This is Chelsea Football Club, and we don't give up

A well fought draw. Significance? Potential title decider.
A disappointing draw. Significance? London derby.
A humiliating loss. Significance? London derby.

I'm afraid. So afraid that it looks like all our dreams and aspirations have been broken down by one single move. Despite seeing good and bad times, what Chelsea are going through right now, hurts. Heart-breaking to say the least.

Can Ryan Bertrand Truly Replace Ashley Cole?

Ashley Cole's contract stand-off has left many fans upset with Chelsea's board (as if we need a reason to be upset with them anyway). Despite being 31 years old, Cole is still arguably one of the best left-backs in the world and is showing absolutely no signs of decline. Therefore it seems silly to not offer the England international a 2-year contract, at least. However, it appears more than likely that Cole could be leaving the club in the summer, with PSG reportedly leading the race to sign him. This leaves us asking the obvious question: who will step up to fill Ashley's boots? Ryan Bertrand impressed one and all with his performances last season, most notably in the Champions League final. But is he ready to replace Ashley Cole just yet?

Possible January Departures

The January transfer window is almost upon us. While there has been plenty of speculation as to who Chelsea will sign in order to strengthen their side, a few players could also be on their way out of Stamford Bridge. Chelsea FC 360 takes a look at which players could leave the club in January :-

BREAKING: Chelsea travel to Southampton for FA Cup 3rd Round

Chelsea will now face the Saints at the St.Mary's Stadium in the FA Cup 3rd round. The fixture will be played either on the 5th or 6th of January.

FA Cup is widely regarded as the most important Cup style tournament in England, above the likes of the Capital One Cup. Chelsea have won it 7 times whereas Southampton FC have won it just once.

Forget Benitez.... The Players Need To Wake Up

Ever since Rafael Benitez was appointed interim manager of Chelsea, he has been on the receiving end of a lot of hate. Whether on social networking sites, fan forums or at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea fans have made it clear that his appointment hasn't gone down well with them. The reasons are well-known, so I'll not bother mentioning them. The fact that results have been poor under him so far (2 draws and a loss in 3 matches in charge) has put him under even more pressure, with the former Liverpool boss going as far as to admit that he is unsure of whether he will last the season. But is he squarely to blame for recent results? Of course he isn't.

A Round-Up Of The Latest Transfer Rumours

It is painfully evident to one and all that Chelsea need a new striker. With the January transfer window drawing nearer, a host of strikers have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea FC 360 takes a look at every name that has been linked to Chelsea so far and assesses whether or not they would be ideal for the club at this point in time :-

What We Learned From The West Ham Match: 1/12/12

It was an afternoon to forget for Chelsea as they ended up losing 3-1 to West Ham in Rafael Benitez's first match away from home. West Ham deserved to win this match as Chelsea failed to turn up for the 2nd half. Nevertheless, there are a few things to take away from this loss to the Hammers.

1) Football is a game of 2 halves
2) Benitez needs to use his substitutes more effectively
3) Torres must up his game..... a LOT!
4) Moses deserves a few more starts
5) Cesar Azpilicueta is class

Match Report: West Ham 3-1 Chelsea

The much-anticipated London derby ended in massive heartbreak for Chelsea as the Blues squandered a 1-0 lead to end the match 3-1. The game was a perfect demonstration of Chelsea's inability to kill off games and today, they paid for it handsomely.

A Safety-First Approach Doesn't Win Games

The midweek match against Fulham was a frustrating one both in terms of the result and the overall performance of the team. While Chelsea were successfully able to keep a clean-sheet, the lack of a killer instinct up front meant that Chelsea are yet to score a goal under Rafael Benitez. What got me wondering, however, was Benitez's approach to the game.

Match Preview: West Ham United vs. Chelsea

Chelsea take on London rivals West Ham United in what is a key clash for the Blues. Chelsea endured a disastrous November, winning just 1 match out of a possible 7 in all competitions. Chelsea's last League win came against Spurs and the Blues will be keen to end their win-less run against the Hammers.

Who Can Replace JT as Captain Fantastic?

With plans for new managers and a younger squad, Chelsea will soon begin moving away from Captain John Terry, who is 32 this year. At 34 and 30 the vice-captain Lampard and third choice Petr Cech may not last much longer either. Too young for the role is Romeu, Oscar, Moses and Hazard, but there is a number of players in the right age group who could take the armband from John Terry. Justin Cormick takes a look at some options for the new captain of Chelsea.

Match Report: Chelsea 0-0 Fulham

In the end, it was a match that flattered to deceive. A match that Chelsea should have won comfortably ended in a dull and listless 0-0 draw, leaving the Stamford Bridge faithful frustrated and ensuring that Chelsea will have to wait a little longer for their first League win under Rafael Benitez.

December Preview: Tough Month Ahead?

Chelsea's Premier League season so far has been decent with an impressive start to the season under Roberto Di Matteo, but a bit of a falter recently leading to RDM's sacking. Chelsea have played 13 games, won 7, drawn 4 and lost 2, standing 4th in the Premier League table. In the Champions League, we stand 3rd in Group E, having played 5 games and earned 7 points, 2 behind Juventus, 3 behind Shakhtar Donetsk. The only way we can get through to the knockout stages is us winning against Nordsjaelland and Shakhtar winning against Juventus. In the League Cup, we face Leeds United in the quarter final, which should be a fiery game. Interim manager Rafael Benitez started off his reign against Manchester City at home on Sunday, which ended in a 0-0 draw. After that, we have Fulham (home again) which is a tough game, as well. November ends, packed December begins here.

Match Preview: Chelsea vs. Fulham

Chelsea take on Fulham this Wednesday at Stamford Bridge in what is sure to be an important match for the Blues. Chelsea haven't won a Premier League match since the 4-2 win against Spurs at White Hart Lane and the team will be keen to end their win-less run sooner rather than later.

Tactical Analysis: Chelsea vs Manchester City

Rafael Benitez was baptized against City and was applauded by critics for the splendid improvement in Chelsea's defense as the teams played out a draw. He had earlier told the media that he had identified the problems in Di Matteo's tactical approach and had worked on it.

What We Learned From The Manchester City Match : 25.11.2012

What We Learned From The Manchester City Match : 25.11.2012

After 92 minutes of play, the highly anticipated match between Rafa's Chelsea and Mancini's City ended 0-0.

Scorers :
None

What We Learned :
1. Under Rafa, we're solid defensively.
2. Torres and Luiz becoming more visible.
3. Not much will change under Benitez.
4. Chelsea aren't out of the EPL race.

Torres drop in form Liverpool's fault?

When Fernando Torres joined Chelsea in the winter transfer window of the 2010-2011 season, he wasn’t at his best form. Many thought it was due to his problems at Liverpool. However, after reading an article about Torres’ time at Chelsea and the days before his transfer, I changed my opinion about him. The article can be found here: http://en-prosa.tumblr.com/post/36326276870/today-i-gathered-some-facts-about-fernandos I suggest you read this as it is very important for understanding this article.

Many of us thought that the reason in Fernando Torres’ sudden drop in form was due to him changing teams and not being able to adapt to Chelsea’s style of play. I believed that too, but it was actually Liverpool’s medical team failure to properly treat Torres of his knee injury and lying to him about his time of recovery in the hope that he would play more games, even though his injury had not fully healed. Spain call up to the World Cup meant he had to add more pressure on himself to become fully fit for the tournament. Had the Liverpool medical team gave him the full truth about the extent of his injury; he would have recovered fully and possibly return to his former self. That did not happen, instead he was added more pressure on his knee and thus made the injury worse when get got injured again in the final against the Netherlands.

Marko Marin - Will Benitez have a look at the German Messi?

Tough times at Chelsea Football Club, as the frosty weather at Cobham does nothing to turn around the atmosphere. The players look dulled out and confused. The coaching staff have to rely on experience to fit in to the new methods as a once hated man, Rafael Benitez, comes into the fray.

Match Preview: Chelsea vs Manchester City

On Sunday, Chelsea take on a strong Manchester City side at Stamford Bridge. It has been a tough week for the Blues with off-field issues dominating the headlines, but the focus now must shift back to the task of winning matches.

Our midweek loss to Juventus in the Champions League saw manager Roberto Di Matteo lose his job. Former Liverpool and Inter Milan manager Rafael Benitez was appointed by the club on an interim basis and his first task isn't an easy one. Manchester City were never going to be an easy team to beat, but given our recent form and off-field issues, Rafa's first match in charge just got a lot harder.

The (possible) Future of Frank Lampard

The (possible) Future of Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard has been a pivotal player for Chelsea since arrivingfrom West Ham in 2001. At 34, Frankie will soon see his position in the team being fought for by younger talent, and will need to start planning his future. Justin Cormick takes a look at a number of options available to Super-Frank.