Tag Archive for 'football'

Chelsea : There’s Only One Drog At The Bridge

Published on May 20, 2012 in Sports. 0 Comments
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba

There’s only one Drog at the Bridge, the whole of England actually. No other team has a striker so reliant that you can just will him to score and he will. And you don’t have to go through all the foreplay of passing the ball around in the midfield. Everything works for him – loft it to him directly from the goal kick, cross the ball for him, play a cutting pass through the defenders – he’s always there to collect the ball. His strength and precision makes him a defender’s nightmare. The man is Didier Drogba!

He’s been the man of big moments for Chelsea these last couple of months. He’s started every decisive match. He’s always been there for Chelsea – playing the hit man looking for goals or being the actor to break the oppositions flow and get a much deserved rest for his teammates. And he’s scored in both the finals this year.

And this is exactly why I feel a tinge of guilt about being so happy on signing Torres. I was one of the joyful people who thought we had replaced Drogba. I had even wanted Drogba out last summer so that Torres can finally take the center stage. But it is at times like these that prove we had the best striker of the English Premier League all the time. Torres’ goals and pretty play at Liverpool count for nothing against what the legendary Drogba has done at Chelsea. I am not maligning Torres – I love him and know he’ll come good for us, it’s just that I feel guilty of thinking he was eons ahead of Drogba. Well, one thing is for sure – no one can replace Drogba from the legends of Chelsea. You just cannot find another man in his mold with the same passion and dedication for the club.

With Drogba’s contract over, the million dollar question is – Will Drogba sign a new contract at Chelsea? Will Drogba leave? Should Drogba leave? Should Drogba be given the 2 year contract he so desires?

Alas all good things must come to an end. As Harvey Dent said

You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

Drogba has conquered all at Stamford Bridge – the premier league titles, the Carling cup, the FA cup and now the Champions League. He has nothing to prove to anyone anymore. He’ll forever be loved by all the Chelsea fans and respected by the neutrals. And he literally won the Champions League for Chelsea. But his league form had been terrible. He’s gotten older and has slowed down. He cannot help us in the league anymore. He’s become a man for the big occasions now. He gets all charged up and energized for one game. You cannot expect him to play this way a whole year. And I do not think being a bit-part bench player would be acceptable for him. He is a legend, he deserves respect. And this is why I feel this is the right time to call it quits on his Chelsea adventure. He can walk out with his head held high on his own terms.

I realize that letting Drogba leave could backfire disastrously. Andrea Pirlo is the best example – left by Milan he won the scudetto for Juventus. But I think that letting go of Drogba now would be the best thing to do. Roman wants a change in style of play to one that does not suit Drogba. It’s better for him to leave now as the European Champion than endear a possibly frustrating campaign trying to adapt to a completely new system.

The Chelsea management have got some pretty tough decisions to make this summer. It makes me anxious. I want the suspense of summer to be over. I want to know how this story ends and I want to dream of the beginning of a new season at the Bridge. If only I could close my eyes and drift off into a month long hibernation.

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EPL: Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur – March 2012

Published on March 24, 2012 in Sports. 0 Comments

No one needs to be reminded about how massive a game this is for both the clubs. A month ago Spurs were flying high in their third place, comfortably ahead of Arsenal. But all that England manager talk seems to have gotten to them and now they are fourth with just 5 more better than Chelsea. If Chelsea were to win today this fight for the final Champions League birth will go right to the end!

Last weeks defeat at the hands of Manchester City coupled with Spurs somehow drawing their match leaves Chelsea with a must-win scenario. 5 points towards the end of the season is too much to make up and a win is absolutely must if we want to qualify for the Champions League. The FA Cup and the Champions League games coming up don’t make life any easier as Di Matteo must take care of player energy levels and rotate the squad. Arsenal and Tottenham do not have this problem – and I don’t envy them for this luxury.

I will be watching the game nervously, hoping for a Chelsea victory. Let’s pile more pressure on Spurs. We know they can crack under pressure and yield us that qualifying spot.

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Rumour: Jose To Chelsea?

Published on February 4, 2012 in Sports. 0 Comments

I know this will never happen mostly for two reasons – the breakdown in relationship between Jose and Roman was regarding the power of control of the club that Roman will never agree to compromise and also because I can’t see Chelsea wasting another 20-30 millions firing AVB. But if it were to happen it would make every Chelsea fan around the world happy.

Jose Mourinho brings with himself a guarantee of trophies that no other manager can. He guided us to first Premiere League trophy after like what 50 years of drought? He has the experience and the technical know-how to put in order our messed up team. He can be that ruthless person  to make tough decisions and not care about what people say. AVB, who is much too younger, has tried and failed at the same. To control the egoist dressing room of Chelsea you need a man like Jose.

Now seems like the right time to bring Jose back to Chelsea. Earlier Jose had been too defensive. When at Chelsea his success was built upon a miserly defensive team playing counter-attacking football. He carried over the same philosophy at Inter Milan. Remember the Champions League match against Barcelona. Inter sat back in their last 1/3rd and just defended with their lives – only trying to score at the break. That is why I was not much in favor of getting Jose back to our club. I wanted our team to play with flair and to barrage the opposite end with lots of shots on target. That is something Chelsea does not do.

These two years at Real Madrid has seen a change in Jose’s style. He still cares a lot about the defense – against Barcelona, Real Madrid play like his Chelsea and Inter Milan used to play – but he has also opened up to an attacking style of football. It helps that he has players like Ozil and Ronaldo to make the most of the chances. Look at Real Madrid now. They have won a number of games with 2+ margin. Any manager would be happy with such a record.

However, one must look at all the aspects. Jose needs a team of his liking. If he were to come to Chelsea, he will undoubtedly make lots of changes. With the UEFA’s financial fair play coming into picture it seems highly unlikely that Chelsea is again going to splash lots of money in the transfer market. The philosophy of buying lots of young players point to the same – we would rather have lots of Sturridge like cases rather than Torres. Given the current team, without much tinkering, does Jose have in himself to deliver the Premier League again in his first year? I think not.

Also firing AVB would be senseless. We spent like 15 millions in the summer signing him from Porto. It would be just a waste of money firing him after an year. The guy has potential. He must be given time to create a team to his liking. Unlike his predecessors AVB was not handed a treasure chest to go and hand pick any player in the world. Belief and stability is something Chelsea managers need at this transition period. I’m pretty sure that we’ll finish among the top 4. AVB deserves to continue after that.

Lastly, I think Jose would never come back to Chelsea so long as we have Roman. Jose needs complete control over the club – he had that at Inter and Madrid. At Chelsea he’s never going to get that. Just the last week AVB let it known that the signing of Kevin de Bruyne was club policy and not his decision – read, Roman wanted that deal and not the manager. Roman strikes to me as a dictator kind of a person. It’s good that he loves and cares so much for Chelsea and that love will never let him part his veto power. He’ll always continue to influence the club.

And if Jose really wants to get back in England, he’ll find plenty of opportunities. SAF is getting old. Perhaps Manchester United decide to offer Jose the chance to manage the club where he’ll have complete control just like SAF has. If Manchester City fail to win the Premiere League this year Mancini is almost sure to get fired. City can offer Jose a huge salary and also lots of money to attract players. Arsene Wenger could get booted out in favor of Jose – seems highly unlikely though. With English national team place opening up and Redknapp as the most-probable successor, Spurs could be a destination. But with their wage structure and limited funding it might not be the ideal club for Jose. Liverpool? King Kenny fans will be very upset and the move will surely backfire.

When you just sit back to think about it, and knowing Jose, it could just be that he’s trying to stir up the nest and trouble a few people and nothing more. There’s very little reason why he might leave Real Madrid. He has built an amazing team over there who have not yet managed to win the Champions League. And even if he leaves the two Manchester clubs seem like the more likely destination. I would not even give 5% credibility to the rumors of Jose coming back to Chelsea. It’s just that improbable.

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Why I Get So Excited About Chelsea’s Future

Published on January 26, 2012 in Sports. 0 Comments

If you have been following the Chelsea First team then you would have become frustrated with lack of quality that we display on match days. There are days when we can beat an in-form Manchester City, and then there are days when we have to toil and sweat against an easy Fulham. Lack of consistency is killing our campaign. We no longer have faith in our players. Some might say it’s just downhill from here to a team that won the Double just 2 years ago. But I argue otherwise.

Let me start from Jose Mourinho. If you were to trace his football career you’ll observe a trend. He came to Chelsea, a young exciting coach. He was given complete freedom to shape his team. He put his faith in the bullish Drogba, defensively solid Terry, the Bison Essien, the reliable Frank and the amazing Cech. He moulded these players in the 4-3-3 formation. They learnt to defend in his reign. Even today, when Chelsea decide to sit back and defend it’s very tough for opponents to score against us. Terry and Cech are just too damn good in that.

But along the years as these people aged no one was drafted in to replace them. Mourinho builds a short-term result focused team as evident by Inter Milan’s decline after Jose parted ways with them (it’s only at Real Madrid that he’s had the courage to alter his philosophy a little and build a younger team). Managers one after another were brought in at Chelsea to try and do what Jose did but none succeeded. None really had the courage to alter the core of the team and none could extract the same performances that Jose did. Decline was a natural result. Although Ancelotti managed to win the Double, it was more like the star burning at its brightest before the death. Since then we have really struggled. Our strength has turned into weakness and people call us The Pensioners.

For the first time in years has Roman decided to finally change the team. Drafting Jose Mourinho’s protege Andre Villas-Boas was a big gamble. The move was a declaration of a new era – one where a new core team would be found to help Chelsea be more successful. Also there has been a shift in the buying policy. People at the club are trying to bring in players from the youth team. And this is exactly what pleases and excites me.

Josh McEachren is the first name that springs up. He’s an emerging talent that’ll eventually replace Frank Lampard in the English team. Everyone believes that Wilshere and McEachren will become the next Gerrard and Lampard couple. Josh has been sent out on loan  to Swansea where I expect him to discover his true potential and come back just as strong as Sturridge did after his spell at Bolton. Realistically speaking, with lots of players leaving Chelsea this summer, I expect Josh to become a regular first team player the next season.

Another talent that we have bought this summer is Romelu Lukaku. He’s an ardent Chelsea fan whose role model is Drogba. With Drogba set to leave us this summer I am certain Lukaku will start lot more matches the next season. If he’s half as good as Fifa 2012 makes him he’ll be amazing to watch. Mind you the only direct competition he’s got is a misfiring Torres and a developing Sturridge. In Lukaku we have a striker who has already set the Belgian league on fire. Sturridge might find it tough to hold out against this guy a couple of years down the line.

Josh and Lukaku are almost certainties to feature in the first team next season. Apart from them I also value Lucas Piazon highly. I have only read about him and seen youtube clips. I hold this guy in high regards. Being a typical tricky-dribbler Brazilian he’ll add a hint of class that has been missing from Chelsea recently. But at only 18 he needs to develop a lot to adapt himself to the rigors of Premiere League. He himself admitted that the grounds here are smaller than those in Brazil and thus it becomes difficult to showcase dribbling talent here. He can play on the wing or behind the striker. Mata and Piazon can then in rotation take on different roles which’ll make marking them all the more difficult.

Sam Hutchinson and Ryan Bertrand are the other players who excite me. They are Chelsea academy products and I really hope they make it into the first team sooner than later. We definitely need a cover for Ashley Cole who plays day-in and day-out. Also Terry needs to be phased out slowly and Hutchinson can be that man. Luiz, Cahill starting with Hutchinson as the backup is an ideal solution.

Oh, and not to forget Curtois.

So you see, Chelsea have a lot of amazing talent waiting for the opportunity to express themselves. Instead buying costly people in a fit of panic, we must be a little patient and make the best use of our youngsters. We have a striker, a midfielder, a winger and two defenders waiting to take the Stamford Bridge by storm. We do not really need to buy for these positions. The only position I think we might need to spend will be the right back. we’ve never had a good player in that position.

I am almost certain that the above 6 players will come good for Chelsea. They are the future of Chelsea and will definitely win us a lot of trophies.

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EPL: Wigan Athletic vs Chelsea – Dec 2011 – Post Match

Published on December 18, 2011 in Sports. 0 Comments
Villas Boas

Villas Boas

My reaction after the substitutions – WTF is going on in AVB’s mind?

Bringing on Kalou in place of Romeu made technical sense. A 0-0 scoreline against a weaker opponent suggests the introduction of a more attacking player. The choice of player in this case wasn’t something that pleased me though. Whenever I see Kalou, I am reminded of the handball and subsequent penalty given by him to Valencia in the dying moments. This guy doesn’t inspire confidence.

AVB’s next move is more baffling. He brings on Mikel for Mata! Dude. Just 1 up against a team fighting the relegation threat, one must always be on the offensive. Sacrificing your most creative piece for a player who doesn’t deserve a place in any of the top teams makes no sense at all. With this move, Chelsea went into a 4-2-1-3 formation. The only motive at this point was to desperately hang to the lead. And that’s something you do against a better opponent and not Wigan!

The third substitution was absolutely scandalous. Pray tell us the name of the Oracle that told you removing your goal scorer for a lame runner will benefit your side. At this point Wigan were already pouring forward trying to get the equalizer. AVB’s move – let me pick up someone randomly from the field and the bench and swap them. Gosh! That’s terrible.

All this while when Chelsea were in trouble I have defended AVB. But today I am forced to ask what his plans actually were? What was he really expecting his substitutes to accomplish? How can he publicly state that he’ll help Torres find his best form and never give him a chance to play?

I think AVB has totally lost his plot. The pressure’s gotten to him. He has finally bowed down and abolished his attacking principles. The complete 90 minutes Chelsea were playing a purposeless game. There was no real passion or determination to win the game. They just sat back to defend and hoped they get a goal as a gift. It was a drab, dull and boring match. A waste of 90 minutes. Nightmarish. This was just as terrible as the 5-3 drubbing by Arsenal. They could have just bent over and saved themselves the humiliation of almost getting beat by an 18th placed team.

I don’t know what else to say. There was not a single minute in the game when Chelsea looked confident or a title challenger. Easily one of the worst games of the season so far.

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EPL: Chelsea vs Manchester City – Dec 2011

Published on December 12, 2011 in Sports. 0 Comments
Chelsea vs Manchester City

Chelsea vs Manchester City

It’s the big one today. We face the table toppers at our home. It’s the clash of a fearsome attack against a shaky defense. And I’m afraid. Already AVB has declared that if we lose this game our title race is all but over. A win is vital today and nothing else will do.

Manchester City has set the premier league alight with an amazing display of attack. Having scored 48 goals in the first 14 matches they’ll beat Premier League’s record of highest number of goals – 103 by Chelsea in 2009 – 2010 season – by a big margin. It’s their latest acquisition – Sergio Aguero – who has been the most devastating. He is a potent goal scoring machine. And what makes it worse is that Chelsea had kept tabs on this guy and he could have been in our team had things turned out differently (we put our faith in Torres).

Not to forget David Silva. The guy picked up from where he left the previous season. He’s arguably among the best midfielders in the league, if not the best. He is their main architect.

I’m afraid that these two could rip apart the Chelsea defense just the way they did it with Manchester United, more so if AVB decides to revert back to the high defensive line that our back four are so uncomfortable with. That brings us to the main question – what is going to be AVB’s strategy today? Will he defend deep like he did against Valencia in a do-or-die game? Seems likely because he cannot risk losing this game and slipping 13 points off the top. In fact, he might just play the same team that defeated Valencia by counter attacking which means that Torres will spend another game watching from the bench. Mancini would suspect the same. So will AVB surprise everyone by doing just the opposite and play like Chelsea played against Manchester United – remember had our strikers been more accurate we could have won that day.

For this game I do not want to voice my opinion. I just want us to win this one – hook or by crook. We cannot afford any more losses. And AVB needs a few victories for all the unpleasant rumors to die down. Only by winning a few matches can he gain the confidence of fans and experiment.

I’ll be watching the game with my fingers crossed.

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Chelsea Stats Page

Published on November 19, 2011 in Sports. 0 Comments

I’ve  made my Chelsea Stats Spreadsheet public for anyone to view. The same has been shared as a page on this blog site. Following are the links if you are interested:

Link to the shared page on blog: http://blog.singhanuvrat.com/chelsea-stats

Link to the public view of spreadsheet: Docs Public View

I update the sheet manually after every match as soon as the information become available.

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FA Is Dumb And Stupid When It Comes To Referees

Published on November 12, 2011 in Sports. 0 Comments

I don’t care if FA were to accidently come across this article and charge me with improper conduct. I maintain my stance that they are dumb and stupid. It’s one thing to protect your employees and another to be indifferent to complains of your clients.

FA have this campaign running to honor the referees. And they punish anyone who seem to speak out against the referee. But this kind of creates a dictatorship – referee can do anything on the pitch and no one can question their decision. This I think goes against the principle of any sport.

A sport is meant to be a free and fair competition between competing sides. A referee or an umpire is supposed to be an unbiased person overlooking the game. But in the real world no one is unbiased. Every person has an ulterior motive. So there should be a committee you can get your complaints through to and have faith that the committee will take an unbiased decision.

It’s pathetic to see what happens in the English Football. The FA rule over everything. There’s absolutely no forum where a manager could go and complain about a referee being impartial. Every time that happens, it’s the club or the manager who gets fined for speaking their mind. So what the hell ever happened to free speech?

I think FA and UEFA have both adopted the wrong principles here. Instead of blatantly and unabashedly supporting their referees they must accept the fact that perhaps the referee can have a bad game sometime and look into the complaints with an open mind.  And if they cannot accept that their referee are only humans, they must stop opposing the introduction of technology and actually seek as much help as possible from the fast developing technology.

As a fan I just want to stress that it’s no fun watching your team being on the receiving end of all the dubious decisions. We expect a referee to take up a stance and stick to it throughout the game. Sad as it makes me, but this is not what happens right now. Often big matches are decided by incompetent referees. And since the FA and UEFA decide to turn a blind eye to these incidents and support their referee no-matter-what, it just spoils the fun of the game.

If we continue along the same path, I doubt it’ll be long before the clubs start pondering about setting up a system parallel to the FA and start a breakaway series. There’s only so much injustice that a club can bear!

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Castrol Rating EPL Final Table Prediction – 2011/10/01

Published on November 4, 2011 in Sports. 0 Comments

Here’s the Predicted Final Standings as simulated at the end of 1st October, 2011.

EPL Predicted Final Standings - 2011/10/01

EPL Predicted Final Standings - 2011/10/01

 Well, the current form of Manchester City is very well represented in this prediction. They have assembled an amazing squad. With Aguero and Dzeko at the front they have had the courage to drop Tevez, the guy who was so important in their previous season. Balotelli has started to make his presence felt. Assisting the strikers, ManCity has Silva and Nasri. Silva is pure class and Nasri is none lesser. ManCity is certainly the best squad on paper in the EPL.

About ManUtds chances I am slightly skeptical. Without Scholes their midfield has been inconsistent. They have a young keeper that everyone is so eager to test. ManUtd has had it easy so far. It was a second string Arsenal that they played. With Modric transfer saga, Spurs were not in the right frame of mind to take on ManUtd. Also Modric did not feature in that game at all. The only games with the top clubs in form that they have played have been Liverpool and ManCity. Liverpool they drew and ManCity they lost. They need to watch out else the bigger European teams will simply sweep them off their feet just like ManCity did.

Chelsea has had a mixed start to the season. Anyone who has followed Chelsea will point out that they are playing far more pleasing football than they have in the recent years. Cole and Bosingwa have been like wingers. Luiz meanders through to the midfield and tries a couple of long range shots himself. With Mata, Ramires and Sturridge the build up play has been frantic. There’s an eagerness to get the ball to the final third. But the finishing has been poor. Drogba is past his best. Torres still lacks the confidence to shoot for goals. He was just getting to his best when he got red carded. Now he is back to square 1. With the offensive approach and the high back line, Chelsea has been leaking goals. Even QPR and Genk have now managed to score against them. For this season, I wouldn’t consider Chelsea to be a title contender any more. They’ll happily finish 3rd and with a little fight 2nd.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs are all close calls. I am more inclined towards Spurs provided they manage to hold on to Modric this January transfer window. Arsenal are the most unpredictable team. When Van Persie is in form they score freely, otherwise they just struggle. And their defense is not great either.

My guess would be ManCity, Chelsea, ManUtd, Spurs, Arsenal and then Liverpool.

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Castrol Rating EPL Final Table Prediction – 2011/08/30

Published on September 3, 2011 in Sports. 0 Comments

Here’s the Predicted Final Standings as simulated at the end of 30th August, 2011.

EPL Predicted Final Standings - 2011/08/30

EPL Predicted Final Standings - 2011/08/30

 

I like that Chelsea has been placed at the top, even if the margin of difference is less than 1 point. What this highlights is that any of Chelsea or Manchester United could end up as the Champions. That Arsenal has been placed above Manchester City is quite a surprise. I was expecting Manchester City to be 3rd, Liverpool 4th and Arsenal 5th. Also I do not see Everton getting the better of Spurs.

Well, this is what the predictor says after 3 round of matches. Let’s give it another month and compare the difference.

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