A Huge, Mind-boggling List of Possible Chelsea Transfers. Huzzah!

Hey!
So yesterday I promised a surprise, and here it is: a huge, mind-boggling list of possible Chelsea transfers! HUZZAH!
During this month's transfer window, you can expect to see quite a few Chelsea departures, as well as the (hopeful) addition of a few key players. As well, we can expect the return of Michael Essien to the first team come mid-January, which should be exciting.

Note: Notice how PSG is interested in quite a few Chelsea stars? Guess who the new manager is... Carlo Ancelotti! Ex-manager competing against new manager... should be interesting.

So here we go, a list of Chelsea's transfer possibilities this January:

IN:

Eden Hazard

Current club: Lille

Clubs interested: Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool, Inter, AC Milan, PSG.

Asking price: €40 million

This 20-year old Belgian international can play as an attacking midfielder as well as a winger, and is known for his creativity on the ball, quick pace, and his superb technical skills. He's been likened to both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and has been described as a "defender's nightmare." Chelsea have reportedly scouted him five times, and Hazard has stated that he is definitely leaving Lille this season, although a January move is unlikely. PSG has already submitted a bid, but Hazard has stated that he will not be transferring to a rival French club, so a move to PSG is out of the question.

Kevin de Bruyne

Current club: Racing Genk

Clubs interested: Chelsea

Asking price: £7 million

Kevin de Bruyne is a 20-year old Belgian international who can play in an attacking midfield role or as a winger. His near-flawless technical ability has impressed André Villas-Boas, who failed in an attempt to sign him last summer. However, it is believed that Chelsea will come out with a new bid of £7 million during this window, which could pry him away from the Belgian side. 

Neymar

Current club: Santos

Clubs interested: Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Anzhi Makhachkala

Asking price: €45 million

Recently named South America's footballer of the year, this 19-year old Brazilian striker is a technical wonder. Gifted in almost every aspect, he is wanted by almost every club on the planet (although only five can afford him). For awhile, it was believed that he had agreed to terms with Barcelona; however, reports are now indicating that no such thing has occurred.  Very good news for Chelsea. It's likely that he'll be leaving Santos this season – it's just a question of whether he goes in January or July. 

Gonzalo Higuaín

Current club: Real Madrid

Clubs interested: Chelsea

Asking price: £40 million

The 24-year old Argentine international plays as a striker for Real Madrid, but he has recently been replaced in the starting lineup by Karim Benzema. However, one can't say that it was due to poor form: Higuaín scores a goal every 53 minutes on average, and has netted 12 goals in just 7 starts for Madrid. Needless to say, his record is something that would be much appreciated at Chelsea. Due to both Chelsea and Real Madrid being interested in signing Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, it seems that Chelsea have agreed to drop out of the race for Cavani if Madrid allow Chelsea to open talks with Higuaín. 

Kaká

Current club: Real Madrid

Clubs interested: Chelsea, PSG, AC Milan

Asking price: £22 million

Kaká has recently fallen out of favour with José Mourinho in the Madrid lineup, and the 29-year old midfielder is likely to leave this January. In 2007, he won the Ballon D'Or and FIFA Player of the Year awards while playing for AC Milan. He is also a Brazilian international, and is known for his creativity on the pitch, as well as his technical ability.

Gary Cahill

Current club: Bolton

Clubs interested: Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool

Asking price: £7 million

This 26-year old central defender is an England international who is known to play excellently with John Terry. He can also play as a left-back, right-back, and defensive midfielder. His quick pace, technical skills, and commanding presence have turned him into a formidable defender who would be welcome at Chelsea. A £7 million bid has been agreed in principle with Bolton, and it's extremely likely that Cahill will be wearing a Chelsea shirt by the end of January (AVB has actually announced that the transfer should be made official within a few hours of the window opening).  

Miloš Krasić

Current club: Juventus

Clubs interested: Chelsea, Bayern München

Asking price: £10 million

This 27-year old Serbian midfielder would be a great addition to the Chelsea midfield line, and André Villas-Boas is eager to add his pace and ball control to his squad. AVB is apparently asking Branislav Ivanovic to step up and try to convince his fellow Serbian to join the Blues. He has recently fallen out-of-favour at Juventus, and could be sold for approximately £10 million. It's also possible that he could join Chelsea on loan. 

Lucas Moura

Current club: São Paulo FC

Clubs interested: Chelsea, Liverpool, Inter

Asking price: £25 million

This 19-year old Brazailian international plays as an attacking midfielder for São Paulo FC. Known for his blistering pace and excellent dribbling skills, he can create great chances and would be a brilliant addition to Chelsea's midfield. 

João Moutinho

Current club: FC Porto

Clubs interested: Chelsea

Asking price: £30

This 25-year old Portuguese international can function as a utility player, playing as a defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, or central midfielder, and can play on either side of the pitch. André Villas-Boas is a big fan of Moutinho, and is hoping to add his numerous abilities to Chelsea's lineup. 

Jack Rodwell

Current club: Everton
Clubs interested: Chelsea
Asking price: £20 million

This 20-year old defensive midfielder can also play in the defensive line. He understands how to position himself well, and presents a formidable defensive force. He has a poor injury record, but if the Chelsea coaches can work with him to increase his fitness, then he would be a good signing for the Blues. In 10 games for Everton this season, he has scored 2 goals and assisted 1.

Hulk

Current club: FC Porto

Clubs interested: Chelsea

Asking price: £84 million

This 25-year old Brazilian international can function as a right winger and striker. He has worked under André Villas-Boas previously, and his agent has issued a statement which reads: " Hulk would wholeheartedly agree to work with André at Porto or Chelsea, or at any other team because he really likes the way he coaches. André knows Hulk very well and they have a good relationship. Hulk at Chelsea? Anything is possible." Hulk has also stated that he would be open to a move, and he seems to be quite adept at scoring. Last season, Hulk was the top scorer in the Primeira Liga, netting 23 and assisting 13 in 26 appearances – an amazing record, to say the least. He works well with AVB and (if he performs to his usual standard at Chelsea) would serve to dispel the circulating rumours about AVB's lack of managerial ability. Hulk would truly be the signing of the year (possibly decade), and his move to Chelsea would completely shatter the EPL transfer record. The most money paid by a British club (up until now) has been Chelsea's £50 million bid for Fernando Torres. This would top both that record, as well as the world football transfer record (Cristiano Ronaldo's £80 million move from Manchesster United to Real Madrid). For that amount of money, of course there's a considerable risk; however, it would honestly be lovely to have a striker in the ranks who can finish almost every time. Let's be honest here: Fernando Torres is a great player, I'm not denying his ability (he has lots); however, it just doesn't seem to be a good fit at Chelsea. Manchester United have Wayne Rooney; Manchester City have Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko; Liverpool have Luis Suárez; Arsenal have Robin van Persie; Newcastle have Demba Ba. Chelsea need a striker of that calibre (especially since Drogba will be gone for the African Cup of Nations, and then also off to another team in January/summertime). We have Mata on the left, Sturridge on the right. Hulk would fit perfectly in that central role. 

OUT:

Nicolas Anelka

Going to: Shanghai Shenhua

DEFINITELY LEAVING CHELSEA IN JANUARY.

Alex

Going to: Juventus, PSG, QPR, Brazilian league

DEFINITELY LEAVING CHELSEA IN JANUARY.

Didier Drogba

Clubs interested: Guangzhou Evergrande (if he signs for Evergrande, he will become the highest-paid player on the planet), LA Galaxy, Shanghai Shenhua, Dalian, Aerbin, Aston Villa

While he might not be leaving in January, he is definitely leaving Chelsea this year, and has already stated that he will go wherever he is offered the most money (which is most likely Evergrande). 

Frank Lampard

Clubs interested: LA Galaxy

Lampard is looking for a contract extension at Chelsea, but if they do not offer it to him, a move to the USA might be imminent, with David Beckham attempting to facilitate a move for him to the Galaxy. 

Florent Malouda

Clubs interested: PSG

"I'm not getting enough playing time. It's too limited for the ambitions I have. I can't be happy with that. If it is necessary, I will leave."

That quotation says it all. 

Saloman Kalou

Clubs interested: PSG, Arsenal

LOAN:

Gaël Kakuta

Clubs interested: Dijon

His loan contract at Bolton ends at midnight tonight, and French side Dijon are very interested in securing his services. The 20-year old forward only made four appearances for Bolton during the first half of the season – all as substitutions, and scored one goal against Aston Villa. 

Josh McEachran

Clubs interested: Bolton, Swansea, Aston Villa

While his ultimate goal is to play for Chelsea, the 19-year old midfielder is likely to be loaned out to Bolton as a part of the Gary Cahill deal.

So, that's my complete list. If you think I've forgotten someone (or just want to talk about Chelsea stuff), let me know in the "comments" section.

Cheers, thanks for reading, and Happy New Year everyone!

~Matt

A Surprise.

So... tomorrow. December 31.

Guess what happens at midnight (it's pretty obvious)?
...
JANUARY 1, 2012! It's the new year!

BUT. Do you know what else happens at midnight tomorrow?
THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW OPENS! COMMENCE DANCE PARTY!

So, in honour of the transfer window opening (and the new year, I suppose), I'm bequeathing unto you all a present. It will be fairly extensive, and will definitely be Chelsea-related. I'm not going to tell you what is it, all I can say is that I've been working on it awhile.

GUESS YOU'LL HAVE TO COME BACK TOMORROW AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.

Anyway, happy new year.
~Matt

Chelsea Hands Manchester City its First Loss!

Hey... so... uh... guess what...?

CHELSEA JUST BEAT MANCHESTER CITY. That's right.
Booyah.

I'm actually just exploding (figuratively, of course) from happiness right now and I'm finding it very very hard not to write absolutely everything in capitals.

It seemed like my entire day was leading up to this game (it definitely was). I picked out a special outfit for today's match (Chelsea jacket with blue jeans – unfortunately, my Chelsea t-shirts don't fit me anymore). I pretty much spent all of history predicting formations and lineups, all of french trying to figure out who Man City would start in defense (after I realized about Richards' and Kolarov's injuries), and all of Spanish compiling random statistics and attempting to figure out if there was an accent on the second "e" in "Touré" (there is one). Then I ran home, occasionally stopping at random sports-bars along Eglinton Ave. to check the score, and watched the game with my good friend Larissa, who proceeded to watch me jump around in circles after Lampard's winner.

Raul Meireles (centre) celebrates with his teammates after scoring the equalizer in today's match.

2-1 was the score. With a red card to Gaël Clichy. And goals from Balotelli (2') and Meireles (34'), as well as a goal from a spot kick scored by Frank Lampard (gotta love that guy) in the 82nd minute.

I'm actually so excited that I can't form real sentences. Forgive all forthcoming grammar mistakes (I'm sure there will be many), believe me, they're all due to pure euphoria.

And it looks like André Villas-Boas can finally consider his tenure at Chelsea stable (yes!).

Here was Chelsea's lineup (4-3-3):

Bench: Turnbull, Ferreira, Mikel (Sturridge 88'), Lampard (Meireles 73'), Malouda (Mata 84'), Kalou, Torres.

NOTABLE CHELSEA PLAYERS:

- Daniel Sturridge: Man of the Match, and rightly so. Assisted the first goal with a brilliant series of step-overs and a perfect cross to Raul Meireles, and forced the second penalty by managing to clip the ball off of Lescott's hands in the box. 

- Juan Mata: Incredible ball control and dribbling skills to get around numerous Man City players. They just couldn't handle him today.

MATCH OVERVIEW

The match definitely started with trouble for the hosts. In the 2nd minute, a (basically) unmarked Mario Balotelli received a lifted ball, avoided a tackle by Ivanovic, managed to get around Petr Cech, and passed the ball into an open Chelsea net to make the score-line 1-0. However, Chelsea rebounded in the 34th minute, when former Manchester City man Daniel Sturridge found his way past Gaël Clichy with a series of brilliantly-timed step-overs and crossed it to Raul Meireles, who slotted it home in the air with a well-taken volley. 1-1 at the half (after Meireles received a yellow for a dangerous tackle on Zabaleta). In the 58th minute, Gaël Clichy got himself sent off after receiving a second yellow for a reckless challenge on Ramires, putting Manchester City down to 10 men. After this, Manchester City made a series of defensively-minded substitutions (Kolo Touré for Agüero, De Jong for Silva), interspersed with yellow cards to Romeu (no idea what his was about – looked completely legit), Ramires, and Drogba. In the 73rd minute, Frank Lampard came on for Raul Meireles (not sure why it wasn't Romeu – I would've thought that Chelsea would try to look for for attacking options, and taking off Meireles would be a loss of a midfielder that attacks well). In the 82nd minute, Daniel Sturridge worked his way into the box and his shot deflected off of Joleon Lescott's outstretched arms for a penalty. Frank Lampard stepped up and coolly blasted it home, putting Chelsea up 2-1 (cue crazy dancing by me). Chelsea made a couple more subs (Malouda for Mata; Mikel for Sturridge), and managed to hold on until the end of stoppage time. 

Final Score: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

MATCH STATISTICS:

                                               Chelsea                 Manchester City

Ball Possession (%)                   49                               51

Shots (on target)                      14(3)                            7(2)

Corners                                      5                                 1

Crosses                                     25                                9

Fouls Committed                       11                               20

Yellow Cards                              4                                 1

Red Cards                                  0                                  1

Offsides                                     0                                  3

Unfortunately, no highlights on Youtube about the game, so here's a website with the highlights posted:

http://www.soccer-blogger.com/2011/12/12/chelsea-vs-man-city-2-1-highlights-goals-2011-video-balotelli-meireles-lampard-clichy-red-card/

P.S. Really sorry I couldn't report on the Chelsea-Valencia game on Tuesday, tons of work. WE WON THOUGH, and are now through to the Final 16! Awesome, eh? And we also won our group (due to Bayer Leverkusen's draw against Genk)! 

Drogba Intent on Honouring his Contract at Chelsea

So, as stated previously here, Didier Drogba is definitely planning on leaving Stamford Bridge, but we do know that it won't be in January. The 33-year old Chelsea fixture is planning to see his contract out until it officially ends. "I always said that I will honour my contract with Chelsea until the very end. And for the moment, the end is in 2012," he explained to Canal+, a French television station. "I am fine here and my personal case is not an important factor for me at the moment. The important thing is to try and get Chelsea back to the summit of the Premier League."

Didier Drogba.

In other news, a transfer request submitted by Nicolas Anelka was officially accepted by the Chelsea board yesterday, meaning that he'll likely be off in January.

Chelsea Snatches 4th Spot from the Magpies!

Hey!

So, it's been an interesting week for Chelsea, with a disappointing 2-0 elimination to Liverpool in the Carling Cup quarterfinals (but hey... Manchester United lost to Crystal Palace 2-1, so I'd imagine they'd also have to be a bit worried) (it's also the Carling Cup... so...yeah), and then a 3-0 away win over Newcastle yesterday morning (!), meaning that we've successfully regained our position at 4th spot (only 3 points behind Tottenham, who have a game in hand against Everton). 

Daniel Sturridge celebrates his goal with teammate Ramires in yesterday's game against Newcastle.

I'm also glad to report that www.hasandrevillasboasbeensackedyet.com is still reporting "no." Hopefully that continues (I think that as long as we don't lose against Valencia this week then he'll be fine). 

So, to the Newcastle game. 

Although Chelsea scored 3 goals (courtesy of Didier Drogba, Saloman Kalou, and Daniel Sturridge) and recorded a much-needed clean sheet, the score-line absolutely does not remotely reflect the actual intensity of the game. David Luiz (oh god) came incredibly close to getting tossed out in the 4th minute for tackling Demba Ba from behind just outside the box. Arguably, he should have been given a red card, but instead got off with a yellow (seems to happen often, eh?), and you can believe me, Alan Pardew is furious. Mike Dean (yesterday's referee) has since admitted that he made an error and that David Luiz should have been thrown out immediately. If this had happened, the entire course of the game would have completely changed. Unfortunately, Luiz seems to be looking more and more like a liability on the field rather than an asset, and in my opinion, if Alex is fit to play on Tuesday, he should be the one starting against Valencia. Chelsea cannot afford to have holes in the defense or be playing with 10 men in that game, which could prove to be the do-or-die game for André Villas-Boas. Alex can defend well, and usually puts in a consistent performance. Also, if he plays well then it will boost his player value for the January transfer window (he might be off to Juventus in exchange for Milos Krasic). 

Here was the lineup for yesterday's match (4-3-3):

Subs: Turnbull, Bosingwa, Bertrand, Meireles (Lampard 61'), Kalou (Mata 75'), Torres (Drogba 79').

NOTABLE CHELSEA PLAYERS:

- Didier Drogba: Showed why he's still one of the best strikers in the Premier League with a powerful header off Mata's cross in the 38th minute.

- David Luiz: See the above rant.

- Daniel Sturridge: Played very well, and on any other keeper he could have had at least 3 goals, but Tim Krul's ridiculous shot-stopping ability was a crucial factor there.

- Saloman Kalou: In his 100th appearance as a substitute for Chelsea (the first person ever to do this), he scored a nice goal from 10 yards out after Torres' attempt on goal did not work out. Wants to sign a new contract with Chelsea only if he is guaranteed more playing time. Maybe his performance yesterday turned some heads?

NOTABLE NEWCASTLE PLAYERS:

- Tim Krul: Oh. Wow. This guy is incredible. Actually. He saved a well-taken penalty by Frank Lampard, and denied Daniel Sturridge quite a few times before finally getting beaten in the 92nd minute. (although this was after his two central defenders both got taken off injured, so there was nothing he could really do about that one or Kalou's). 

MATCH OVERVIEW:

In the 4th minute David Luiz came extremely close to crippling his team by tacking Demba Ba just outside the box. He received a yellow card, but everyone involved has now agreed that it should have been a red. Luiz was extremely lucky to get off with just a booking. In the 14th minute, Yohan Cabaye, the Toon's centre midfielder, brought down Daniel Sturridge in the box to earn Chelsea a penalty. Frank Lampard stepped up to take it (as usual) and drove in a decent shot to the lower-right-hand corner, which was saved by Tim Krul! That guy is actually ridiculous – definitely one of the best keepers in the EPL right now. Things began to turn unfortunate for Newcastle when their captain and centre-back, Fabricio Coloccini, got injured in the 28th minute and had to be substituted for James Perch. In the 38th minute, a Chelsea throw-in allowed Mata to send in a nice cross for Drogba, who drove home a powerful header to put the visitors up 1-nil. Throughout the first half, Daniel Sturridge unleashed a flurry of shots, all miraculously saved by Tim Krul. Newcastle were also extremely unlucky – quite a few of their shots hit the post/crossbar. After quite a few substitutions in the second half (Meireles for Lampard, Kalou for Mata, and Torres for Drogba), as well as a yellow card to Daniel Sturridge, Chelsea struck again, this time through Saloman Kalou. After a Newcastle attempt on goal, Torres initiated a counter-attack which saw his shot get rebounded back to him. He passed it off to Kalou, who then scored from 10 yards out. In the 92nd minute, Ramires sent the ball through for Sturridge, who went through the entire Newcastle defense and scored, finally ending his game-long battle with Tim Krul.

Final score: Chelsea 3-0 Newcastle.

MATCH STATISTICS:

                                             Newcastle                    Chelsea

Ball Possession (%)                   56                               44

Shots (on target)                      15(3)                           21(10)

Corners                                      6                                 5

Crosses                                     15                               10

Fouls Committed                       7                                 6

Yellow Cards                             2                                  3

Red Cards                                  0                                  0

Offsides                                     2                                  2

Highlights of the Newcastle game.

Drogba Prepared to End his Career with Chelsea (sad face)

On November 29, Didier Drogba, a long-term Chelsea fixture (and record-holder – ranked 6th all-time goal scorer for Chelsea), turned down an offer for a one-year contract extension with the Blues. Thierno Seydi, agent of the 33-year old striker, has rather indelicately stated: "at Didier's age, he has nothing left to prove as a player. He will go where he is offered the most money." At least he's being honest.

Didier Drogba

Where will Drogba end up?
Apparently he's considering a move to Asia (Russia looks especially promising), as well as the USA. I'm aware that Anzhi Makhachkala, the Russian team that makes Manchester City look impoverished, has put Drogba on its wish list. If successful, Drogba will be a nice addition to a squad that seems to be amassing its own private army of brilliant footballers and coaches (Roberto Carlos, Samuel Eto'o, possibly Guus Hiddinck, and possibly Marcelo Lippi). And if it's truly money he wants, Anzhi is definitely the place to go. Money seems to be absolutely no object for the Russian side, with the club signing Samuel Eto'o to a contract in August that officially made him the world's highest-paid football player (10m Euros/season). I believe that the offer from Anzhi was a transfer fee in the ballpark of 10m Euros. Another option for Drogba is MLS side LA Galaxy, which his agent has stated is "possible." The Galaxy are certainly no stranger to amassing great talent either, picking up David Beckham and Landon Donovan, as well as being linked with Luca Toni, Michael Ballack, Ronaldinho, Frank Lampard (!), Alessandro del Piero, and Guti. Personally, I'm hoping he comes to the Galaxy, because when the Galaxy play Toronto FC (my home club), I might be able to see him. So, for entirely selfish reasons, I want him to reach Los Angeles.

What does this mean for Chelsea?
While losing Drogba will, of course, be very unfortunate for the club, in all truth I do not believe it will force a huge difference in Chelsea's tactics. André Villas-Boas seems to be favouring Fernando Torres as the target man in the Chelsea formation. As well, Drogba look-alike (and play-alike) Romelu Lukaku is waiting in the wings to become a permanent fixture in the starting 11.

Romelu Lukaku

When he comes of age, the 18-year-old striker will be the one to take Drogba's place in the squad. Drogba is undoubtedly one of my favourite Chelsea players ever – it will truly be devastating to see him off. And when Drogba's last game at the Bridge is played, I have no doubt that he won't be leaving without at least one standing ovation (he'll get one from me, at least). 

Brilliant video – Drogba highlights.

A Devastating Loss, AVB Career Speculation, and a Victory over Wolves.

Hey everyone,
So after a truly devastating 2-1 loss against Bayer Leverkusen (Champions League) on Tuesday, the general public really stepped up the speculation over the future of André Villas-Boas' job. It's true, Chelsea is definitely not where they were expected to be this season. Their title hopes are extremely low (Manchester City has pretty much locked it up after only 12 games, providing their incredible run of form holds); they require a win against Valencia to qualify for the Champions League; and Chelsea are currently sitting at 5th in the Premier League table. Past managers have been in better positions than Villas-Boas is currently, and were still sacked by Roman Abramovitch (think Carlo Ancelotti, Avram Grant, etc). The Russian multi-billionaire is quite impatient with his managers, expecting almost immediate results. Since José Mourinho, he's gone through 6 managers in 5 years. The conjecture among the general population is that if Chelsea do not advance to the next round of the Champions League, it will not be long before Abramovitch hands Villas-Boas his marching orders (and AVB has acknowledged this).

(my friend Daniel showed me this website)
http://hasandrevillasboasbeensackedyet.com/

Personally, I hope this doesn't happen. I actually think he's quite a good manager, and that he needs more time than just 20 or so games. Even if we don't manage a Champions League win, the main goal should be to finish in the top 4 in the Premier League (which will get us a CL spot next year), and use the break to try and fix up the team. Transfers need to be made. It's definitely an aging team: the average age of the team is 27.5, 8th highest in the league. When compared to top teams such as Manchester City (26.4), Manchester United (26.1), Arsenal (25.3), Liverpool (26.7), etc... it's obvious that Chelsea needs some younger players. John Terry is 30, Frank Lampard is 33, Didier Drogba is 33, Petr Cech is 29, Ashley Cole is 30, Florent Malouda is 31, Nicolas Anelka is 32. With the occasional exception of Anelka, these are all regular first-team players. The average age of Chelsea's usual starting 11 (I'm going to say Cech, Cole, Terry, Luiz, Ivanovic, Meireles, Lampard, Ramires, Malouda, Torres, Mata, just for argument's sake) is 27.8. In a few years, the majority of these players will be gone, and Chelsea need to have a contingency plan. Purchases such as Romelu Lukaku (who plays in a very similar style to Drogba), Oriol Romeu, and Thibaut Courtois (who will be ready to step in as the new goalkeeper by the time Petr Cech retires) are excellent. Chelsea need to continue to invest in developing footballers and supplement the current squad with young, creative players who can strengthen the team.

André Villas-Boas: the perpetually squatting manager of Chelsea (and we love him for it).

Chelsea had a Champions League match stolen from their grasp on Tuesday, when Bayer Leverkusen scored in the 92nd minute to win the game 2-1 at the BayArena. Chelsea had gone up 1-0 after a Drogba goal in the 48th minute (on a Daniel Sturridge assist). After bookings to Ivanovic and Meireles, Erin Derdiyok came on for Leverkusen and scored after only 2 minutes. The game looked to be a draw when 90 minutes passed; however, it was at that moment when Manuel Friedrich headed in a Gonzalo Castro corner to win the game 2-1. With this unlikely loss, Chelsea moved to 3rd place in Group E with 8 points and a +6 GD, and now need a win against Valencia (8 points and a +8 GD) in order to advance to the next round of the Champions League. Chelsea are in an extremely tough position now, with André Villas-Boas' job on the line as well. They desperately need a win against Valencia. In their last game against them (in Valencia), the two teams drew 1-1. The next match will be at Stamford Bridge. Hopefully the support of the fans can drive Chelsea to a victory and a place in the next round.

This was depressing: the winning goal at the BayArena on Wednesday. 

This morning, Chelsea emerged victorious with an important 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton that saw them put a bit of distance between themselves and Arsenal (2 points), as well as close the gap slightly between themselves and the likes of Newcastle (1 point), Tottenham (3 points), and Manchester United (5 points). With Newcastle up against Chelsea next Saturday, I'm definitely hoping that next weekend we'll all see a shift in the Premier League standings (with Chelsea overtaking Newcastle and reaching 4th spot). In today's match at the Bridge, goals from John Terry, Daniel Sturridge, and Juan Mata (with Mata assisting the first two goals) put Chelsea up 3-0 at the end of the first half.

Here was the lineup for today's match (4-3-3):

Subs: Turnbull, Mikel, , Malouda, Kalou, Lampard (Meireles 70'), Bosingwa (Ivanovic 77'), Torres (Drogba 78')

NOTABLE CHELSEA PLAYERS:
- Juan Mata: Man of the Match performance. Assisted the first two goals, and scored the third. Showed great composure and vision with his crosses. Provided Sturridge with the easiest of tap-ins and Terry with a lovely corner ball. Overall, he had an excellent game.
- Daniel Sturridge: Positioned himself well to tap home Mata's cross for the 2nd goal of the game. At times seemed a bit needlessly selfish with the ball (went for goal, even though passing it off would have been a perfect option), but nonetheless played a great game. Created a beautiful run for himself down the length of the pitch in the 2nd half, but couldn't finish.
- John Terry: Positioned himself well and got up to a good height to score the first of the game off a Mata corner. Defended well during the game.
- Oriol Romeu: In his first Premier League start for Chelsea, he looked extremely comfortable in the holding midfield role. Linked up well with the attack, and defended well when needed.
- Ramires: Played excellently in midfield. His incredible pace gave Chelsea a number of opportunities. Showed his great value to the team when he dispossessed a Wolves player at the centre of the pitch and made a brilliant run down the middle, unleashing a blistering shot which was saved by Hennessey.

Juan Mata celebrates his goal.

MATCH OVERVIEW:
Chelsea did very well to dominate the game from early on, with John Terry scoring off a Mata corner in the 7th minute. According to the commentators, the goal could have easily been cleared at the far post if Wolves had defenders marking the posts. However, both were left wide open and Chelsea went up 1-0. A fluid passing play in the 29th minute between Cole, Romeu, and Mata led to Sturridge tapping in the brilliant cross by Juan Mata. In the 45th minute, Drogba passed it off to Cole, who crossed it to Mata in the box. Mata, from 10 yards out, volleyed the ball into the top netting to make the score 3-0 for Chelsea.  Chelsea dominated the entire 2nd half, only allowing Wolves 2 shots on target during the entire game (as opposed to Chelsea's 12). In the 90th minute, John Terry got himself booked for time-wasting (what he was doing, I have no idea – he pretty much just held on to the ball during a throw in for a minute, when it seemed that he had plenty of options. There was no real need for any time-wasting, since Chelsea were up 3-0 and the game was about a minute away from being over).
Final score: Chelsea 3-0 Wolverhampton.

MATCH STATISTICS:

                                              Chelsea                      Wolves

Ball Possession (%)                   53                               47

Shots (on target)                      21(12)                           8(2)

Corners                                      8                                 2

Crosses                                     20                               11

Fouls Committed                      10                                11

Yellow Cards                             1                                  2

Red Cards                                  0                                  0

Offsides                                     1                                  0

No highlight reel on Youtube, sorry, but here's a good link with the video at the bottom:

http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/chelsea/99165/chelsea-3-0-wolverhampton-wanderers-juans-a-mata-of-life-and-death-for-avb.html

Chelsea's January Shopping List: Defenders, Please.

So after watching an exciting (and ultimately depressing) Chelsea-Liverpool game this morning which ended 2-1 in favour of the Reds, a conclusion has been reached: Chelsea needs to buy some defenders come January. After watching the past few games, the only defender with whom I don't have any issues is Branislav Ivanovic, which just makes me love him all the more. Credit to Ashley Cole, who is usually quite consistent (with the exception of today's game, where Glen Johnson managed to outmaneuver him to get the winner); however, John Terry seems to need some conditioning (he looks quite uncomfortable in his own defense, and in the past few games he's made a few costly mistakes); José Bosingwa's marking needs improvement (he's actually been dropped from the lineup in recent weeks); and David Luiz... well. I've already voiced my concerns over David Luiz. I honestly think he should be playing in a holding midfield role. I also think he needs to learn how to control his temper. In today's game, after losing the ball and hitting the ground, he actually just lashed out with his cleat and kicked a Liverpool player in the back of the legs. He luckily received just a yellow (it could have easily been a red), but players shouldn't behave like that. Ever. He is pretty young (24 years old), and he's still adjusting to the Premier League after moving from Benfica in January of this year, but he has to know the consequences of his actions. Maybe in a year or two he'll be the complete package, but at the moment I do not think he's ready to feature in the starting lineup as a centre-back.

In a weekend where Chelsea was presented an absolute ideal opportunity to reclaim third place (after Manchester City handed Newcastle its first loss of the season), we could not manage to take advantage of the opportunity, and, as a result, Chelsea remains in 4th (likely to be 5th if Tottenham manages a win or a draw from tomorrow's match against Aston Villa).

Look! I made a cool starting 11 image! You don't even know how proud I am of this. And it was also really annoying to make because I had to make my computer think that all of the players' names were actual words so that they wouldn't get that red squiggly line underneath.

Subs: Turnbull, Romeu, Bosingwa, Anelka, Torres (Drogba 84'), Meireles (Ramires 84'), Sturridge (Mikel 45')

NOTABLE CHELSEA PLAYERS:

- Daniel Sturridge: Tipped in Malouda's pass to tie the game and get Chelsea's only goal. His introduction at half-time changed the pace of the game and definitely improved Chelsea's overall play. 

- David Luiz: I've said it all in the above paragraph. 

- John Obi Mikel: Voted Flop of the Match on Goal.com, it was his mistake that initiated the build-up for the first Liverpool goal. Needs to improve defensively if he wants to keep his place in the starting 11. 

MATCH OVERVIEW:

In a game where the balance of power seemed to be in perpetual flux, Chelsea began well, holding possession and creating good chances. After Drogba came incredibly close to scoring a free kick (he had Reina beaten, but the ball went wide and hit the back of the net), Liverpool struck first in the 33rd minute after Petr Cech passed to Mikel, who was then dispossessed by Charlie Adam. After a neat passing play between Adam, Bellamy, Suarez, and Maxi Rodriguez, Liverpool was up 1-0, courtesy of a Rodriguez shot from the far post. In the 42nd minute, Luiz was lucky to escape with just a yellow after lashing out at a Liverpool player with his cleat. At half-time, Sturridge came on for Mikel, and immediately changed the pace of attack. Just nine minutes after coming on, Sturridge slotted home Malouda's cross at the far post to equalize, 1-1.  In the 57th minute, Branislav Ivanovic pulled off an amazing header which would have been a goal, if not for Reina's incredible save. After yellow cards to Ramires and Ivanovic in the 62nd and 79th minutes, respectively, a double-substitution was made in the 84th minute: Torres for Drogba, and Meireles for Ramires. In the last 5 minutes of regulation time, both teams were going all out – they both desperately needed a win. Chelsea looked slightly stronger near the end; however, it was Glen Johnson, a former Chelsea player, who found his way around Ashley Cole and netted the winner through a brilliant solo effort. 

Final Score: Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool.

Daniel Sturridge celebrates his goal. 

He's dancing, by the way.

MATCH STATISTICS:

                                              Chelsea                     Liverpool

Ball Possession (%)                   56                               44

Shots (on target)                      17(3)                            8(2)

Corners                                      5                                 5

Crosses                                     29                               19

Fouls Committed                      13                                12

Yellow Cards                             3                                 2

Red Cards                                  0                                 0

Offsides                                     1                                 2

Okay, so for some weird reason, Blogger won't let me post Youtube videos at the moment, so I'll just post the URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfz_IqHnQfg

That one is Sturridge's goal – unfortunately there aren't any full highlight reels that I can find.

This Wednesday we have Chelsea playing Bayer Leverkusen in an important Champions League match. Let's go Blues!

Cheers,

~Matt