the result can be described as nothing less than a drubbing considering the fact that Chelsea were not playing a full-strength XI. Chelsea's bench consisted of players like David Luiz, Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Oscar while players like Victor Moses, Oriol Romeu, Cesar Azpilicueta and Lucas Piazon were given a run out.

Are Tottenham more suited to AVB’s style than Chelsea were

Are Tottenham more suited to AVB’s style than Chelsea were

From  Dolce-Gabbana suits to track pants and polo shirts a lot has changed for Andre Villas Boas since he was sacked from Chelsea during the start of the year to the time he has joined London rivals Tottenham Hotspurs. But the question is has he changed as a manager? From being touted as the next Jose Mourinho after he went unbeaten at Porto to being laughed off at Chelsea, the job at Tottenham could be the make or break point for Villas Boas’s career.

When AVB joined Chelsea he had a bunch of players that did not suit his system tactically. Villas Boas and Roman both wanted free flowing, quick football. Something similar to what Pep Guardiola was doing at Barcelona in Spain. Pep certainly had the players who could quite easily do what he wanted out of them, but at Chelsea things were different. Chelsea were quite used to playing the old fashioned football what Mourinho had instated at that club during his tenure. The plan was simple clear heads while defending and long balls while attacking. Villas Boas tried to change all this a bit too early. He tried to put forward a system the players were not used to, certainly pleasing to watch but if the players can’t adjust then things can go a bit ugly an that’s what happened at Chelsea. The High Line in the defense and the quick passing was something the players were not used to.

5 Reasons Oscar can be World's Best

5 Reasons Oscar can be World's Best

Chelsea have had was it most likely the most successful transfer season in club history.  The class of players they have grabbed seem to all have potential star power.  The class is led by the young 21 year old superstar Eden Hazard.   Hazard as already proved he is the best player at the club and soon, maybe the world.  A lot of people are calling him the "Next Messi" but he may have a teammate who is more well prepared to be the next king of world football.  This player is Oscar, who in his first start dazzled and impressed the whole world with one of the best goals ever at the Bridge.  Let's look at 5 reasons the young Brazilian can be the world's best footballer.

My top 10 standout Chelsea players

My top 10 standout Chelsea players

Well tuned into twitter today to see that Chelsea are celebrating 100 issues of Chelsea magazine. Well we just need a reason to celebrate and this is just another milestone. So here is my list of Chelsea’s top 10 players. Avoiding 100 as it might get boring.

Match Report: Chelsea 6-0 Wolves

Match Report: Chelsea 6-0 Wolves

Wolves’ boss Stale Solbakken opted to bring a second string Wolves side to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night and was made to pay for that decision as the Blues romped home to victory.

Line-up: Turnbull; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Bertrand; Mata (Marin 70), Romeu, Ramires (Oscar 60); Moses, Torres (Hazard 78), Piazon. Subs not used: Hilario, David Luiz, Mikel, Ferreira. 

Attendance: 32,569

Bye Bye Danny, Hello Demba?

Bye Bye Danny, Hello Demba?

Well throughout this week rumours have been that Daniel Sturridge is all set to leave Chelsea. He will probably leave in January with his destination most likely to be Liverpool. Sturridge was all set to move to Merseyside this past transfer window but the deal fell through. They are very likely to try for him again as they struggle to find goals and have a lack of Strikers. But if he does indeed leave it would be for around the 15 million pound mark. If the deal does indeed go though that means we have 15 million pounds to spend on another stiker otherwise Torres will be our only option up front. In today's market 15 million pounds is not a lot of money to spend on a top class player but there is one man in the PL that ticks all the right boxes. His name is Demba Ba.

Potential Striker Targets Evaluation: Benzema, Dzeko & Jelavic

Which Striker Should Chelsea Pursue?

Chelsea currently have 2 strikers available in Torres and Sturridge and Romelu Lukaku out on loan to West Bromwich Albion. If we choose to buy 1 more, I would suggest picking the right man for the job. With names like Cavani, Falcao, Lewandowski, etc being thrown around, I would like to suggest 3 to legitimately pursue :

1. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
2. Edin Dzeko (Manchester City)
3. Nikica Jelavic (Everton)

Now, I know that those names are out of the blue to you, but I will explain why these 3 are better for us than Cavani, Falcao and Lewandowski. Bringing another striker in would be ultimate depth for us and it would mean having other options besides Torres.

The looming question - What's best for Chelsea tactically?

The looming question - What's best for Chelsea tactically?

Chelsea have now played a host of formations, many of which haven't been that convincing. Probably everyone will agree to the fact that the Stoke game was probably the best of the season so far.

Thoughts have been pouring in for what Chelsea has to do to field its best formation. In my view, it will be hard for Di Matteo to decide that in one season.

Andre Villas Boas project still continues: Where AVB went wrong (Part 1)

Andre Villas Boas project still continues: Where AVB went wrong (Part 1)

The night after the loss, Andre Villas Boas left his BMW X4 in the parking lot and spent his night inside the club training ground trying to figure out new tactics and how he can set his team right, he wrestled with how to turn the club’s fortunes around and the next morning he was found sleeping in his Dolce-Gabbana suit at Cobham training ground.

Villas Boas knew he was running out of time and giving a 3 goal lead and being outplayed by David Moyes’s men did not help his cause. Although Roman was very fond of Villas Boas but the Feb 11 lost to Everton helped Roman make his mind up. Roman decided that he needed to end this bad spell and looked across his “friend circle” for some help. He tried to convince Hiddink for a temporary job but a permanent job at Anzhi was waiting for him. Roman also tried to lure in ex-Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez to change the club’s fortunes but that didn’t work out as well.

John Terry - Listening to the "little boy" inside him

John Terry - Listening to the "little boy" inside him

Carlo Ancelotti: "John Terry is the captain of all team captains, he was born with the captain's armband on his arm." Scolari :"For John Terry, dying in the pitch would be glory. You would need to kill him and maybe even then, he would still play"  "Do we have the character of John Terry within these people I'm talking about? My answer to that is probably 'No, we don't', because he doesn't only care about his own performance – he cares about other people's performances as well. I don't think we've got the characters about now like John Terry."

BREAKING NEWS: Terry retires from international football

 Terry retires from international football

Chelsea captain John Terry has retured from internation football with England, with immediate effect, stating that the FA have made his position in the team "untenable".

In a statement released on Sunday night Terry accused the FA of making his position 'untenable'.
 

1 Million+ & Counting.. Thank you!

Our dear readers,

We don't really say it often enough, but you mean a lot to us. The fact that you regularly check the website in order to read our views makes us very proud indeed. Not only does it imply that you like to read our articles, it also means that you trust us to provide you with reliable and honest news and opinions on our beloved Chelsea Football Club. And let's be honest, where would we be without you? So when we recently surpassed the landmark of 1 MILLION + readers, we were all very proud of all of you and the entire Team360.

Thoughts on Chelsea vs Stoke ~ Will

Thoughts on Chelsea vs Stoke

Well, we got the 3 points in the end. An Ashley Cole finish in the 86th minute was enough to give the blues 3 points after a really tight game. The finish was one that any striker would have been proud of, and was Ash's first goal since scoring the 8th in the 8-0 thrashing of Wigan in May 2010.

After Wednesday's 2-2 draw and the 0-0 draw against QPR last weekend, it was important for the blues to get back to winning ways, and sustain our position at the top of the league. Mikel, who received some harsh criticism from some 'fans' after Wednesday's mistake which led to the 2nd Juventus goal, was outstanding in the deep position, breaking down Stoke's attack, before distributing forwards to one of the front four. He even found the time to make a run into the box before having a very tame shot, but it was very unlike Mikel to be that far forward. I get the impression that he wanted to make amends for that mistake on Wednesday, and he most certainly did.

Tactical Analysis: Chelsea vs Stoke City

Tactical Analysis: Chelsea vs Stoke City

Chelsea played one of their best games this season, with intricate and beautiful football. They were however, shy on goal and could only scrap a late winner from Ashley Cole.

How Chelsea set up

At first look you can easily see that the penalty area was always crowded and this caused a lot of problems for the Stoke defense as they needed high levels of concentration, which finally broke in the 84th minute.

"You can't win anything with kids"

"You can't win anything with kids"

Goes the infamous saying from Alan Hansen back in 1994. Let's be honest though Hansen is about as knowledgable about football as I am about floristry. Although I do prune a good rose.

After Sir Alex so beautifully shot him down Chelsea look to be bringing a new wave of youngsters into the greatest league in the world with interesting results. The media as they have since our rise to power 10 years ago seem to be against us, are milking every negative word that comes out of any has-been in world footballs mouth. We have started the season stronger than any team in England and having been "poor" and clueless we sit top of the league. The new crop of young signings has been questioned, criticised and ridiculed by many, especially the prawn sandwich brigade who seem to think a 29 year old injury prone £25M signing is the best thing to happen since sliced bread. "Too light-weight", "will take along time to adapt", "too much money for a kid" are all quotes thrown in the direction of Oscar. Oscar, who in his first two starts for Chelsea has been superb, gotten stuck in to tackles, created, provided and scored two quality goals, massive flipping of the bird to haters.

David Luiz: The Life & times of a young Geezer

David Luiz signs a 5 year contract at Chelsea

In lieu of the larger-than-life geezer, David Luiz, signing a new 5-year contract at Chelsea keeping him at the club till 2017, let us recollect the criticisms, praises and the joy that the young central defender has faced since joining the club on transfer deadline day in January, 2011 for a fee of £25m.

6 talking points from Chelsea vs Stoke City

6 talking points from Chelsea vs Stoke City

Chelsea were forced to fight hard against a resilient Stoke defense at the Bridge. The European Champions now sit comfortably on top of the table with 13 points. A vocal Stoke support were left disappointed but they themselves can take a lot of positives from this fixture.

So, what can Chelsea take away from this well deserved victory?

Reaction: Hard-Fought Victory

A late winner from Ashley Cole was enough for Chelsea to seal all 3 points against Stoke and retain top spot in the Premier League, but the game wasn't without it's moments and Chelsea had to work hard to carve out a win against a defence-minded Stoke.

Match Report: Chelsea 1-0 Stoke

Chelsea needed a last-ditch winner from Ashley Cole to secure victory against Stoke to secure all three points in an encounter that saw very few clear-cut chances created. Chelsea dominated possession for long spells of the game but didn't quite manage to break down Stoke till very late in the game.

Oscar’s Performance is a Warning to Mata and the other playmakers

Oscar’s Performance

People who might have wondered why Chelsea fought so hard to secure the signature of Oscar are now getting the answers after his debut start against one of the biggest European (Juventus) clubs and one of the all-time best goalkeepers in the world (Buffon) produced a Man Of The Match performance and with a stunning goal if Messi had scored, it would have been awarded the best goal of the century. After the match, the legendary Buffon spoke about the second goal of Oscar that makes us know the real stature of the goal. Buffon said “it’s not nice to concede a goal but it is nice to be a part of a great goal”. After being in post for several years, the veteran keeper has seen many goals but he is happy to be part of this “great” goal. It is not only the two magnificent and instinctive goals Oscar scored that makes him stake a real claim for the playmaker role in Chelsea; it is his all-round performance that night which should give cause for concern to the Chelsea players who always want to play through the middle as playmakers especially our Number 10, Mata.

Tactical Analysis – Chelsea vs Stoke

With ten points in the bag, Chelsea are sitting on the top of the table but it can all come crumbling down , as was seen last season. Despite a 2-2 draw against Juventus, Chelsea will be confident that they can walk away with 3 points against Stoke City, but it will not be easy.

Here’s my preferred formation

Preview: Chelsea v/s Stoke

Chelsea vs Stoke: Preview

Chelsea will go into this game as the only top 4 side playing on Saturday and will look to go four points clear of the top as the two Manchester clubs and Arsenal play on Sunday.

The last time these two sides met, Robbie Di Matteo recorded his first win as a Chelsea manager in the Premier League era with Didier Drogba also completing a milestone of 100 goals that day.

Is It Romeu's Time To Shine?

Is It Romeu's Time To Shine?

Jon Obi Mikel apologized to Chelsea fans after the Juventus match for his error that led to the equalizer. His exact comments were, "If I want to make up an excuse, I can. But, for me, I gave the ball away. I put my hands up, we move on. I'm sorry about the mistake, but there are no excuses."

Outstanding Oscar

Outstanding Oscar

After scoring twice on his full Chelsea debut, Oscar admitted that he is now living the dream in west London.

The Brazilian attacker showed a great performance against Juventus and proved that he deserves to start every match.
 

Can Chelsea try the False 9?

False 9 has became famous since Spain used it during the Euro 2012 and has been used by Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona and many more clubs down the road. A false 9 tactic uses the formation of 4-6-0. This is how it looks like.

The false 9 requires a striker to play deep in the midfield like a play maker. It often leaves the centre-backs with two choices. Follow him and leave space at the back, which can be exploited by other midfielders or leave him and let other midfielders link up with him and overrun the defence.

Shame on you plastics! In John Obi Mikel, I trust!

Chelsea Football Club is the symbol of this quote: “When we’re good no one remembers, when we’re bad no one forgets”. If we ourselves can’t adhere to such a policy, then can you call yourself a supporter?

I felt sick inside when I heard that our own fans had forced Mikel into deactivating his twitter account due to racist abuses. Those same fans somehow forgot that he was our man of the match in Munich over Drogba; along with Meireles stopped Messi from strutting his stuff in Camp Nou and over the years been fantastic and instrumental in our success. All because of one wrong kick of the ball.

Pundits and critics believed we had some of the best fans out there and I repeat SOME. The way we stood by John Terry, even after he missed the penalty in Moscow, even after he got a red card against Barcelona and almost gave away the Champions League trophy, despite all his scandals we sing There is only one England Captain. Why? Well, fellow fans, that’s because that is the Chelsea way of living life.

What We Learned From The Juventus Match

What exactly did we learn? 

Yesterday we took on the Old Lady or Juventus. It was a great start for the Blues with 2 goals (1 beauty) from Oscar, but before halftime we conceded a goal, Hazard was denied a penalty (again) and then a misplaced pass from Mikel lead to the equalizer. So, it finished 2-2 and there were many things that I threw from that match :
1. Oscar should start
2. Mikel -> bench
3. Sitting back doesn't work, anymore
4. 2-0 is the most dangerous lead
5. Juventus are class
6. Ramires and Bertrand are not wingers
7. Di Matteo makes tactical errors
8. Cahill > Luiz

1. Oscar has to start. HAS TO. He was so dominant and so great today that Pirlo struggled with him and when Pirlo struggles with you, you're having a heck of a match. His goals aside, Oscar was active, accurate, speedy and precise. He didn't make many errors and he tracked back when needed. He never gave up and was lively throughout the whole time he was on the pitch.

2. Mikel has to be placed on the bench. 3rd game in a row that his back pass or misplaced pass has put us in deep trouble. Mikel also hasn't tracked back too well, either. By putting him on the bench, you could open up a spot for Oscar or Romeu. Both are eager to play and have shown themselves well, when played.

3. Sitting back is a tactic that must be dropped. We cannot take a 2-0 lead and then sit back, it is the most dangerous lead in football. By sitting back, you give Juventus, a passing team, the ability to pass around and have some fun with the ball, as well as press when Chelsea do get the ball (in the own half). It limits your options when instead you could grab a 3rd and put the match to rest.

4. 2-0 is the most dangerous lead in Football. It allows teams to sit back and feel comfortable and when one goal is scored, the whole match changes and opens up to both teams. Once we go 2-0 up, we must press for the 3rd and final goal, because Juventus were there for the taking.

5. Juventus is a top class team, they played beautiful football and created wonderful chances. They were unlucky not to bag a 3rd goal and take all 3 points back to Turin. Juventus will challenge us for the top spot in the group and will challenge us for the CL Title, as well.

6. Once again, Ramires and Bertrand ARE NOT wingers. Ramires had a good game with the amount of hustle he showed, but he still didn't have the speed or skill or instinct of a winger. He lacked that cutting edge that would have pushed us to new heights in the match. Bertrand was very poor in the time he played. Was limited and didn't attack with the instinct that Ramires lacked, as well. We must put both these players in their rightful positions. LB and CM for Bertrand and Ramires.

7. Di Matteo brought on Bertrand for Ramires and pushed Hazard to RW and that move was a catastrophic one. It limited Hazard and then he put on Bertrand to put LW, which is not his position. We have wingers in Moses, Marin and Sturridge... USE THEM. They know how to play those positions, so put them there instead of adjusting others to that position.

8. David Luiz was phenomenal the first 25-30 minutes or so and then began to slowly get worse and worse. He still had a decent match, but he let us down on a few occasions when him and Terry were miles apart. I think Gary Cahill would be the better CB option and that it would only make the defense better.

What did you draw from the match (no pun intended)? Let me know in the comments area!

Thanks,
Ervin
KTBFFH

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Reaction: Solidity Needed

Reaction: Solidity Needed

The "Clash of the Titans" in Group E turned out to be a thrilling game in the end, but Chelsea will feel they should have taken all 3 points in a clash that pitted the Champions of Europe against the Champions of Italy.

Chelsea started the game well, winning 2 corners in the first 3 minutes. Although nothing came from those corners it was a signal of intent from Chelsea. Juventus managed to create a couple of chances thereafter, but couldn't find the back of the net. The game went back & forth until Oscar (starting his first match for Chelsea) fired an effort from 25 yards out. The ball took a deflection & went in. 2 minutes later, Oscar beat Buffon from outside the area with a sublime shot that nestled in the top corner. However, Vidal pulled one back for Juve minutes later and the first half ended 2-1 in Chelsea's advantage.

Post match: Chelsea 2-2 Juventus

Champions League football is back and how! Chelsea kicked off their defense for the Champions League with a convincing display but not so convincing result. It was always going to be tough playing a side that was unbeaten in their past 42 games.

Di Matteo surprised many by starting Oscar in place of Mata. The remainder of the side was the same that played QPR in the weekend.

Chelsea vs Juventus Preview: Champions of Europe vs The Old Lady

Well, not many teams get the honor of defending their Champions League crown. For us it is our first chance to do what no other club has done before.

We kick start our Champions League campaign against the Italian champions Juventus. The same Juventus that we knocked out in 2009 thanks to Drogba. Juventus make their re-entry in the Champions League after a 3 season gap, coming in from an impressive last season where they went unbeaten and lost just 1 game in the entire campaign, that was to Napoli in the cup. Chelsea on the other hand come back in the cup as the defending champions after that historic night in Munich.

Champions League Scouting Report: Juventus

Champions League Scouting Report: Juventus

Chelsea kick off their Champions League campaign against Italian champions Juventus at Stamford Bridge. While no one is expecting an easy encounter against the Italian giants, they are not unbeatable. This simple scouting report of Juventus should help throw some light on how we can beat our toughest opponents in the Champions League group stages

A Strategic Look At Chelsea's Group

A Strategic Look At Chelsea's Group

Chelsea's Champions League group cannot be described as an easy one. While I'll admit that we got it a little easier than some teams, the group is a tricky one for sure. That said, let's now take a strategic look at the teams Chelsea will have to face in Group E.

Chelsea Target Everton's Dynamo

Chelsea Target Everton's Dynamo 

With the departures of Essien and Raul Meireles, it is pretty clear that Chelsea are in the hunt for a good central midfielder who can perform consistently week in and week out. In the past couple of days goal.com, The Daily Mail and many other English and Belgian sources have linked Chelsea with Marouane Fellaini.

Reports suggest that Chelsea are now stepping up their interest in Everton's midfielder Marouane Fellaini and a bid looks likely in the January transfer window especially after Fellaini expressing this desire to leave and David Moyes declaring him available for transfer "for the right price".

 

Lampard - Mikel : Who is the real culprit?

Lampard - Mikel : Who is the real culprit?

CAUTION :Don't read if you can't handle criticism of Frank Lampard. 

Roberto Di Matteo has kept his faith in the Lampard - Mikel partnership in the Double Pivot role. It worked out for the first two games, because in the first one, we'd already scored two early on. We were never really good after that. In the second game too, we conceded twice and were not very convincing. At Newcastle, Di Matteo benched Lampard and brought Meireles in, we eased through the game. We saw how badly we got thrashed against Atletico Madrid, and had a frustrating game at QPR. Clearly, the Lampard - Mikel partnership isn't working.

Is Torres' Time at Chelsea Over?

Is Torres' Time at Chelsea Over?

Fernando Torres joined us in January 2011 after a shock 50m move from Liverpool to Chelsea. His first "season" wasn't the best and Torres scored his only goal 3 months later. Then came Andre Villas-Boas and Torres was off to a great start, but that start was overseen by his miss vs United and red card vs Swansea. He began to score towards the end of the season, with 3 v QPR, 1 v Barcelona and 1 v Aston Villa. He was superb and we felt like El Nino was back. Di Matteo comes in as full-time manager and Torres starts off well with 2 goals and a PK awarded.

Are we too Hazard reliant?

Are we too Hazard reliant?

Since he joined Chelsea for 32 million pounds this summer from Lille, Eden Hazard has made a major impact. Being involved in 7 of our 8 league goals this season he has been the main focal point to our attacks and our 'go to' guy. Sure this is great for him and shows he will is fast becoming one of Europe's best footballers but what do these stats say about the rest of the team.

Azonto Epistles 3: RDM AND CHELSEA’S BEST ELEVEN

Azonto Epistles 3: RDM AND CHELSEA’S BEST ELEVEN

On Wednesday, Chelsea’s quest to mount a credible challenge to defend the most coveted trophy in European football, the Champions League begins with a tough battle against the Italian Champions and one of the most respected European clubs Juventus (The Old Ladies of Serie A). It was in such tough cup competitions that RDM and the old guards of Chelsea rose to the occasion and always stood to be counted. However the leader of the old guards, the legendary Didier Drogba and some others who contributed all the way to the glorious day of 19^th May at the Allianz Arena are no more or if there, (like Malouda) has been banished to the reserves. In place of that team are an amazing group of young talents who are hungry for success, have been acquired by the club. Our performance in the league can hardly be described as bad since we are on top of the league but thanks to Atletico Madrid, we are fully aware of what await us in Europe and so we can’t be deceived by our position on the League table. The headache for many managers who have a good number of quality players is how to get their starting eleven right and RDM’s recent team selection has shown clearly that he may be suffering from this syndrome. Not only does he seem to be having problems with his starting eleven but his use of players like Bertrand and especially Ramires on the wings seem to be backfiring day-in-day-out and has become the growing concern for many Chelsea fans. “Azonto Epistles” want to ask who our best eleven are and how do we play our best eleven?