SFSG

SFSG - So Far So Good.

I have been pondering if I should keep on blogging, at times it seems as a colossal waste of time, then again it's hard to just shut up and say nothing ;)

We've started year quite well, considering we have Drogba, Kalou, Essien and Mikel missing. It's unfortunate that Essien went under a knife. He will be missed. Ballack will have to play role of defensive midfielder, he is not suited to be a winger due to lack of pace, getting old.
5th round of FA Cup has been secured, we've trashed Sunderland 7-2, our biggest win of Abramovich era! Interestingly enough, Carlo decided to play 4-3-3 vs his beloved diamond... guess diamonds are not forever ;)
Youngster Sturridge has 3 goals in 2 FA Cup matches, good production from a good prospect.. only if he'd be more humble! His cockiness can be very annoying.
Anelka is fit again and as good as ever, he has found his home and playing arguably best football of his life, but there are rumors of his contract negotiations stalling. I do wonder if it's just paper talk vs reality. Speaking of contract talks, Joe Cole is also dew new contract. There are rumors of his potential move to Spurs... yeah right, dream on Spuds fans :)

I was also thinking of sharing articles that catch my attention, not necessary Chelsea related, football in general. For example, I found it amusing Jose declaring, "We could only have lost by having six people on the park, as even with seven, we would have won." Read more

We've briefly dipped to 3rd in the league due to match schedules and a postponement but after beating "Unbeatable" Birmingham yesterday we're back in first place with game in hand, SFSG :)

Belletti shines in diamond light

After the Aston Villa loss, we looked a bit shaken up. With upcoming Champions League game coming up and Blackburn next (this past) weekend we needed to bounce back. And bounce we did! Not sure if this was due to "hairdryer" treatment or the fact that Chelsea squad has remained intact for as long as it has, we've netted total of 9 goals past two games!
 At times I feel that we rely too much on Bosingwa and Ashley Cole, both games, neither of them started with Ivanovic, Zhirkov and Belletti filling in.
 Juliano has been outstanding in both games. His drive, determination and experience overshadows his age. Employed as rightback and leftback in both games he's been player that supplied energy,timely tackles and descent crosses into the box. To me, he certainly outperformed Deco, whom takes some time to get into the game and seems a bit sluggish at times. He (Deco) tends to dwell on the ball and to looses it easily if the opposition has enough determination.
Other player that I feel is a bit off is Essien. Nobody can question his work ethic and determination, I do question is rushed passing. As of late, he seems to be on a different wavelength when compared to rest of the team. His passes seem rushed and usually end up at the opponents feet. Perhaps he should try lobbing ball over players versus going through them?
Enough with negativity, we've scored whopping 9 goals during past few games!
Lampard is back on the scoring sheet with 3 goals. Could this mean that he is finally comfortable with the Carlo's Diamond?
Kalou did a fantastic job during the week in the absence of suspended Drogba. Certainly deserved a hat trick but his shocking early miss vs Athletico enssured that he walked away without it. As TV commentator said:
"Who needs Drogba when you have Kalou?"
Joe Cole started against Blackburn and made immediate impact. It was evident how much we have missed his tricks and flicks of the ball and his imagination in general. It was perfect game to start. Blackburn came in to defend only, which is never a good idea at the Bridge :)
Anelka is proving to be an amazing signing, he seems to be loving his football. Pace, versatility and fantastic work with a combination of lethal strike should be good enough to describe Nicolas.

UEFA Diving League has started!

Have you noticed how fast Eduardo's ban has been overturned? Watching first games from the UEFA Diving Legue, oh I am sorry, Champions League made it all clear. If they'd ban Eduardo, they would have to ban at least 10 more players... Not sure whom should be getting Gold medal for best dive though. Seria A always put out strong teams full of capable divers followed by strong contenders from Portugal and Spain. We all know whom the usual suspects are, there is no real need to mention them again and again. Seriously, why is so called best league in the World is a showcase for divers and sub par refereeing?
In any case, the show is on the road. First points have been earned, we've earned our is an ugly display against Porto. Past couple of years we have been known to start slow, this time it was weather and few suspensions to blame. It's been a while since I was cursing at the players during the game as much as this game. Way too many missed passes, awkward tackles and unnecessary yellow cards. Ref's performance was descent, don't think he can't be blamed for any yellows.
Nicolas Anelka has made his mark and scored all important goal. On the night he was one of the better players. His pace troubled Porto's defense and it was quite nice touch to score on the rebound. Petr Cech also was one of the stars of the night. He made number of key saves to keep his well deserved shutout. End of the game was a bit alarming to me. Porto was pressing for equalizer and we've failed to keep the ball. I also thought that we actualy lacked pace. Ballack's performance was great but his age is starting to show. Bosingwa was certainly missed.
Carlo said it's good to win ugly, how true.