What to make of Chelsea's Champions League group draw?

First glance at the group and immediately Juventus scream out as the team that will be the main danger, followed closely by Shakhtar Donestk. Juventus are the current Italian champions who went the whole season undefeated in the league last year and are looking to be a major player in Europe again and Shakhtar are the Ukrainian champions who have good European pedigree winning the Europa League only a few seasons ago. The last team in the group Nordsjaelland are also champions of their domestic league in Denmark but will definitely be considered as minnows with this being their first time in the competition.

So what should we expect from each team?

Against Juventus I expect a relatively tight clash in the home tie with Chelsea eventually prevailing in the end and getting the victory. I would also expect us to have too much for them attacking wise and win away from home even though a draw would be a very good point as it is a tough place to go. They have a very good squad with the likes of Pirlo, Buffon and Vidal however they have never beaten Chelsea in the Champions League before and I think that is a sign that our team know how to get a result against them. They shouldn't be taken lightly at all however I don't see them being a major problem for us and expect us to pick up at the very least 4 points from our two clashes against them.


Shakhtar Donestk I think will be equally as tricky as Juventus as the Chelsea team will have to make the long journey to the Ukraine where they have great support from their home fans and depending on the time of the fixture the weather conditions over there could be very harsh and could cause us problems. Other then the potential tricky weather conditions and hostile atmosphere Shakhtar posses some very talented young players like Willian and Douglas Costa as well as inspirational captain Srna who on their day can cause any defence problems so should be taken very seriously. However even though they do have talent in their squad I would still find it hard to look past Chelsea in the two clashes. I just think we will have to much in the locker for them.

To be honest I don't know to much about the Danish champions Nordsjaelland however they are obviously a decent outfit otherwise they wouldn't be in the competition. As this will be the first time for a lot of their players to be participating in the Champions League I am sure they will be very pumped up for their clashes against Chelsea 'the European Champions' so we will need to be wary of complacency as they could easily cause a shock just as Genk did last year if the game is not approached with right mind set. With all that said I can only see one winner and that is Chelsea.

I think that Chelsea will definitely qualify from the group in 1st place as even though the teams in the group are good and do posses a lot of quality we are a level ahead of all them all, especially with our experience in the competition being so strong.

What is Ramires' best position in Chelsea's 4-2-3-1 formation?

When  I think of Ramires I think of a player making bursting runs on the counter, a player with a great work rate and someone who isn't afraid to stick his foot in. With these attributes you can see why he has become a favourite with the Chelsea fans and deserves a place in the starting line up, but where?

I personally think he is more suited to playing in a 3 man midfield like in the 4-3-3 we used to play as even though he is good at both going forward and defending he isn't exceptional at either so in a 3 man midfield being supported by Mikel and Lampard he would be covered perfectly in both departments and give him the platform to show his best attributes.

However as Di Matteo's preferred formation is the 4-2-3-1 this seems very unlucky to happen any time soon so if he is to start, there are only two positions where he could play. One would be the defensive midfield role in the double pivot alongside Lampard in the middle and the other would have to be on the right wing where he has already started this season and had great success there last year. But for me neither position to me screams out Ramires. In the defensive midfield role even though he can tackle he does have the tendency to jump into challenges recklessly and lose his head when there doesn't seem to be the need to which could be really costly in the centre of are midfield. Also his passing isn't sharp enough for that role and I could see him misplacing his passes in situations which he really shouldn't however I think if he was to play in this role he would eventually get better at both these things so it is still a decent option for him.

On the right wing I think would be his best position. He is blessed with so much pace and his high work rate makes him a great option, especially in the games against the top teams where you can find yourself on the back foot a lot of the match. On these occasions he could be employed as a defensive winger and help track back the opposing winger while still being a threat going forward himself. However the drawbacks on playing Ramires on the wing would have to be his dribbling, which can be erratic at the best of times. There are times when the ball seems glued to his feet and you wonder ' Wow! How has he just done that?' but then there a more times where his running at speed and he loses control of the ball and it leaves you frustrated as there was a possible chance on. Also his crossing leaves much to be desired but he has so much energy that it is hard to not see him in the team.

For me I would definitely say he is best suited to playing on the right wing in the 4-2-3-1 formation, but with the introduction of Hazard, Marin and Moses he may not be guaranteed a starting position in are team any more which seems crazy, considering he was one out best players last year.

What do you guys think? Leave a comment a below.

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Is Marko Marin really as good as everyone seems to think?

When I first heard about Marko Marin a few seasons ago he was dubbed the new 'German Messi' and was playing some great football alongside the like of Mesut Ozil in an attacking Werder Bremen team. Since then Marin has kinda disappeared off the radar,whereas Ozil has gone on to be one the major stars of world football at Real Madrid leaving Marin far behind. Previously seen as one on the 'best talents' in German football, he has seen that label given to more exciting players like Mario Goetze, Marco Reus, Andre Schurrle and Thomas Muller.

So I ask what is it that people see in Marko Marin that makes him a great acquistion for Chelsea? I know that he is a good dribbler with a good eye for a killer pass, so initially that makes him sound like he is exactly what we need because that type of player is what Chelsea has been missing since Robben left. However from what I've seen of him myself he seems very predictable and extremely weak physical on the ball. I know that there is quality there for sure but I'm not sure whether he will be able to reach the potential that he should and become a major player for us at Chelsea. In my own opinion Victor Moses is a much better option then Marin as I feel he is more suitable to the premier league with his pace and strength to go along with his dribbling abilities.

People may have also forgotten than Marin wasn't one of Di Matteo's signings he was signed by the club before the Champions League final, which was before he got offered the role as permanent manager so may not be held in as high regard by Di Matteo himself. And for all you that disagree with me and then point to his glamorised YouTube videos and say that I am chatting nonsense look at the dates of the videos and when he was actually playing well. You will find NO videos from recent seasons like all the other top stars or starlets in football.

All that said I would love him to prove me wrong and help lead us to loads of success in the future, especially as he was such a cheap signing but at this moment in time I just don't see it.

What do you guys think? Leave a Comment Below.

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Does Michael Essien still have a role to play at Chelsea?

How can I put this as simply as possible.... YES!! I personally don't understand how his ability and place in the team is being challenged so greatly buy Chelsea fans and even Di Matteo who seems to even favour Raul Merieles over him at the moment.

I get that he has had a lot of injuries in the past and when he came back for us last season he didn't seem to be as great as he was before but I still can't recall him playing bad for us at any time. Take the Manchester United game where we drew 3-3 last season. This was Essien's first start after coming back from injury and for me he controlled the midfield for the majority of the game and it was only in the last 20 minutes of the game he started to fade which was down to lack of match fitness.

I know that Obi Mikel seems to be Di Matteo's first choice defensive midfielder along side Frank Lampard in the double pivot but I still don't think that he is a better option then the Bison at the moment. Mikel has definitely improved over the years and his performances in our Champions League campaign last year was nothing short of exceptional however I always have the feeling that there is a mistake in him and  I still question whether he can keep such high level over a long period of time. He also doesn't offer enough going forward for me compared to Essien. I don't buy into the claims that he just plays simple passes side to side however I still think he needs to improve on his link up play in the same way Alex Song did last year for Arsenal and dramatically improve his shooting which is just woeful at the moment.

I think that know Essien has had a whole pre season this summer he definitely has a role to play for Chelsea this season whether it be in rotation with Mikel or as his deputy I still believe he has a lot to offer and would without doubt return to being the engine room in our midfield if given the chance this year.

What do you guys think? Leave a comment below

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What should we expect from Chelsea this season?

What should we as fans be looking for from Chelsea this season? Should would be challenging the two Manchester clubs for the title, Champions League qualification with a top 4 finish or complete domination of all competitions.


Looking at how we are trying to play this season, with a new change in playing style from being a more physical team to a more attractive and attacking team and the massive influx of new small creative players I think that from this season I'd be more than happy with a top four finish and anything on top of that 'like cup success' would just be a bonus. Even though we won the Champions League and the FA Cup last season we still finished 6th in the league last season and we all know as fans that we are lucky that we succeeded in the Europe, otherwise we could potentially HAVE turned into another Liverpool who are just mediocre in the league even though they are trying to make a fight back to the top with their new signings.

Taking our new style and signings into account and how bad we were last year in the league I think that a top 4 finish preferably 3rd would definitely be a successful season for us and would then act as the perfect platform for us to properly challenge the two Manchester clubs for the league next season as all of our new signings would have properly adjusted to the pace and quality of the league. Obviously if Chelsea are able to mount a challenge for the title or even win it this year I would be delighted but I think we have to remember how things where only a few months ago when AVB was sacked and how we were feeling and how bad we could have been feeling without the European success, so if things don't continue to go as swimmingly as they are currently just try be patient with Di Matteo and the team I'm certain next year will be Chelsea's.

What do you guys think leave a comment below.

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Do Chelsea need another striker?

After watching Chelsea start the season so well, winning their first 3 games well and seeing Torres start to find the back of the net and look like his old self, I've been thinking do Chelsea really need to but another striker as all football pundits seem to be saying.



Throughout the whole summer transfer window Chelsea has been constantly linked with forwards, most notably Cavani and Hulk who are both respectively great strikers however would they be causing more problems then solving if either arrived. If either was to sign they would come with a hefty price tag so would most probably have to play for that very fact and as we only play one upfront with Di Matteo's 4-2-3-1 formation Torres would find himself on the bench which to me just doesn't make any sense.

 Another problem that I see in signing another striker would be it getting in the way of Daniel Sturridge's development as well as Romelu Lukaku's when he comes back next season who was also signed for a sizeable fee. I personally think that Sturridge is good enough to play upfront for Chelsea this season whether its due to Torres being absent through injury or poor form. He has proved already in his short career he can score goals, doing so for Bolton on loan as well as for Chelsea last season reaching double figures from the right wing. I know there is the argument that he is to selfish on the ball and not a good enough team player, which I can definitely admit to it annoying me sometimes however he is a striker and if  he was to get the chance to play in that position I can only see that being an advantageous attribute, I just hope he is given a real chance there this season. Also the recent acquisition of Victor Moses could be a possible option to play upfront for us if we really needed to so I really don't think another striker is needed for Chelsea this season.

What do you guys think? Leave your comments below.

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