Few weeks back, how many would have put their money on Chelsea beating Juventus? This is two great wins in two matches for Guus. I’m not trying to trumpet for Guus. I know he’d be gone in May but the facts and results are simple. In his first two matches, a win against Aston Villa at Villa Park and a win against Juventus, is a fantastic start. I have to give the credit to Guus because this Chelsea team, a few weeks back, did even look equipped to beat Stoke City at Stamford bridge. This team needed replays with Southend, conceded in every possible opportunity and most worryingly was turning into a mediocre bunch.
Guus has turned it around. He’s got Drogba playing. He’s made the team play with more purpose. That ‘game intelligence’ that was missing for months is slowly coming back. The players think like a team, there is some alignment in their thoughts. That alignment is there because of the clarity that they have got. Of course there were some tense moments in the match and if Juve had equalised we could not have complained. It was an evenly fought contest but it was clear that Chelsea wanted to score and then they wanted to win.
Guus’ interview after the match is very very impressive:
I am satisfied with the narrow result but I am not satisfied over the whole game. In the first part we started very well, defensively well-organised, good pressing and we opened our attacks through the wings. We were dangerous around the first 15 minutes but after the goal we dropped back too far and made some distances between our attack, defence and midfield. Juventus could then play in between and they are very intelligent to do so. They were a little bit anxious after the goal and if we had continued in the way we were playing in the first 20 minutes, we were on the edge of scoring another goal. In the second half we had some attacks but not more than that and Juventus dominated. Although they created danger, they did make a very open chance for the equaliser but nevertheless, we did not control well in the second half.
These are the words of a coach who wants more and demands more. I’m very happy that he is very honest in his assessment of the game.
It is a great win but is 1-0 good enough to take to Turin? If you look at how well Juve could play at Stamford Bridge, you can say that probably Juve will score at Turin. That means Chelsea absolutely needs to score at their backyard. I think we would just do that and progress. My confidence is back. That’s because I see the confidence of the players and the manager. Hoping for a 1-1 at Turin.
Go Blues Go. the chelsea attack looked awesome yesterday, and I couldnt believe my eyes that this was the same chelsea team that lost to liverpool and man u.
Paisa vasool match… though would’ve enjoyed it even more had we scored a 2nd.
Hey, if Guus has the right to ask more, so do we as fans, right? :P
Bravo Chelsea!…really pleased to c drogba with that passion. Hope he can continues with that
At turin well I suggest u go with the same strategy. Full blooded attack upfront..score a crucial away goal and then keep possession of the ball.
Every chelsea fan is full of optimism.we surely cant let this go away now. Be it UEFA,Premier league or FA cup…we cant let this gr8 start by guus go away.
the first 20 minutes was brilliant..! after that we just slowed down…. happens almost all the time ….its like they are content with just a goal…
but i really like guus’ attitude towards the team and the way we play… he really never minces the words…
lets hope chelsea will give a spirited performance as y’day for every forthcoming game….
and congrats to cech for completing his 200th game with a clean sheet!!
KTBFFH!
I´ve already started to count the clean sheets peter cech has. Its 2 in a row. Need 12 more to break the record. Peter you can do it, just have faith! I´d be happy with 0-0 i Turin, but it will be 0 – 2 as we´d be performing atleast 80 percent our capacity by then.
we really could have scored one more.. or we should have scored one more. 2-0 had been really good goin for the second leg. u know what guys.. in the end wit the last kick of the game, I thought for a few sec that Nedved had scored, it looked liked it and I started to feel as bad I as I used to do a few weeks back. but now its our turn to have a lil bit of luck. Good job GH.
The team did well. Cech was good, I wish ballack lampsy would have controlled the midfield much better then they did. but atleast we got the win. now lets build up from this and get better and fitter till we se them again in about two weeks.
it just hit me.. no wonder we been injured soo much this season, Players arent fit to play at the highest level. from wat I understand Deco pulled his hamstring in practice?? shouldnt they know how to practice inorder to stay in shape?? its one thing if it was the young rookies but its the veterans. just a thought…
aite when is the next game for the boys???
/k
if scolari were the boss for this game his interview wuld be like this:
………..we didn’t play the beautiful game but the result speaks itself, we played well……
look wat Hiddink said, he’s the passion for the game and he wants much more from the chelsea..that’s the mark of a good manager
anyways…we were quite shaky after the first half. I think we should do much better than this in Italy, it’s going to be hard..but my confidence level is very high after Hiddink’s arrival, i think we’ll see much more better team in Italy…
KTBFFH!!
What’s all this crap side talk about Kalou wanting to play for Arsenal? It baffles me that these Chelsea lads don’t have enough common sense to shut their damn mouths around the media. Worry about that crap at the end of the season, until then, focus on the task at hand.
In my last post, my wish was for Didier to score, that came true. And with hopes that it will turn his season around. Guus looks like in real control of the dressing room and his post match interviews has been honest and right-on reflecting with the performance. To be honest, I have a little faith with players like Kalou, Malouda or even Deco to stay beyond the summer, and the fact that Guus has not confirmed his stay makes it even harder for others to commit expect for the true Blues who stay and fight in the name of CHELSEA FC and not the $$$ FC…. KTBFFH!!!
sorry for being naive, but wtf is KTBFFH?
Keep The Blue Flag Flying High
LOL~ I always wondered WTF that was as well.. thanks for asking IwasMissingJose!
KTBFFH!
Man, this American economy is screwing me up. Fuck ! I hardly get a chance to blog these days.
Anyways, was just in time to catch the game. Pretty good game. I dont understand what all bullshit Amauri speaks!! Asshole. Good to see DD singing again in Chelsea. We need to tighten up the defense a bit. I am not at all convinced in the defensive abilities of Alex and Terry sans Ricky is half of his capability. We should have Gus permanently at SB at any cost.
Now we are at the very important phase of the season, that every game is do or die situation. Pretty good to see we are peaking up at the right point of time. Though, its Manures shit written all over the EPL , we just hope that they slip up. Anything can happen till the last over in Cricket, Anything can happen till the last day in Football. It just makes me say, Oh My Blue, i love you again!!!
I am glad that Mr. President has signed the much needed Stimulus.
PS: ArseLOL, where are they? Do they have any hopes of playing CL next year?
I thought the goal was offsides,but juvi couldnt score anyways
CLAUDIO PIZZARO destroyed Ac Milan and knocked them out of UEFA Cup by his 2 goals. Bring the Inca God back, he would shine for Chelsea
It would be
Drogba Anelka
or for second team Pizzaro Kalou
upfront,
What is this wtf?
Is it what the fcuk
–
Sent on a phone using T9space.com
http://www.urbandictionary.com/
most of these stupid abbreviations can be explained at above link, but what is KTBFFH.
Very well played CFC, Kalous pass was brilliant. But does he want to stay or go?
Great game by chelsea.Everybody look determined to play through all 90 minutes.Hope this form contiues in other games as well.
@All those who are trying to figure out what is KTBFFH.It is KEEP THE BLUE FLAG FLYING HIGH.
Even I didnt know it,I googled it and got the answer.
Replying to jpenov:
Replying to DanaBlue:
Replying to trueblue:
thanks mates, KTBFFH!
Our defensive line need to be stronger.We are far better than SCOLARI era.We can win the CL this year.At TURIN ESSIEN must replace Ballack.
dick advoaat may be the manager of russia and that means hiddink will take charge of chelsea for longer than planed. abramovic wants to sign ribery and zirkhov or wathever his name is. very good signings wish we got benzema to and gareth barry. malouda and kalou wants to leave so i think we should let them even if i liked kalou.
In Jose and Avram era chelsea got one of the best fitness in the EUROPE ,but look at now,evey player is saying that,they suck in fitness and it is obvious.In JUVE game players didnt played well after 70minutes ,even JOHN TERRY is not fit enough,his running had been to slow.
GOD DAMN YOU SCOLARI ,YOU MAKE A LAZY CHELSEA,but guus is here to fix it.
This is indeed a very good result considering the fact the second half we were in some terms dominated but still keeping a clean sheet is always good news. The old Drogba is coming back slowly but surely, and with a few more games he should be back to his best, which is always bad news for defenders and good news for us. At the end of the game DD made a very crucial point, the fact that they didn’t play well in the second half but he also pointed out the fact that the squad needs more training, as he and Frank both said at 70 minutes they didn’t have the legs to carry on. As we all know Hiddinks has picked up the tempo in training and in a few weeks time we should be able to see our old Chelsea back. I know it has only been 2 games under Guus but the change can be already spotted. I don’t think anyone here would agree to the point that Chelsea could of won against Aston Villa and Juventus within a week under LFS. Another good news is what Guus is doing off the pitch, he has laid down a few key checkpoints, which all squad members have to follow, these include:
1. The squad has to wear there suits and ties when travelling or doing interviews (compared to the laid back attitude adopted by LFS)
2. Squad members have to be punctual and on time for training or any other meetings.
3. High tempo training in which players have to adopt new styles and work harder.
4. No mobile phones during training or meetings.
5. If any of the rules are broken then players will be punished.
To some this may seem like high school stuff but in reality this is exactly what Chelsea have been lacking as of late, discipline and hardwork is what we need to portray on and off the pitch. Im happy with Guus’s approach towards the club, he’s not here just to pick up his paycheck at the end of the season, he is here to show Chelsea how they should be performing. Now most of us would of heard that Kalou has expressed his desire to play for Arsenal, well to be honest I am a fan of Kalou because I think under the right management he can flourish but when you don’t consider your future with Chelsea then it’s better to leave. Therefore in summer I wouldn’t be surprised with the departures of Kalou, Malouda (he also wants Juve to sign him), Deco (can’t see how he can fit into the club anymore) Ballack (he may be playing well at times but it’s time to let him go) Ivanovic (I heard he’s already signed a contract to leave at the end of the season). But at the end of the day the good news is Hiddinks himself wants Chelsea to sign Ribbery (he is pure class we all know) and Zhirkov (he dominated against Aston Villa yesterday and another brilliant player) and Im sure some other names will also leave and arrive at the end of the season. Chelsea needs some fresh blood and I expect a few surprises at the end of the season.
P.S: Franco Di Santo, Manciene, Stoch and Sinclair are also making good impressions and hopefully by next season they will also feature more for the club. CHELSEA FOREVA !!
Sell Malouda, buy Zhirkov and give Sinclair a chance to show his worth to Chelsea! let him and Quaresma rotate flanks!!
a rattling well-written comment Jaz
i expect Quaresma to play some part in the game
tomorow game
———-cech———
bos-terry-alex-a.cole
———mikel——–
kalou———-balack
———lamps——
–drogba–anelka—
xersxesk, do you remember pizarro in the premiership? absolute no, I promise you, if he came back, he’d be exactly the same as he was then…terrible
i was happy with our first half performance, angry drogba missed his easiest chances, but thats football?
id be happy with a draw at turin but we should still chase the 2 goal lead
drogba has made a very valid point which goes as far to explain our problem with set pieces and why we always conceed late goals…we are unfit, a scolari effect, the team may have a higher average age but no doubt we should still be brushing teams aside
denver, it looks like kalou and malouda are leaving this summer, that pleases me, and I think we are more than certain to buy zhirkov
ktbffh!!!! lol
Replying to TruePlatinum:
good points… what do you thing about ben Arfa….. who would you like to renforce the mid when deco leaves…. and if Ballack leave?? we need creative people going foward…. Mikel is just too negative….also poor passing and shooting…. (i dont hate the guy) but when essien comes back mikel might loose his place.. because he lacks these things
BTID!!!!
Sell pizaro,sheva,malouda,ferreira,kalou if he wants.
Bring zhirkov/ben arfa,riberi/robinho,rvp
–
Sent on a phone using T9space.com
denver, i think mikel can improve, remember the 2-1 win at emirates last season, mikel should be doing all that makelele did then, winning the ball back, bringing it out of danger and splitting the defence with the killer pass, i think mikel has his heart in the right place, but just doesn’t quite pull it off, i think we would of benefited from having makelele another season to teach mikel. I think of john obi like anderson at man utd, shows glimpses and maturity for his age, one day, both will be great players
obviously podolski is my choice after the unlikely messi. Ben arfa could do very well, he doesn’t appear as robust as messi but with ben arfa, would surely get us running riot down the left flank again, when the january rumors surfaced, i did have hope so hatem ben arfa and zhirkov would be good buys
deco (for me) doesn’t add anything to the squad, he is slower than our existing midfield, small, weak, does not pass as well, he gives us variaton on set pieces but I don’t think he would be much of a loss, when he comes back we can always place a wingback in the holding role and unleash lampard with essien
ballack on the other hand will be a big loss, talent like ballack in his shape are rare, height, strength, fair pace, skill in attack and defence. Although he has withered of late, the replacement needs to have same kind of ability, on that note, i think miguel veloso or joa moutinho would be a fine addition. I also think players like wilson palacios with the tenacity and technical ability would do us well. Ballack gone means one less tower in the box
Replying to TruePlatinum:
I rate you man!!! podolski!!! good choice. I just believe in the Germans!! I too wanted them (ben and yuri) to come.
u hit the nail on the head.. deco needs to go … we need real steel in that chelsea mid field.. roman will sort it out.. i noticed he has been taking notes !! to replace ballack we could get Borowski!!!!(lfet mid but could adjust) rememeber him (2006 ) replace ballack and looked good.. but ill back ballack for another season.
lets look at the possible att mid for next season:
Quaresma, Zhirkov, j.cole, Ben Arfa, if we get ribery we cant get ben arfa…. thats too much to have in one team (they are starters)
forwards:
drogba (yes he can retire here if he wants) Podolski Di santo, Anelka, … Super Mario if not podolski
by the way we need a keeper: and takers??
by the way borowksi is like a copy of ballack…. passing penalties !! you name it!
i am a great fan of ballack guys, and i really want to see him finish his career in Chelsea. You guys don´t see his contribution in the pitch, but this is the guy who makes intelligent and effective passes and is a power in air. I don´t know if you have noticed or not, but since his arrival, almost 70 percent of the asissts in vital games (specially CL and finals) were from ballack or were ballack induced goals. There is no match to his character and devotion, someone like JT but completely different personality.
In response to IwasmissingJose I completely agree, Ballack is a very important player on this team, I want nothing more than for him to retire at Chelsea. When Chelsea have their 3 core midfielders: Lampard, Ballack and Essien.. Chelsea play like a well-oiled machine. Now that Mikel has stabilized himself as our holding defensive midfielder, once Essien returns I think we should bump Kalou out of the starting XI and play Essien in a more attacking role which would probably be best suited for him, while leaving Mikel in his same position. Chelsea should play a 4-4-2 diamond which would turn into a 4-1-2-1-2.. it would look like something like this:
————————-Cech————————
—–Bosingwa—-Carvalho—-Terry—-A.Cole—
————————Mikel————————-
———Essien———————–Ballack——–
———————-Lampard———————–
———Anelka——————–Drogba———-
I believe that this is the best possible lineup we can field when at full health with the current players we have, and is best suited for this team.
Guys do not forget, we are still a world class club… What is the difference between this Chelsea team and the one that went into the Champions League Final in Moscow? We have the quality, we have the ability.. yes we lack fitness and consistency.. but these are things that can be fixed. Look at the world-class team we have. Guus Hiddink is bringing out the best of Chelsea, things are starting to turn into the real Chelsea again. Liverpool won the Champions League against all odds, it took some luck but they were a 5th place side in the EPL that season. Chelsea players should play with the pain in the hearts of that rainy Moscow evening and leave it all out on the field.
We can win the Champions League.
I completely agree. Thats the best possible formation for current chelsea squad. Mikel as CDM and Essien and Ballack/Lampard as RM and LM and Ballack/Lampard as CAM.
However for this game against Wigan i expect 4-3-3, so that we can widen up our goal difference a bit.
my formation for today would be,
————————cech—————————-
Mancienne—–Terry——Alex/ivanovic——A. Cole/ferreira
—Ballack/stoch———–Mikel———–Lampard
Kalou/Di santo—–Anelka/Drogba—Drogba/Anelka
Oh, for RB it should be Mancienne/Belleti. and for CDM Mikel/Miniero, i guess Miniero deserves a game, otherwise why was he bought at the first place?
Chelsea 1-0 Aston Villa: “blue-magic” leaves Italians miffed…
The Champions leagueeeeeee, da da da….
Here we go… this interview was done on the 20 March 2008.
“Yes, I would love to play Chelsea in the Champions League next year,’
But why, Mister?
“Kenyon was the new boss and new bosses tend to want to bring in their own people.
“I was not one of his people.
“Am I bitter? Yes. Bitterness, rancour, hurt – call it what you like.
“Before Abramovich came, I was doing my job. I carried on doing it for him and I wanted to continue doing it.”
Claudio Ranieri speaking at Juventus Training Ground, which is nestled against the Alps; the man who, in British football, proceeded from being Chelsea’s Tinkerman to the Dead Man Walking – and then Proud Man Walking, which is the title of his memoir.
This match had the making of a classic. Here are some caparisons between the two great clubs. But just to remind you Mr. Roman Abramovich and Bruce Buck are private individuals and hardly do any interviews.
According to Peter Kenyon, most of the world should have been blue by now. Ranieri now occupies a post that is, in its way, even more prestigious than Chelsea, as La Fidanzata D’Italia (Italy’s girlfriend) is an institution without parallel in sport, an Italian national side and the most widely supported football team in Europe.
Chelsea began to stutter after a very good start to their european campaign: defeated in Roma and a draw in Bordeux, meant that they had to wait until their final group stage match, in order to advance to the next round. In contrast La Vecchia Signora (The Grand Old Lady) breezed through her group: progressed unbeaten and in impressive fashion. The Italians defeated Madrid at home and away and the “list” also included UEFA Cup holders Zenit St. Petersburg and in doing so, conceded only three goals.
Chelsea are currently 10 points behind Manchester United and Juventus are nine points behind Internazionale, who is the only team to have scored more and conceded fewer goals in Serie A.
Guus Hiddink lead a revitalized Chelsea side over the weekend against Aston Villa.
The Frenchman, David Trezeguet has returned from injury and scored in his first game of the season in a 2-0 win at Palermo at the weekend.
“We will try to stop Chelsea reaching the top of the world, which is where Abramovich has programmed them to arrive.” – Claudio Raneiri, 20 March 2008 same interview
A brief summary of the match: the only goal came during the 12th minute as DD bagged his fourth of the season. Chelsea threatened to do some serious damage to the reputation of the azauris who apparently has a mixture of “rejects” and “golden-oldies”, unfortunately for us the blues displayed the same old “adequate” performance.
The second leg will be on 10 March in Stadio Olimpico in de Torino the stadium with a capacity of 27,500 supporters, as their other stadium the Stadio delle Alpi is still being completed and the azauris are unbeaten in 13 ties.
Finally, in Italy the nickname “Mister”, is the term Italians use for an English gentleman, blending respect with pastiche.
CHEERS
what frustrates me is that we don´t have a proper sub for Lampard. that guy has to play each and every match.
I think we have enough midfielders, but the cause is Frank WANTS to play each and every match – in the Mourinho era as well as these days. Anyway, if he was injured or anything, we still have Ballack, Deco, maybe Essien will be ready shortly, an alternative with Belletti as defensive midfielder and Mikel in a more creative role is also possible. Yep, no one of them is Lampard – but that’s simply because there’s only one Frank Lampard! (OK, there are two of them – but the older one is not a Chelsea player :))
lol @vovka for the last line!
while we wait for today´s match, i want you guys to enjoy some famous quotes from our legend coach. It was compiled by Fifa.com.
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=1033132.html?cid=rssfeed&att=
KTBFFH guys!
team for today will definetly be this :
——————————cech——————————
bosingwa———carvalho———-terry——————cole
——————————mikel—————————–
——————–ballack—————-lampard—————–
—kalou———————————————–anelka———
——————————-drogba———————————–
I would like to see quaresma play instead of kalou but this will probably be the team.
Chelsea 2-0 Wigan
Drogba and ballack to score :P
Essien is back … He plays a reserve game on Monday .. Juve game may be too early but should be ready after that
@ IwasMissingJose
I read the article. Lol
Here’s a quote from another legendary manager.
“No. I’ve still got a home in Fulham.”
-Claudio Ranieri
CHEERS
where is bc
Replying to Mike Ayad:
it can´t be like that mate. Bosingwa is suspended for this game due to 5 yellow cards.
Wy is BC not updating this website?
Anyway, I predict a 3-0 scorline against wigan. Lampard will definitely score! Go chelsea!
Why is BC not updating this website?
Anyway, I predict a 3-0 scorline against wigan. Lampard will definitely score! Go chelsea!
Team for today’s match
Cech, Mancienne, Alex, Terry, Ashley Cole, Ballack, Mikel, Lampard, Kalou, Anelka, Drogba.
Subs: Hilario, Ivanovic, Di Santo, Malouda, Quaresma, Ferreira, Belletti.
GH for president=)
Good result for us. now we are second…lets catch som red devils now….
my own game recap…
Lampard MOM
Drog good game but he needs to get on the scoreline.
Ballack didnt do much, at times I had hard finding him on the pitch and he looks soft on tackles. But he did good on the assist for lamsy
Michael M, what a kid. he is a footballplaying rightback. being a rookie and his first league start he did well.
JT..almost forgot about him, what can I say he da man love him. great goal for a CB. now he is the leadin goal scorer of all time among CB.
if lampsy wouldnt have scored and we would have drawn instead..that would have been our own faults. We kinda go back to slow-gear at times and we gave them confident to attack us. I was actually impressed wit the way Wigan played. they are touch team and they did press us. in the first 20 I was wondering if it was a replica chelsea team out there=)
but we did come along fine after we scored the goal.
Winning isnt Everything its the only thing guys!!!
lets keep on rolling…
have nice weekend
/K
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