It took 9 years for Roman Abramovich to realise his dream of being a European Champion, however his next target will be even more difficult to achieve and there's only one man who can make that dream a reality, Pep Guardiola.
You would have thought that after winning the 'Holy Grail', Abramovich would have moved quick to secure a deal for current Interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, but Abramovich was reportedly unhappy that the club he has spent over a billion pounds on was such massive underdogs against Barcelona.
The style of football under Di Matteo has been 'Italian', defensive and counter-attacking, which is successful, Chelsea won the domestic double under Ancelotti this way and won the FA Cup and Champions League under Di Matteo this way.
However, it's now not enough to simply win, which to me, seems to show how far the club have progressed. Under Mourinho, it was all about winning, but now it's about winning with style. Roman is reportedly giving the next manager a £100 million transfer kitty to bring some of the best young attacking talent to Chelsea next season, and with that, not only does he want to win, but he wants to win well.
Abramovich wants his Chelsea team to be feared like Barcelona, to command football matches and play the type of football that leaves the fans purring, and although Di Matteo has won the big one, he won't be able to achieve this transition.
Sadly for Abramovich, Guardiola isn't yet ready to return to management, he promised Barcelona he was taking a year out, and that is what he will do. The least Di Matteo deserves is a one-year contract and that is what he will get, but he would have to drastically alter the tactics and philosophy on the pitch if he is to stay any longer.
The infrastructure is in place, the youth talent is coming to fruition, and his manager is a year away, at times Abramovich has got things badly wrong, but more recently the club have spent wisely and are focusing on things like a new ground rather than a new squad.
One day Chelsea might go into a Champions League semi-final and have 80% possession, but until then Abramovich will never be satisfied.
The Modern Day Chelsea Blogsite
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Thursday 3 May 2012
Selfish Di Matteo has cost us fourth place
The team selection by Di Matteo last night proved what he sees as Chelsea's priorities, the FA Cup and the Champions League. The race for fourth place was second in his opinion and his team selection played into Newcastle's hands and now we have to beat Bayern Munich to qualify for the Champions League next season.
I don't blame Di Matteo for his actions, in his position I would have done the same, his only chance of getting the Chelsea job full time, relies on him winning not just the FA Cup, but the Champions League. Simply guiding Chelsea to fourth place was never going to be good enough and Di Matteo knew that.
Unfortantly, this is a crucial period for the football club, the rebuilding that should have happened under Andre Villas-Boas will have to happen before the start of next season, but how can we dream of replacing players like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda if we aren't playing Champions League football?
Why would somebody like Yohan Cabaye leave Newcastle if they qualify for the Champions League?
Beating Newcastle to put us within a point of Tottenham was more important than beating the History Boys in the FA Cup final on Saturday, it was more important for the future of the club, however beating the History Boys is more important for Di Matteo's future as Chelsea manager.
Di Matteo has to vindicate his team selection against Newcastle by winning both cups and qualifying for the Champions League, if he does, I will hold my hands up and say so, but if he doesn't he should receive criticism and shouldn't receive this job full-time.
I don't blame Di Matteo for his actions, in his position I would have done the same, his only chance of getting the Chelsea job full time, relies on him winning not just the FA Cup, but the Champions League. Simply guiding Chelsea to fourth place was never going to be good enough and Di Matteo knew that.
Unfortantly, this is a crucial period for the football club, the rebuilding that should have happened under Andre Villas-Boas will have to happen before the start of next season, but how can we dream of replacing players like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda if we aren't playing Champions League football?
Why would somebody like Yohan Cabaye leave Newcastle if they qualify for the Champions League?
Beating Newcastle to put us within a point of Tottenham was more important than beating the History Boys in the FA Cup final on Saturday, it was more important for the future of the club, however beating the History Boys is more important for Di Matteo's future as Chelsea manager.
Di Matteo has to vindicate his team selection against Newcastle by winning both cups and qualifying for the Champions League, if he does, I will hold my hands up and say so, but if he doesn't he should receive criticism and shouldn't receive this job full-time.
Saturday 21 April 2012
My end of season prediction
Below is my view on how the season will pan out for the teams immediately above us in the Premier League; Arsenal, Newcastle and Spurs. I will not include our games as bias will undoubtedly come into to play, so the end will set us a target to what will we have to aim for.
How it stands
3rd: Arsenal- 65 points
4th: Newcastle- 62 points
5th: Spurs- 59 points
6th: Chelsea- 58 points
Remaining games
Arsenal:
Having been several points off third place Tottenham a few months ago, Arsenal's turnaround has been quite something. Today's draw will assure them of Champions League football next season. Arsenal travel to Stoke, where it is always difficult and I think Arsenal will draw this one, but will win the next two games at home to Norwich and away to West Brom.
Points earned- 7
Newcastle:
The Magpies are the most inform team, winning six out of six putting them into real contention. Newcastle's next game is away to Wigan, which I believe they will win easily, however they then take on City and Chelsea, I think United will have won the league and Newcastle will take advantage and beat City, then a tough away trip to Everton will see them pick up a point.
Points earned- 7*
*excludes Chelsea game.
Tottenham:
In poor form and looked shaky in defense against Chelsea and QPR. However, their next game against Blackburn should bring them three points, Spurs are then away to Bolton and Aston Villa- two games I think they will win and a final home game against Fulham will also bring all three points.
Points earned: 12
How that leaves the table
3rd: Arsenal- 72 points
4th: Tottenham- 71 points
5th: Newcastle- 69 points (plus Chelsea game)
That would leave Chelsea 12 points from Spurs in fourth, meaning we would have to win all our remaining games to give us a chance. With tough games against Newcastle and Liverpool (at Anfield) I don't think we can do it and our best bet is with the Champions League.
Let the rebuilding commence!
Friday 20 April 2012
Pre-Arsenal thoughts
With a grueling mid week match with Barcelona, were the whole team ran themselves into the ground for the cause and were rewarded with a handsome 1-0 victory, I fully expect Roberto Di Matteo to ring the changes, if he needs inspiration, here's what I would do.
Goalkeeper- Petr Cech
Had an outstanding game against Barcelona, and even 'keepers need a break, but sadly our back up 'keepers just aren't good enough to step into a game against Arsenal and with not a lot of running to do, I'm sure Cech will be ok to start.
Right Back- Jose Bosingwa
With Ivanovic suspended, the right back slot should go to Bosingwa, some question his ability to defend, however his pace will be vital against Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott.
Centre backs- John Terry and Gary Cahill
Unfortantly for the heroic blockers of Wednesday night, there are no replacements ready to step in with David Luiz injured and Ivanovic suspended.
Left Back- Ryan Bertrand
Where players can be rested and a suitable replacement can come in we should do so, Bertrand impressed when he stepped in for Cole earlier in the month and has pace to counter the flying Arsenal wingers.
Defensive midfield- Oriol Romeu
Has gone missing since Di Matteo took over and hasn't played a game since February, with Arteta missing, the 'number 10' role will be less dangerous and even a game rusty Romeu should be more than capable.
Central Midfield- Michael Essien Essien hasn't been himself this season, and almost unthinkably, his Chelsea career is in the balance, so needs to perform here to prove himself capable of staying at Stamford Bridge.
Central Midfield- Florent Malouda Malouda is another facing the axe from Chelsea next season, so a big performance from him will help convince the Chelsea hierarchy he is worth keeping.
Attacking Midfield- Juan Mata
Didn't have the greatest game against Barcelona, but the tactics used in the game weren't suitable for the way Mata plays. Was subsituted during second half, so should be fit enough to start again in a more natural position.
Striker- Daniel Sturridge
Another player who has found himself stuck in the wilderness under Di Matteo, a goal and a good performance from Studge is needed to force himself back into contention.
Striker- Fernando Torres
Was just coming back into to form, when Drogba puts in some great performances against Napoli, Tottenham and Barcelona. Drogba is ruled out of this game with a knee injury and Torres could himself starting against Barcelona in the Camp Nou if Drogba cannot win his fitness race. Despite some good assists, Torres really needs to score goals. Prediction 2-2r
Goalkeeper- Petr Cech
Had an outstanding game against Barcelona, and even 'keepers need a break, but sadly our back up 'keepers just aren't good enough to step into a game against Arsenal and with not a lot of running to do, I'm sure Cech will be ok to start.
Right Back- Jose Bosingwa
With Ivanovic suspended, the right back slot should go to Bosingwa, some question his ability to defend, however his pace will be vital against Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott.
Centre backs- John Terry and Gary Cahill
Unfortantly for the heroic blockers of Wednesday night, there are no replacements ready to step in with David Luiz injured and Ivanovic suspended.
Left Back- Ryan Bertrand
Where players can be rested and a suitable replacement can come in we should do so, Bertrand impressed when he stepped in for Cole earlier in the month and has pace to counter the flying Arsenal wingers.
Defensive midfield- Oriol Romeu
Has gone missing since Di Matteo took over and hasn't played a game since February, with Arteta missing, the 'number 10' role will be less dangerous and even a game rusty Romeu should be more than capable.
Central Midfield- Michael Essien Essien hasn't been himself this season, and almost unthinkably, his Chelsea career is in the balance, so needs to perform here to prove himself capable of staying at Stamford Bridge.
Central Midfield- Florent Malouda Malouda is another facing the axe from Chelsea next season, so a big performance from him will help convince the Chelsea hierarchy he is worth keeping.
Attacking Midfield- Juan Mata
Didn't have the greatest game against Barcelona, but the tactics used in the game weren't suitable for the way Mata plays. Was subsituted during second half, so should be fit enough to start again in a more natural position.
Striker- Daniel Sturridge
Another player who has found himself stuck in the wilderness under Di Matteo, a goal and a good performance from Studge is needed to force himself back into contention.
Striker- Fernando Torres
Was just coming back into to form, when Drogba puts in some great performances against Napoli, Tottenham and Barcelona. Drogba is ruled out of this game with a knee injury and Torres could himself starting against Barcelona in the Camp Nou if Drogba cannot win his fitness race. Despite some good assists, Torres really needs to score goals. Prediction 2-2r
Thursday 19 April 2012
Di Matteo not the man for next season
What a job Roberto Di Matteo has done since he took over from Andre Villas-Boas in early March. 4th place is still in our sights, an FA Cup final with Liverpool is just weeks away, and a second 'perfect' performance in the Nou Camp could see us into the Champions League final for only the second time. However, next season is a year of complete rebuilding, and although I have great respect for Di Matteo, he isn't the man for that job.
The squad will have a complete re-vamp, Bosingwa, Kalou and Drogba are all out of contract, while the future's of Malouda, Essien and Cole all remain unclear. In all honesty, this job should have happened before the start of his season, who knows what would have happened under Villas-Boas, sadly that wasn't to be.
Chelsea need a manager who isn't afraid to ring the changes, commands respect from players and knows where to find the right players. The last part hinges on whether the board give control of player signings to the manager or let somebody in the executive seats dictate which players the manager has to deal with.
What Di Matteo has done since he has been moved from assistant, to first team coach, is make the old guard feel wanted again. Cole, Lampard and Drogba all run themselves into the ground last night against Barcelona, would they have done that if Villas-Boas was in charge? I think not.
Although Di Matteo has changed the formation to a more suitable 4-2-3-1 than Villas-Boas' 4-3-3, their hasn't been a major revamp of the team. Players like Kalou have come in from the wilderness, others like Romeu have foundselves unwanted.
Is Di Matteo, with his limited experience in football management, good enough to rebuild a team and launch a title challenge next season? I don't think so.
My choice for next manager would be current French coach Laurent Blanc, Blanc showed in his first game in charge that he isn't afraid to make bold decisions, he famously banned any of the failed World Cup squad to take part in his first game against Norway, and although France lost that game 1-0, several young players got their chance to prove themselves internationally.
I know Blanc has limited club level experience, he spent just three seasons at Bordeaux before taking the France job, but he did end Lyon's dominance in Ligue 1, by winning the title. He also has a 60% win ratio with France and Bordeaux.
One day, Di Matteo could return to Chelsea, and he will go on to become a great manager one day, but the board and fans shouldn't get carried away with what has been achieved this season. Yes Di Matteo has done excellent, but what needs to be done next year is something too big for him.
The squad will have a complete re-vamp, Bosingwa, Kalou and Drogba are all out of contract, while the future's of Malouda, Essien and Cole all remain unclear. In all honesty, this job should have happened before the start of his season, who knows what would have happened under Villas-Boas, sadly that wasn't to be.
Chelsea need a manager who isn't afraid to ring the changes, commands respect from players and knows where to find the right players. The last part hinges on whether the board give control of player signings to the manager or let somebody in the executive seats dictate which players the manager has to deal with.
What Di Matteo has done since he has been moved from assistant, to first team coach, is make the old guard feel wanted again. Cole, Lampard and Drogba all run themselves into the ground last night against Barcelona, would they have done that if Villas-Boas was in charge? I think not.
Although Di Matteo has changed the formation to a more suitable 4-2-3-1 than Villas-Boas' 4-3-3, their hasn't been a major revamp of the team. Players like Kalou have come in from the wilderness, others like Romeu have foundselves unwanted.
Is Di Matteo, with his limited experience in football management, good enough to rebuild a team and launch a title challenge next season? I don't think so.
My choice for next manager would be current French coach Laurent Blanc, Blanc showed in his first game in charge that he isn't afraid to make bold decisions, he famously banned any of the failed World Cup squad to take part in his first game against Norway, and although France lost that game 1-0, several young players got their chance to prove themselves internationally.
I know Blanc has limited club level experience, he spent just three seasons at Bordeaux before taking the France job, but he did end Lyon's dominance in Ligue 1, by winning the title. He also has a 60% win ratio with France and Bordeaux.
One day, Di Matteo could return to Chelsea, and he will go on to become a great manager one day, but the board and fans shouldn't get carried away with what has been achieved this season. Yes Di Matteo has done excellent, but what needs to be done next year is something too big for him.
Wednesday 11 April 2012
Concentration could cost us 4th place
Concentration was one of Mourinho's biggest concerns when he was Chelsea manager, his back room staff would watch the players during warm-ups and if anybody looked like they weren't paying full attention, Mourinho would be told and he would put things right.
Concentration is also something which could cost Chelsea as they look to get into the top four and qualify for next season's Champions League, so far, late goals have only stopped them winning once, on Monday night against Fulham. However, if that late goal hadn't gone in, Chelsea would be 4th place right now, not sixth.
It's an impressive stat for stand in boss Roberto Di Matteo that his Chelsea team haven't conceded once in the first half. Not quite as impressive is the 10 goals his team have conceded in the second half of games, nearly costing them on several occasions.
Some blame the fitness of players, John Terry playing through the pain and lack of breathing with two cracked ribs, and the vast amounts of games the club is being made to play in a short number of days, however, they should be able to keep concentration for the full 90 minutes. It should have been spotted that Terry had a man blocking him so Dempsey could get a free header but it wasn't, Mikel ended up helping Fulham by marking his man and blocking Terry at the same time.
A strong defence has been the foundations on which Mourinho won back to back titles conceding just 37 goals in two years, that's six less than this year. We had rode our luck and gotten away with it until Monday night, and hopefully that will be the wake up call for Di Matteo and the defence.
Up The Chels!
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Concentration is also something which could cost Chelsea as they look to get into the top four and qualify for next season's Champions League, so far, late goals have only stopped them winning once, on Monday night against Fulham. However, if that late goal hadn't gone in, Chelsea would be 4th place right now, not sixth.
It's an impressive stat for stand in boss Roberto Di Matteo that his Chelsea team haven't conceded once in the first half. Not quite as impressive is the 10 goals his team have conceded in the second half of games, nearly costing them on several occasions.
Some blame the fitness of players, John Terry playing through the pain and lack of breathing with two cracked ribs, and the vast amounts of games the club is being made to play in a short number of days, however, they should be able to keep concentration for the full 90 minutes. It should have been spotted that Terry had a man blocking him so Dempsey could get a free header but it wasn't, Mikel ended up helping Fulham by marking his man and blocking Terry at the same time.
A strong defence has been the foundations on which Mourinho won back to back titles conceding just 37 goals in two years, that's six less than this year. We had rode our luck and gotten away with it until Monday night, and hopefully that will be the wake up call for Di Matteo and the defence.
Up The Chels!
Follow me on Twitter @SamsungBridge
Saturday 31 March 2012
15 goals should be Torres' target
Technically they are right, for an actual flop that's not a bad record, not a great one but still. Torres however, is not a flop, he is a proven goal scorer in the Premier League with a 50 million price tag, so a record of 7 goals and 15 assists is bad.
He should be the highest goalscorer in the Premier League, admittedly formations haven't been favourable to him, which is why the new 4-2-3-1 is starting the bring the best out in him. But never-the-less, his record in front of goal is bad, and however you want to dress it up, Torres should be scoring more.
Too put a good light on a bad season, Torres needs to score another 8 goals for his season to be considered "not bad", with Drogba looking likely to leave at the end of the season, Torres need to prove that the club don't need to go out and buy a replacement for the Drogs and the only way he can do that is by scoring goals.
Don't forget to follow me on twitter @samsungbridge and @deanmears.
Up The Chels!
Friday 23 March 2012
How to solve a problem like Gareth Bale
Phone Andrew Lloyd Webber, we don't need him now, there will be no BBC 1 show for this problem, because I think I know, how to solve a problem like Gareth Bale.
The solution is quite simple really, don't let him get anywhere near Bosingwa. So, if he starts on the left, Ashley Cole starts on the right and when Bale tries to go down the right hand side, Cole is swapping wings with him with the help of the two holding midfield players.
Swapping wings is a tactic used by many sides who play 4-3-3 as it unsettles defending teams and creates new angles for wingers to attack from. So why don't defending teams swap full backs to counteract this? The new angles created by a right sided player on the left hand side would be blocked by a right sided defender on the left hand side.
Think about Barcelona when Cole was out and Bosingwa played left back, how quite was Messi?
Bosingwa has come into a lot of criticism recently for this performances and his slack defending allowed a Nasri cross to almost catch out Petr Cech and with Bale's pace and direct running I don't really fancy him against Bale.
If Di Matteo plays 4-2-3-1 like he has done recently, he can use the two holding midfield players to sit in and right back and left back while the two come across the pitch to change positions, meaning for a short while they sit in the holding roles until they can move across. It's the perfect flexible formation and could stop Bale.
If anyone remembers an old Bolton tactic where Kevin Davies would go to Cole on goal kicks and would beat him in the air, to counteract that, John Terry would go left back and Cole at centre half when they played the ball long.
With Lennon out, Chelsea only have to worry about pace on one side of the pitch, meaning they can focus on stopping Modric's midfield work and focus on their own attacking game. But keeping Bale quiet will be a key point if we are going to win this game and get our 4th place hopes back on track.
The solution is quite simple really, don't let him get anywhere near Bosingwa. So, if he starts on the left, Ashley Cole starts on the right and when Bale tries to go down the right hand side, Cole is swapping wings with him with the help of the two holding midfield players.
Swapping wings is a tactic used by many sides who play 4-3-3 as it unsettles defending teams and creates new angles for wingers to attack from. So why don't defending teams swap full backs to counteract this? The new angles created by a right sided player on the left hand side would be blocked by a right sided defender on the left hand side.
Think about Barcelona when Cole was out and Bosingwa played left back, how quite was Messi?
Bosingwa has come into a lot of criticism recently for this performances and his slack defending allowed a Nasri cross to almost catch out Petr Cech and with Bale's pace and direct running I don't really fancy him against Bale.
If Di Matteo plays 4-2-3-1 like he has done recently, he can use the two holding midfield players to sit in and right back and left back while the two come across the pitch to change positions, meaning for a short while they sit in the holding roles until they can move across. It's the perfect flexible formation and could stop Bale.
If anyone remembers an old Bolton tactic where Kevin Davies would go to Cole on goal kicks and would beat him in the air, to counteract that, John Terry would go left back and Cole at centre half when they played the ball long.
With Lennon out, Chelsea only have to worry about pace on one side of the pitch, meaning they can focus on stopping Modric's midfield work and focus on their own attacking game. But keeping Bale quiet will be a key point if we are going to win this game and get our 4th place hopes back on track.
Thursday 22 March 2012
More fans priced out of the Bridge
After seeing @CFCaway tweet this picture of the ticket prices for Benfica away, I was left feeling pretty sad at how Chelsea's working class fans are being priced out of the game by the men in suits looking to make as much money as they can.
It doesn't come as a surprise to me, it's been happening ever since Kenyon took away cup games from season ticket holders, I would hate to see the cost of attending every Chelsea game for a full season, it would probably go a long way to spending a lottery win.
I've been around Chelsea with people who sell tickets for games, at the FA Cup final against Manchester United in 2007, a Chinese man brought two tickets for a £1000 pounds.
Football started as a working mans game, on a Saturday afternoon when they clocked out of work, sadly today, football is a rich mans game, at any time other than 3 o'clock on a Saturday. Ticket prices have been a problem at Chelsea for a long time, even for games of little significance (Genk at home) but sadly there is nothing anybody can do (not even the Chelsea Supporters Group)
Now, where did I put that lottery ticket?
I've been around Chelsea with people who sell tickets for games, at the FA Cup final against Manchester United in 2007, a Chinese man brought two tickets for a £1000 pounds.
Football started as a working mans game, on a Saturday afternoon when they clocked out of work, sadly today, football is a rich mans game, at any time other than 3 o'clock on a Saturday. Ticket prices have been a problem at Chelsea for a long time, even for games of little significance (Genk at home) but sadly there is nothing anybody can do (not even the Chelsea Supporters Group)
Now, where did I put that lottery ticket?
Saturday 11 February 2012
Time has run out for Fernando.
This was Fernando's last chance to prove why Didier Drogba should not walk back into the Chelsea team when he returns from the African Cup of Nations next week, there had been an improvement in his game and had some assists to his name, but no goals. A big performance against Everton, along with a goal or two and Fernando would have made his mark as Chelsea's number one striker.
As you already know this didn't happen, Chelsea lost 2-0 and now sit in 5th place, AVB is under immense pressure and it doesn't look good for his future, but the media has destined him to fail from the moment he was announced as Carlo Ancelotti's replacement.
It was on this ground last season where Ancelotti was axed, the double followed by a baron season not good enough for Roman. The circumstances are different now, so it wouldn't be as simple as sacking AVB for a more experienced manager, and as I have mentioned before on this blog, I don't think this situation is all AVB's doing.
As for the team's performances, they haven't been great, but when Chelsea have lost this season, only once have had less possession than the opposition (With 9 men against QPR), even though Chelsea lost 3-1 at home to Aston Villa they still had 61% possession over 90 minutes, quite remarkable really.
The problem has been putting the ball into the back of the net, certainly for Fernando, this season Chelsea have scored just 44 goals, Arsenal have 48, Tottenham have 49, while the two Manchester clubs are miles ahead with 61 for United and 63 for City.
It may seem that I am blaming our performance this season on Fernando, but I'm not, equal share must be handed out to the players and management, but £50 million is a lot of money and for it has proved a lot of money wasted. I really wanted Fernando to come good, wanted it more than I wanted Chelsea to win a trophy, but football won't wait for you and we are being left behind by the big three of City, United and Spurs. This will be Fernando's last season as a Chelsea player and hopefully one day he will be back to his best, sadly it won't be with Chelsea.
I for one, can't wait to see Drogba back in blue.
As you already know this didn't happen, Chelsea lost 2-0 and now sit in 5th place, AVB is under immense pressure and it doesn't look good for his future, but the media has destined him to fail from the moment he was announced as Carlo Ancelotti's replacement.
It was on this ground last season where Ancelotti was axed, the double followed by a baron season not good enough for Roman. The circumstances are different now, so it wouldn't be as simple as sacking AVB for a more experienced manager, and as I have mentioned before on this blog, I don't think this situation is all AVB's doing.
As for the team's performances, they haven't been great, but when Chelsea have lost this season, only once have had less possession than the opposition (With 9 men against QPR), even though Chelsea lost 3-1 at home to Aston Villa they still had 61% possession over 90 minutes, quite remarkable really.
The problem has been putting the ball into the back of the net, certainly for Fernando, this season Chelsea have scored just 44 goals, Arsenal have 48, Tottenham have 49, while the two Manchester clubs are miles ahead with 61 for United and 63 for City.
I for one, can't wait to see Drogba back in blue.
Sunday 5 February 2012
Friday 3 February 2012
Forget The Special One
It's a strange feeling being a Chelsea fan at the moment, well for me it is anyway. On the one hand, I'm sure Manchester United will take three points away from us on Sunday which will kill our title hopes once and for all, but on the other hand, I've never been so excited about a manager since the days of The Special One.
That sounds odd I know, but as mentioned in this piece, AVB needs signings that suit his style of play for it to work, I know Roman doesn't want to spend big money anymore but wasting it on players that won't play for the first team for some time is hardly a better policy.
Under Jose, it was 'boring boring Chelsea' and it times some of it really was boring, but we won six trophies in three years so we could hardly complain. Several fans would take Jose back in a heartbeat but I would never like to see the Special One back, his time with Chelsea is in the past and as a club, we have spent far to long in the past, almost turning into Liverpool!
With AVB there is a freshness, a want to make changes, some, like leaving out Lampard will hurt but in time they will be proved correct and Chelsea fans will be wondering what the fuss was all about. At times he has had mistakes and team selection has been baffling, but from my view the changes are a call to the board that new signings need to be made.
Manchester United will almost certainly win on Sunday despite our best efforts, but without John Terry and Ashley Cole in defence they will be far too strong and our focus will be on our battle for fourth place with Arsenal and Liverpool. And of course the Champions League.
What Chelsea needs right now is the fans to be fully behind the captain and the manager, forget your day dreams about Jose returning because its not going to happen. We are on the verge of something very special, so just believe and have faith.
Keep The Blue Flag Flying High
That sounds odd I know, but as mentioned in this piece, AVB needs signings that suit his style of play for it to work, I know Roman doesn't want to spend big money anymore but wasting it on players that won't play for the first team for some time is hardly a better policy.
Under Jose, it was 'boring boring Chelsea' and it times some of it really was boring, but we won six trophies in three years so we could hardly complain. Several fans would take Jose back in a heartbeat but I would never like to see the Special One back, his time with Chelsea is in the past and as a club, we have spent far to long in the past, almost turning into Liverpool!
With AVB there is a freshness, a want to make changes, some, like leaving out Lampard will hurt but in time they will be proved correct and Chelsea fans will be wondering what the fuss was all about. At times he has had mistakes and team selection has been baffling, but from my view the changes are a call to the board that new signings need to be made.
Manchester United will almost certainly win on Sunday despite our best efforts, but without John Terry and Ashley Cole in defence they will be far too strong and our focus will be on our battle for fourth place with Arsenal and Liverpool. And of course the Champions League.
What Chelsea needs right now is the fans to be fully behind the captain and the manager, forget your day dreams about Jose returning because its not going to happen. We are on the verge of something very special, so just believe and have faith.
Keep The Blue Flag Flying High
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Chelsea's poor showing isn't all AVB's doing
A few months ago, I wrote this blog on why AVB's football philosophy wasn't working, at the time, I blamed the squad he had inhertided. But know, looking back on the January transfer window and comments made by AVB on the signing of Kevin De Bruyne, I know that it is the board that is stopping AVB taking the club forward his way and not the tactical failings of AVB himself.
When I wrote that blog I included a number of targets I thought AVB would be after in January to help Chelsea play his way, Modric and Moutinho were the two players highlighted most. Now as we sit fourth in the table, slipping further and further away from the top three and only a player on loan in Belgium to show for our transfer dealings, you have to start thinking to yourself why?
When AVB joined Chelsea he said:
AVB's philosphy thrives on a high defensive line and a quick tempo midfield that closes down quickly when they don't have pocession, at the moment he has Malouda in midfield and with McEachran on loan and Lampard and Ramires both injuried, results won't be improving for some time.
I suppose this is where there is criticism on AVB does come in, his arrogrance to move away from 4-4-3, when Torres would clearly benefit from having Mata behind him and Sturridge alongside him, is causing problems scoring goals, and the lack of pace in midfield without Ramires means an extra body in the shape of Mata helping to close down and start attacks would be much needed.
Perhaps AVB's arrogrance is a call to the board to let him bring the players in he wants, clearly his philsophy can work and has worked with Porto. So why doesn't Abramovich at least let him try? Perhaps the Uefa Financial Fair Play rules means Roman doesn't want to splash any more cash, and it was reported today he has spent a £1 billion pounds on Chelsea since the takeover.
There have been lots of "fans" especially on TalkSPORT insisting Chelsea will be lucky to finish 6th and AVB has to go, but before all the blame is laid at AVB's door, you should perhaps look deeper into why the way he wants his team to play isn't working.
When I wrote that blog I included a number of targets I thought AVB would be after in January to help Chelsea play his way, Modric and Moutinho were the two players highlighted most. Now as we sit fourth in the table, slipping further and further away from the top three and only a player on loan in Belgium to show for our transfer dealings, you have to start thinking to yourself why?
When AVB joined Chelsea he said:
"I don't see why any manager shouldn't be in control of transfers, as would happen in any other club.When Ancelotti was in charge he had always stated he was just the coach and he had the team given to him by the club, hence Fernando Torres. But the signing of AVB had seemed to signal a change in the clubs mentatlity and perhaps Roman didn't know as much about strikers as he first thought. Then after it was announced Chelsea had signed De Bruyne, AVB said this:
"The reality is that we are able to go for the best when we want so this is an advantage we have and we just need to make wise decisions when we move.
"This is a club that everybody wants to play for. But I need to judge what we have first and then make the decision. The market is open until August 31 and we need to bring in the best players if we need to. We are restructuring the club. There are, of course, still things we are going to outline and from this week or next week we will give those kind of responses.
"I have no problem working with a director of football or a technical director. The main thing is not to put someone there to disrupt the manager. The main thing is for us to build for the future.
"There are no players imposed on me - with the top quality you are able to get in the squad there are expectations on the manager and what he can do."
"It's a target that's decided by the club, that I knew about for quite some time.The board still decide who they want to sign and seemingly, AVB has no input into who he can bring in to help the club today, not in a few years time. Infact under AVB, four signings have been made, two are on loan, one has made a few subsitute appearances and the other hasn't had a sniff of a game. Do you think AVB would have left Moutinho on the bench against Swansea?
"In the sense that it's the club policy for the future, it's the right thing [to buy him] and I'll do everything in my power for him to reach maximum potential.
"But it's down to the club in decision-making. I'm a manager who respects club policy.
"A club has to look to the future, whether it's with this manager or another. He's a good bet for the future."
AVB's philosphy thrives on a high defensive line and a quick tempo midfield that closes down quickly when they don't have pocession, at the moment he has Malouda in midfield and with McEachran on loan and Lampard and Ramires both injuried, results won't be improving for some time.
I suppose this is where there is criticism on AVB does come in, his arrogrance to move away from 4-4-3, when Torres would clearly benefit from having Mata behind him and Sturridge alongside him, is causing problems scoring goals, and the lack of pace in midfield without Ramires means an extra body in the shape of Mata helping to close down and start attacks would be much needed.
Perhaps AVB's arrogrance is a call to the board to let him bring the players in he wants, clearly his philsophy can work and has worked with Porto. So why doesn't Abramovich at least let him try? Perhaps the Uefa Financial Fair Play rules means Roman doesn't want to splash any more cash, and it was reported today he has spent a £1 billion pounds on Chelsea since the takeover.
There have been lots of "fans" especially on TalkSPORT insisting Chelsea will be lucky to finish 6th and AVB has to go, but before all the blame is laid at AVB's door, you should perhaps look deeper into why the way he wants his team to play isn't working.
Friday 27 January 2012
Kenyon or Gourlay, you decide
I never liked Peter Kenyon, to me, he was a Manc, only interested in lining his pockets without looking after Chelsea. And I don't particularly like what I have seen of Ron Gourlay. But, was allowing Kenyon to leave one of the biggest mistakes Abramovich has ever made?
When Abramovich brought Chelsea, the club was hardly known across Europe and the rest of the world. Kenyon was brought in to change that, and it has to be said, he did a brilliant job, he over saw the change from a medium club, to a real heavyweight of European football.
There was always controversy with Kenyon, the tapping up of Sven Goran Eriksson and Ashely Cole to name but two. But he did do right by the club and its supporters during his time at the club, and during the clubs most successful ever periods.
Kenyon stepped down in 2009 and was replaced by Ron Gourlay, a former work colleague at Umbro and Manchester United. Since Gourlay arrived, the club has seen the reigns of Avram Grant and Scolari, the failure to keep Guus Hiddink on as manager, and the ruthless and stupid sacking of Carlo Ancelotti.
Not to mention the controversy surrounding the move away from Stamford Bridge and the attempts to undermine the CPO. To me, Gourlay seems a smug individual and its difficult to see what he has actually done for the club during his time as Chief Executive.
So have your vote on the poll > Kenyon or Gourlay.
When Abramovich brought Chelsea, the club was hardly known across Europe and the rest of the world. Kenyon was brought in to change that, and it has to be said, he did a brilliant job, he over saw the change from a medium club, to a real heavyweight of European football.
There was always controversy with Kenyon, the tapping up of Sven Goran Eriksson and Ashely Cole to name but two. But he did do right by the club and its supporters during his time at the club, and during the clubs most successful ever periods.
Kenyon stepped down in 2009 and was replaced by Ron Gourlay, a former work colleague at Umbro and Manchester United. Since Gourlay arrived, the club has seen the reigns of Avram Grant and Scolari, the failure to keep Guus Hiddink on as manager, and the ruthless and stupid sacking of Carlo Ancelotti.
Not to mention the controversy surrounding the move away from Stamford Bridge and the attempts to undermine the CPO. To me, Gourlay seems a smug individual and its difficult to see what he has actually done for the club during his time as Chief Executive.
So have your vote on the poll > Kenyon or Gourlay.
Wednesday 25 January 2012
Lacking Plan B
It’s been a nearly season so far for Chelsea, results just haven’t gone our way even when we have dominated games. The recent draw against Norwich however, just highlighted that AVB’s unwillingness to divert from his football philosophy, showed that if ‘plan a’ doesn’t work, then Chelsea don’t win.
After 30 minutes against Norwich, Lampard limped off with a calf injury; Lampard’s midfield role is where AVB likes his attacking midfielder to play, his ‘Modric’. Now on the bench, AVB had Malouda and Essien available, instead of bringing on Essien like most people in his position would have done, AVB opted for Malouda because he is seen as more creative than Essien.
The result was, we had a midfield with a player who simply cannot play in the central midfield role, while our most creative midfield player Juan Mata was stuck out wide, not able to dictate play. The unwillingness to divert from the original plan left us static and easy to defend against; needless to say we had enough chances to beat Norwich and should have done with great ease. But the problems would still be there, but people just wouldn’t highlight them.
Only once this season has AVB moved away from his ‘plan a’, Manchester United away, when in the second half we dominated United and were again, just a stroke of luck away from taking something from the game. Mata came central and another winger came on, something that perhaps should have happened against Norwich, with De Bruyne signing this week, maybe this is the signing that can help bring Mata centrally, but that would mean Lampard would be playing a bit part role this season, something he has openly been upset about.
AVB’s ‘plan a’ does work, it did it with Porto, but he had the players to do so. Maybe he has been naive with his loyalty to his philosophy, but is that a bad thing? Perhaps based on the league position yes, but with a few more round pegs being signed, the squares ones can move on.
After 30 minutes against Norwich, Lampard limped off with a calf injury; Lampard’s midfield role is where AVB likes his attacking midfielder to play, his ‘Modric’. Now on the bench, AVB had Malouda and Essien available, instead of bringing on Essien like most people in his position would have done, AVB opted for Malouda because he is seen as more creative than Essien.
The result was, we had a midfield with a player who simply cannot play in the central midfield role, while our most creative midfield player Juan Mata was stuck out wide, not able to dictate play. The unwillingness to divert from the original plan left us static and easy to defend against; needless to say we had enough chances to beat Norwich and should have done with great ease. But the problems would still be there, but people just wouldn’t highlight them.
Only once this season has AVB moved away from his ‘plan a’, Manchester United away, when in the second half we dominated United and were again, just a stroke of luck away from taking something from the game. Mata came central and another winger came on, something that perhaps should have happened against Norwich, with De Bruyne signing this week, maybe this is the signing that can help bring Mata centrally, but that would mean Lampard would be playing a bit part role this season, something he has openly been upset about.
AVB’s ‘plan a’ does work, it did it with Porto, but he had the players to do so. Maybe he has been naive with his loyalty to his philosophy, but is that a bad thing? Perhaps based on the league position yes, but with a few more round pegs being signed, the squares ones can move on.
Taking time with Courtois
A few weeks ago I caught my first sight of the future Chelsea number one Courtois, and on my first impressions he looks a very good prospect indeed. However, discussion on twitter shows that many Chelsea fans are already confident that Courtois could come into the first team next season and challenge Cech for his number one jersey, this is very unlikely and Courtois has a long way to go yet before he is ready for Premier League football.
I must say now, I am basing my opinion on Courtois from a few highlights and the game I saw him play, every time the camera focused on him, he was barking out orders to his defence. Now for a 19 year-old who has just moved to a different country with a different language, that is impressive and a good sign for the future. Courtois is also an excellent shot stopper; he made several classy saves to keep Atletico Madrid in the lead and looked commanding in the air.
Like every goalkeeper though, Courtois has his weaknesses, primarily in distribution. During the game he kicked several balls out of play and hit hopeless kicks up front for the lone striker to chase, that is something over time and with experience and extra training he should improve on and become better at.
Obviously, comparisons with David De Gea are going to happen, De Gea has struggled with adapting to the style of the Premier League and has been found wanting on a number of occasions. Chelsea’s initial plan was to let Courtois have another season in Madrid before bringing him back to England for a year on loan in the Premiership, so he can learn at the expense of another club. It would be a mistake to rush him back to England while he is still young and learning; any mistakes in England would be crucified by the press and would put a huge dent in his confidence, and Chelsea fans confidence in him.
Courtois is undoubtedly a great prospect for the future, and is showing signs of being a world class goalkeeper, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves and keep our expectations in check. It’s going to be a long wait until our new number one arrives to take over from Cech, but my guess is, it’ll be worth it.
I must say now, I am basing my opinion on Courtois from a few highlights and the game I saw him play, every time the camera focused on him, he was barking out orders to his defence. Now for a 19 year-old who has just moved to a different country with a different language, that is impressive and a good sign for the future. Courtois is also an excellent shot stopper; he made several classy saves to keep Atletico Madrid in the lead and looked commanding in the air.
Like every goalkeeper though, Courtois has his weaknesses, primarily in distribution. During the game he kicked several balls out of play and hit hopeless kicks up front for the lone striker to chase, that is something over time and with experience and extra training he should improve on and become better at.
Obviously, comparisons with David De Gea are going to happen, De Gea has struggled with adapting to the style of the Premier League and has been found wanting on a number of occasions. Chelsea’s initial plan was to let Courtois have another season in Madrid before bringing him back to England for a year on loan in the Premiership, so he can learn at the expense of another club. It would be a mistake to rush him back to England while he is still young and learning; any mistakes in England would be crucified by the press and would put a huge dent in his confidence, and Chelsea fans confidence in him.
Courtois is undoubtedly a great prospect for the future, and is showing signs of being a world class goalkeeper, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves and keep our expectations in check. It’s going to be a long wait until our new number one arrives to take over from Cech, but my guess is, it’ll be worth it.
Saturday 7 January 2012
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