Debates, Rivals - Written by Adam Mikhail on Sunday, April 20, 2008 16:33 | 972 Views | 45 Comments | Add Comment
A Tale Of Two Fortresses!
The semi final between Chelsea vs Liverpool continues to be the most previewed match in this blog. I had already written three posts - one with the opinion poll, another one on why Chelsea are the favourites for this tie. I’m planning to publish a regular match preview tomorrow afternoon. And now, Adam Mikhail has come up with his thoughts on this semi final. That’s understandable as this the semi finals of the champions league and it’s Chelsea and Liverpool. But wait a moment, who is this Adam Mikhail? Adam is a very young Chelsea fan who lives in the US. As a university student he does have lots of time (!) at his disposal for football - playing, watching and now writing. This is Adam’s first article for this blog. Read on!
Anfield and Stamford Bridge - our Blues are almost there, as they’ve almost been three of the past four seasons. And like past seasons, Liverpool will be looking for us to usher them to the UEFA Champions League Final. We should assume the Reds will fancy their chances against a team they’ve beaten in this same position in 2005 and 2007. So where should we find hope? Where we always find hope, our personal fortress, Stamford Bridge. But this certainly isn’t telling the whole story or even the beginning of this story, Anfield - 4/22.
I write “Anfield - 4/22” to look like a doomsday prophecy because the word should truly express how I feel about Anfield and the Liverpool Football Club, loathsome (the title I wrote also reminded me of Harry Potter; ‘Chelsea FC and the Battle of the Two Fortresses’). There are so many reasons for my feelings toward Liverpool, but it would be unfair for me not to put blame partially on our own club.
The clash of Chelsea and Liverpool over the years has proved to be one of the cagiest, most boring, and prudent. Naturally I’ve come to dislike these mediocre meetings, especially when we lose and especially at Anfield. I really do fear the stadium, unarguably a European fortress and a fortress designed to withstand Chelsea attack. This is the one ground where Jose Mourinho was never comfortable, the one ground we have never been comfortable in recent years. I can only imagine our European success had we not been drawn to two semi-finals against Liverpool — two finals, two championships perhaps? It’s time to end this terrible record we’ve been bestowed with.
The one thing that gives me confidence in this tie is certainly a first: Avram Grant. I’m a huge believer in superstition when it comes to football. Has anyone else grasped the thought that Grant’s miniscule difference in management might be able to achieve what Jose Mourinho couldn’t? That’s my hope but so is a 4-4-2, dare to dream eh? I expect our Anfield visit to be very similar to those in Greece and Turkey: we’ll sit back the entire game and hope for Deivid to come storming on the field and score and beautiful own goal.
Seriously though, it’s Chelsea vs. Liverpool at Anfield, an exciting game is almost as unlikely as Emile Heskey scoring in consecutive games. I mentioned to a friend who’s not experienced in football to watch our Liverpool game at the Bridge. It was a good thing he didn’t follow my advice or else it would have scarred his football image for years. I’m not expecting a 4-3 thriller or even a 2-1 thriller so anything but a loss won’t upset me too much. However, I do believe we have to score at Anfield. One at Anfield and one at Stamford Bridge and we’re off to Moscow. Two goals. Whichever team gets two goals between two games will win it.
Where are the goals going to come from? If I were a gambler I’d place a bet on Joey Cole. He’s scored a couple times at Anfield and a couple times at the Bridge; he’s also due a goal. I much expect our squad to look exactly as the one Avram Grant has favored with a fully fit squad: Cech, Essien, Carvalho, Terry, A. Cole, Makelele, Ballack, Lampard (?), Kalou, Drogba, J. Cole. Avram Grant has said that Drogba and Ballack are injured, but I don’t buy it. Just as I don’t buy it when Benitez says he doesn’t know if Steven Gerrard will play because of injury.
I could certainly be wrong about the lineup, maybe Grant has been waiting for this opportunity to utilize the legendary 4-4-2. If it came down to choosing two strikers, based on form I’d have to choose Drogba and Shevchenko. If we get the ball in front of the net we can’t squander the opportunity. We’re playing Liverpool, two or three chances wouldn’t be a bad mark. Anelka hasn’t been able to finish anything in his path. He’s forced the best from some keepers and has hit the crossbar three times. Throw Shevchenko in there and give him a run. He left us with a screamer against Villa and he deserves a Champions League opportunity. I’m also banking in that Ballack isn’t hurt. This would be a huge blow for a squad, he’s been the key for us in Champions League games this season and the thought of no Ballack or Lampard is frankly (no pun intended) frightening.
A fairly realistic and helpful result would be 1-1. A 1-1 draw will put us in the driver’s seat at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool have had little to no success at our home front but holding back against their desperation attempts could still be risky. I’ll give an early goal to Chelsea from Joey Cole and mid second-half response by Liverpool from a setpiece. Maybe Mr. Gerrard will even score for us again, who knows!
45 Comments
1. mike ayad
2. chelseaforever
You first say that you are selecting strikers on form and then you select SHEVA??!! I mean the guys hasnt played any football for months. He is rotting in the reserves and cant even score their. HOw do you expect him to come back directly in this hugeeeee game?
I’d rather have Anelka coz he is due us a goal, BIG TIME and he has a knack of scoring against his former clubs.
3. Steve Clarke
i too think sheva sould get the nod ahead of anelka. sheva has not played many matches but he has been playing in reserves, must be training hard everyday. anelka is just like the average grunt. toadally confused.
4. Adam
I don’t expect this to be a free-flowing game. If that were the case I’d surely choose Anelka who can roam around and create something through his movement. So with that in mind if Chelsea is going to be waiting for one opportunity, one good pass, one good cross to find the head or foot of Sheva or Anelka, I’m going with Sheva in Europe. Anelka has had chance after chance after chance, I don’t want to have to hope this is the game where he’ll get the perfect opportunity to score and regain his confidence. 19 games, 2 goals, and probably 5 times that number in chances.
5. Smicer
why is toad praising gerrard? he is a good player allright but why should toad admit to the press that he loves him and given a choice marry him? this is plain stupid move. why should he praise gerrard instead of lampard ahead of this contest?
remember TSO proclaimed in his first seasons that lampard is the best midfielder in europe and lampard grew and improved exponentially after that. also toad says he wants gerrard to play for chelsea. what for??? what formation will he play with lampard, gerrard, ballack, essien, mikel and maka and sidwell and may be joe cole and swp. what a load of bull?
we know that toad has no clue but he keeps proving it every day!!
6. AGfriend
Just watched “a couple times at the bridge.
J Cole goal, started by carvalho with a fantastic pass to DD, is that type of football that the toad wishes to emulate?
free flowing sexy attacking football? AG better watch the video so he can learn what “sexy attacking football” under JM was like.
7. Maysam
Guys, I have invited to somewhere to watch the game I want to design a T-shirt for the game, If you were me, what would you write on the T-shirt ?
there so many Liverpool fans there.
8. Smicer
AGFriend - are you still calling him AG. he is TOAD. Chelsea fans all around are addressing him as TOAD. whichever person from the chelsea establishment looks up on the internet, be it kenyon, buck or even roman, should be seeing the word ‘TOAD’ being used for Average Grunt. This way they’ll know how lowly Chelsea fans think of the TOAD!
9. Krishna
The job of the defenders and Maka would be to block Torres and Gerrard.
Maka did a great job in the France vs England friendly blocking Gerrard.
An away goal is very important and if we lose, it should not be by more than one goal.
Torres has not played both the encounters this season at Bridge so I would comment yet that Liverpool can’t score at the Bridge.
10. Adam
Blah. I keep forgetting that Essien is out for Anfield. Lampard is an absolute necessity.
11. sang_buragas
i dreamt chelsea won!!!! goal from malouda =)
12. AGFriend's foe
without Essien our midfield will be dud…2-0 to Liverpool….
lol…Mourinho stooges talkng abt sexy football…
13. Blue Devil
Adam Mikhal!
Nice post!
14. Smicer
AGFF - being a TOAD STOOGE makes you any proud? lol. you must be admiring the TOAD for his magnetic, inspiring, electric personality . . lol. i say TOAD admirers are as intelligent as TOAD . . i heard before every match someone reminds TOAD that we can start only eleven players because he was trying play everyone . .
what are the chances that toad does not understand the offside rule yet?
15. Killa
toad stooges like AGFF, TBF, joeblue etc - read this.
after ben haim’s outburst he was fined 80k and sent to the youth team for the rest of the season. that was grant’s ‘punishment’ to ben haim. now that punishment has been reversed lol. that’s chelsea fc’s way of saying ‘grant you fool, who gave you this autority, just step aside. kenyon and terry will decide on these matters’.
if there is one good thing about this toad being here is that terry must have honed his managerial skills in the absence of a manager after TSO.
16. Smicer
rumours say Toad could join Benfica!!!!! wow!
i’m sorry benfica fans! it’s just a manager swap. we got your mourinho and won half a dozen trophies. we’ll give you grant and you win your half a dozen trophies! it’s only fair and we thought we have to repay you.
17. Smicer
toad has been losing the dressing room.
essien and ballack are unhappy and will quit this summer. lampard and drogba will join TSO in Inter. the only saving grace for toad was that these players knew what to do. if toad gets his own players, he will be biggest disaster in football.
18. Smicer
maysam @ 7
“If Rafa can’t beat Grant, you don’t deserve the cup”
“We have a title-deciding league game between the semi final legs, how about you?”
“You suck. Every Tom, Hicks & Parry knows it.”
“Are you still in the running, oh i realise it’s not the league”
want some more?
19. Pensioner
When the transfer market reopens I think Chelsea should do a Madrid.
Pass this around to your friends.
I think that they’ll love it.
20. Pensioner
Transfer Market
Budget
For Sale
(GK)Carlo Cudicini released
(GK)Hilario £2m
(RB)Juliano Belletti £3.m
(CM)Michael Essien £17m
(CM)Michael Ballack released
(CM)Claude Makelele released
(RM)Shaun Wright-Phillips £15m
(FW)Didier Drogba £20m
(FW)Andriy Shevchenko £14m
(FW)Nicolas Anelka £9m
(FW)Salomon Kalou £10m
£90m + £4m (youth team)
Total
= £94m (+/-)
21. Pensioner
Transfer Market
Budget
GOALKEEPER
(GK)Craig Gordon £8m
(GK)Kasper Schmeichel £4m
DEFENSE
(RB)Sergio Ramos £22m
MIDFIELD
(LM)Arjen Robben £24m
(CM)Steven Gerrard £26m
(CM)Gelson Fernandes £8m
(RM)Adel Taarabt £8m
FORWARD
(FW)Fernando Torres £37m
(FW)Robinho £27m
(FW)Ryan Babel £15m
Total
£179m
If Madrid can spend money like crazy (Kaka), then why can’t the richest club in the world.
22. Pensioner
Warren Buffet
23. AGFriend's foe
to all Mourinho stooges anyone who mocks Mourinho is a Grant’s man…braindead people…
24. JoseHoliday
AGFF @ 23 Where on earth did you get that idea and writing style ?
Depending on your age, you definitely need a beer or chicken soup or a pacifier
25. heyjose
good news lamps is available for anfield tie his agent confirmed that lamps is available for the match
26. AGFriend's foe
@24….I got this idea after watching our team full of ‘true grit,true spirit and HUGE balls’….afterall a Mourinho’s side….
27. Pensioner
Krishna
“…Florent Maluda can be swapped with Drenthe and …”
- I think you’re right, Chelsea could use a player like Drenthe. Chelsea could swap him for Ashley Cole seeing that Madrid were and still might be interested in him and tried their utmost best to secure his signature. Madrid even went as far, as to offer to double his wages.
Add Drenthe to the list and our backline would look something like this:
Sergio Ramos-Terry-Carvaliho-Drenthe
I also forgot to add Boulahrouz to the list of players to sell. If Chelsea sold him for say for £5m and if one were to add all those hundreds of thousands behind the millions, Chelsea should reach that golden £100m mark.
Maths:
£179m-£100m= £79m
How much cash did Madrid want to spend on Kaka off AC Milan?
I don’t see how Madrid can be such a succesful club and Chelsea who is the wealthiest club in the world can run their business like an ordinary football club.
Some basics to help build a succesful team.
1)Always strengthen your team in every possible way.
2)Put in place performance based contracts with bonuses to keep the players motivated.
3)Avram should get the best damn phychologists that money can buy as soon as possible. Anyone can see that before a single ball is kicked. The players … they’re not in the right state of mind.
28. Pensioner
Krishna
“…Florent Maluda can be swapped with Drenthe and …”
- I think you’re right, Chelsea could use a player like Drenthe. Chelsea could swap him for Ashley Cole seeing that Madrid were and still might be interested in him and tried their utmost best to secure his signature. Madrid even went as far, as to offer to double his wages.
Add Drenthe to the list and our backline would look something like this:
Sergio Ramos-Terry-Carvaliho-Drenthe
I also forgot to add Boulahrouz to the list of players to sell. If Chelsea sold him for say for £5m and if one were to add all those hundreds of thousands behind the millions, Chelsea should reach that golden £100m mark.
Maths:
£179m-£100m= £79m
How much cash did Madrid want to spend on Kaka off AC Milan?
I don’t see how Madrid can be such a succesful club and Chelsea who is the wealthiest club in the world can run their business like an ordinary football club.
Some basics to help build a succesful team.
1)Always strengthen your team in every possible way.
2)Put in place performance based contracts with bonuses to keep the players motivated.
3)Avram should get the best damn phychologists that money can buy as soon as possible. Anyone can see that before a single ball is kicked. The players … they’re not in the right state of mind.
29. Pensioner
Delete the copy please. I don’t see why Wordpress didn’t scream duplicate?
Anyway…
30. Den
Pensioner, Are you dumb? we will never get Ramos, Nor will we ever get Gerrard, Torres or Robben back!
Ribery is better than all of those player sin my opinion and we have had scous watching him, if we sign him i will go off my face. I reckon one or two of huntelar, palacio, gomes or Aguero will arrive. Also i think martin Caceres will be bought for the future. Also one of Diego, VDV, Modric, Hamsik will go to the bridge as we will look for creative players, If modric goes to the brodge i reckon he will be used on the left side of midfield as a playmaker as he can play there awith our 4-4-2 next season, Anelka has already confirmed that Grant(if remains in chanrge) will play 4-4-2.
To leave i feel will be Belletti, Cudicini, Drogba, Shevchenko, Boulahrouz, SWP will leave. We are rebuilding and i garuanty ext season we will be more attacking that ever.
31. JoseHoliday
AGFF @26
our team full of ‘true grit,true spirit and HUGE balls’…. a Mourinho side….
has been turned into a team of wankers
by the greatest stone-faced toad turd jerk of all : Mr AG
I fear for Chelsea ,I will watch tomorrow’s game with apprehension and jitters:
what do ye feel about tomorrow’s game O’ AGFF ?
Do you feel that a shining knight shall burst forth from his Toad disguise and save us through his leadership and brilliant tactics and fell Liverpool with one sweep of his sweaty hands ?
32. AGfriend
There is an article in the daily Express today about a deadly fungus set to wipe out every frog and toads, lets hope he arraives in SB.
The enviromental editor reckons that can affect “toad’s sympatizers” watch out AGFF.
33. Pensioner
Lets PICK and choose who we’ll want in the starting line-up.
Oh, and Robinho has a £25m buy out clause.
Forget about paying £27m?
GOALKEEPERS (GK)Petr Cech (GK)Craig Gordon (GK)Kasper Schmeichel
DEFENDERS (RB)Sergio Ramos (RB)Paulo Ferriera (CB)John Terry (CB)Ricardo Carvalho
(CB)Alex (CB)Tal Ben Haim (LB)Ashley Cole (LB)Wayne Bridge (R)Branislav Ivanovic
MIDFIELDERS (LM)Arjen Robben (LM)Florent Malouda (CM)Frank Lampard (CM)Steven Gerrard (CM)Gelson Fernandes (CM)John Obi Mikel (RM)Joe Cole (RM)Adel Taarabt (R)Steve Sidwell
FORWARDS (FW)Fernando Torres/Samuel Et’o (FW0Robinho (FW)Ryan Babel (FW)??? (R)Claudio Pizarro
CECH
SERGIO RAMOS-TERRY-CARVALIHO-DRENTHE
BABBEL-GERRARD-LAMPARD-ROBBEN
ROBINHO - ET’O
Try and beat me.
34. AGfriend
should read “it arrives in SB”
35. AGfriend
In the international pres Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso of Sporting of Portugal in negotiations with chelsea for next season.
Brilliant young players they are .
36. Arun CFC
Mr Toad this season chelsea have a great chance to win champion’s league, plz donot think it is because of ur stupid brain or ur tactics , but it is because of ur LUCK….
Even if we win champion’s league , chelsea will sack u because this season we had a clear chance to win all the four trophies , if we had good manager by now chelsea may have won the EPL title, Because of AG foolish brain we lost many point’s (remember game against wigan(1-1),totenham(4-4) ect….)
To Steve Clark, john Terry and all chelsea player’s Plz remember liverpool vs intermilan match. liverpool killed intermilan in first leg itself.so tomorrow we must score an away goal, and also should deal steven gerald and torres.
37. Pensioner
“Atletico want £27m to trigger the buy-out clause in their star’s contract.”
“Liverpool are reluctant to go that high…”
“…they could offer £7m-rated Luis Garcia in part-exchange.”
“ARSENE WENGER can get his top transfer summer target on the cheap after it emerged that Ajax winger Ryan Babel has a £6million get-out clause.”
1)Where was Chelsea throughout all of this?
2)Where were Chelsea’s infamous scouts?
3)Finally.. by any chance who is Chelsea’s Chief-Scout?
4)????
5)????
6)????
38. its foot+ball, not air+ball
@31…’has been turned into a team of wankers’…yeah same side which was time and again ousted of CL by average Liverpool team and that too under TSO….LOL…
39. JoseHoliday
Has Mr AG ever been a in position of direct responsibility during a match of tomorrow’s magnitude?
Some say his got LUCK.But is that enough to face the din of the KOP ?
But in semi and finals CL matches you gotta have more than that alone.
The manager gotta plan ,prepare ,inspire,kick ass,outwit the opposition and rally the troops to defy the odds ;that’s what he’s paid for.
Unfortunately our yours truely ,don’t seem to have these skills in abundance.
So we must rely on the players to take us thru.
That’s why AG must go whether he takes the CL by luck or not this year .
If he’s truly the lucky one he’s gotta have a winning streak that gets us 2 EPL titles and 2 CL’s in the space of 3 years which with his luck alone will not happen .
There’s no hot streak gambler kinda thing in football.
Anyways the KOP will be baying like hounds for his and our blood.
Me will be stoic as much as possible.
And I hope AG don’t break down while it’s all going on.
40. ish
people are too concerned about buying. i think chelsea buys too many god damn players. why would we need babel? robinho has been playing shit and over-rated. robben we sold because he was glass.
lets see our team based on rumours of who is leaving and staying should be.
GK: Cech, #Given/Ustari , Hilario
DEF: Ferriera, Ivanovic, Terry, Carvalho, Alex, Ashley Cole, #Mamadou Sakho
MID: J. Cole, Ballack, Essien, Makelele, Mikel, Malouda, Wright-Phillips, #van der vaart, #toulalan, kalou
ATT: Anelka, #Gomez/huntelaar , #Menez, #cardozo
of course i doubt alot of them would come since most new signings would be bench roles at best. Maybe just promote some youth players like sahar and tejera. with a 442 we would have a spare for every role and then some. The weakness is maybe the fact that alot of the players are coming into their prime and will want games, especially the forwards.
41. IwasMissingJose
i heard mourinho is joining inter and taking lamps and drog with him???
42. Adam
#41
Nothing is certain, that’s all speculation. Inter is certainly a possibility for Jose but not guaranteed.
43. IwasMissingJose
but the sun has said, jose has agreed terms with inter..
44. Krishna
After initially commenting on whom we should buy, I think we need to decide on the Coach first and let the Coach decide who he wants to buy for the expansive play.
Why not get Frankie ( and Samuel ) from Barca ?
45. Adam
Everyone rally for the troops in BC Shout tomorrow!
————-cech————–
ferreira—carvalho—terry–cole
———-maka————–
—————-lampard—–
Cole———————–Kalou
———shevchenko———–
—————–drogba——–
1-1 Kalou to score!!!!
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