Good weekend of football for us! Our rivals have dropped points while we didn’t get to play due to weather conditions. I hate these kind of postponements. But it must be easy for me to say that when all that I have to do is to switch on the TV. But the widespread feeling among the football fans in UK is also around ‘yes there is unprecedented weather but not to an extent to postponing football matches’. Anyway, the fact is the match has been postponed but we don’t when it’s going to be played. I hope that we don’t need to play a match in the mid-week ahead of the weekend match against Arsenal in February.
The weather condition provides another clear advantage to the top clubs. The top clubs, though not all of them, have some wonderful training facilites which can keep the training on even under these conditions. Cobham apparently, has the indoor training centre and the artificial pitch. If Chelsea had played Hull City yesterday, it’s clear that Chelsea would have been better trained and prepared for the match than Hull City. John Terry thanks Roman Abramovich for such fantastic facilities.
We had some good sessions indoors and trained at Stamford Bridge on Friday, all the other clubs are like it so we’re no worse off than anyone else, and fortunate to be in the position we are, so we have to be grateful for what we have at the moment. The main concern was the fans getting to the game up at Hull, for us football has come on now and we’re lucky with Roman coming in, we have the indoor centre and the artificial pitch at Cobham, and the groundsmen have had the pitches cleared up at the Bridge.
The re-scheduling of the match was such a disappointment because I was waiting to see the second choice players in action. The wait is a bit annoying for them as they must be waiting for this match. At least they get the benefit of playing in front of the home crowd when they take the field next weekend against Sunderland. That would also mean Anelka is completely fit. I was not sure if he was fully fit if we had played yesterday. It felt to me like he was being rushed in because we badly need one or both of Drogba and Anelka in any starting line up.
With ‘talismen’ like Essien and Drogba not in the line up, this is also a time for Joe Cole to restore some lost pride. Consistency has always been his downer all through his career. He can make magic one day and the most other days have you wondering what does he bring to the team. He is a darling of the fans because he’s English, he’s our ’skill player’ and he’s part of our great moments. I like him for the exact same reasons. If I keep my sentiments aside, I have to see the value for money/time that we get from Joe Cole is dwindling by the day. He needs to resurrect his career, right here at Chelsea. He’s back from a long injury allright. For starters, if Joe Cole make an return impact like Tomas Rosicky, the king of all football injuries, I’d be happy. Ancelotti says all the right things about Joe Cole. Carlo says that Joe Cole could do better and also reminds him that Capello would be watching Joe Cole’s Chelsea performances.
For Joe Cole it is the same situation [as that of Anelka], he wants to stay and we want to keep him. We are talking with him but I can say only about the technical question. The economic factor is a question for the club. We have confidence in Joe and he is an important player for the squad and for the fans. The fans like him so I think he will want to stay here. For him it is an important moment because he came back from injury and to play well for Chelsea is important, and the World Cup is important. He has a good mental attitude and is in good condition. To play in the World Cup is good motivation. [Fabio] Capello will look at his performances for Chelsea and he has a lot of possibility to play in the World Cup. He could do better. I stayed out one year with an injury and it is not easy to return. You need to have time to play, to improve. It is not easy to return and do your best immediately. I think he is very close, he played very well the last match against Watford and I think also he found it difficult to play in a new position but now he plays well.
I hope that the confusion around Malouda’s ‘ill-translated’ interview has now been cleared. I have always believed that Malouda cannot be a trouble maker, for his team, his manager and the club. He has been a very good professional. The caveat comes now: he is a French player. Almost all French players get involved with mis-quoted and ill-translated interviews. They seem to love creating the ripples across the football world. There are a few exceptions though. And I always thought Malouda is one such exception. He’s now cleared the air in such emphatic way that you’re never going to publish another transfer rumour involving Florent Malouda.
Nothing that you could read today came out of my mouth. I was really shocked and surprised when I came and we had a meeting at quarter-to-12 when I discovered my words. My reaction was to go and talk with the manager and talk with Lamps [Frank Lampard] and the meeting was clear. I did an interview in France and I said I am here in Chelsea to try to do a career like Ryan Giggs and like Javier Zanetti at Inter Milan, which is why I am looking for the future. I have too much respect for the fans to speak in those terms and for me it is clear, the story finished.
Lovely! Please read Malouda’s full response in the club website.
Meanwhile, both Man Utd and Arsenal have drawn their matches yesterday from the jaws of defeat. We’re still leading the table despite having a match on hand. How much I love to be in the ‘match-on-hand’ situation! Man Utd simply don’t worry me at the moment. They’ve lost that bit of fear factor. Nicking a point or three from Man Utd is not such a feat for premier league teams this season. Arsenal downward spiral normally starts in February/March. It looks like it would start this month itself. Starting from the last week of January, Arsenal are playing four crunch matches in succession – Aston Villa, Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool. I think we have left the worryzone of December way behind. It’s all very positive now!
I’ve always believed in this ‘us vs them’ theory. Some even say that I bought this theory from Jose Mourinho. May be they’re right but what matters now is if Jose Mourinho was correct. Season after season, we continue to be reminded of why the football authorities and the powers that be hate Chelsea FC. Honestly I didn’t see it coming. This has come as a shock, from nowhere. FIFA has slapped a two-transfer-window ban on Chelsea for an alleged misconduct in Gael kakuta’s transfer.
Before we go any further, let’s try to understand this better:
1. The ban applies for two transfer windows. It’s not two seasons as some have understood it. So, Chelsea can’t buy in the Jan 2010 and May-Aug 2010. The next purchase can be made only in Jan 2011.
2. We are prohibited from ’signing new players’. I’d conveniently assume that we are allowed to get players on loan. I’m bloody sure that we are allowed to get players on loan, which should be a welcome relief.
3. Chelsea FC will appeal this decision as strongly as possible. I have a feeling that the intensity of the ban could be reduced after our subsequent appeals.
4. I’d say, this is certainly a lot better than docking of points.
Now, I don’t know what happened in the Kakuta transfer. I don’t know if Chelsea are guilty or not. Irregularities in transfers is something that’s common in football but that’s not an excuse to commit an offence. To give a step-motherly treatment to a certain club and allowing the pioneers to go scot-free is unfair. In Phil McNulty’s words, “If Fifa actually believes Chelsea are the only club guilty of this particular offence in world football, then naivety is being stretched to its furthest point”.
Some rival fans say that we deserved it because we punished Mutu. That’s a childish and silly comment. Mutu made a mistake and he is punished. And if anyone else made the same mistake, they should be treated the same way. That’s what I’m saying here too. If Chelsea is guilty, punish them. Also punish all those big G-14 clubs that pioneered these malpractices and also mastered them. Ah, that brings me to the G-14 discussion. I know this is a FIFA decision but still, do you think such a damning thing would have happened to a G-14 club? How much lobbying would have happened even before the decision was made?
I’m sure Chelsea’s legal department and the battery of lawyers would be working overtime. I’m sure they’ll find a way out. FIFA’s ruling cannot supersede the laws of the European Union. FIFA is just a sports body while European Union is . . well European Union. The ban is in effect an issue of constraint of trade. FIFA can only regulate from a sports point of view, they cannot write a new law or discard a law of the land.
Let’s put this in perspective. I don’t think we’ll be active in the Jan 2010 window anyways. May-Aug 2010 could be a blow. I must say that we’ve got the players to see us through this season. We were done with our transfer activity weeks before the window closed. The current squad is complete and is one which Ancelotti is happy with. If we are not able to buy players in May-Aug 2010, it’s still not a problem. We can get players on loan with an option to buy after 6 months, which would be the Jan 2011 window. Not bad, isn’t? After all, that’s what we did for Anelka. We bought him on loan and quickly converted that into a purchase. Where there’s a law, there’s a loophole. Therefore people, worry not. It will all be fine. The lawyers will have to earn their fees, either on appeal or on finding creative ways to get players on board during the ban. Wouldn’t it be sweet if Kakuta joins the first team after the ban and plays a crucial role in our quadruple this season?
Just when everything seemed to have fallen in place, just when we seemed to settle down, just when we found our rhythm, just when we started to instill fear in the rivals again, this setback is upon us. In a way, this would make the team stronger. The famous siege mentality that TSO brought in, will have to make a reappearance in such times. The Moscow defeat made us stronger. The Ovrebo match made us even stronger. And now, this would strengthen Chelsea rather than weakening it.
So, just chill. We’ll find a way out. If we don’t, Chelsea will hit them hard like a wounded animal. Be afraid, be very afraid!
Chelsea has been very busy in this transfer window after all, if the rumours are to be believed. As far as I know there is some or the other rumour about all players except only a few. It appears that Chelsea would lose more than it gains in this transfer window. Has Scolari started his team re-building and if yes, isn’t it a bit too early?
Drogba talks about his love for Marseille the same way Cannavaro would talk about Napoli. It’s natural that he feels he owes them something. Not sure if he gave this interview or in 2005. Journos know their ways to recycle stories with new headlines. Looks like Scolari has still not made up his mind on Drogba. On the other hand, I think Drogba has made it clear that he wants to be here for now. If he wants to leave, he should be allowed to.
I’m a Drogba fan. I’ve enjoyed his great performances for four seasons. Many think he had one good season when he scored 30+ goals. That’s not true. He has been having good seasons since he joined Chelsea. He did not score 30+ goals in his first two seasons but his contribution to the team was outstanding. Certainly a type of player I would have in my team. But if he himself wants to leave, there is no point in trying to hold him. Since JM left, he has not been the same. And I don’t think Scolari and Drogba would work well together. He is cup-tied and I think he is very important if Chelsea has to go further in the champions league this season. Rumours emerge that Man City are interested in Drogba.
Sell him? It’s my choice but I think if someone offers a lot of money, the club might accept it. He still trains very hard and could be in my side next week – but I make the decisions. If people offer money for my players, it’s down to the club to accept them.
This is as good as transfer listing Drogba. If he doesn’t leave this month I wonder if Scolari would be able to keep him motivated and get anything from him.
‘Chelsea is chasing Robinho’ screams Goal.com. The way I see it, Robinho is doing very very well at Man City. He is a big crowd favourite at Eastlands. I’m sure their attendance has improved since the Brazilian came in. He may not be in love with Man City but he knows that he needs to keep patience. They have failed to bring Kaka but there’s lot more to happen. By Aug 2009, Man City could have a different and high profile team. Chelsea’s spending days are over. We have started couting cash finally. Given all these circumstances, I wonder if Robinho would join Chelsea. Certainly not this month. It’s possible in the summer if Man City gets relegated!
You could not have missed this outrageous rumour that Chelsea wants to get Robinho by exchanging FOUR Chelsea players! This did come up a couple of weeks back but I thought this could not have been anything but a misquote. But now, this has come up again with Marca reporting that this might happen. The players in exchange are Kalou, Malouda, Anelka and Alex/Ivanovic. Chelsea would be at a loss if we do this. This would further weaken the squad and also sends out wrong signals to all the players. Four Chelsea players (you can call them first teamers) for Robinho is an obscene deal. Wonder who will we have in the bench then? If I were Mark Hughes, I’d love to pounce on this deal. Leaving Robinho won’t do good to their promises of bring world class players but getting Kalou, Malouda, Anelka and Alex/Ivanovic would be a great thing for the Man City team. With these players, they could avoid the drop by March. I wouldn’t be able to say this otherwise, even if they had Robinho.
It makes a lot of sense to move ahead and look beyond Robinho. We missed the bus and now it is possible only if we are ready to get our hands dirtied. It would be another saga and even then there’s no guarantee if it will work out way. I hope we look at other possibilities meanwhile and hope Man City gets relegated 
I don’t think Carvalho would be around for too long. We should try to keep Ivanovic and Alex as they seem to be the future of Chelsea defence. Somehow, Ivanovic become every team’s choice except Chelsea. From Milan to Fiorentina to Man City, they all want Ivanovic. Ivanovic is a better defender than Alex but Scolari always plays Alex ahead of Ivanovic. It’s a shame if we lose out on Ivanovic, especially to Man City. If at all, he is moving to Man City, we should do a good deal and make the best out of Man City’s situation. Given the current scenario, the Sheikh might offer £10m for a player like me, and that’s only because I’ve never kicked a ball on a football pitch.
Cudicini may not be leaving after all. It is reported that Scolari jumped in to block the deal ala Berlusconi but the difference is Cudicini might be willing to leave. It’s good that Phil has blocked this move but he should also then play Cudicini a bit more than he does now. At least in domestic cup matches or against those matches that are easier on paper.
Villareal are after Malouda. The money they offer is under £7m. I would not leave Malouda until I have a replacement and certainly not for that money. Malouda is not the crowd favourite at Chelsea but he is not a bad player. He is in fact a good player who could not settle in at his new club. Add to that injuries, bench roles and his form – a potential that never turned into performance. I’d keep Malouda unless the price is too good.
Scolari seems to want Manuel da Costa, the 22-year old Portuguese central defender from Fiorentina. Apparently, Scolari knows him all too well, called him up to the national squad and all that. I think Scolari’s vision of the new Chelsea consists of Terry, Lampard, Essien, Brazilians, Portuguese and some youth players. I’m fine with it as long as it’s all done with some time sense, team balance, staff/fan morale and also an eye on the premier league table.
Okay, you know that Man City are eyeing 28-year old John Terry. Scolari is eyeing 24-year old Robinho. If Mark Hughes makes an exchange offer for swapping these two stars, what do you think Scolari’s stance would be?! Of course, I wouldn’t swap Terry for anyone but what do you think Scolari would do, given such a situation. By the way, you may not rule this out. With Man City, you may not rule anything out, including an offer for Scolari himself.
Daily Mail reports that Tottenham has signed Carlo Cudicini for £1m. I know he’s too good a keeper not to get enough starts. He is 35 and he may have another 3 or 4 years to offer. With a world class keeper like Cech in the squad, he has very little chance of getting regular playing time. This season has been particularly bad for him. You know, in 04-05, he started in 11 matches, in 05-06 again started 11 matches, in 06-07 he started in 10 matches and in 07-08, he started in 16 matches. This half way through season, he has started 2 matches. He has a right to feel disappointed. His situation is the same that of Wayne Bridge. Quality player, but has a better quality player as the first choice.
Wayne Bridge was allowed to leave but we have not yet filled the place. Ashley Cole is certainly not the injury-free type of player. We should have a decent left back as a backup for Ashley Cole. If there is a any truth in this rumour about Cudicini leaving, I’d be sad but I’d also think about replacements. We had Hilario start 16 matches in 06-07 including home and away ties against Barcelona but I doubt if Scolari would play him and get the best out of him. If Scolari decided to leave Cudicini for Spurs, at least he could have commanded a better price! £1m for Cudicini? He is one of the best keepers in the premier league. I would only rate Cech, van der Sar and Reina over Cudicini. He is a first choice keeper in most of the teams. We could have certainly got a better bargain. He is worth £5m to £6m in my books. Should have done better there.
With Joe Cole also injured out for the season, we will be short of three players for the rest of the season. This means we should be getting reinforcements. Or Scolari would fill these gaps from the reserve or youth players at his risk. He has some hidden gems to replace Joe Cole. He can use Fabio Paim and the like. Or he may opt never to play the 4-3-3 for the rest of the season so he won’t miss Joe Cole much.
For those who thought that Scolari would offload Drogba this month, his stance on Drogba is very clear. He says that Drogba not being chosen was a tactical decision. There were some matches when Drogba was chosen ahead of Anelka but there were no stories about Anelka being shown the door. It’s just that anything about Drogba makes some spicy news. Allright, Drogba had a couple of poor matches. Tell me which Chelsea player did not have a couple of poor matches this season so far. Only Frank Lampard comes close but that’s because he is Frank Lampard.
There are rumours that we’re after Valencia and di Maria. I know very little about di Maria. I’ve heard that he is young, quick and dribbles well. I’ve seen Valencia in action. He is a very good player. Is he Chelsea material? Well, he can be. Can he be consistent? Possibly. He is a good option to have in the team. If not anyone else, a player like Valencia who gets to join Chelsea from Wigan, would have all the hunger, desire and determination. And he is worth, hold your breath, £20m says Steve Bruce. With Man Utd, Real Madrid and Chelsea chasing, any player would be worth more than £15m, wouldn’t they?
And for you folks, Roman Abramovich has clearly declared that he has no intention of selling the club. He’s even gone a step further. He is suing Times for publishing a front page news that he is considering the selling of Chelsea. Think about those stories of Roman choosing between his yacht and Chelsea. Rubbish. Rubbish. Rubbish.
Meanwhile, Peter Kenyon has talked about the positives of Man City’s rise. For once, I agree with him completely. In fact this quote from him looks like an excerpt of an article I had written earlier on this topic:
We are delighted not to be the richest club any more and other clubs may spend more without having as much success on the pitch. This would dispel the idea that we have just bought our titles. We have taken sound financial decisions recently regarding trimming costs.
Well, he also said something about best players not being available mid-season. Hope Anelka would not mind it. I mean I’m kidding. I know Peter was talking also from the players-being-cup-tied angle.
That’s it for now. See you later. Oh wait, I can’t finish this without talking about Kaka story right?
Berlusconi once again proves what he’s made of. He is a politician first and anything else later. He managed to take full mileage out of this whole issue at the cost of imperial wrath. At more than £100m, it would have been a wise decision for Milan to sell Kaka and get three of four quality young players. Kaka wants to be in Milan and that’s his choice. As I said earlier, this transfer would have been good for football, on the whole. Poor Man City! Now, who’ll they be after? Messi? Aguerro?
It’s going to be a exciting finish to this transfer window too.
It’s that time of the season again! Top Chelsea story of the day is Wayne Bridge’s move to Man City. When rumours surfaced in summer that Liverpool were looking to sign Bridge, I wanted him to stay. This time around, I think it’s win-win for all, especially because of the sum involved. If the rumours are to be believed it’s in the region of £12m. For a 28-year old perpetually second choice left back, £12m is a very handsome sum. This is an offer Chelsea FC cannot refuse, given the current market conditions.
If they have a good deal, no problem for me. I think it’s better you ask Peter [Kenyon], because Peter knows everything that has happened. I don’t know what has happened yesterday, today, and I have a meeting after training with Peter when I will ask about what has happened, if we have a deal or not. If any club wants to buy some players from Chelsea, offer big money because if you play in Chelsea you are very good and we need to receive a big offer. After we will discuss internally and if the player agrees, it is no more my job. I am a coach. Money is not my business, it is a business for the board and owner, not for me.
Though he almost sounds that transfers happen without his knowledge, I think all he is trying to say is that if too good an offer is received, it becomes more of a board decision than a manager’s decision. Interestingly, he does not refer to his role as that of a manager. He calls himself a ‘coach’ which sounds inferior to a ‘manager’. He comes from the continent and he seems to stick those principles and practices. Looks like he has no problem in Wayne Bridge leaving for Man City. That means the cover for Ashley Cole would be Ivanovic or Paulo Ferreira. Or it could be someone who might come in. While I was thinking in those lines, Scolari surprises us with this:
Now is the time for transfers, for speculation, everything. Now is the time, every day in the newspaper 10 players come, 10 players out, we expect [this] and we say something when we receive offers, or we offer for some players to come to Chelsea. Until now, nothing. If I want players, I never say to the press before I say to Peter. Any name in the newspaper is speculation, managers that want to sell players. With my mouth, nothing. I am happy with my players here, I don’t want other players.
Only a few weeks back, he said this:
We lack an organiser who can get hold of the ball, get forward and energise our front line. I just have players who work on the ball. Deco, Ballack and Lampard can all shoot but I don’t have a player who can dribble. There is no point in me weeping or moaning or seeking blame. I have to find a solution – and that is what I will do.
He had openly said that he wanted a ‘dribbling playmaker’. Now with the sale of Wayne Bridge, he’d have about £12m to spend. But today he clearly says that ‘he is happy with his players and he doesn’t want other players’. I’m not sure if he really means it. I think he would sign a player or two from the sale proceeds. Who else is up for sale? Not Paulo Ferreira, because Wayne Bridge is going. Ferreira has played as full back on either sides and even occasionally played as a centre back.
So Scolari retains his countryman. I don’t say this with my tongue-in-cheek. Between Wayne Bridge and Paulo Ferreira, it makes sense to transfer list Wayne because Paulo would never fetch something like £12m. As money is a matter of big concern, Wayne is on his way out. But, it’s also a gamble from Scolari. If, God forbid, Ashley Cole is not available for something like a champions league semi final, would you feel confident about Ferreira taking the field against the one of the best players in the world? As I said, that’s a gamble, unless Scolari has other ideas.
I would love to see Scolari rotate his players. If he’s going to wait for injuries and suspensions to bring on second choice players, some more would show impatience and would like to move elsewhere for first team opportunities. With Bridge out, our set of second choice players are Alex, Ivanovic and Ferreira. Alex is a want-away player. Ivanovic was want-away player. Ferriera does not add too much value now. There is a strong case for Scolari to keep rotating his players to keep them happy and engaged.
One bright spot is that Scolari has talked about using the youth players. He says Mancienne, Bruma and Sawyer are all training with him. That’s good news. If I had seen the names Sinclair, Fabio Paim and Di Santo, I’d have been happier. Capello picking Mancienne must have been a bit embarrassing for Chelsea FC. We should have considered players like Mancienne for matches against league one and league two opponents. Even with 4-0 up in 70 minutes, Scolari brings on only Ferreira, while he should have handed a start to Ferreira and subbed him with someone like Mancienne. If we haven’t used these youngsters in the first half of the season, I doubt if we would use them in the busy business end of the season!
There are also some other interesting Chelsea rumours. Here are the big ones:
Cash from Wayne Bridge sale to fund the purchase of Luiz Fabiano: Why Luiz Fabiano is my question! When Scolari has Drogba and Anelka, he is unwilling to play them together and he’s even gone on record with this admission. That would mean he’s not going to play a two-striker formation. With Drogba not leaving (surprisingly no transfer rumours surrounding Drogba), why would we need another striker of Fabiano’s calibre? I would dismiss this rumour.
Ben Arfa to be bought from Wayne Bridge sales: Ben Arfa is young and he is a left winger. He is quick and fiery. Known to be a troublemaker. Is it Ben Arfa that Scolari needs? I’m not too positive about Ben Arfa. I don’t think he can bring anything better than what Malouda or Kalou can. I’d say, let’s stay away from him.
Alex to be sold to fund the purchase of Kleber: Alex was rumoured to have handed the transfer request. After that, Roman was supposed to have had a talk with Alex to iron out things. I hope that must have happened already. With Bridge going out, Alex is in fact, very crucial. For that matter, all the defenders that we have now will have to be retained because of Wayne’s move. And to sell Alex to AC Milan for Kleber? 28-year old left back from Santos. I’ve never heard of him. If anyone of you know, let us all know.
Malouda to be swapped for Cicinho: Yet another Brazilian finding his name in the rumours concerning Chelsea. As far as I know Cicinho is a right back, a brazilian type I mean. Why another right back, that too of Cicinho’s quality? If Scolari thinks that Cicinho can also play as a winger, I’m not sure if it would work.
Roman keen to sign Yuri Zhirkov: With his own business connections, Roman can land Zhirkov in London if he really wishes but 25-year old Yuri is quite an important player for CSKA too. As a versatile left sided player, he could fit as a replacement for Wayne Bridge as well as Malouda. I would take Yuri ahead of a Fabiano or a Ben Arfa considering who we exactly need now. Only rumour that excited me today. I’d check how this one progresses.
Funnily, there is no ‘dribbling playmaker’ in any of these rumours. May be some of our playmakers learnt to dribble since Phil made that comment! Also I see that four out of five rumours involve a Brazilian or a Portuguese. One thing I want to say is that these are rumours. It’s not that I believe in all these. Some come true, some don’t. I just have given my tuppence on the rumours. That’s it.
And finally, we’ve got a match to win tomorrow. One good thing about tomorrow’s opponent is that they are not Bromley. After Barnsley and Burnley, a game against Bromley would have psyched me out. I remember Southend United eliminating a full-strength Man Utd from league cup few seasons back. Even without this anecdote, Chelsea won’t take Southend lightly because we’ve been ‘upsetted’ twice by lowly opponents in the last 12 months. Scolari can say whatever, but he needs to win this match, win this rather comfortably. I’d have been more comfortable with a premier league opponent than this league one team. I think the Chelsea team are becoming a bit complacent quite easily or even plain lethargic at times. Against a league one opponent, at Stamford Bridge, I feel jittery. I know it’s a shameful thing to say, but that’s how I feel.
Some players would not play the game tomorrow due to injury, suspension or rest. Cech, Terry, Ballack and Bosingwa may not be playing. Some youngsters could be played. Drogba would surely play. No matter who plays, we gotta win. Scolari wins no brownie points by winning this match but if he loses this one, it would be another black mark on his short Chelsea career. It wouldn’t be a disaster though if we drop out of the FA Cup. The crowd at Stamford Bridge would demand a performance to offset the disappointment against Burnley. Kick off is at 15:00 UK. Doubt if it’s televised. Knock them over, Phil! Chelsea to win 3-0.
The champions league draw for the first knockout round will begin today at 11:00 UK. Chelsea could draw one of Barca, Juventus, Bayern, Porto and Panathinaikos. The first leg of the knockout round will be on 24/25 February and the second leg would be on 10/11 March. Who would you like us to draw?
There would be a feeling of deja vu with all these opponents. We have had epic clashes with Barcelona when they were at their peak of form, including that unforgettable night at Stamford Bridge. We have met Porto quite a few times in the champions league in the recent seasons. Bayern were knocked out by Chelsea in the 04-05 quarter finals which saw the bad blood between Michael Ballack and John Terry. Juventus is managed by Ranieri who was given the boot by Roman after a semi final finish in the champions league. Panathinaikos is coached by Ten Cate, who also had a Chelsea connection when he was deputising Avram Grant.
Ok relax, calm down. Kenyon has confirmed that there won’t be any January purchases at all, not even that home theatre system he was planning to buy. You’ll keep yapping about Podolski, Schweinsteiger, Adriano etc. but nothing’s gonna happen. Blame it on whatever, there won’t be any new signings in Jan.
Kenyon was quite categorical about it. He didn’t say ‘it’s upto Scolari’ or ‘we will see who Scolari wants’. Scolari may have some players in his mind for January but using the press Kenyon has conveyed the message to Scolari. We’re not sure yet if Scolari can sell someone and use that money to buy or he is free to buy free agents.
A quick blog before the pre-match thingy for the Sunday cracker. Chelsea legend Ray Wilkins is the new first team coach after our beloved Clarke preferred to move on. I liked Clarke very much. He was highly respected by Jose Mourinho, which meant that Clarke had to be very good. Also, lots of players liked him and loved working with him. More than anything, I believe he was the key man in holding the team together and had to play the role of a first team manager, when Avram Grant was busy scratching his head. Ok, I’ll leave AG alone. He’s a poor old guy and he’s gone. All good things have to come to an end. Any doubts if I’m referring to Steve Clarke here?
Chelsea are drawn with Roma, Bordeaux and Cluj, in the group stage of the champions league. My first reaction is that of relief. In the group stage, all that you need is two beatable teams in the group and we’ve got three (arrogant, right?). The toughest group Chelsea could have got is, with Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Zenit. Now look at what we’ve got. Way way better, isn’t it? Simple conclusion – Chelsea and Roma will progress and there won’t be any upsets. Just impossible. Now let’s look at the other groups.
Group B has Inter, Werder, Panathinaikos and Anorthosis Famagusta. JM must be smiling. Inter will cruise even with the away results. Werder taking the second place. The team from Cyprus is there to give guaranteed points. Ibrahimovic has a good chance be the top scorer of the competition. Group C has Barca, Sporting Lisbon, Basel and Shakhtar Donetsk. The question will be, who progresses alongwith Barca and I think the answer will be Shakhtar, don’t ask me why.
As we get to the final week of this transfer window, Scolari is busy finalising the Chelsea squad for this season. One thing about Scolari is that he has really made this Chelsea squad more lean and importantly, mean. He did the right thing in trimming the fat by letting go Pizarro, Ben Haim, Shevchenko, Sidwell, Makelele and Boulahrouz. He is still reportedly trying to offload SWP, which is a very good thing. I think he will get Robinho. If we get rid of SWP and buy Robinho, I think we are almost complete. Lack of options in Drogba’s absence is worrying but it is fair on Scolari’ part to expect a striker of Anelka’s stature to fill in for Drogba.
I see rumours that SWP is wanted by Man City for 10m. I think we should not waste time. He should have gone yesterday. I would even take anything over 5m. For all my love for the guy, my math tells me 5m is better than nothing. We don’t get anything from SWP. He is not in the first team. He is not an active and reliable back up for anyone. He is one player who has stayed fit in all the last three seasons but has played so little. That speaks volumes about how much we need him. He is a great professional though. He is very good boy, well behaved and level headed. I guess it’s impossible to hate SWP as a person but if you look at him as a player, we should take that tough decision. (more…)