Yesterday Chelsea got their second win in two games after defeating Arsenal 2-0, which is hopefully a sign of things to come and the start of Chelsea getting back in the title race and having a successful season. The whole team looked sharper, even my guy Ivanovic, and our attacking play was a lot more direct with fewer touches to get the ball forward which I think comes as a relief to many Chelsea fans due to our slow start to the season.
With that said I want to talk about Diego Costa and his style of play/ temper tantrums. Yesterday he was a constant threat, with his hard running and physical play, but its this physical play that is starting to become an issue. I think all fans enjoy when a striker is physical and a pest to defenders even to the point where they are playing mind games and getting under opposing players skins, but I feel Diego Costas' incident with Koscienly and Gabriel was stepping over the line. Not for the fact that Gabriel got sent off because it is own fault for not showing "emotional control" which Mourinho articulated, but for the fact that he himself could have easily have been sent off twice and could have potentially cost us the game. At some point his temper tantrums are going to need to stop or at least be calmed because it will cost us, with him getting a red card and lengthy suspension as referees start to pay him extra attention and opposing defenders wise up and start to play to this.
Do you think Diego Costa is crossing the line? What do you guys think? Did I get it wrong? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.
With Chelsea's terrible start to the season our defense has come under fire for its shocking performances, with us conceding 12 goals in 5 games in the Premier League so far. Although football is a team sport and are defensive deficiencies can' t all be laid a the feet of one person, the performances of Ivanovic so far this season can only be described as awful and I feel have contributed greatly to our current league position and poor form.
His lack of pace, inability to close opposing wingers down tightly and his dreaded attempts to block crosses and shots with his hands behind his back have made him a weak link in a our defense this season with every team so far exploiting the right flank consistently and now has many fans calling for him to be dropped from the starting lineup.
With the new signing of Baba Rahman who looks like he will be a great addition to the squad especially after his energy filled performance against Maccabi Tel Aviv the other night, gives Chelsea a much needed different dimension. With Baba Rahman being a left footed left back his addition to the line up could mean Azpilicueta going back to his natural position of right back and this would always give us options out wide with their overlapping runs and ability to deliver good quality crosses as our attacking players really enjoy coming infield, which is another thing Ivanovic has been really poor at recently too.
Even though I do think Ivanovic should be dropped, I don't see Jose Mourinho dropping him, especially in such a big game against Arsenal as he is one of his trusted soldiers and has been one of his most consistent performers over the previous seasons.With that said I just hope he can find some form fast because if he doesn't Sanchez will have a feast against us tomorrow.
Do you think Ivanovic should be dropped? What do you guys think? Did I get it wrong? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.
It been reported that Ashley Cole has rejected a new one year deal from Chelsea as he has only been offered a 1 year deal and he is looking for longer length deal after previously stating he wants to finish his career at the club.
For me Chelsea should really be giving him what he wants and getting the deal over an done with before he can be offered deals from other clubs in January. He is undoubtedly the best left back in the world and has been so for many years now so if we let him go I think it unlikely that we would find anyone close to his level for any price that would make letting him leave for free make any sense.
However the problem that Chelsea seem to be facing is that Roman Abramovich has a policy where he doesn't give players over the age of 30 any deals which exceed 1 year in length which is pretty much the reason we ended up seeing Didier Drogba jet off to China this summer even though he was the main reason we won both of the competitions we did last season.
I get that once you get to a certain age your physical attributes tend to diminish however I think the length of contracts should be judged upon the players ability and fitness as when you see players like Ryan Giggs and Scholes still playing at the highest level right into their late 40s it shows that if you are good enough your age shouldn't matter. Obviously I get that not everyone can be put into their bracket but I think that Ashley Cole is definitely someone that can be and if Chelsea are to let him slip away over the length of a contract I think it would be terrible mistake on their part. Hopefully sense prevail and we see Ashley Cole sign a new deal with Chelsea soon.
What do you guys think? Did I get it wrong? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.
Today John Terry retired from international football after 9 years playing for England after stating that he felt his position for England had become 'untenable' after FA decided to continue to press charges over the racial case between him and Anton Ferdinand ahead of his FA Disciplinary hearing.
For me, this is a huge blow for England. Whether you like him or respect him as a man, there is no doubt that he is a great leader with a die hard spirit on the field and a top class defender. Without him the defence for me doesn't look as strong. I know we still have the likes of Cahill, Lescott, Jagielka and Ferdinand but they don't fill me with the same confidence as they would partnered alongside Terry. Terry retiring does however give these players the chance to show that they are good enough to step up and prove that they are good enough without him and when Smalling and Jones return back from injury they may be able to show that they are the future of England making Terry's absence not feel so great.
Whilst this isn't the best news for England fans this is great news for all Chelsea fans. This could potentially extend his Chelsea career by helping to prevent injuries and general wear and tear. A fit John Terry alongside either Luiz or Cahill always makes me feel a lot more confident going into any game then when he isn't there so this is superb for Chelsea.
On the whole, John Terry has had a great England career making 78 appearances and scoring 6 goals for his country however his off field antics have tarnished his reputation as a great footballer and now have him the butt of jokes. But putting antics aside he did a great job for his country and will be missed greatly for the courage he showed on the pitch, hopefully in years to come that is what he will be remember for.
What do you guys think? Did I get it wrong? Leave a comment below and share your view.
Chelsea vs Juventus was very good European match to watch, filled with moments of highs and absolute amazement which was then later equalled with utter frustration.
The game finished 2-2 after Chelsea had taken a 2-0 lead, first through a deflected effort from Oscar to open his Chelsea scoring account on his starting debut, which was then doubled moments later with what can only be described as first, a magnificent bit of skill to lose his man and then a fabulous curling strike which flew into the net leaving Buffon completely helpless. But even though Chelsea had managed to take a 2 goal lead the result never looked like a foregone conclusion as Juventus had up to the point of the first goal been right in the game, creating many chances themselves, mainly from Marchisio being able to run off of Ivanovic and get behind the Chelsea defence. So it wasn't much of a surprise when Arturo Vidal pulled a goal back for the Italian Champions just four minutes later with a great left footed finish from just outside the box which brought the game to 2-1 at half time. From a Chelsea perspective it was a poor goal to concede as he wasn't closed down well and found himself in a lot of space which is something you just can't allow for a player of his quality.
At half time there was a sense that the game was still any ones to win, so it would have been a great relief when Chelsea made a great start to the second half, controlling the possession well, pinning Juventus in their own half and creating some decent opportunities. But as the game started to go one Juventus started to find themselves more and more in the game becoming a constant threat on the break. In the 70th minute Oscar was replaced by Mata who received a standing ovation after such a great performance and Bertrand was introduced for Ramires yet again to play in midfield. Juventus were also making changes themselves, bringing on Quagliarella to devastating effect. A mistake from Obi Mikel, where he gifted the ball to Juventus in the Chelsea half under very little pressure, lead to Quagliarella being played through on goal as Terry tried to play offside. Quagliarella went on to finish his chance well, placing the ball through an onrushing Cech to tie up the match at 2-2. It was a deeply frustrating moment for any Chelsea fan to endure as they had seen a 2 goal lead at home disappear through unnecessary mistakes and even though Juventus had been piling on the pressure it seemed like we would be able to hold on for the victory.
The unnecessary mistakes made by Mikel raise the question yet again as to whether he is good enough to play in the defensive role as however well he plays, there is always the sense he is going to make an error. It also highlights the lack of depth in his position after letting Michael Essien and Raul Meireles leave as there isn't really much competition for his place other then Ramires as I don't think Romeu is ready yet. With that said even though Mikel did lose the ball cheaply when he really shouldn't have the defences inability to react to the situation was more worrying in my opinion as there was still plenty of time for them rectify the situation.
On the whole it was a great game to watch and even though the result was disappointing there was many parts of the performance from Chelsea that we can take positives from. We just need to cut out the silly mistakes and I think we are looking good. Bring on Stoke this weekend!!
What do you guys think? Did I get it wrong? Leave a comment below to share your view.
This Wednesday Chelsea start their defence of the Champions League against the Italian Champions Juventus and the question of what line up Chelsea should be playing against them has come up again after the teams failure beat QPR on the weekend and Torres outburst when being subbed off.
Knowing Di Matteo, I expect this to the be the line up he goes with. Employing Ramires on the right wing, playing Fernando Torres upfront and partnering Lampard and Obi Mikel in the middle again. I wouldn't say that this would be disastrous be any means however we have seen already this season that it isn't quite working at the moment and maybe a little change is in order to keep certain players on their toes.
I think that the time has come for Sturridge to get his chance to start up front. He is a young fearless character so I don't think he would find the tie against Juventus daunting, if anything I can only imagine he would just see it as challenge and raise his game accordingly. This would also help to refocus Torres and remind him he isn't the only striker in the team and hopeful give him that kick to start scoring again.
Ramires on the right wing is not a bad idea as his work rate and defensive capabilities could be affective in the game however I think they would be better suited to the middle of the park helping to close down Pirlo and stopping him from dictating the game, so I would look to play him in the double pivot with Lampard.
Against QPR in Chelsea's last match Di Matteo played Ryan Bertrand on the left wing which I really don't understand when we have so many better attacking options in the team. I think that Victor Moses should be playing on the wings from the beginning so that we take an attacking initiative in the match instead of having to react and bring players of the bench to try to win the game.
What do you guys think? Have I got it wrong? What lineup would you go for? Leave a comment below
After Torres' recent outburst on the weekend when substituted against QPR has the patience of the Chelsea fans finally started to wear thin? When Fernando Torres first signed for Chelsea for £50 million I don't think there was a Chelsea fan happier then me as we had just signed one of the best strikers in the world and I could only see great things in future for him at Chelsea.
However fate has had different idea and Torres' time at Chelsea hasn't been anything like expected with him struggling to find form or score goals regularly. I wouldn't say it has been down to a lack of desire or effort but with an in form Drogba in front him and his own confidence on the floor he has found it hard to find his scoring touch consistently like he was doing at Liverpool. Even though his form in front of the goal as been poor for Chelsea the fans have stuck behind him, showing great support when many others would have turned against him, but I think that it could be now time to give Daniel Sturridge more of starting opportunities he craves so much.
I know a lot of people say that Sturridge can be greedy and yes I would agree that it can be frustrating when he takes shots from distance when he could have been slipping someone threw, but you must remember he is a striker who was being played out of position on the wing and upfront his direct style and selfishness is something all top strikers have and we seem to be missing this with Torres upfront. To be honest I think that if Torres didn't have such a huge price tag hanging over his head Sturridge would most probably be starting a lot more games as a striker for Chelsea as his form over the last 2 years for both Bolton and Chelsea has been considerable better then Torres'.
Recently Torres has found signs of getting back to his best, winning the Golden Boot at the European Championships and scoring a couple of goals this season, but I think his Golden Boot was slightly tainted by the fact that for majority of the competition Spain played Fabregas, a midfielder, upfront instead of him which I couldn't see happening if David Villa was fit, which definitely shows that Del Bosque had major doubts as to whether Torres could do the job.
I hope Torres does return to his goalscoring form of his Liverpool days but at the moment I can't quite see it, so think that even though Torres will continue as are main striker this year Sturridge should be given more chances upfront to show us his quality.
What do you guys think? Did I get it wrong? Leave a comment below to share you thoughts.
With that said I want to talk about Diego Costa and his style of play/ temper tantrums. Yesterday he was a constant threat, with his hard running and physical play, but its this physical play that is starting to become an issue. I think all fans enjoy when a striker is physical and a pest to defenders even to the point where they are playing mind games and getting under opposing players skins, but I feel Diego Costas' incident with Koscienly and Gabriel was stepping over the line. Not for the fact that Gabriel got sent off because it is own fault for not showing "emotional control" which Mourinho articulated, but for the fact that he himself could have easily have been sent off twice and could have potentially cost us the game. At some point his temper tantrums are going to need to stop or at least be calmed because it will cost us, with him getting a red card and lengthy suspension as referees start to pay him extra attention and opposing defenders wise up and start to play to this. 
