Chelsea's Oscar winning performance spoiled by Juventus

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.

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What should be Chelsea's lineup against Juventus?

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

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Does Lampard still have a role to play in Chelsea's 4-2-3-1 formation?

Since Roberto Di Matteo has been the manager his definite preferred formation is the 4-2-3-1. We have had great cup success since switching to it, winning the Fa Cup and the Champions League as a result with Lampard and Obi Mikel deployed as the two holding midfielder's.

However I think that the effectiveness of the formation may have been over hyped, as in the league Chelsea fell from fourth to sixth in the league when using it last year and much of the success of the formation was down to how uniquely great Didier Drogba was at playing up front by himself and doing the remarkable.
Now that Drogba has gone to China, Chelsea are now trying to change their style of play from very defensive to a more attractive brand similar to the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal and questions are starting to be asked about whether Lampard should be a starter in the 4-2-3-1 formation for the blues any more especially with addition of Oscar to the squad.

So far this season Lampard and Obi Mikel have partnered each other in the middle as the two holding midfielder's and the team have had some decent results, however the two performances against Manchester City and Atlectico Madrid have seen questions arise as to whether the two can play alongside each other throughout the season and help lead the team to glory this year. I personally don't think as a two, Mikel and Lampard compliment each other well enough to be a consistently good pairing in the middle for Chelsea. They both lack and pace and neither are what I would call exceptional defensively. For me, if Lampard is to have any part to play in this formation it would have to be alongside Ramires as they seem to compliment each other better. Ramires has the legs to cover all the pitch and isn't scared to get stuck in and Lampard has the technical ability and football brain to start attacking moves and get the team moving forward so that to me seems like the better option.

I think that Lampard's technical ability and football brain is very vital to any success Chelsea could have this year, but I am aware that a lot of fans want to see Oscar get a chance to show what he is all about as they see him as the future of the Chelsea midfield. In this case Lampard would have to drop to the bench in my opinion and Oscar would play alongside Obi Mikel as this seems like it would be a  good balanced partnership with Mikel being the more defensive minded of the two and Oscar the more technical getting the ball forward, making driving runs through the centre and creating chances. Oscar's also has great work rate and closes down well which is also a great quality to have in the centre of the park, so this partnership could be as equally as productive as the Lampard and Ramires one.

That said I definitely believe that Lampard has still has a big part to play for Chelsea in the 4-2-3-1 formation, however not in the partnership he is currently being deployed in. We have seen recently for England that if he is played right he is such a great creator and goal threat, but at the same time I understand there are other options for Chelsea's midfield this season and if he isn't playing to his standards then changes should be made.

What do you guy think? Did I get it right? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.

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What to make of the departures of Meireles and Essien?

On the last day of the English transfer window Chelsea loaned Michael Essien to Real Madrid and several days later sold Raul Merieles to Fernabahce.

For me I really felt that letting Essien go was a mistake as he still had a lot to offer the team and that even though he had suffered from injuries over the last few years he could still be a force in are midfield and if given a good run of games is still easily one of the best midfielders in the world, but I could begrudgingly except him leaving as there was still decent cover in his position.  However when I then heard just a few days later that Raul Meireles was also leaving I was completely baffled with what Chelsea were doing. I am not the biggest fan of Meireles by any stretch of the imagination however with Essien already gone on loan you immediately think that he will be battling with Lampard and Mikel for one of the two defensive midfield positions as even though he isnt't magnificent at either going forward or backwards he is more than competent enough to do a good job in that role.

Now looking at Chelsea's central midfield I feel concerned with what could be in store for us this season. As we have seen this season already against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, Mikel and Lampard playing together in the defensive midfield position isn't formidable at the moment. There are times where them playing together is a good idea like against the lesser teams but against the elite teams I can't see it working well throughout the season as neither is great defensively. I feel that Lampard has to be a starter for Chelsea, his intelligence on the field is invaluable and can get the team moving from deep like Pirlo does in Italy as well as contribute with the odd goal. Therefore the player that play beside him has to be defensively very solid and even though Mikel has improved his consistency isn't good enough and doesn't dominate enough. So if Mikel isn' the guy that can play that role all the time, who can?

The only two feasible options would be Ramires and Romeu. Ramires could play the role but he isn't really any better then Mikel playing in a defensive midfield role. He does offer pace and agility which Mikel doesn't and has great work rate but he can be extremely clumsy in a challenge and doesn't quite have the discipline to perform that role consistently yet. Romeu for me has all the mental attributes to play the role in the sense he has the right temperament and understands what you have to do to play the role best out of all four players, however I actually don't think his ability matches this at the moment. He is a decent tackler but he is still pretty weak, slow and not a great passer. As he is young there is a lot of potential for him to improve but this leaves us light in this position. 

Thinking about it more there could be another option that Di Matteo has taken into account which could be playing Oscar deeper in Lampards position which I think could work but then you lose what Lampard gives to the team and still doesn't solve the defensive side of the position.

What do you guys think? Have I got it wrong? Let me know what you 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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Lets Talk Obi Mikel..... Dead Body or Not

For me he is a dead body. He has all the physical attributes to be a good defensive mid. His tall, strong and has good stamina but it seems that he has all of these for absolutely no reason kmt.

What is it that he contributes to the team someone please tell me? He has the creativity of a fish. When it comes to offering anything going forward he is useless. Whenever he shoots its never even kinda close to being on target and his passing is a never more then 5 yards  and its always sideways ffs. What is it that he actually does in training, just pump weights cause I dont see no footballing ability.  I can't believe he was an attacking midfielder when he first arrived. When it comes to doing his job as defensive midfielder  LORD HELP US ALL!!  He can' tackle, never seems to be able win headers and his decison making is some what shocking.

Lets take the Liverpool game the other day as an example. I personally think that the goal itself was Cech's fault cause he should never have passed the ball to him in the first place but still there was more than enough time for him to do something with the ball, he could have played it first time to luiz or right back to cech but as soon as he took that touch there was no return boi. Another thing which aint really his fault is he is not Essien so he might aswell just give up and just go into the dead pile with kalou.

What do u guys think? Have I been to harsh let me know.