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Joe Cole & Robben to start- how long should I wait?

While this match is not highly crucial, some words for those who think this match is inconsequential. And to those Catalan friends who fear that Chelsea would lose to Bremen to ensure Barca is eliminated (very weird!). Mathematically, Chelsea can still be eliminated if Bremen beats by more than 2 goals difference and if Barca beats Levski and Bremen. Though I expect and prefer some players to be rested for the Old Trafford match, I feel we should win, given the current form and the squad we have.

Jose rightly said:

We cannot go there with a second team. If Bremen beats Chelsea and Barcelona are out of the competition, that is not our war. It’s not our problem. We go there to try to get a result. The next game is Manchester United, but it could be Manchester United or Manchester City. We go to Bremen to play a serious game.

Remember, Barca managed to earn a draw in Bremen, thanks to a last gasp equaliser from Messi. But for that goal it would have been bye bye Barca by now. So, this game has to be taken seriously and we should win this so that the ‘second team’ can face Levski an get some match practice.

Essien, Lampard, Drogba – who are the most critical components of our victories should be rested and let both Robben and Joe Cole start. Maka will play the Essien role (this is meant to be a compliment for Essien). Kalou has been impressive in the last few matches he played. He did well against Barca too at the Camp Nou. Robben, having spoken to the media about his Chelsea future, should let his football speak too. I hope he gets to finish this time and get a goal against his name.

I like to see Hilario again. Looking at Carlo’s indecisive movements in the last match, may be, Jose will give Hilario another run. Meanwhile, Khalid had spoken to SkySports this week on the centre back position being his favourite one. SkySports conveniently captioned this as “Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz has insisted he would rather sit on the substitutes’ bench than be played out of position”

You can read what he said and understand for yourself.

I was not happy to be taken off at Tottenham, but that’s a situation I have to deal with. I said nothing special to Mourinho after Tottenham, honestly. Everybody knows what my best position is. I prefer to play in the middle and it’s where I feel more comfortable, but I always give everything I have. For me, I prefer to play centre back, even if it means sitting on the bench.

Chelsea are not too physical, what is too physical? Barcelona, Tottenham and lots of other players are aggressive as well. I enjoy the physical art, which is crucial in England. There’s a combination of very physical players and very smart players. You have everything in the Premier League, which is why I think it’s the best league in the world.

Everyone hates us, everyone wants to beat us and everyone wants us to lose, but we always stick together. I’ve never experienced spirit like this in my career. Everyone buys into the spirit and it comes from everyone – the manager, the players, the chief.

He says centre is where he is ‘more’ comfortable and he goes on to emphasize his preference and got trapped. Every player has his preferences and Khalid is no exception. He also said that the team spirit is something he has never experienced before, but as it was too uninteresting, it did not make it to the caption.

Boulahrouz was hardly world class against West Ham in the 45 mins he played in his ‘favourite’ centre back position. He’s gotta pull up his socks and start living up to his nickname.

Drogba needs a break and Sheva has just returned and played a match too. While we have this pool of top quality players to choose from, let’s use them. If Joe Cole plays, I can already see him being subbed for Obi. And at the moment, Obi does not seem to impress with these little periods of time.

In case you had missed it or if you wanna see it again, the goals of the Chelsea vs Werder Bremen home leg match:

I’m sure Jose has a plan in his mind of what he expects out of this match. But at any cost he would not be expecting anything less than a win. I wish we top the group and that’s what everyone of us want. If our win is going to help Barca qualify, so be it. Like I’ve said before, I want them to qualify as they are a top quality team who do not deserve to drop out at this stage. So guys! Come back with a point or three!

[tags] Chelsea, Werder Bremen, UEFA Champions League, Champions League, Barcelona, Barca, Levski Sofia, Manchester United, Jose Mourinho, Khalid Boulahrouz, Robben, Lampard, Ballack, Drogba, Shevchenko, Essien, Hilario [/tags]