I know it’s bit too delayed for a match reaction post. I just couldn’t find time to write a blog. Anyway, that was a great match. On Saturday, Man Utd had just beaten Tottenham. That was supposed to be their biggest hurdle of their run-in. And they won it with a two-goal margin. That meant Chelsea had to beat Stoke. Some thought that the goal difference didn’t matter so much because as long as we win our matches, we will be champions. But Chelsea had other ideas.

Much has been said about Chelsea’s third 7-goal haul by Chelsea in this year, after 104 years not having scored 7 in a match. The fact that Chelsea has scored 7 goals in a match thrice in a few months shows how much this team has improved under Ancelotti. Whether Ancelotti wins the league or not, whether he wins the FA Cup or not, I cannot deny the fact that the team has certainly improved under him.

Against Stoke, we had several great performances. But the man of the match for me was Super Frankie Lampard. His performance was just sublime. He was creative, he was box-to-box and he was playing like it was some training match. His penalty was brilliant. If you’ve been following his penalties this season, his penalties have just been top class. It’s good from a world cup point of view because I don’t see England avoiding a penalty shootout if they are to progress. Even otherwise, I’m pretty pleased with the assurance with which he smashes his penalties.

And then, his second goal should contest for the goal of the season contests. Traditionally, all your goal of the season contests are heavily biased with the long range efforts. I agree these 40-yarders are pretty difficult to pull off but they are also 70:30 on luck and skills respectively while the close range finishes such as the second goal from Lampard are very high on skill. When Lampard scored a blinder against Barcelona at Nou Camp couple of years back, I had written that Lampard was not getting enough credit for his efforts. I’m saying it again. If that goal was scored by a Xavi or an Iniesta or a Messi, you’d have the whole world raving about it. But since it’s Chelsea’s Lampard, no one’s even talking about it for the second time.

The mystery of Kalou continues. He has this knack of playing like a complete novice one day and coming up with some crucial goal the other day. He manages to maintain this inconsistency so consistently. In a barrage of goals, it was strange to see that Drogba couldn’t find one but he was immense too.

Under the circumstances, it was a fantastic performance from Chelsea. If we had finished a little better, we could have had a record scoreline like 10-0 or 11-0. When Man Utd beat Tottenham, the momentum was certainly with them. While a 1-0 or 2-0 win from Chelsea would have retained our one-point lead, only a big win like the 7-0 win could have recaptured the momentum from Man Utd. That’s what happened exactly. As Chelsea demolished Stoke, the confidence of the team has absolutely skyrocketed. Also, with fewer games to go and with a smaller lead, the goal difference does have a value.

I heard some people saying that this league would not be decided on goal difference anymore. That’s wrong. There is indeed a possibility. If Chelsea draw both their matches and if Man Utd win one and lose one, the points will be tied. In this scenario, Chelsea will be champions on goal difference. There is also another possibility that’s not widely expected or even discussed.

If Man Utd lose to Sunderland on Saturday, a Chelsea win on Sunday would clinch the title for the Blues at Anfield. So, Chelsea can win the title with a game to spare if Sunderland beat Man Utd. Do I expect Sunderland to beat Man Utd? Nope. Why? Steve Bruce is from Ferguson’s school. Expect him to completely surrender to Ferguson and lay a red carpet for them to start their procession. After the match, he might probably talk about what a great manager Fergie is and that Man Utd can be deserving champions. Disgusting. There are a bunch of such british managers who love the idea of succumbing to Man Utd. Yo Steve Bruce, prove me wrong!

As I’m typing this, Inter have eliminated Barca from the champions league at the Nou Camp. Barca got their usual quota of support from the referee but still The Special One held out with a 10-man Inter against a 11-man Barca in front of 100,000 catalans. I can’t tell you how much I love this result. I take this as a sweet revenge on Barca by TSO on behalf of ‘his boys’ at Chelsea. In the recent times, when Barca won the champions league in 05-06, Shevchenko’s goal in the semi-final was atrociously ruled out and the equaliser Barca scored against Arsenal in the final in the 76th minute was offside. They won it though. In 08-09, the semi-final against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – need I say more?

Let me end this blog with the funniest picture of the night. You may not see this picture anywhere else because I had taken this picture myself by pausing the action on the TV, especially for you. That was of Sergio Busquets falling down like he was shot by a missile, rolling on the pitch clutching his face and cunningly peeping out to see what’s happening outside with a ‘has the ref sent him off’ kind of look. He is either a complete idiot or a cheeky bastard – probably both.

By the way, I remember Lionel Messi doing this to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and he got Del Horno sent off. That runs in the catalan blood probably. Hello Barca! You are NOT going to MADRID! Wow! I feel so better now :-)

Back to Chelsea, here’s to Steve Bruce proving that he is not the step son of Fergie. Sunderland to beat Man Utd (Darren Bent! Darren Bent!) and Chelsea to beat Liverpool at Anfield. Chelsea to win the title this Sunday. Cheers!

This has been a very special season so far. None of the contenders, Chelsea included, are playing like champions. The most champions would be as always be the team that ends up with maximum points, and if need be, with maximum goal difference. We may not have a champion that has played like champions all season. Not Chelsea, not Manchester United. The manner in which Chelsea succumbed to Wigan, Man City and Tottenham. It’s not about the defeats. It’s not very easy to be an undefeated champion. Chelsea of 04-05 almost achieved but for a 1-0 defeat against Man City due to a penalty (which was converted by Anelka then). In my view, Chelsea’s performance in 04-05 was the most championesque performance since the inception of the premier league. After all, the 95 points that we amassed is still an English record.

If you look at the champions of the premier league this decade, the winners of this season would be right at the bottom. Well, you can attribute this to the improving competition levels in the premier league, the emergence of Man City, stability at Tottenham, Aston Villa’s charge etc. But if you look at the statistics of the winner this decade (below) you’ll see that the champions of this season could be one of the least imposing. For this season 09-10, I’ve just created two scenarios – one for Chelsea and one for Man Utd – assuming both win all the remaining three matches with a net goal difference of 4 goals.

Certainly, Chelsea might have been the best of the lot this season so far and that’s why they’re sitting on top both on points and on goal difference. Chelsea have been outplayed quite a few times this season and you can say that for Man Utd too. Also, Chelsea have been absolutely spectacular on many occasions. It is the contrast in these two statements that is very untypical of champions. We have not been consistent enough. Luckily, in a season where no one wants to win the title, you can afford to be inconsistent because you’re at least more consistent than the other teams. If we had taken our opportunities and had been a bit more consistent, we should have won the title by now. But still, we are the best team in England this season – so far.

To face Stoke City at home is probably one of the better fixtures you can expect at this stage. This season, very disappointingly, we have lost matches even while we were having the momentum on our side. Also, we have come back strongly from every defeat this season. It is for this reason, and that all that we need to do is to win 3 more matches, I think Chelsea would do well and beat Stoke City at home. Also, we happen to meet a side who will no specific ambitions any more for this season than trying to finish as high as possible or attempt a top half finish. They are neither fighting to save relegation nor aspiring for the europa league spot. That doesn’t mean they can be taken lightly but at least they won’t throw bodies like if they have to save their club from relegation.

In a match where long throws would be a threat, we are missing John Terry due to his one-match suspension. To our horror, our poor defending of throw-ins have cost us crucial goals this season. In fact, those throw-ins weren’t half as dangerous as the Delap ones. But we have a big reason to smile. Ashley Cole could make a come back this Sunday after his long injury break during which his wife split with him and there were rumours of Chelsea fining him and his desire to submit a transfer request. In my view, he is the best left back in Europe and we must keep him. It will be great to see him back on the pitch. While I’m thrilled about his return, I must say that our stand-in full backs have just been brilliant in the absence of the regulars. Zhirkov, while he is not Ashley Cole, has been in superb form with his attacking instincts and have played a key role is some of our wins during this period. I still want to see Zhirkov on the pitch, on the left midfield or in the left wing. To have Ashley Cole as the left back, Zhirkov as the left midfielder and Malouda as the left winger, we might have the strongest left side in the country.

Mikel won’t be playing due to a knee problem. With the news of Essien not making a return this season, Ballack have to be at his best in the next three games. You might know that I’m a fan of this man, Michael Ballack. But he has churned out some poor efforts this season and also have given some subtle performances going about his role quietly. Now that he knows that just three wins are between him and his first league champions’ medal since he left Munich, I’m sure he will give his all. Drogba is doubtful for this match. I would hope that we don’t risk him if he is half-fit or something. He is a player who can come in after 70 minutes and still make a telling contribution. And with Anelka as the lone striker, we have done rather well and the truckloads of goals are a testimony to this.

The results of last weekend have really shaken up the Chelsea team. Until last Friday, Chelsea were champions-to-be. What happened last weekend has given Chelsea probably the last wake up call needed this season. We’ve got to a stage where we just need to notch three wins without caring about what other teams do – and we can win the title. No other team is in a position to say this. The only thing that needs to stay in mind until this sunday is, ‘beat Stoke City’. Just forget about anything else. Forget about injuries, resting, suspensions etc – just beat Stoke City. While we don’t need to worry about what Man Utd does, a favourable result for us in their match against Spurs would just be the one last shift of momentum in this title race. I’m sure, in the relative current form, Spurs can certainly get a point or three from Old Trafford. They owe at least this much to a fellow London team especially after upsetting us last weekend. Here’s to a Chelsea win with a 2-0 scoreline. I expect a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford.

Ilya Zakharov, the editor-in-chief of the club’s official Russian language website, passed away last week at the age of 27. Our thoughts are with his family. May his soul his rest in peace. A league title win would be most fitting tribute we can pay to this true blue. Here is a stanza from his favourite rock band Queen:

We are the champions – my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting – till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
‘Cause we are the champions – of the world

Let’s give it one big final push for Ilya! Let’s keep the blue flag flying high.

I’m still here at London. England have truly brought home the ashes. Was supposed to fly home last weekend but still stuck because of volcanic ash that erupted from Eyjafjallajökull (haven’t yet figured out how to pronounce this). The last few days have been incredible. It’s not fun when you’re directly affected by a headline news on BBC and CNN. I was even wondering if I can return home in the near future of if I’ve to travel to Barcelona or Milan by rail and then flying to India. Tonight, the announcement is out that the British airspace would be opened up. This still does not mean much in terms of returning home. The resumption of flight services would mean many thousands would gatecrash at the airports making the availability of tickets a very difficult task. Really hoping that my travel agent does a good job.

I couldn’t post the match reactions after the Spurs match. Apologies for that. I was trying to get to White Hart Lane to watch the match. Tickets were sold out by the time I realised that I’d stay back in the UK for the weekend due to volcanic ash disruption. Finally, I ended up watching the match in a traditional english pub. If I’ve to be honest, Spurs absolutely deserved their win. They were better than us in every single department of the game. That goal by Lampard is a not a consolation but a small step in keeping the goal difference out of reach for our rivals.

The moment I saw Phil Dowd as the referee, I knew it was going to be difficult for us. The man hates Chelsea and in particular, John Terry. He’s always been biased against us. For a referee, he loves himself too much. I think he loves to be the centre of attraction and wants to make the controversial decisions, especially against the teams that he hates. He was horrible but that’s not to take anything away from Spurs who were brilliant.

Man Utd beating City with a goal in so-called ‘Fergie time’ was very bad news for us. I was watching this match too in a pub. The manner in which City conceded the goal and the fact that the header was scored by old Scholes was just unacceptable. The led is now cut to one point. Still, we are at the driver’s seat. There’s no better place to be in the league now than leading the table. Let’s hope that Spurs do a hattrick with Man Utd after their defeats of Arsenal and Chelsea. Spurs beating Man Utd is the only thing I’d ask for next weekend. As long as Spurs beat Man Utd, I don’t mind Chelsea dropping points. Going by the current form and the fact that Gary Neville could be playing, Spurs can just murder Man Utd. I’d love to see that.

Tonight, I saw Jose Mourinho’s Inter massacre FC Barcelona. Not many teams score three goals against Barcelona (Jose’s Chelsea scored four against them though). And not many teams beat Barcelona with a two goal margin. That was a special performance by Inter. This is what I’d written after Barca’s demolition of Arsenal:

I thought Barcelona were not too good. They were made to look better by a poor and typical Arsenal performance. Barcelona are very unsure at the back. For that reason, they are certainly beatable. It would help Jose to see that Barca match at Stamford Bridge last season. Probably, any team that wants to beat Barcelona must see how we played them at the Bridge. In the recent times, in my opinion, that was the best big stage performance by any team against Barcelona.

Inter have not only proved that Barcelona are beatable but they have also exposed their weaknesses and have shown that they can be dominated. This is a game Inter must have killed off with a 4-1 or 5-1 scoreline against the defending champions and a team that won everything that was there to be won last season. I’m quite aware that Barca only needs an achievable 2-0 win at Camp Nou to go through but something tells me that this champions league belongs to The Special One. Remember the ‘connection’ I was talking about.

It’s no surprise to you that I’m rooting for Jose in the champions league. I want see his Inter knock Barcelona out and win the champions league final too. He’s beaten Chelsea and CSKA, both teams that have a Roman Abramovich connection. He now has a chance to beat Barcelona with whom he has a special connection. This could just be his season. Let’s wait and watch.

I particularly liked his comment about Barcelona players complaining about the referee. Here is Jose Mourinho at his articulate best:

I saw some things in the tunnel that already make me think what awaits me next week… What I saw was the Barcelona players who were angry with the referees, and it should be said that their memory is very short because I can’t forget that when ‘my boys’ at Chelsea were crying over Ovrebo’s refereeing in the match last year, and they were laughing, they were laughing with the referee; whereas this evening they weren’t capable of saying that they lost against a team that deserved to win. Now they cannot complain about the referee. Chelsea were put of the final that they deserved to play and the referee gave Barcelona a chance to play and win the final. Now they can’t complain.

Wow! How good is that! You all know that I’m the biggest fan of this man, Jose Mourinho. He just gets better for me. The world needs to be reminded of the injustice that happened at Stamford Bridge last season. I love it when JM does it. In fact, Milito was incorrectly called offside early in the game and his goal was offside. Plus, I don’t think Alves deserved a penalty. So, in my eyes, the referee favoured neither teams. Barcelona should realise that they are a team of mortals and they can be beaten, especially by a coach like Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea to play Stoke City this Sunday. Man Utd would have played Spurs by that time. I’m not sure if I’d be able to watch this match. Now that the British airspace is opened for commercial flights, I might have to fly any day in the next few days. If I get home by the weekend, I’ll post a pre-match blog. Otherwise, see you next week.

What an experience! It was a combination of being dreamy and being deja vu, I must say. I think I must have watched loads of football matches from the stands in my previous life. There was something so familiar about watching football from the stands. It wasn’t supposed to be so when that was my first ever match in the stadium. It was an amazing feeling to ‘see’ these players in flesh and that’s you think ‘Frank Lampard’ is for real. It’s a feeling that’s hard to understand until you actually see them for real. More on my experience an another blog.

It was a comfortable win to be honest. Yes, Bolton had couple of chances and shouts. But on the whole, Chelsea were comfortable and very decidedly, weren’t on top gear. Chelsea were coasting along all the 90 minutes though the match got more and more intense as time went on. The first half was not very eventful until Drogba made a lovely swerving cross that Anelka connected with grace and ease.

I thought Ancelotti not starting Malouda was a bit risky. I still think it was a mistake, and a mistake that we didn’t have to pay the price. Kalou was not impressive at all and unfortunately he is only pressing his case for just being a super sub. He lacks consistency to be considered a regular starter. A goalless first half would have been a bit nervy. Luckily for us, we scored at the stroke of half time. This is a kind of match which I would love to have wrapped up in the first half. We just can’t afford to have frustration or desperation to set in.

What made the week better was Tottenham beating Arsenal. I thought Spurs played really positive football with an intention to win. It was a great derby match which luckily did not have any controversies, leaving Wenger to admit that they can forget about the title and his team is not mature enough to win the title. That’s what I’ve been saying for years. There are champions, challengers, contenders and just pretenders. You know where they fit in.

April is turning out to be a dream month. You just have to believe that this is indeed our season. It’s funny how these supposedly old Chelsea legs are holding out while the younger ones in red jerseys are falling off. A great weekend of football is coming up with the Manchester derby and a London derby. I thought I wouldn’t be able to witness this pivotal week of football as I’m supposed to be in the flight the whole of Saturday. But this volcanic ash erupting out of Iceland has brought the airports in the UK and northern Europe to a complete standstill. I’m not sure when I’d fly back home and it appears that I’d be able to watch Chelsea beat Tottenham while Man City beat Man Utd, right here in London.

I’m all set. Tomorrow, I’ll be there at the West Upper at Stamford Bridge to see Chelsea extend their lead at the top. To say that incredibly excited would be an understatement. I’d be going with a couple of buddies one of which thought I was supporting a team called Jersey until I clarified to him that it’s Chelsea.

London’s very cold this week. The temperature is in the region of about 6 degree celsius. It’s clear that my protective clothing will do no good in the Stamford Bridge stance at 8pm in the evening. I’ll leave office early and would pick up a cheap but decent coat that need to keep me alive to write my experiences at the Bridge.

I’d also get my dark away jersey tomorrow. I’ve already seen a few wearing that. It looks great. I’d get a few memorabilia stuff too. There’s this miniature of Stamford Bridge that I’ve got my eye on. Not sure if I’d buy it in this trip. It’s expensive and can be a challenge to carry. Let’s see.

I’m planning to get there very early so (i) I just don’t allow myself to be late, even if the sky falls down (ii) I can let the excitement build up and enjoy ‘being there’ (iii) I can watch the pre-match warm up and such stuff. I’m really confident that we would win tomorrow.

The weekend was just perfect. We beat Aston Villa 3-0 with three very good goals while Man Utd dropped points against Blackburn. Nothing’s over yet but certainly Man Utd are falling apart. They have a very good team and a great manager but the disappointment of the last couple of weeks would certainly be a setback for them in the title race.

Hoping for a big win for Chelsea tomorrow. Hopefully it’s a 4-0 or 5-0 with a hattrick from Malouda. I’d love that.