Another hectic month as the boys played 9 times this April. As we had to juggle between 3 fronts, mixed results were the outcome, and now we remain strong in two after backing off in the other...
The Masked Crusader Striker
Yep, that pretty much explains our very own number 9, Fernando Torres. For the past month he had to wear a nose-protection mask since the hit on his nose in the last 16 of the Europa League. But that in turn had him producing some of his better performances in the quarter finals. He scored two goals in the first leg and another in the return fixture to put us through to the semi-finals. And not just that, he had been performing better in the league as well. He played with extra confidence and fighting spirit to inspire the team in several occasions. The mask was only to protect his nose, but some superstitious minds (like my own) find it funny if that mask actually brings out the best of him. Then maybe he should wear it for the rest of his career (which is ridiculous) and we will be known as the team with the masked striker. But we shall hope that he can continue to perform and score goals, for his own sake, and for the team. With Ba unable to play in the Europa League, Torres may be key to our final hope of winning a silverware this season.
Progressions
The race for top four finish cannot get any more intense than this. With only 3 points separating the three London clubs fighting for two spots in the top four, and with 3 or 4 games to go, the race can never get any tighter than this. Arsenal had a played a game more, however their remaining fixtures are relatively easier. While Spurs are 3 points below us, the match at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday cannot get any more important, as losing that game could mean Spurs may overtake us. That match may be crucial and pivotal and we must make sure that we can win that game to strengthen our chances to finish in the top four.
The FA Cup semi final game against Man City was a disappointing one in terms of results, but with regards to the performance, we did well and showed them that we never give up and will always fight. A pity to lose at this stage, but then again you can never win everything. We still have the Europa League and our chances are pretty strong now. We will be taking a 2-1 lead to Stamford Bridge this Thursday, and a draw would be enough to see us through to Amsterdam for the Europa League Final, with potential oppositions either Fenerbahce (where Meireles is playing now) or Benfica (former club of Luiz and Ramires). It will not be easy, but we have a good chance of winning it.
13. Moses: Played in rotation with Mazacar, but recently his performance wasn't as good as previous months, hence losing his position in the starting eleven.
17. Hazard: Performed very well recently, and have been scoring some excellent goals too, and provide good assists, as the one for Lampard. Connected well with Mata when playing together. Deservedly earn his place in the starting eleven.
21. Marin: Didn't have a lot of game time in March. Needed to perform when given the chance to earn himself more and more playing time.
24. Cahill: Played in rotation with other CBs. Need to be more solid at times, but in general he is a very much improved player.
26. Terry: Captain, Leader, Legend. No other words can describe it. Although we can do well without him, and although sometimes we may lose with him playing, the qualities he possess remain indispensable. We will need him in the coming weeks.
28. Azpilicueta: Probably the player I have special praise for. Ever since the start of the calendar year, he has been performing excellently and showing his true qualities as a RB. Consistent, quick, smart, and improving quickly into one fine full back.
29. Ba: Not scoring as much as he should, but have been scoring important goals too. Improving his game recently, and edges out Torres given his recent form.
30. Benayoun: Starting to get more game time, but like Marin, must perform well when called upon, and must play with more conviction.
34. Bertrand: Second to Ashley Cole, and I really mean second. His recent performances haven't been that good, and he must improve greatly if he is to replace Cole in the future. As our no 3 is injured, Bertrand will have to take the chance and play well to show his qualities.
From this point onwards, players who are missing or didn't play for the month will not be mentioned below...
Starters (4-2-3-1):
Cech (GK)
Azpilicueta (RB)
Luiz (CB)
Terry (CB)(c)
Cole (LB)
Mikel (CM)
Ramires (CM)
Oscar (RW)
Mata (AM)
Hazard (LW)
Ba (ST)
Substitutes:
Turnbull
Ivanovic
Cahill
Lampard
Marin
Moses
Torres
Squad:
1. Cech: Magnificent saves and sheer athleticism makes him one of the best shot-stoppers and he remains an invaluable asset to the club.
2. Ivanovic: Played as CB more often now, but had to play as RB to give Azpilicueta the rest he needs. Powerful athlete.
3. Cole: Considerably the club's most indispensable old guard. Bertrand was nowhere near his level, and we certainly need Cole for the near future.
4. Luiz: With Mikel back, played in his initial position (CB) recently, however didn't disappoint most of time. Great player.
7. Ramires: His energy and speed remains a great asset for the club.
8. Lampard: Edging towards breaking Sir Bobby Tambling's club record, however loses out in the starting eleven given Mikel & Ramires' recent performances.
9. Torres: Scored an important goal against Steaua, however Ba's recent performances edges him out of the eleven.
10. Mata: Could never take this man out of the starting eleven. Whenever he don't play/perform well, we are basically struggling. Remains our hero/saviour time and time again.
11. Oscar: Connected well when playing with Hazard & Mata, however struggled to get the game going when left alone.
12. Mikel: His return to form was pleasing. A strong figure in the holding position, and very calm on the ball. Good to have him back, and deservedly earn a place in the starting eleven.
to be continued...
Due to the international break, we had only 6 games to play in March. However, by the time I wrote this article, we have played another and won against Man Utd to send us through to the FA Cup semi-finals...
Mazacar
Our team has certainly the depth and numbers to enable rotations between matches. But as what I have observed so far, we have certainly been overdependent on the trio 'Mazacar', and more specifically Mata himself. I'm not sure if these are truth or facts, but the results & statistics have certainly proven it to be the case.
No Mata in the Southampton game, and we lost. Mazacar played against Man Utd, and we won. No Mata (late sub) in the Bucuresti first leg game, and we lost. Hazard entered in the second half (to complete the trio) against Man Utd in Old Trafford, and we won. It's not concrete science or theory, but things just went better for us with the trio playing well. More specifically, Mata have been our best player, and our hero and saviour time and time again. Hazard is explosive and amazing, but inconsistent. Oscar have amazing touches, but lacks the vision of Mata. But the three together provides an amazing show of football, and a winning formula as well. Although we would rather rotate the team, but currently it just seems as though we need 'Mazacar' at every game possible.
Premier League
In the league, we are just hanging in the balance. Spurs have overtaken third position again, although we have a game in hand. Moreover, Arsenal are only 2 points behind us and Everton four. So the pressure is on and the race for fourth spot is on. We have to make no more mistakes if we are going to survive being in the top four. A slight slip up, and Arsenal could deputize. Of course, with us also chasing silverware in the FA cup and Europa League, there is no relaxing, and every match must be taken seriously. This will be difficult, but every game matters from now on.
FA Cup & Europa League
We are now going to Wembley once more, having taken down one Manchester club, only to take on another in the semi finals of the FA cup. From the match at Old Trafford, it would seem that we deserved to win given our spectacular comeback in the second half. Good thing, the match at Stamford Bridge assures that. Now, our next opponent will be the blue side of Manchester. It will be difficult, but we have had more than enough experience, and we are certainly the Kings of Wembley (given recent FA cup wins), and with the determination of our lads, we are in with a big chance of winning it.
The Europa League doesn't look that different anyway. Our chances of winning are always there. The first leg defeat against Bucuresti was a bit worrying, but its another brilliant comeback by the boys (splendid finish by Torres as well) to see us through to the last 8. Of course, some of the bigger clubs are out, leaving our fellow PL clubs possibly the biggest threats remaining, but then again, any team reaching the last 8 of the EL are not to be taken lightly. But we certainly have a good chance of winning this. So, let us support our boys to win the FA cup and Europa League, and to end the league with a top four position.
11. Oscar: Had even more significant impact recently. Scoring important goals (vs Sparta Prague) and showed brilliant touches in his game. Earned his place in my eleven (over Hazard).
12. Mikel: Played full match only once since AFCON. Not yet showing quality.
13. Moses: An integral part of the team, and played brilliantly in recent games.
15. Malouda: Invisible.
17. Hazard: Still our most explosive player, as shown in the home tie vs Sparta Prague, a thunderous winning goal. However still lacks consistency.
19. Ferreira: Played well when given the chance in the FA cup tie, and a calm and loyal individual. #respect
21. Marin: Starting to get more game time, and scored his debut goal wonderfully too. Deserved to get more game time, especially in FA cup ties.
22. Turnbull: Didn't get a chance to play perhaps because of his poor performance last outing. Well, better improve, second choice!
24. Cahill: Improving his game, but still lacks the conviction at times.
26. Terry: Seems to be returning to his best. Finally we have our leader back and good to see him score an excellent header. Wow, how much we missed him!
28. Azpilicueta: Proper right back. Becoming an integral part of the team, and is improving day by day.
29. Ba: Given Torres' form, Ba seemed the better choice, given his penalty foul (by Hart) and also the goal recently. Also a towering presence up front, but still can improve in certain ways.
30. Benayoun: Given more game time recently,showed some nice passes but still need to improve, and probably needs more game time as well.
34. Bertrand: Given the opportunity to play in FA cup ties, but still needs to improve much if he is to replace Ashley Cole as LB some time soon.
40. Hilario: Invisible.
Youngster: Nathan Ake: Shown his potential given his 18 years of age, and probably the best player on the pitch in the FA cup tie against Middlesbrough. A real potential for our future DM.
As in last month's version, this part will be discussing about my preferred starters, as well as the performance of players in my point of view...
Starters (4-2-3-1):
Cech (GK)
Azpilicueta (RB)
Ivanovic (CB)
Terry (CB)(c)
Cole (LB)
Ramires (MC)
Lampard (MC)
Moses (RW)
Mata (AM)
Oscar (LW)
Ba (ST)
Substitutes:
Turnbull
Cahill
Ake
Luiz
Hazard
Benayoun
Torres
(what is your preferred eleven? let us know, and do give comments below...)
Squad:
1. Cech: Never a doubt to be our first choice goalkeeper. Made spectacular & important saves throughout the month.
2. Ivanovic: I still believe that he is better placed as a CB. His crosses and runs is not as good as a true full-back should be, however his towering presence makes him a quality center half.
3. Cole: Wonderful, wonderful player. Bertrand is not yet of Cole's quality, and while he still can play for us, he should be because will always give his best, and his skills as a LB is unmatched.
4. Luiz: His versatility remains such an invaluable asset to the club. Can play as CB when needed, however able to show his brilliant qualities as a MC. Unlucky to only have a spot in the bench (in my eleven) due to Ramires' superb form of late.
6. Romeu: A long term injury.
7. Ramires: A very energetic player and his skills has developed much since moving to the club, and has made some telling contributions & excellent goals recently. Wonderful player.
8. Lampard: Always giving his best, and always want to score goals. Only mistake he made is the penalty miss against Man City, and even so it was a lucky guess by Hart with such a good penalty taken. Otherwise, still the heart of the Chelsea midfield and fans will be deeply hoping that his contract will be renewed.
9. Torres: No goals in the past month. Really a striker lacking of confidence. His touches have been greatly disappointing recently, and will need to start picking up form and goals as well.
10. Mata: Still Chelsea's best and most consistent player. Have been a savior in several occasions, and still Chelsea's top scorer, as well as top assist. What will we be without him?
to be continued...
This lovely month of February saw us take on 7 matches, with 2 in the FA cup and 2 in the UEFA Europa League. It's not the best of months for us, but there were positives to take, and the possibility of silverware is still there...
Premier League
This month have not been kind to us in terms of the league. We now drop to fourth as Spurs rise to third, with Arsenal just 2 points behind us also fighting for the top four spot. Of the 3 games in the league in February, we lost 2. This is not a good situation and we will have to fight harder in the upcoming league games.
Granted, one of them losses is against Manchester City at the Etihad. It would have been tolerable if our situation is not as it is now. And the loss against Newcastle was just sloppy. We were in the lead at 2-1 but then we messed up and the opposition scored two to give us yet another defeat. The victory against Wigan was a solid one and a much needed one. But still, we will have to work much harder in the remaining games.
FA Cup & Europa League
These are the two remaining competitions where we still have chance of silverware, and of this moment, we are progressing fine. There were two FA cup matches, the first a fourth round replay against Brentford, and the other is the most recent fifth round against Middlesbrough. In both matches, we struggle to get our foot ahead in the first half, but cruise on pretty well in the second half. And our FA Cup journey have been pretty smooth so far, however our next opposition will be a formidable one, Manchester United.
Our Europa League debut have not been with such a blast, with a narrow win over two legs against Sparta Prague. However, more importantly, we are through to the last 16, and with Atletico Madrid out, we are now the favorites to win it. Our next tie will be against Romanian side Steaua Bucuresti. Though not one of the favorites, European ties are never to be taken lightly, as many big sides have fallen in the continental competition.
Lampard & Oscar
I mentioned these two names here because they are our best players of the month, IMO. Lampard have been such a presence in midfield, and recently scored lots of goals, taking him to his 199th for Chelsea. His only mistake was his penalty miss against City, but even so it was not a bad one, it was a lucky guess for Hart (probably used to training with Lampard for the national team). He is very much a big presence for the club and I can't imagine how much we'll miss him when he leave the club.
For previous months, Oscar have been overshadowed with the manager preferring Hazard, Mata & Moses. Of course I think that Mata is still the best of them all, with the most goals & assists as well as the consistency he showed. However in recent games, Oscar have had brilliant games. With the opportunity given, he took them well, and probably earned him the first team play he got recently. He scored some important goals recently, and his slick passes and touches makes him such an invaluable asset. He certainly showed that, and with Benayoun and Marin starting to get minutes of play, we will certainly see more and more rotation in the three behind the striker.
