The return of the Happy One.

Here's the link to the article with quotes from Mourinho during his first stint : http://www.smashreport.com/posts/show_article/Session-Numero-Uno-Chelsea.-348

Chelsea 1-1 Birmingham : Match Report.

Chelsea’s alarming dip continued as the Blues were held to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge yesterday. Chelsea went 1-0 down before the break only to equalise in the 2^nd half courtesy a goal from their saviour of this season, Daniel Sturridge.

The match began with the away section of the crowd taunting AVB with chants of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’.

Chelsea started with a conventional 4-3-3 formation with Bertrand, Cahill, Mikel, Ramires all getting starts.

The fact that Ramires, Mikel and Meireles have never played together in the whole season led to some silly misplaced passes initially in the half.

Both sides looked even in the first ten minutes with no teams being able to trouble the opposition goalkeepers.

Chelsea’s only bit of creativity before going down came in the 15^th minute when Sturridge made a low cross to Mata, who could not intercept.

Soon, the home side went behind in the 19^th minute after some woeful defending after a corner resulted in a massive mix up inside Chelsea’s box. The ball fell into the path of David Murphy who did not disappoint with his shot. 1-0 Birmingham, and as a result, pin drop silence and anxiety at the Bridge.

3 minutes later, Chelsea earned themselves a penalty after Wade Elliot appeared to have tripped Ramires inside the box. With the absence of Chelsea legend Lampard, it was Mata who took the responsibility of taking the penalty, and unfortunately failed to convert from the spot.

Chelsea’s only standout performer of the evening, Daniel Sturridge put in some good crosses to Torres and Mata in the next 10 odd minutes, none of which were properly intercepted.

The fact that Chelsea could not pass more directly due to the presence of Fernando Torres made it more difficult for the midfielders to create any real chances.

Luiz though, earned a free kick a few yards outside the box in the 34^th minute decided to take the free kick himself. His free kick resulted in a brilliant save from Birmingham’s goalkeeper.

Apart from that, Chelsea failed to create any good chances in the entire first half and went 1-0 at the break amidst boos from the Stamford Bridge faithful.

And if chants of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ weren’t enough, chants of ‘Jose Mourinho’ from Birmingham fans surely added more misery and anxiety around Stamford Bridge.

AVB quickly replaced Torres with Drogba at half time, who was welcomed back with loud cheers from the Bridge faithful.

Drogba’s presence up front meant more direct long balls to him instead of diagonal ones to the wingers. And such was the case, with Ivanovic, Luiz, Meireles all bombarding long balls to Drogba, who looked sharp inspite of his midweek arrival from the African Cup of Nations.

Chelsea’s persistence in the 2^nd half eventually paid off and they went ahead in the 62^nd minute when Branislav Ivanovic’s brilliant cross to Sturridge resulted in a header from the youngster that went in.

Chelsea kept testing Birmingham’s resilience all through the remainder of the game but were also caught occasionally on the break.

Lampard came on for Mata in the 82^nd minute but it was too late as his side failed to score the winner and will now have to face Birmingham again for the replay at St. Andrews.

Match Report : Everton 2-0 Chelsea

Chelsea slipped to 5^th place in the table as the Blues slumped to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Everton last night.

Goals from Pienaar and Denis Stracqualursi ensured that the home team grabbed all 3 points and thereby increased the competition for the final Champions League spot.

Chelsea started the game without the likes of Captain John Terry and Ramires. With Meireles, Lampard and Essien in the midfield, it was a conventional 4-3-3 for the Blues that created absolutely no impact whatsoever to the Everton defence.

Chelsea hardly settled into the game and matters worsened for them when Pienaar sent the Toffees ahead in the 6^th minute of the game with a neat shot past goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Chelsea dominated possession after going ahead but failed to break into Everton’s defence. It was not until the 25^th minute that Chelsea had their first real threat when Mata’s pass from the side to Sturridge resulted in a shot that was well defended by Phil Neville.

Chelsea had their best chance in the 28^th minute when Mata’s low cross was met by Lampard. But his resulting shot with his left foot was just wide of the post. That was a chance missed for Chelsea considering Lampard’s calibre.

In the last minute of the first half, Torres made his way into the box and was ‘supposedly’ tripped. Massive appeals for a penalty by Torres were denied by the referee.

With that, Chelsea went 1-0 at the break, with the 4-3-3 formation proving ineffective yet again.

AVB probably didn’t learn anything from the 1^st half as Chelsea began the 2^nd half from where they left the 1^st, plenty of possession but no real threat to the Tofees’ defence.

Loud chants of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ from the away section were heard when AVB replaced Essien with Malouda. AVB probably knew what he was doing. Shifting from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 with Mata in the hole, but the fact that he replaced Chelsea’s best player of the game with possibly Chelsea’s least interested prompted the chants from the Chelsea faithful.

The introduction of Malouda and a change in formation didn’t add any creativity whatsoever and to make matters worse, Chelsea went 2-0 down in the 71^st minute.

This time though, it was Chelsea’s left full back who was at fault. Cole was dispossessed after a hard but perfect tackle by Phil Neville. The resulting ball was picked up by Donovan who’s through ball to Straq resulted in Everton scoring their second and thereby putting the game to bed.

Meanwhile, AVB called for further abuse on himself from the travelling fans when he replaced Mata with Lukaku. The intentions were clear, but the reason why he replaced Chelsea’s only genuine creative player for Lukaku was a mystery.

Lukaku had a half chance inside the box but his left shot was well saved by Tim Howard. That was probably the only real save Howard made all day.

With no more chances being created till the final whistle by both sides, Chelsea slumped to a defeat, and out of the top 4 thereby increasing the pressure on the young shoulders of Andre Villas Boas.

-     Abhishek Easwaran

Swansea vs Chelsea - Pre match.

Swansea City vs Chelsea pre match briefing :

The only place outside England where Liverpool will play this season, Liberty Stadium, sees Swansea take on Chelsea in what will be an encounter that most people believe will be a low scoring one.

Chelsea have conceded just 1 goal in their last 5 games, none in their last 4. In the process however, Chelsea’s scoring record has not been very impressive apart from the 4-0 win over Pompey.

Chelsea’s last 5 games’ results read :

1.  QPR                  0-1 Chelsea

2.  Norwich             0-0 Chelsea

3.  Chelsea             1-0 Sunderland

4.  Chelsea             4-0 Portsmouth

5.  Wolverhampton   1-2 Chelsea

The stats look impressive, Chelsea have won 4 of their last 5 games, but the real story is something completely different. Lack of creativity and as a result, lack of goals up front will hurt Chelsea.

Injuries for Chelsea :

1.  Ramires.

2.  Lampard

3.  Mikel.

The absence of Ramires and Lampard will surely be felt for Chelsea who’s midfield department is already struggling to create genuine chances in the final third for their strikers.

Mata and Sturridge have had average games offlate.

Torres has been really impressive in the past few games, his touches and movement has been great, but the goals just aren’t coming. Do we blame him for that? Or the fact that the midfield isn’t doing enough to provide good final balls?

Interesting, yet worrying stat : Torres didn’t attempt a single shot in the 90 minutes he played against QPR!

Meanwhile,

Possible Lineup :

-------------------Cech---------------------

---Ivanovic----JT--------Luiz----------Cole-----

------------------Romeu---------------------

-------Meireles-------------Essien--------------

-Sturridge--------------------------------Mata—

-----------------Torres------------------------

Problem area?

1.  Center Back – Luiz, he’s one player who will be excellent the entire match but will make one or two silly errors that will cost Chelsea.

2.  Midfield trio – Romeu does his job well, but the fact that Essien is a similar defensive minded player and that Meireles isn’t the kind of player who can provide that final killer pass is a worry for Chelsea.

Verdict? Swansea 0-0 Chelsea. 

Match Report : Norwich 0-0 Chelsea

Chelsea squandered their chances, Norwich didn’t create any as a resilient Norwich held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw at Carrow road. Norwich kept their first clean sheet of the season while Chelsea failed to score a goal for just the 3^rd time in the league this season.

Chelsea’s high line and as a result, a sloppy defence, and Norwich’s brilliant counter attacks made most people think of this game to be a high scoring one, but it wasn’t to be.

The first 10 minutes of the game saw very little action with neither side being able to control proceedings. Chelsea’s attack lacked creativity in the final 3^rd and Norwich’s counter attacks were quite easily dealt with by Chelsea.

Chelsea’s first chance came as a result of Torres’ shot from the outside of his foot in the 27^th minute which was saved well by City’s goalkeeper Ruddy.

In the 34^th minute, Lampard was forced off the field after sustaining a calf injury only to be replaced by Florent Malouda 3 minutes later. Chelsea’s playing style didn’t change as they maintained their 4-3-2-1 formation with Malouda and Mata switching positions occasionally.

Norwich created their first half chance in the 36^th minute when Surman’s pass found Johnson who’s resulting shot was saved by Cech.

Chelsea’s best bit of attack came in the 40^th minute as Malouda cut inside brilliantly from the left and his resulting pass found Mata who’s shot was saved well by Ruddy.

Neither manager made changes after a goalless, yet interesting first half as Chelsea failed to score any goals after creating a few decent chances and immediately after the 2^nd half got underway, Bosingwa’s lethargy almost cost Chelsea a goal.

Chelsea continued piling misery on themselves with sloppy passes inside their own half. Luckily for them, Norwich didn’t capitalize on any.

Things didn’t change much after the break, but Chelsea wasted their best chance in the game at the hour mark when Bosingwa’s low cross found Torres in a dangerous position who shot the ball wide of the post. Torres, who had a bright game, should have converted the golden opportunity awarded to him.

 A minute later, Ruddy made a brilliant save when Sturridge found Mata who shot at the near post.

Chelsea kept piling on pressure but none yielded any results. Two changes from Andre Villas Boas saw Torres and Meireles make way for young Lukaku and Michael Essien.

Lukaku’s powerful Drogba esque run into the Norwich penalty area in the 80^th minute was fruitless as the Norwich defenders cleared the ball well at the crucial moment.  

With time running out, Chelsea missed their last real chance of the game as Mata spun inside the box and his resulting low shot led to a good save from Ruddy whose deflection hit the post and went out.

Soon the final whistle blew, and the Norwich supporters, with their anti Terry chants (which was of course countered well with ‘1 England Captain’ by the travelling Chelsea supporters) celebrated as though they had won the match.

A point earned for the Canaries and surely, two points dropped by Chelsea.

-     Abhishek Easwaran

Match Report : India 3-2 Malaysia.

Am I being sarcastic if I tell that Chhetri is a better player than Torres at the moment? Probably not, as a double strike from him and 1 from Jeje ensured a 3-2 friendly win for India against Malaysia at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

It wasn’t a Barcelona vs Man United game where everyone knew the eventuality; it was a close game with many chances being created by both the teams.

While the Cricket game might have drawn the crowds to the Eden Gardens, there was still a reasonable crowd of about 5000 who were cheering(I hope, audio couldn’t be heard thanks to DD’s amazing broadcast) the men in Blue.

Physicality was not a problem for India, but the attacking third was where India were struggling in the entire game.

The first 10 minutes saw both the teams happily keeping possession and not trying anything fancy. The defensive mentality didn’t yield a single decent chance for either side in the first 30 minutes of the game.

India’s forwards Jeje and Chhetri had some excellent(Indian Standards) 1 to 1 passing but neither led to the creation of any decent chance.

India finally struck a goal in the 39^th minute when a long ball was neatly intercepted by Chhetri who coolly converted the chance.

And when it was almost half time, the Indian defence was caught sleeping and Malaysia equalised through a simple goal. 

Half time and it was 1 goal a piece, with the home team definitely looking more dangerous of the two sides. 

It appeared that Savio Medeira did a Jose Mourinho as a rejuvenated Indian side scored with 2 minutes of the restart courtesy a brilliant through ball from Balgit to Chhetri who’s pass to Jeje resulted in the Indian team getting back their lead. The crowd erupted(again, I’m assuming as that’s what the commentator said) with joy.

In the 52nd minute, Jeje missed a 1 on 1 with the keeper which resulted in a corner that was neatly intercepted by the keeper again.

A minute later, Chhetri doubled his tally with a cool finish to give India a formidable 3-1 lead.

Just when the game looked like it was heading India’s way(A rarity), Malaysia pulled one goal back as the Indian defence was caught dosing again. A brilliant through ball from ... to ... resulted in a cool finish from the latter.

A nervy final few minutes ensued but India held onto their lead and finally came out 3-2 winners in a classic(DD’s broadcast made it look like a 70’s game, with colour of course) encounter.

Pre match. Chelsea vs L'Arse.

Drogba suspension has solved our striker dilemma and his red card is, according to me, a blessing in disguise for us as Chelsea take on Arsenal in the London derby on Saturday.

While people may argue that Drogba is Arsenal’s nemesis, we all are aware of his poor form in recent times and Torres’ brilliant form likewise. If Drogba can score against Arsenal, there’s no reason why Torres cannot considering his form.

Coming to the lineup and formation, I think it will be something like this :

-------------------Cech------------------

Bosingwa---Terry---Ivanovic---Cole

-----Ramires----Meireles----Lampard

-----Sturridge-----------------Mata-------

-------------------Torres-------------------

The usual back 4, Ivanovic and Terry have to keep Van Persie at bay tomorrow. Can they? I'm not too sure. I don’t think the full backs will be troubled too much tomorrow.

Also, the rotating midfield trio of Lampard, Meireles and Ramires will prove to be a real asset for Chelsea as the passing has been quick and precise with them around.

The forward line consisting of Sturridge and Mata bombarding through the wings and Torres as our lone striker surely looks juicy and will prove to be more than a handful against Arsenal.

Prediction : 2-0 win for the Blues, expecting Torres to score one.

Ra.One and the credits it never gave. :P

Ra.One has been copied from the following. I personally noted down every scene and where or whom it was copied from :

1. Batman. We all know that.
2. Wolverine (Knifes appear in SRK's hands from nowhere)
3. Matrix. (ALL the action scenes)
4. 300. (The wardrobe in one of the scenes)
*5. Pulsar 220 advertisement. Yes, you read it right.
6. Inception (The kid dreams and wakes up)
*7. Mr. Bean (SRK's acting)
8. A football advertisement I don't quite remember.
9. Terminator 2 and 3.
10. Transformers.
11. Hulk (Both the 'superstars' climb like they're Hulk)
*12. DHL advertisement. (Watch the movie and the ad)
13. X-men.
*14. Orient PSPO advert.
15. Some random American Rapper (That villain's dressing)
*16. Undertaker (Ra.One does Undertaker's trademark move to G.One)
*17. Gerrard's GOAL Celebrations by falling down on his knees.
18. JUMANJI. :P
19. Lord Voldemort.

20. PT Usha.

God promise I'm not lying. :P

Bolton 1-5 Chelsea. Match Report.

It was a sweet 350^th appearance for Frank Lampard as his hat trick helped Chelsea thump Bolton 5-1 at the Reebok Stadium. Danny Sturridge scored the other two goals as Chelsea reduced the gap to 3 points at the top of the table over the Manchester Leaders.

Chelsea scored within 90 seconds of kick off and banished all of Bolton’s confidence as Danny Sturridge scored through a Mata corner after he was left unmarked. The corner was a result of a brilliant through ball from David Luiz to Bosingwa. Chelsea went 1-0 up and what came ahead was a half which every Bolton fan would want to forget.

A dominant Chelsea added another in the 15^th minute when Frank Lampard side footed home after some sublime passing from the Blue b0ys. Bolton’s miserable night had just begun.

In the 25^th minute, a howler from Bolton stand in Goalkeeper Bogdan as a result of a Sturridge shot resulted in the ball going into the back of the net. Sturridge, who had previously scored 8 goals in 11 appearances for Bolton, refused to celebrate as a token of respect to the club he was loaned out to.

Bogdan’s day went from bad to worse immediately as he failed to get hold of a shot from Luiz and the ball fell straight into Lampard’s path who did not miss. 4-0 in favor of the Blues after just 27 minutes.

Owen Coyle’s half time team talk resulted in Bolton scoring a goal in the 1^st minute of the 2^nd half as Chelsea conceded through a set piece, again. Boyata neatly headed the goal to give Bolton some hope.

Drogba should have reinstated Chelsea 4 goal lead, but his low shot as a result of a brilliant through ball from Luiz went just wide.

Just two minutes later, Lampard completed his hat trick after a sparkling one-two with Didier Drogba. Chelsea went 5-1 ahead inside the hour mark and gradually slowed down the pace of the game.

Chelsea went lucky in the 81^st minute when Ivanovic brilliantly cleared the ball on the line after a shot from Kevin Davies from 6 yards out. Unconclusive replays suggested that the ball had just crossed the line.

Bolton looked for a late consolation but were denied that after Eagles’ shot resulted in a deflected save from Cech that hit the crossbar.

Soon, the final whistle blew, and Lampard’s performance silenced his critics. As they say, Form is temporary, Class is permanent.

Match report. ManU 3-1 Chelsea

People will remember this game for the missed chances rather than the ones taken as Manchester United were eventual 3-1 winners in a highly enthralling game at Old Trafford. 3 first half goals from Smalling, Nani and Rooney saw Andre Villas Boas lose his first League game in charge of the Blues as Chelsea were made to pay for some sloppy defending and yes, errors from the linesman.

Both sets of fans were in good voice as Chelsea were dominant in the first few minutes of the game but things were to rapidly change as United went ahead courtesy an offside goal from Chris Smalling who scored a header from an Ashley Young free kick. 

The goal didn’t dent Chelsea’s attack as they came close to scoring when Anderson’s misplaced pass fell straight to Torres who missed the target after a scuffle with Evans.

Chelsea had another chance in the 14^th minute when Mata’s corner was neatly headed by Ivanovic only to be saved by United’s goalkeeper.
It was all Chelsea in the first 20 minutes of the game as Chelsea had 6 attempts at goal compared to United’s 1. But the scoreline suggested something totally different.

United looked to break Chelsea on the counter in the 26^th minute as Rooney had a poor shot after the ball was worked into the box.

A minute later, De Gea made a heroic save as Ramires looked to score off a brilliant low cross from Torres who was fed the ball after some nice work from Mata. United managed to hang onto their lead as Chelsea kept piling on the pressure.

Chelsea had half a chance to equalize in the 31^st minute again when Torres, who had a bright 30 minutes, looked to score off a bicycle kick via a Sturridge cross but missed the target.

Chelsea’s 10 goal attempts in the first 30 odd minutes of the game proved futile as Nani scored a screamer of a goal from just outside the box after cutting in and getting past Mata. Cech was just a spectator as Chelsea went 2-0 down.

Wayne Rooney added to Chelsea’s misery as he scored a sitter after receiving a ball that ricocheted off Nani and fell straight into his path. United ended the half with 3 goals to nothing.

While talks of Chelsea doing an Arsenal were still on, Chelsea scored within 60 seconds of the 2^nd half after a brilliant through ball from Anelka (who was substituted in place of Lampard at the start of the 2^nd half) found Torres who flicked the ball neatly over De Gea. Torres got his much needed goal and Chelsea were right back in the clash.

A dominant Chelsea looked for a 2^nd goal and came close when Mata’s shot was intercepted by United’s goalkeeper after Sturridge found him.

What was to follow was drama as Nani’s shot from just outside the box hit the post and got deflected straight at him and he made the most of Bosingwa’s challenge and went to the ground as Manchester United were awarded a penalty. Rooney, who had scored earlier in the match, did a repeat of John Terry as he slipped and missed from 12 yards out. Chelsea were awarded a lifeline.

Torres showed his class again in the 71^st minute when he created a chance for himself inside the box and shot directly at De Gea who saved, but the ball was deflected back to him and his resulting shot went over the bar. Little did he know that what was to follow a few minutes later was the biggest embarrassment of his Chelsea career as he failed to hit the target from an open net being 7 yards out after Ramires fed him a great ball.

The missed chances were to continue as Berbatov missed an opportunity in the dying stages of the game to send Chelsea packing as his weak shot was slid off by Cole after he was given an easy chance to score by an unselfish pass from Rooney. He missed and Chelsea avoided an embarrassment.

And as the final whistle blew a few minutes later, United overcame Chelsea 3-1 in a mouth watering clash and maintained their 100% start to their Premier League Campaign.

United-Chelsea. Talking points...

As Chelsea look all set to face United tomorrow, here are a few things Chelsea need to worry about before the trip to Old Trafford : 


1. Drogba. His absence at the front and while defending set pieces and corners will be felt. 


2. Torres' worrying form. Will he step up against the likes of United's defence tomorrow? Yes, he assisted the 2 goals against Leverkusen, but the same old question will arise, can he step up? And to be perfectly hones, I don't think he will. Prove me wrong Torres! 


3. Chelsea's nervy defence. Bosingwa has every chance of getting owned against the likes of United's wingers and Chelsea' Center Backs also need to be at their best which they haven't till now.


4. Lampard. He's the essence of our midfield. Any misplaced passes and we will get caught in the counter attack. Lampard has to be at his best tomorrow.


- Abhishek Easwaran. 

Pre match interview.

Pre match. Answered a few questions asked by a friend. A sort of an interview :

1. What are your thoughts on the game this Super Sunday?
A : Over hyped. Both sets of fans have their share of glory hunters who hype this. Only the true fans know that this game means nothing at the end of the day. 

2. What do you think of the signings Chelsea has made this summer?
A : Decent. All I'm left wondering is how are we going to fall inside the FFP rule. 

3. Chelsea have a new manager this season in Andre Villas-Boas. Do the
fans have faith in his abilities looking at his past achievements?
A : I have faith in any manager at Chelsea. Right from Ranieri, I've been an ardent supporter of every manager we've had. AVB is a little different from the rest, he's ex Chelsea and knows in and out about this club. Plus from what I've seen in these few games, his half time team talks remind me of Mourinho's time. Best part about AVB? He never speaks ill of other teams and players. 

4. Chelsea sometimes bear the look of an ageing squad which is in need
of a massive overhaul. Do you agree with this view?
A : No. We have a replacement for JT in the name of Branislav Ivanovic. We have Josh McEachran who's sure to replace Lampard and Drogba's replacements are Lukaku and Torres. Other ageing players? Ashley Cole? We have Bertrand and Van Anholt waiting in line. Essien has a good few years left in him and we have Mikel and Meireles to fill in his void too. Overall, the squad doesn't look old to me at all! 

5. Onto the game, Torres isn't scoring (though he assisted both goals
vs Leverkusen) while Drogba is out with injury. Does that very much
undermine Chelsea's chances of winning the game at Old Trafford?
A : Its all upto one man if you ask me. Lampard. He's the essence Chelsea have had in the midfield all these years. If he steps up, I see no reason why we cannot beat United tomorrow. Drogba's absence will be felt as he's a great striker and is brilliant at defending set pieces for Chelsea. His physicality will be missed.

6. What should be Chelsea's strategy to overcome the high-flying Red
Devils? Who do you think will the key players for the Blues?
A : Mata, Sturridge and Lampard. 

7. Do you have high hopes for the likes of Sturridge, Lukaku, Mata,
McEachran & similarly the players coming through the academy ranks?
A : Sturridge has proven his worth already. Everything's being said about Lukaku, lets see how he turns out. Mata and Josh have been fantastic when given chances. Josh needs to be more strong physically to compete at the PL level. He's just 18 and will only get stronger as time proceeds.

8. Which has been your favourite Manchester United vs Chelsea
encounter till date?
A : Too many to select one. 

9. Finally, your scoreline predictions for the match.
1-1.