Master Tactician

Though a win would be fantastic, the draw against Arsenal showed that we had what it takes to be champions in England. Drogba's poor finishing was astonishing though. If it were Kezman he would have blasted the damn ball into goal or at the very least smashed it into Lehmann's teeth and make him bleed his own blood. His overall contribution however was good and can cause any defence in this world problems with his presence. It was great to watch the 2 managers throw their tactics at each other. Jose sucked Wenger into believing we were going for a draw by bringing on Tiago to play more defensively. Wenger decided: Hey why not go for the kill and subbed Van Persie for the ageing Bergkamp thus taking the bait. Jose laughed and threw in Kezman for Joe Cole to play 3 forwards which I'm sure took Wenger by surprise.

Win against Fulham tonight and hope for Arsenal to draw/lose against Spurs on Monday. If not then we have to win the title ourselves by kicking Bolton's ass next week. All is well with the world.

Of Bayern, PFA and Benitez

Despite a nervous last few minutes Chelsea still won 6-5 on aggregate and sent Bayern Munich packing. An excellent Drogba goal to put the tie beyond doubt. But I felt the substitutions were confusing. Was there a serious need to introduce Nuno Morais who had little to no experience in Europe? I felt Glen Johnson would be more appropriate as he could give Huth some support as he lacked some pace against Pizarro. And worse still, Geremi who hardly played this entire season was thrown in against the experienced German side. Conceding 3 goals in 45 minutes was kind of disappointing. But a semi-final place is already secured as we take on Liverpool next, thus guaranteeing a CL finals spot for an English team. We have been letting in goals lately, but that is understandable as the long season starts to take its toll on the players. Duff was looking weary and also our defence was understandably tiring out. However our goals-conceded ratio is still very impressive and hopefully we can lift the Premiership trophy against Fulham and then concentrate solely on the CL semis. Furthermore we’re still unbeaten at home which is an amazing feat.

PFA Player of the Year should go to Terry. If he fails to win then Lampard should. If both fail and Cech doesn’t bag it then something is very wrong. The Young Player award could go to Robben but Wright Philips in my opinion could and should win it.

A word on Benitez: He, like Jose, is a foreign coach and this is just the first season in charge. To make it to the semis of the CL and finals of the Carling Cup is an achievement and full credit to their abilities. These 2 managers (and Martin Jol and his predecessor Jacque Santini) bring a fresh flavour to the league with new coaching (and playing) styles and techniques. The usual 2-horse race at the top has seen a new player in the game, in the form of Chelsea. Wenger and Ferguson has been playing the English game for ages and has only tasted some foreign blood in the CL. Hardly any experience gained and really not much to brag about when thrashing the likes of Southampton and Crystal Palace. What we have in Benitez and Jose are foreign expertise stuffed and ready with loads of ideas to spice up the EPL and give Wenger and Alex something to think and worry about. Unsettling for the 2 jabronis but joy for the rest of the Premiership and fans.

Winning the Carling Cup, EPL title and possibly the CL trophy this season is a start. The future is Blue, and it is damn exciting.

Temmink You Scum

I would rather have Chelsea win 2-0 than to win 4-2. Giving 2 away goals still poses a threat in the 2nd leg. A blatant dive by Ballack in the penalty box in the dying seconds ensured that Bayern were still in the game. How the overweight Dutch referee Temmink could give the penalty is totally astonishing. We know where you live Temmink... HaHaHa.. hmm the joke never ceases to amuse me.

We all know Lampard scored 2 amazing goals and Terry was solid in defence once again (as usual), but many in the forums would want to criticize Drogba simply because he doesn’t score that many goals of late. My opinion is that as long as he (and Kezman) can contribute to the team winning games, he is a good player. Many can argue that he is a striker and therefore his role is to score goals, but what Drogba can bring to the table is strength, power and presence to shake defences with his flicks in a supporting role. His power in the air during the 2nd half against Bayern truly showed what he does best, creating chances for Lampard and the rest to surge forward. It is no surprise that our midfielders score so much as our strikers are holding the ball and passing at the right opportunity. Kezman has shown how he can provide good service with the first goal against Barcelona, and so has Gudjohnson who has dropped deep into midfield playing balls to Cole, Duff and Lampard. Strikers limited to only playing in the penalty box like Inzaghi is not an all-rounded player which is required in a squad like Chelsea.

Johnson, though shaky in defence, is my man for the right back job, though my homie KungFooShoe will be quick to disagree. (He also pointed out that the Gallas-Terry pairing had conceded the least goals with 16 clean sheets) Glen has big potential but he should make less defensive errors which are rather frequent of late. Interesting to note is that at one point all 4 defenders are centre-backs. Huth is a huge dude, and he is one for the future. Makelele played fantastic and held off players twice his size. Also showed moments of skill and delivered perfect long balls.

I would hope to see Kezman and Forssell play alongside each other against Birmingham. To rest key players for next week’s 2nd leg, we could include Huth at the back. Midfielders could be Smertin, Lampard, Tiago and Makelele. A quick note on Brito: Da man looks like Diego Simone.

3 More Wins

Why haven’t I been posting? Because I’ve been too busy sending out death threats to Anders Frisk. The interesting thing was I always ended it with “lovingly yours, a friendly Roma Fan” but somehow he could still tell that it was from me. His hair dye must be giving his brain some mutant psychic powers.

A comprehensive 3-1 win over Southampton means we only needed 3 more wins for the premiership crown, and they are 3 successive home games against Birmingham, Arsenal and Fulham. It would be good to win the title at home infront of all the fans so the key game which could affect our desired outcome would be the one against Arsenal. If we happen to lose, it would not affect our title hunt as it is just a matter of time before it is ours. Fergie by the way is the most optimistic goon in the world to suggest even at this stage Man U had a chance at the title. Either that or he has been smoking some good-ass weed. Wenger is just pitiful at the moment. But after all is said and done, it would be ideal to win the title at Stamford Bridge.

Bayern Munich would play the 1st leg without Pizarro and Makaay. Good news to us but we should never underestimate these old birds of football as it is vital not to concede any away goals. My proposed starting XI are as follow:

Glen Johnson: Had a great game against Southampton but prone to giving away possession despite flashes of individual brilliance.

Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard & Claude Makelele: Business as usual.

Ricardo Carvalho: Rested during the weekend for this game, he should be fresh.

William Gallas: Left back would be his role for the rest of the season. At least he gets to play.

Damien Duff: A natural selection for some width.

Joe Cole: This would be Mourinho’s choice at the moment but I would rather field Tiago. Like Robben Cole would be shut out by the Bayern defence. But then again with Duff also in the picture they would have a headache shutting both out. But like I said a solid defence is needed to prevent any away goals. Tiago could provide such services and attack occasionally. Else Cole would be likely to be subbed by Smertin/Geremi before 90 minutes.

Eidur Gudjohnson: Playing what Chelsea FC website deems as a Zidane’s role, he plays more in midfield to allow others to swarm forward. Deadly in the air and a pair of cool feet. Prefer his 02/03 season white hair though.

Didier Drogba: Usually rises to the occasion at European games. We should play more aerial balls. Both our strikers have a good head in a non sexual way. Introduce Kezman for Drogba at 60 minutes to plague the defence with some healthy speed. Especially when Oliver Kahn ain’t as young as he once was. But respect though, he had probably picked the ball out of the net more times than other goalies had played.

Subs: Cudicini (poor dude), Huth, Tiago, Geremi, Smertin, Parker, Kezman. Interesting to note more or less everyone, except those injured and Jarosik, is selected. Gallas had better not suffer any injuries else we would have to beg Geremi not to leave to cover for him.