Chelsea face Newcastle in a match where the barcodes would give their everything as a defeat could get Sam the sack. We have a smaller squad to choose from, as our injury/suspension list itself seems to make up a good playing eleven for Chelsea.

chelsea_newcastle2.jpgWithout much ado, here is my team: Cech seems to be only half-fit but he has to start as Cudicini is zero-fit at the moment. Carlo must be cursing his luck that his health and fitness is somewhat equally and directly proportional to that of Petr Cech. It should be massively annoying to wait for months and months and finally just when he gets injured Petr Cech needs a replacement. In defence, I’d like to bring back Essien. Of course I want him in the midfield but the prospect of Ben Haim watching another header go past him made me go for Essien as a centre back. We’ve got Ballack back so he would command the midfield with Mikel. If Malouda is still not playing after reports of recovery, I would have to suspect his intentions or the club’s intention towards him. Sheva deserves another kick about but not sure about Kalou. I’ve just paired them because I’m still not convinced about Sheva being the lone striker.

Sam Allardyce’s neck is on the chopping block and it’s rumoured that if we beat them, he’d be gone. I like Sam as a professional, he is a good manager. After he took Bolton to new heights, not many would have thought that he’d be facing the sack even before the end of the year. Newcastle have been generally poor despite having a very good attack. The fact is they have managed one cleansheet in the last 15 matches and have lost their away matches to even Derby and Wigan.

Just about three days back we had a very physically and mentally draining match against Villa, which we should have lost but nearly we should have won but somehow managed to draw. After the disappointment of drawing the match, the players were in for a surprise from the coach! ‘Well done guys! You lead twice and could not hold the lead for 3 minutes and drew the match at home’. The reason why Avram is unable to express his disappointment is because may be by now he knows that he screwed up with his subs and tactics and that cost us 2 points. So, after a period of lull, Avram is back again with his usual piece of gold. Here is Avram sending out wrong messages to his own players.

That we have so many players out is the reason I want to focus on the half of the squad that can play. We drew 4-4 in the last match, an amazing game, and we came back from 2-0 down. With all the squad available we lost 2-0 to Aston Villa when we played them the time before so I think this is a time to say a good word for the players that have played the last 18 games. We won almost all, drew four, and we had all these problems so I think they did a very good job. I want the spirit to continue that you saw against Aston Villa last game and the games before. I am optimistic by nature and I don’t want to think about the negative things because it is not the right way to think about this.

I wonder how some of those players in the team that lost 2-0 to Villa, would take this message from Avram. Would they be thinking ‘Under Jose, we lost 2-0, but under Avram he has helped us get a point, hail avram’? My foot. To put it simply he says Jose Mourinho lost to Aston Villa 2-0 but my team drew 4-4. But what he didn’t say is we were luckier this time. Anyway, I don’t know why he is comparing himself to Jose Mourinho. Avram is absolutely no match to Jose. JM is a class apart and a few league apart. Avram is getting himself into a trap here. If he is going to compare his results with Jose’s, then he makes himself prone to comparison with Jose in every respect, including titles. I think Avram needs help, needs assistance and conselling and advice – on what he should say and how.

The team that I’ve put here is a very good strong team hoping that Essien comes good in defence. Newcastle are in a kind of crisis. If there is a time to play Newcastle, this is it. Joey Barton is out and spending the new year in jail. Sam wants something out of the game so they won’t put 11 men behind the ball for 90 minutes. They have not scored more than 1 goal in an away match for more than 4 months now. But they know that Leicester scored 3 and Villa scored 4 (including 1 with just 10 men) at the Bridge. After all, with stars like Martin, Viduka and Owen, they should fancy scoring 2 or 3 goals.

Left to this team, they know how to win, hold on to a lead, how to play with just 10 men on our side, how to come back fiercely etc. These qualities are installed in them. It’s now in their DNA. It takes some kind of conscious effort, intervention and misfortune, to stop them doing these things. I’m not hoping for Sheva or Essien or Cech to have a good match. I just hope Avram has a good match, makes the right decisions and gets the three points. Prediction? We will win 12-11.