Chelseamania

Chelsea fails to Shine Against Liverpool at Anfield

2010-11-07T20:43:00.002+01:00

Chelsea’s quest to win the premiership title back to back suffered a setback this afternoon as they lost by 2-0 to rejuvenated Liverpool FC. Two first half goals by Fernando Torres were all the Anfield side needed to claim victory in the highly charged match.

Many soccer pundits had expected the Stamford Bridge boys to triumph especially following their current form in the UEFA Champions’ League. Liverpool on the other hand had picked up form recently after a disappointing start this season.

The Blues started the match without Didier Drogba and their midfield talisman, Michael Essien who was nursing an injury. So it was almost certain from the outset that they were going to lose the match.

Liverpool playing a 4-5-1 formation made sure Chelsea did not have enough space to operate in the midfield. They took control of the midfield right from the beginning of the match and took the two golden opportunities that came their way.

Chelsea had a free kick in the 3rd minute of the first half; it was taken by Florent Malouda but was poorly utilized. Liverpool on the other hand got their first free kick in the 5th minute. It was taken by Stephen Gerard but was nodded away by John Obi Mikel.

The Blues mounted some pressure on Liverpool as they tried to get an opener. Surprisingly however, it was the boys from Anfield that got the curtain raiser in the 11th minute courtesy of Fernando Torres who connected a cross from Kuyt to beat goal keeper Petr Cech.

The 20th minute saw Zhirkov getting the first yellow card of the day for fouling Lucas. Stephen Gerard was fouled in the 23rd minute by Ramires, though the resultant free kick did not produce any anxious moment.

In the 28th minute, John Terry’s pull out hit Zhirkov on the arm in the 18 yard box but the referee overlook and refused to award a penalty against the expectations of Liverpool players.

In the 44th minute, Liverpool went on a counter attack after Ramires tripped in the midfield; Fernando Torres successfully displaced the Chelsea defense line and placed the ball behind a confused Petr Cech for their second and final goal.

In 45th minute, Nicolas Anelka lost the opportunity to pull one back for his side. All efforts by the Blues to change the tide of the game proved abortive as Liverpool’s defense line refused to succumb to pressure.

Second half saw Coach Carlo making vital substitutions in a frantic effort to rescue the situation, but it was too late. Didier Drogba was introduced in the 46th minute; Bosingwa replaced Ivanovic in the 70th minute, while Daniel Sturridge replaced Zhirkov in the 75th minute.
Jonjo Shelvey replaced Kuyt in the 84th minute while David Ngog replaced Fernando Torres in the 87th minute. Liverpool was able to successfully defend the two goals till the end of the match.

Chelsea is now only 2 points clear of Manchester United who won their match against Wolves by 2-1 earlier on Saturday. They still remain 5 points clear of Arsenal who lost their match by 1-0 against Newcastle at the Emirates.

Chelsea Starts Title Defense; Beats West Bromwich Albion 6-0

2010-08-14T23:15:00.000+01:00

Chelsea this afternoon began her premiership title defense on a bright note by beating newly promoted West Bromwich Albion by 6-0, in a match that could best be described as one-sided game. Thus, the defending champions have sent a warning to other clubs, of their preparedness to defend the title which they won last season.

The defending champions lost their three pre-season friendly matches, and also lost to Manchester United on Sunday, 8th August 2010, the Community Shield they won last year. A lot of soccer pundits had wondered if the Blues stood any chance of doing well this season.

Today’s match has proven that Chelsea is back with a new spirit and has shaken off her pre-season woeful performances and is ready to face business. It took the defending champions only 6 minutes to draw the first blood. Didier Drogba took a free kick from outside the 18 yard box, but Florent Malouda was fast enough to beat the West Bromwich’s goal keeper to the ball and neatly converted the ball into the net.

In the 11th minute, Dorrans’ hot shot was parried by Petr Cech for a corner kick. The West Bromwich players got another corner kick barely three minutes after that, but it was wasted.

In the 19th minute, West Bromwich Albion’s goal was cancelled because the assistant referee’s flag had gone up for an offside before the shot was taken. Chelsea completely took over the field of play, mesmerizing the spectators with their fantastic display, dribbling skills, ball possession, shots, etc.

The Blues got their first corner kick in the 35th minute, but its impact was not felt. But in the 40th minute, Frank Lampard’s free kick was parried by the Visiting goal keeper; the rebound was nodded over the bar by Florent malouda.

Didier Drogba’ free kick in the 45th minute beat the goal keeper hands down to increase Chelsea’s goal tally to 2. The first half ended 2-0 in favour of the host, who were superior in all aspects of the game.

In the 55th minute, Chelsea got a corner kick which was taken by Florent malouda. A goal mouth scramble ensued; and it was Drogba who finally had the final laugh as he pushed the ball past West Bromwich Albion’s defenders for his second goal and the third for his side. The newly promoted team tried to fight back, but the hosts were far too strong for them.

Paulo Ferreira got replaced with Ivanovic in the 60th minute. In the 63rd minute, Frank Lampard cleverly collected Ashley Cole’s pass, shooting it beyond the goal keeper’s reach for Chelsea’s 4th goal.

Yossi Benayoun replaced Frank Lampard in the 64th minute. In the 68th minute however, Drogba’s terrific shot from outside the 18 yard box got him a hat trick and the 5th goal for his side. It became very clear that the visitors had lost the game, and also by a wide margin.

Gilles Barnes replaced Jerome Thomas in the 84th minute. The visitors also got a corner kick in the 87th minute but it just couldn’t change anything.

Florent Malouda finally wrapped up victory for the defending champions in the 90th minute, to make sure the Blues collected the three points at stake. Chelsea now sits at the top of the premiership table with 3 points and 6 goals. Didier Drogba’s hat trick now makes him the leading goal scorer just after a match. He was the highest goal scorer last season, with 29 goals.

Manchester United Beats Chelsea 3-1 To Win Community Shield

2010-08-08T18:42:00.002+01:00

Chelsea FC this afternoon failed to successfully defend the community shield trophy it won last years. The Blues were beaten 3-1 by the Reds to make sure the trophy went to Old Trafford this time around.

The Blues did the best they could to successfully defend the title but Manchester United simply had luck working in their favour. While Chelsea had higher number of shots, less fouls and more corner kicks, the Reds had more goals to show for the encounter and ended up stealing the victory.

The first major attempt by Chelsea came in the 17th minute when Ivanovic nodded Florent Malouda’s pull-out towards the goal, but his header was parried by the highly experienced Edwin Van Der Sar. Man.U fought back immediately in the 18th minute; but Wayne Rooney’s 18 yard box kick narrowly missed the net and rolled freely across the line for a goal kick.

In the 20th minute, Ji Sung Park’s shot hit John Terry on the arm in the 18 yard box; but the centre referee ignored the call for a penalty because it was clearly a ball-to-hand situation. The Reds got a corner kick in the 29th minute: it was taken by Valencia but the attackers could not convert it.

Chelsea got a corner kick in the 28th minute, which was taken by Frank Lampard but was nodded over the bar by Michael Essien.They got another corner kick in the 33rd minute; it was taken by Florent Malouda, unfortunately it was nodded wide by Ivanovic.

In the 41st minute however, Manchester United drew their first blood when Wayne Rooney’s cross from the right flank was neatly converted by Valencia into the yawning net. The defending champions thereafter tried all they could to equalize before half time but the Reds refused to yield to their pressure.

On resumption of the second half, Ji Sung Park was replaced with Nani. Berbatov lost a chance to increase the goal tally in the 53rd minute. Carlo Ancelotti’s boys got a corner kick in the 53rd minute but no anxious moment was produced.

Chris Smalling replaced Fabio in the 70th minute. In the 76th minute, Chicharito increased the goal tally to 2 after connecting Valencia’s right flank pull-out with his body into Chelsea’s net. The Blues fought back gallantly, missing several begging opportunities in the process.

Yossi Benayoun came in for Florent Malouda in the 73rd minute, while Ashley Cole was replaced with Yury Zhirkov in the 79th minute.

Daniel Sturridge’s 18 yard shot was pushed into safety by Edwin Van Der Sar in the 82nd minute. Sir Alex Ferguson’s boys yielded to pressure in the 83rd minute, allowing Salomon Kalou to pull one back.

The 85th minute saw Didier Drogba’s shot hitting the side of the net. However, Berbatov sealed victory for the Reds when he lobbied the ball over the onrushing Chelsea goal keeper in the 2nd minute of the three minutes added time.

Chelsea to sign Brazil midfielder Ramires for £17m

2010-08-04T02:57:00.000+01:00

The 23-year-old will have a medical at the Premier League club on Wednesday.
It is thought a four-year deal for the right-sided player, who has 16 caps for his country, could be concluded by the end of the week.

Ramires, whose full name is Ramires Santos do Nascimento, was praised by Dunga after strong displays in the opening stage of the World Cup.

If the deal goes through Benfica will have to repay £6m to sports entrepreneur Kia Joorabchian, who part-financed the player's transfer from Cruzeiro to the Portuguese club.
Press Association Sport says that this arrangement would not present any difficulty under the Premier League's third party ownership rules.

Benfica president Luis Felipe Vieira said: "Ramires staying at Benfica does not depend solely on us. We have a partner and we must respect the contracts."

606: DEBATE
If Chelsea play the midfield diamond this season he'll fit in well
renoog
Ramires featured throughout Brazil's opening in South Africa, but a booking in the final group game against Portugal ruled him out of his country's quarter-final loss to the Netherlands.
Ramires joined the Brazil set-up in 2009, in time to play in every game of the country's successful defence of their Confederations Cup title.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has been seeking to bolster the Blues midfield following the departure of Joe Cole, Michael Ballack and the return to Brazil of Deco.
The club complete their pre-season preparations against Hamburg on Wednesday before taking on Manchester United in the Community Shield on Sunday.

Sourced from BBC Sports News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/8881118.stm

Chelsea's JoeCole Signs For Liverpool

2010-07-22T11:23:00.002+01:00

Chelsea’s attacking midfielder Joe Cole has finally joined Liverpool FC and would begin to ply his trade at Anfield and would no longer be seen at Stamford Bridge from August 2010 when the 2010/2011 season commences.

The fast paced, skillful midfielder could not produce the scintillating display he is known for, for the great part of last season following series of injuries. But on the few occasions he donned the blue jersey, he gave a good account of himself. One of his great moments last season was when he scored that beautiful goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

With Michael Ballack already gone back to the German Bundesliga and now Joe Cole’s signing for Liverpool FC, Chelsea is beginning to lose some of her prized jewels. Didier Drogba is said to be courted by Manchester City and may leave if they present him with an irresistible offer.

Michael Essien has not still completely recovered from his long-standing injury. This leaves only John Obi Mikel who is also nursing an injury to handle the position of a defensive midfielder for the Blues. The new season is fast approaching and Chelsea needs to defend her premiership title and also go for the Champions’ league title.

They therefore need midfielders and youthful attackers to beef up the team if they are to realize their dream of winning the UEFA Champions’ league. There are players that performed relatively well during the 2010 world cup in South Africa that could be contracted to strengthen the team. Some of them include Mexico’s Don Santos, Germany’s Thomas Muller, Sweinsteigger and Podolski; The Netherlands’ Van Bronckhorst and Wesley Sneijder; Slovakia’s Robert Vittek, etc

We should also not forget that our captain John Terry is aging and would need a back up. Getting a reliable defender and strengthening the midfield and the attack are panacea for our long elusive Champions’ league title. The club must also spend its money wisely this time by making sure they get value for their money. They should avoid going for players that would not last for more than two seasons; they should rather get players that should stay in Stamford Bridge for at least three years, and have enough time to completely blend with the old ones and make an impact before retiring.

It is only when we invest in the right players that we would not feel the impact created by the exit of some of our very good hands who have contributed immensely to the success story of our team. We also need a good goal keeper like Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama, Barcelona’ Iker Casillas, etc to help Petr Cechs.

The sky would be our limit if we get things right especially at the beginning of the new season. We would be sure to successfully defend our premiership title, win the UEFA Champions’ league and possibly the Club World Cup. When we get the right instruments, our able coach, Carlo Ancelotti would know how to use them to achieve the desired result.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti Deserves To Be Praised

2010-05-21T18:24:00.002+01:00

Coach Carlo Anceltti is a man who knows his onions when it comes to football: he has contributed positively to the round leather game both as a player and as coach. He deserves to be praised for his exploits in the world’s most popular sports.

Carlo Anceltti who was born on the 10th of June 1959 in Reggiolo province of Reggio Emilia, Italy has proven with time that he is one of the best coaches the world has ever known. His achievements speak volume and distinguish him as one who knows how to use available resources to get enviable results. He has been tested by different club sides and found to be capable and reliable.

He played for this national team (Italy) and was capped 25 times during his play days, including 2 world cup appearances (Mexico 86 and Italia 90). He also represented his country at the U-21 level. As a professional player he played mainly in the Italian Serie A, notably for AS Roma where he won the Coppa Italia in 1979/1980, 1980/81, 1983/84, 1985/86, and serie A in 1982/83 season.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti, while playing for AC Milan won the serie A in 1987/88, 1991/92; Italian super cup 1988, European Cup 1988/98, 1989/90; Super Cup 1989, 1990; and intercontinental cup 1989 and 1990. He had a total of 338 caps and 35 goals as a professional player.

He has had no mean achievement as a manager. His first coaching stint was with Reggiana in 1995 where his major achievement was making sure the club got promoted to the serie A. He soon left for Parma in 1996 where he had no special record. As the coach of Juventus for 2 years his only record was a two time runners up in the Italian league. His main breakthrough came as the coach of his former club AC Milan which he started to coach in 2001. He got to the semifinal of the UEFA Cup 2001/02 and eventually emerged 3rd place. He also won the Champions League 2002/03, Coppa Italia 2003, Scudetto 2004, Super Cup 2004 Serie A runners-up 2004/05, 2005/06; runners-up 2005 Champions League; Champion League 2007 (making it the second time as a coach and 4th time overall); FIFA club world cup 2007 . He eventually left AC Milan on 23rd May, 2009. At least for the period he was with AC Milan he won the major titles you could think of - Scudetto, Super cup, Champions league, Coppa Italia and FIFA Club world Cup. Combine this with his titles as a player and you see that Ancelotti has won virtually almost all available titles in the soccer world.

Aucelotti became the coach of Chelsea FC of England in July 2009 and won his first silver ware on Aug. 9, 2009 by beating Manchester United in a penalty shoot-out to claim the Community Shield after full time had ended 2-2. On the 9th of May 2010 he lifted the Premiership title just in his first season as the coach of Chelsea. He made it the third silverware in a season after beating Portsmouth FC 1-0 at the Wembley stadium on 15th May 2010 to lift the FA Cup. Carlo Ancelotti, you are truly a great coach.

Chelsea Deserve To Be Premiership Champions

2010-05-21T05:43:00.003+01:00

Several odds were against Chelsea’s title aspiration this season, but they forged ahead despite the odds and eventually proved to the world that they deserved to be the premiership champions. This great achievement was due to the characters exhibited by both the players and the coaching crew.

First of all let’s look at some of these odds that stood as a giant against the club’s league dreams.
1. Unstable coaching crew: Chelsea had suffered from incessant hiring and firing of coaches in the past few years. In the past six years to be precise, the team has had at least 5 coaches, from Jose Maurinho, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Avran Grant, Guus Hiddink to Carlo ancelotti. This was enough to destabilize any clubside, but the club forged ahead winning at least a Silverware every season.
2. Injury prone team: the team was several times depleted by injuries to the players during the season, but they were able to surmount the problem. Notable players who had injuries at one time or the other included Michael Essien, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Petr Cechs, Michael Ballack, etc.
3. Nations Cup break: The Angola 2010 Orange African Cup of Nations held in the months of Jan./Feb also threatened the premiership dream of the club as four key players went to represent their respective countries. The players who went to participate in the Nations cup were Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou. By the time they returned from National assignments Wayne Rooney was already 6 goals ahead of Didier Drogba (at 20:14 goals) Drogba worked tirelessly and on the very last day of the season he netted a hatrick to top the league’s scorers’ chart with 29 goals while Rooney had 26.
4. John Terry’s trouble: Chelsea’s captain John Terry got involved in troubles that had to do with marital infidelity and this rocked the team and caused them some psychological/emotional distress as their captain lost his captainship of the English national team. They soon put all that behind them.
5. FIFA’S temporary ban: In September 2009 FIFA slammed a ban on the team, restricting them from signing new players for both domestic and continental campaigns till 2011, following their illegal signing of 18 year old French player Gael Kakuta from Lens FC of France. Though the ban was later lifted by FIFA, it was enough to set the club backward.

How Did They Become Winners?
Two main things were responsible for the club side becoming champions:
1. Team spirit: The club worked as a united team; they knew they would rise if they remained united and worked as a compact team. That reflected in their various league matches. They won several matches with a wide goal margin because everyone worked for the team’s success. Eventually, they set a new premiership reward of 103 goals in one season.
2. Focus: The team (players and caching crew) just refused to be distracted by the barrage of problems that confronted them. They had their eyes and their minds on the league title and at the end they got it. Chelsea FC has the spirit of a champion and they used it to achieve their premiership aspirations. We expect them to do same as they participate in the Champions’ league next season. We wish them good luck.

Chelsea Add FA Cup To Their Premiership Title

2010-05-16T05:22:00.002+01:00

Chelsea FC yesterday afternoon defeated Portsmouth FC by a lone goal to lift the FA Cup and complete the doubles having won the league title the previous weekend. By this feat they have proved wrong those critics who never believed they could win anything this season. The Blues have now proved they are a force to reckon with as far as the premiership is concerned.

Carlo Ancelotti has also shown that he has what it takes to be a great coach. This is just his first season in the English premiership and he has won three silverwares. That is no mean feat; only great coaches are able to achieve such enviable record in such a short period of time. I think Ancelotti should be allowed to bring his wealth of experience to help Chelsea win the UEFA Champions’ League that has so far eluded her.

Yesterday’s FA Cup final match was tension-soaked as both sides were in such a hurry to win the title. Chelsea needed to add it to their haul this season while Portsmouth needed it more as it was their only hope of staying in the premiership, having been confirmed relegated to the lower division much earlier.

Chelsea had full control of the game, attacking ceaselessly but Portsmouth kept defending gallantly. A lot of mistakes were made and several chances wasted as the Blues obviously wanted to seal victory within few minutes. Salomon Kalou hit the crossbar in the 26th minute of the first half after Goalkeeper David James was displaced. It was John Terry who again hit the crossbar in the 29th minute as he failed to utilize Didier Drogba’s free kick. Kelvin Boateng received a yellow card after a rough tackle against Michael Ballack in the 35th minute. The resultant free kick was taken by Drogba and it hit the upright post again. The first half eventually ended in a barren draw, with Portsmouth having their God to thank for not conceding as much goals.

The second half saw some attacking and counter attacking football. It was Kelvin Boateng who posed the first threat as he almost netted a goal against Chelsea but unfortunately he shot wide. In the 55th minute Dindane was brought down by Belletti and the centre referee pointed to the spot for a penalty kick. The penalty was taken by Boateng but was saved by goalkeeper Petr Cechs. However, in the 59th minute Didier Drogba broke the jinxed as his superlative free kick beat goalkeeper David James hands down for the only goal of the match.

Some changes were made on both sides to add more bite to the attack but the result remained 1-0 till the end of the match. John Utaka and Kanu Nwankwo were brought in to help turn the tables against the Blues but nothing changed. Frank Lampard was brought down in the 87th minute but he failed to convert the resultant penalty.

Chelsea fans were full of praises for their players as the game ended 1-0 in their favour. Didier Drogba once again made the difference. He has shown himself to be Chelsea’s reliable point man, having scored 29 goals in the just concluded league.

Chelsea Wins English Premiership In Grand Style

2010-05-09T22:09:00.001+01:00

The 2009/2010 English premiership finally came to a close this evening with Chelsea FC emerging as the crowned champions after a merciless 8-0 thumping of Wigan Athletics FC at The Stamford Bridge. At the end of 38 matches Chelsea had 86 points while Manchester United had 85points.

The league was keenly contested with several anxious moments, tension, great expectations and sometimes disappointments. At a point it was unclear as to who would emerge eventual champions. The competition was so fierce that the champion had to emerge on the very last day. Manchester United at a point looked good enough to snatch the premiership title, but they later lost the first spot to Chelsea.

Today’s match started with much tension on the side of Chelsea fans especially because of the fact that Manchester United was too close on the table. So everyone expected the Blues to win to be sure the league title was theirs. The players came into the game with much determination, knowing full well the league title was very important for them having lost the Carling Cup to Manchester United Earlier and having also lost out of this year’s UEFA Champions’ league. This determination reflected in the way they played as their first goal was scored in the 6th minute by Nicolas Anelka who smashed in a rebound from Didier Drogba’s free kick. From that moment on, it was clear that the Blues meant business and were not ready to slip on the last day of the league. Gary Caldwell conceded a penalty in the 31st minute which was neatly converted by Frank Lampard for Chelsea’s second goal.

Playing with 10 men, Wigan managed to contain the rampaging Chelsea in the first half with ball possession at 50%-50% for both sides. But on resumption of the second half, a much organized and better composed Chelsea side proved their superiority over the visitors as they went goal-riot. Salomon Kalou scored the Blues’ third goal in the 52nd minute to create a new premiership record of 98 goals, erasing Manchester United’s 97 goals record in the 1999/2000 league season. The Blues went ahead to net 5 more goals leaving the full time score at 8-0.

Nicolas Anelka was on target for his second goal of the evening at the 56th minute but Didier Drogba added the next three goals in the 63rd, 68th and 80th minutes to complete a hatrick. This also ensured he emerged the highest goal scorer for the season with 29 goals against 26 by his closest rival Wayne Rooney. Ashley Cole added yet a goal at the 90th minute for a complete routing of the visitors. Chelsea completed the season with 86 points, scoring 103 goals and conceded 32 goals, with goals difference of +71. Manchester United followed closely with 85 points, scoring 86 goals and conceded 28, while Arsenal FC was third with 75 points, 83 goals for and 41 against. Portsmouth ended the season with just 19 points from 38 matches.

Chelsea would be meeting Portsmouth FC this weekend the in the FA Cup final. With their current form, the Blues are favoured to make to win the trophy to make it doubles for them this season.

Chelsea Dethrones Manchester United

2010-04-03T16:10:00.000+01:00

Manchester United still recovering from their shocking home defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA champions’ league at the weekend suffered yet another home defeat to Chelsea FC on Saturday afternoon in the premiership ending their momentary stay on the league table.

Man. U had hoped to use the match as a means of consolidating their position on top of the league, but at the end of 90 minutes of play that dream evaporated into thin air. Chelsea eventually returned to the position they vacated to Man. U some weeks ago. Carlo Ancelotti was elated but Sir Alex Ferguson was unhappy as he lost the chance to brighten his hope of winning 4 successive premiership titles.

Chelsea dominated the first half of play and had about 6 goal attempts as against Manchester’s 2. Their pressure paid off in the 19th minute when Joe Cole fantastically tucked in a cross from Florent Malouda leaving Edwin Van Der Sar and his defenders gaping at the ball as it sailed into the net.

The second half became more entertaining as both sides tried to outwit each other. The game was 50%:50% ball possession as they kept entertaining the spectators who were hungry for artistic football. In the 75th minute Didier Drogba replaced Nicolas Anelka and got Chelsea’s second goal in the 79th minute through a position that was clearly offside but the centre referee pointed to the centre circle and the goal was recorded.

Just 2 minutes 24 seconds later, Manchester United pulled one goal back through Federico Macheda who pushed Nani’s pull-out with his hand into Chelsea’s net in the 81st minute. Thereafter the host team piled more pressure on the visitors but the pressure was absorbed by a much more determined Chelsea team which had seen this match as a way of compensating their supporters for their disappointing ouster from the UEFA Champions’ league in the hands of Inter Milan.

Several changes were made by both coaches in an attempt to win the match. Some of the players substituted on the side of Man. U included Fletcher, Park and Paul Scholes, while Chelsea substituted Nicolas Anelka, Deco and Joe Cole. The match was fairly rough as several fowls were committed though the referee overlooked some of them. Fletcher, Neville,Scholes and Deco all received a yellow card each.

When the final whistle was sounded Chelsea players were very happy because they were back on top of the league while Manchester United’ players were sad because they had given away their position to their closest rival in the league. Chelsea had earlier beaten Man. U at Stanford Bridge in the first round of the league and made it double victory as they again beat the defending league champions in front of their teeming fans at Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney was conspicuously missing in the match because of the injury he got in their last Champions’ league match against Munich. Chelsea now has 74 points as against 72 points for Manchester United.

Chelsea Knocked Out Of UEFA Champions' League

2010-03-18T13:30:00.003+01:00

Chelsea FC were Tuesday night knocked out of the competitive UEFA Champions' league courtesy of Samuel Eto’o goal in the 78th minute which ensured that Inter Milan secured a home and away victories over them.

The keenly contested match saw Chelsea wasting most of their opportunities especially in the first half. Worst among the culprits who jeopardized their chance of advancing into the quarter final stage of the competition were Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard. Joe Cole later came in as a substitute but was a shadow of his usual self.

We knew the task at hand and understood we needed to win by at least a lone goal having secured a vital away goal in our first leg match at San Siro. But that was never to be as we lost all opportunities and failed to connect in front of goal. Had we managed to convert one of those begging chances things would change and put the Inter boys under intense pressure and then give us more confidence. We got all things wrong; we mounted series of pressure in the first half but failed to put the ball past the goal keeper who was vulnerable on several occasions.

Inter Milan boys came back strong and more determined in the second half having been able to absorb all our pressures in the first half. The combination of Milito, Wesley Sneijder, Lucio and Samuel Eto’o was very effective; and after series of endless pressure they eventually got the all important goal through Samuel Eto’o in the 78th minute ensuring that they prevailed over Chelsea both home and away. This victory paved way for Inter to advance into the next stage of the competition and that Chelsea was out for the first time at this stage since 2005.

Now that we have lost the opportunity to win the highly coveted trophy this season we have to go back to the drawing board to find out what led to our ouster and what we can do for a better outing next season. All the same we still say ‘Up The Blues’. Our remaining hope for the season is to win the FA and the Premiership. We hope to come back stronger next year.

Didier Drogba Sees Red Again

2010-03-18T13:26:00.000+01:00

Didier Drogba received a red card in the dying minute of their Europa League match against Inter Milan Tuesday night to bring his record to 3 red cards in the last three editions of the competition. It’s on record that Drogba got a red card in their final match against Manchester United in Moscow in 2008, then another one on the day of their exit at the semi final stage against FC Barcelona in 2009.

The culprit in this case has always been Drogba’s uncontrollable temperament. His retaliation against Christiano Ronaldo at Moscow saw him forfeiting the opportunity to participate in the deciding penalty shoot outs. He watched from the bench as his team lost the crucial match to Manchester United. Had he participated in the penalty shoot out perhaps things would not go that way. In 2009 it was his arrogant behaviour and challenge against the decisions of the centre referee that earned him a red card even after the match was over. That also earned him four game bans by UEFA and now again he exhibited his usual tantrum when he knew he had gotten a yellow card earlier: he retaliated against a minor foul against him by Thiago Motta and was spotted immediately for yet another red card gift.

Didier Drogba should realize he’s a model and his attitude is directly or indirectly influencing lots of children all over the globe. Besides, as the reigning African Footballer of the year what message has he for the youths when it comes to violence and indecent behaviour? Bagging a red card in every tournament as a result of senseless behaviour does not speak too good of a personality like him. He is a talented footballer no doubt, but adding discipline and self control to his talent would make him much more respected and adored by soccer fans.

I admire drogba a lot and enjoy his games especially his scoring skills and his free kicks; the side I am not comfortable like so many soccer fans is the aspect of his bad temperament. If he puts that aspect away I think we would all enjoy his games even better.

Chelsea Loses To Inter Milan At San Siro

2010-02-25T18:44:00.001+01:00

Chelsea last night lost by 1-2 to Inter Milan at the San Siro in the UEFA champions league group of 16. Though Chelsea had better ball possession and higher number of shots on target, Inter won the match because they were able to convert their chances.

The first goal of the match came barely three minutes into the first half when Milito connected a pass by Samuel Eto’o to put the host ahead. Thereafter it was attack and counter attack till the end of the first half. Chelsea lost two great opportunities in the first half; first was Didier Drogba’s terrific free kick that hit the upright bar and the second was the penalty which the centre referee overlooked when Salomon Kalou was brought down in the Inter’s 18 yard box in the 45th minute. First half ended 1-0 in favour of the home team.

The second half saw a more purposeful football on both sides as they kept threatening each other’s defense from time to time. Chelsea’s persistent attacks paid off in the 51st minute when Salomon Kalou powered home a pass from Ivanovic to even scores at 1-1. However, determined not to lose at home the host fought gallantly and got their winning goal in the 55th minute when Cambiasso blast in a grounder after a goal mouth scramble, leaving goal keeper Petr Cech puzzled. Chelsea mounted more pressure but all their efforts were thwarted by Inter’s water-tight defense line.

Goal Petr Cech got injured in the 59th minute after jumping to catch a non-threatening up ball that was actually not goal bound. He got replaced with Henrique Hilario who kept a clean slate for the rest of the match.

Chelsea once again had another opportunity to equalize but the opportunity was wasted by Frank Lampard who in the 65th minute gave Nicolas Anelka’s cross to Inter’s goal keeper as though it were a back pass. The blues gave a very good account of themselves anyway; they were able to get an away goal that could decide Inter’s fate in their return leg match in three weeks time.

Samuel Eto’o got replaced in the 67th minute while Salomon Kalou the scorer of Chelsea’s lone goal was replaced with Sturridge in the 78th minute. Sturridege’s inclusion did not do much to change the tempo of the game. The host eventually ran away with a 2-1 victory: Coach Jose Mourinho was obviously happy with the result having boasted before the match that he was going to beat Chelsea.

Chelsea Merciless Against Arsenal FC

2010-02-08T11:16:00.002+01:00

Chelsea FC again at the weekend proved their superiority over their counterpart Arsenal FC; thanks to the brace by their talisman, Didier Drogba. The match was tagged a grudges match by Arsenal fans having lost at home 0-3 to us in the first round of the season.
Arsenal provoked us last season by beating us 2-1 in the first round of the season at Stamford Bridge courtesy of 2 great goals by Fabregas. Ever since they have lost 3 straight games against us- they lost 1-4 at Emirates stadium in the second half of last season, 0-3 again in the first half of this season and the 0-2 loss yesterday. We beat them home and away this season.
The match had started on a good note for them, with the boys attacking seriously and showing some flair. They had revenge at the back of their mind to prove to the world that their loss to us in the first half was by error. But before the 10th minute of the first half the pendulum of victory was already swinging in our direction; Didier Drogba had netted the first goal thereby putting the Arsenal players under intense pressure
The first half ended 1 goal in our favour, but the second half saw more fire works by the visiting team. Our goal keeper Petr Cech proved too had a nut to crack; cordoned off the post making it practically impossible for the Arsene Wenger boys to score. The more they tried to equalize the farther the match got beyond them. And before anyone could say Jack Robinson, Didier Drogba had added a second goal for Chelsea thereby sealing the victory for us. Arsenal were lucky that his free kick hit the cross bar for what would have made it a hat trick for Drogba. The free kick was professionally taken and of course Arsenal’s goal stood rooted to the ground as the watched the ball return after hitting the cross bar.
By his performance at the weekend Drogba has shown that we missed him while he was away on national assignment during the Nations’ cup tournament in Angola. Wayne Rooney gave him a gap on the scorers’ list because of his days of absence from the league, but he has announced his comeback by scoring in his last 2 games. He may catch up again and possibly overtake Rooney to get the top scorer award.
Chelsea is really making tremendous progress as far as the contest to this year’s premier league title is concerned; and now that they are playing more compact football, I believe they can win the league again and stop Manchester United from getting the title for the fourth time in a roll.

Chelsea Back on Top of The League Table

2010-02-01T08:58:00.000+01:00

Chelsea is back on top of the English premiership table after Manchester united took over momentarily for a few weeks. With 54 points from 23 matches, we are gradually beginning to separate ourselves from our closest rivals. By the time we played our 2 outstanding matches and won, we came back to our deserved position (top of the table).
Now 1 point separates us from Manchester United and 5 points from Arsenal FC, though they have both played 24 matches each while we still have an outstanding match to play. By the time we play and win our outstanding match we would be 4 points clear of Manchester United and 8 points clear of Arsenal who just lost their match to Man U. yesterday. With the rate of improvement under our new coach Carlo Ancelotti, I see us go places this time around. Last time I watched our FA Cup match against Preston FC I couldn’t believe my eyes; Chelsea were playing as though they were Barcelona or even Real Madrid. To say that I enjoyed the free flowing, attacking and entertaining football they played would be an understatement. While our boys dribbled from one corner of the pitch to the other with accurate passes, the Preston players were just running after the Blues as if they were learning to joggle the ball: they were kept in their own half for the better of the game.
I just can’t stop talking about our team; I love ‘The Blues’ with a passion. I love the revolution coach Carlo Ancelotti has brought into our team: our fans now enjoy our new style of play. Sometimes I ask myself whether we are playing better without the likes of Didier Drogba, John Obi Mikel, Michael Essien and Salomon Kalou who went to represent their countries at the African Nations’ Cup tournament in Angola. Looking at it the other way round you see that these guys were enjoying a regular shirt while they were around. The current form of our team has got nothing to do with their absence; rather it has got to do with the great changes our experienced coach has brought to the team.
Having won the UEFA Champion’s league twice with AC Milan and with several domestic titles to his credit, Ancelotti has come to improve upon his record at Chelsea, and there is no better time for us to win more trophies than now. I am wondering if it is not possible for us to win the league, FA Cup and perhaps the UEFA champions’ league this time. What do you think? All we need now is to consolidate on our record and hold firmly to the top of the league till the end of the season then we shall have course to smile.

Arise All Chelsea Fans

2010-01-17T14:45:00.000+01:00

Up Chelsea FC! Up all Chelsea fans! It is time for us all Chelsea fans to arise and give our club the needed massive support that would ginger our players to win the 2009/2010 English premier league. You have always done your best to provide the encouragement and the support that have been the strong bone and booster which have propelled our great club to victory on various fronts.
You all know that we cannot make it if you do not lend your support, if you do not attend live matches to cheer our boys up and if you do not buy the souvenirs, jerseys, plaques, key holders, face caps, etc that would help generate income for our great club. Our alluta must be seen in all areas where the club needs our solidarity. Chelsea forever! That is by the way! Man. U and Arsenal FC are seriously in our pursuit in the league, with just few points separating us. That is where our duty comes in. We have to show how much we love ‘The Blues’ by being there when it matters most.
Our coach, Carlo Ancelotti has done remarkably well this time around – you have been seeing the results, haven’t you? Did you not see what they did to Sunderland at the weekend? Only Manchester City has surpassed that goal margin this season. I was afraid when the African Nations’ Cup Championship was about to commence in Angola; I thought that with the likes of Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou going for national assignment we would be in a serious trouble, even my friends here have been telling me that Chelsea would certainly fall. Today, however, the ball game is entirely different- we are waxing stronger even in the absence of these guys – thanks to Roman Abramovich, Carlo Ancelotti, the seriousness of our boys, our sponsor (Samsung), our kit providers (Adidas) and your unflinching support. We shall surely get there again this year by the special grace of God.
We have not been doing badly. You still remember our records – League titles in 1954-55, 2004-05 and 2005-06; FA Cup in 1970, 1997, 2000, 2007 and 2009; League Cup in 1965, 1998, 2005 and 2007; FA Charity/FA Community shield in 1955, 2000, 2005 and 2009; Full Member Cup in 1986 and 1990; UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971 and 1998 and UEFA Super Cup in 1998 – that is no mean achievement. We may not have gotten to where we are heading, I want to say we still have enough room to improve, and this year affords us yet another opportunity to add another trophy to our coffer. Don’t relent: We need more of your support this time. Our man of the year 2009, Frank Lampard scored twice in our last match. We want to enjoy more of his games and the games of our other regular players – John Terry, Peter Cech, Branislav Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho, Joe Cole, Didier Drogba, John Obi Mikel, Michael Ballack, Florent Malouda, Jose Bosingwa, Paulo Ferreira, Deco, Salomon Kalou, Alex, Juliano Belletti and Nicolas Anelka. We look forward to the day this year’s trophy would be handed to John Terry. Up The Blues! Up all Chelsea Fans! Solidarity forever!