FA Cup Update

A comfortable 2-0 win over the weekend against a weak Birmingham side booked us a place in the 5th round of the FA Cup. 8 changes were made to the starting lineup and I was pleasantly surprised to see how fluid things went for the first half. I couldn’t really pay attention to the match though due to a splitting headache spanning my right eyebrow to the back of my head. The entire right half of my brain was numb so it only allowed my concentration level to be at about 40%. My only disappointment was Kezman being replaced after 60 minutes. He deserves more playing time to score some goals and boost his confidence. Playing a lone striker and introducing Drogba later on in the game shows Jose’s intention of playing more defensively but I feel Kezman can do the same job just as well. With his pace he can chase long balls and weave his own magic in the opponent’s half. He looked very dejected coming off and I truly feel for him.

This is my two-cents worth: Starting in a 4-4-2 formation with Eidur and Kezman upfront is a refreshing change (my preferred formation for Chelsea if we want our strikers to score more goals) as the wingers are not so heavily relied upon to provide delivery into the box. It also puts more pressure on the opponent’s defence. The Robben-Duff combo will be ineffective once opponents close them down fast and with only one striker upfront we might find it difficult to score more. If one winger is out injured, reverting back to the usual 4-4-2 may seem alien to the team that is so accustomed to the previous formation.

Watching Man U and Arsenal square off tonight would be a pleasure. A win either way will render one team out of the title race, although a draw would be ideal to crush both their collective confidence and egos. Hahaha… I’m so cocky and I’ve every right to be. Winners get boasting rights by default and losers just stick to playing their immature mind games. Our Blackburn away game will be a breeze so hopefully we would see more of Kezman.