Identical Torres Goal

02/04/2012

Identical
All over the world there are hundreds maybe thousands of goals scored every day. Surely in such a simple game, some goals must be exactly the same as another. Fernando Torres's goal against Villa was not quite perfectly identical but quite close to a goal he scored at that very end against that very team for Liverpool a few years ago. Furthermore, they were both score in the 92nd minute! What a small world we live in....

Link to both video's:
Chelsea 2011/2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7vcSxo80J0
Liverpool 2009/2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP1TIR7WYyE

Both on same page: http://watchhighlightsonline.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/video-torres-goal-for-chelsea-was.html

Aston Villa 2 - 4 Chelsea

01/04/2012

Aston Villa 2 (0)-(1) 4 Chelsea

                                                 Collins 77'                 Sturridge 9'

                                                 Lichaj 80'                   Ivanovic 51' 83'

                                                                                 Torres 90'

Villa Park and Aston Villa in general are without doubt Chelsea's bogey team. Poor away premier league form on top of a bad hunting ground for Chelsea added up for a potential banana skin game in the run in. Perhaps fortunate to play Villa at a time where they were with numerous injuries including, of course, their captain Petrov. Despite this, Chelsea eventually came out of Villa with 3 points, something which can be looked back on as 3 good points.

The Match

Chelsea started brightly and capitalised after just 9 minutes when Sturridge netted after a decent build up including Torres being unlucky to finish with an effort that was blocked at source at point blank range. From that moment on Chelsea never got out of first gear and when the second goal came from man of the moment Ivanovic, Chelsea once again became unbelievably complacent and left the doors wide open for Aston Villa to formulate a way back into the match. Becoming complacent is a attribute that has become far to familiar with Chelsea and results in throwing away points time and time again. Long gone are the Mourinho days of shutting out a match. With the work rate dropped and a mindset that screamed job done. Villa scored a quick fire double and gave us exactly what we deserved for the drop in tempo and desire. Once 2 up, the emphasis must of shifted to the Champions League second leg against Benfica on Wednesday which was almost suicidal if it wasn't for a second Ivanovic goal scoring from a identical position - this time with his head. Torres wrapped it up with a 4th seconds from time after Villa had over committed.  

Un-noticed bad from

Despite being extremely pleased with three points at such a bogey ground against such a bogey team, I do think that Villa's bad form has unbelievably gone un-noticed and the fact that Mc Leish is still in charge is beyond me. Villa haven't got the worst side in the world yet they are 15th in the league just 5 points off the relegation zone. Looking at the table, the 3 points should have been a given and nothing else would have sufficed.  

Player Ratings

Cech - 6/10

Cole - 6/10

Luiz - 6/10

Terry - 7/10

Ivanovic - 8/10 M.O.M

Lampard - 7/10

Mikel - 7/10

Kalou - 6/10

Mata - 7/10

Sturridge - 7/10

Torres - 8/10

Benfica 0 - 1 Chelsea

27/03/2012

Benfica 0 (0)-(0) 1 Chelsea
                             Kalou 75'

The matches really are coming thick and fast, this being the 3rd midweek match in a row, fatigue really must be setting into the Chelsea players. That fatigue loss was represented in the starting eleven which was far from full strength, Benfica will be kicking themselves they didn't capitalise on such a weakened Chelsea team. The most important thing when playing away from home in the Champions League is to get away goals. Kalou converted midway through the second half to provide us with such a valuable goal.

The Match
Despite being a fantastic result away from home, I do believe that it was quite a poor performance. That may be down to fatigue or the different players which played but it came together to provide a unbelievably frustrating match to watch. Mikel and Meireles repeatedly gave away possession so, so easily with loose passes and abysmal touches. With their in-effective presence it provided Torres with an impossible job to try and hold the ball up for no-one while trying to chase down lost causes from rushed clearances. On top of the ineffective midfield the referee was one of the most annoying and in-consistent I have seen all season. Typically with foreign football, there was a fair share of Portuguese diving and rolling around, all of which the referee completely fell for time after time. Furthermore, this physicality that was so brutally painful and worthy of fouls for Benfica was completely ignored and waved away when it was Chelsea on the receiving end.

The goal
Salomon Kalou follows his goal up against Leicester with a far more important and valuable goal at Benfica. Ramires started this goal off by getting his pass off to Torres just before being crunched by the oncoming Benfica player. Torres used his pace and strength to accelerate away from his marker before reaching the penalty area wide right, slowed down the pace to wait for the arrival of Kalou. Torres chipped the ball into the centre above the sliding legs of the defenders who were tracking back. Kalou was left with a simple tap into a gaping net.

What is needed in the second leg?
Any Chelsea win or draw will result in Chelsea going to the Semi-final. Any Benfica win will result in at least penalties or a Benfica Semi-final. Benfica must score twice to progress in normal time.

Chelsea 0 - 0 Benfica - 1-0 Aggregate - Chelsea progress
Chelsea 1 - 0 Benfica - 2-0 Aggregate - Chelsea progress
Chelsea 0 - 1 Benfica - 1-1 Aggregate - Extra time & penalties
Chelsea 0 - 2 Benfica - 1-2 Aggregate - Benfica progress
Chelsea 1 - 2 Benfica - 2-2 Aggregate - Benfica progress

Player Ratings

Cech - 8/10

Kept out Benfica with some crucial saves. No one has kept a clean sheet against Benfica at the Stadium of light in two years which really outlines the achievement for the keeper and his defence. Most notable save was against Cardozo who climbed at the back post to head on target.

Ferreira - 7/10

There will have been a lot of Chelsea fans who cringed and worried when they saw him on the team sheet. By far past his best years, he does lack a lot of pace which severely damages his potential going forward. However, when defending away from home in the Champions League there is not as much of a requirement going forward. His intelligence when defending was top notch and used his experience to defend solidly without pace.

Luiz - 8/10

The centre back partner to Terry has changed a lot over the recent matches but both Cahill and Luiz both provide us with a bit of pace in the back line. Luiz was solid today and vitally cleared one off the line just after half time to keep his former club at bay. Still showed his immature side with a hopeless shot and ambitious free-kick.
  

Terry - 8/10

Leading the line once again and got some telling touches and stops in to deny danger man Cardozo many times throughout the match.

Cole - 7/10

Typical standard for Cole for vast majorities of the match, however, was often caught with two players at the back post, better communication was required with his team-mates to sort out the re-occurring problem. Firstly Cardozo got his header in on goal and secondly Cole almost diverted the ball into his own net.

Mikel - 6/10 

Like mentioned before, the struggling factor in the match was the slow, un-creative midfield. Struggled throughout the match to get a hold of the midfield but never really imposed himself.

Meireles - 5/10 

Ditto the Mikel synopsis with the added negative of even more misplaced passes, needless fouls and rash clearances.

Ramires - 9/10 M.O.M

Ramires was the saving grace for Chelsea. By far the best player on the pitch he had the pace on every one of the back four. It was frustrating that we didn't utilise his pace more. He motored past every one at every opportunity and carried the ball out of the defence and kept a bit of possession. The only complaint being that there could have been more quality in the final third.
   

Mata - 5/10

Such a disappointing night for Mata. He looked totally lost and tired spending the entire time walking about never getting involved. Had 2 moments, 1 where he rounded the keeper and un-luckily hit the post and the second in a massive amount of space going for a weak chip that never looked to worry the keeper who was more concerned with the time it was taking to get the ball back to mount an attack. Apart from that was completely non existent.

Kalou - 6/10 

Was utterly useless for 89 minutes and 30 seconds. For 30 seconds he managed to move to be in the right place at the right time and net a massively important goal. So you can't really complain. Although he is still rather rubbish.

Torres - 7/10
Chased lost balls and booted clearances for 90 minutes. Really struggled to get any notable service into his feet and when he did, he tore down the wing and set up the winning goal.

Chelsea 0 - 0 Tottenham

24/03/2012

Chelsea 0 (0)-(0) 0 Tottenham

If you ever wanted to look up the definition of a stalemate, this match would  be the first entry in the dictionary. Two teams chasing identical goals completely cancelled each other out all over the pitch. Both teams had their fair share of chances with none finished. Although 5 points is the gap between the two sides on the table, today it was shown that the level of play for both Chelsea and Tottenham are on a par and had the sacking of Boas come sooner, the point gap may in fact be smaller.

My View

Just want to point out here that I was actually at the match therefore meaning I had a good view for some things and not such a good view for others. Furthermore, I have seen no replays or slow-motions what-so-ever during or after the match. Therefore, I will happily be corrected on things that I have called wrong. In the first half, I thought that Chelsea should definitely had a penalty as Lampard was brought down through on goal. This incident was at the end in which I stand and looked a cast iron penalty in real time. Secondly, in the second half, it appeared that we had another decent shout for a penalty as Ramires was felled as he attempted to reach cross. Whether he would of got there or not, it looked like the Tottenham defender has fouled him and denied him the opportunity to get there. The referee looked distinctly un-interested in making any controversial decisions throughout the match. On two occasions, Adebayor was late in a slide tackle and didn't receive a caution for either. I have certainly seen Drogba sent off for less so is frustrating to see decisions like that never work in our favour. Furthermore, Adebayor and Spurs will feel relieved that neither Chelsea players rolled around 20x in a attempt to fool the referee which Bale or Van Der Vaart may have done if the tables were turned. It's never good to blame the referee and there is never a guarantee that had a penalty been given, it would have been scored. But Chelsea have been let down in the most important league match of the season by a conservative coward of a referee.

Chances

As I mentioned, both sides had their chances including both teams hitting the woodwork. Firstly it was Chelsea in the form of a Juan Mata free-kick that once again expertly curled over, past the wall, beyond the retreating Walker beating absolutely everyone.... except the post. One of these days he is going to get it spot on. Secondly, Bale hit the woodwork from a free header which Chelsea will review as poor marking. The header was full of power but no dip hitting the bar square on in the middle of the goal. Back in the first half, right on half time, Tottenham had a chance to take the lead into the break, however, the cut back ball which was met by Van Der Vaart was saved excellently by Petr Cech with the rebound(s) not being able to be forced in. The only other chance in the match saw Adebayor beat the offside trap, round Cech before having his finish cleared a meter short of the line by Gary Cahill who had recovered excellently. The majority of the match was utter stalemate with both teams perhaps victims of being too scared of losing than wanting to win. In such a tight game, the penalty decisions could have given us the edge, but it wasn't to be.

End of the League Season

After around 70/75 minutes the emphasis changed from Tottenham, the point being far more valuable to to Tottenham, they went to defend the point and keep possession. A must win game for Chelsea, as the point leaves us needing Spurs to slip up 2 times more than Chelsea, which given the remaining fixtures, I don't think is going to happen. Furthermore, Arsenal have hit top gear and are proving unstoppable at the moment. They are even further out of sight leaving us with 5th place. A game too many for Di Matteo and his Chelsea team in a congested period of matches that is set to continue with Benfica away on Tuesday. While we won't be enjoying Champions League football next season, we can still enjoy it this season!

Note

I will re-post the predictions I made in the blog a couple of weeks ago to show how I think the rest of the season will play out. I still think the Spurs and Chelsea match predictions are relevant but the Arsenal ones are redundant as at the time of making it, they weren't as on fire as they are now. Basically, the predictions show that we will still finish below Tottenham. Even with a win today, I predicted that we wouldn't catch them.

Player Ratings:

Cech - 8/10

Clean sheet against a top four side is no easy task, called into action against Van Der Vaart at the end of the first and a freekick at the end of the second, both of which were saved well.

Cole - 7/10

Solid performance and kept the left side of our defence well covered and out of the action. Did leave Walker in too much space in the second half who shot wide.

Cahill - 8/10 M.O.M

Keeps on putting in the performances and once again today had some good moments. Although trying to catch Adebayor offside, he never gave up and stormed back to clear off the line. Pace which has long gone for Terry. Also never got bullied or lost many headers against the aerial threat of Adebayor.

Terry - 7/10

Also had a solid game like Cahill but without the heroics of a goal line clearance. I certainly feel more confident with Terry's leadership in the back line and was a contributing factor in the clean sheet.

Boswinga - 4/10

Boswinga struggles at right back and to make matters worse, everyone knows he is our weak link. Therefore he is relentlessly attacked throughout the match. Top quality players would stand up to these test like Cole with his inability to head. Boswinga however, got tore to pieces by Bale and going forward was absolutely abysmal, misplaced passes at crucial times and an inability to cross. When TWO of your centre back defenders are better than you at right back, you know you should leave.

Essien - 7/10

Probably his longest ever run in the side in about 3 years due to constant injury's and set backs, he shows glimpses of his former self but at the moment is still a shadow of past with the drives from deep and marauding power. Performed reasonably but hope he returns to his former glory.

  

Lampard - 7/10

A much better pick than Meireles despite his age. Due to the season he has had, Lampard appears to be second guessing himself. He would often shape to play a long ball like in his glory days but will often change his mind for a short pass. Another player who perhaps is suffering from a lack of confidence. Should have won a pen.

Ramires - 7/10

Definitely wasn't Ramires's best performance but nor was it his worst. Battles away all over the pitch but simply had a distinctly average performance. Could also have won a pen

Mata - 7/10

Always the man to look to for a winning pass or the decisive moment. Hit the woodwork from a decent free-kick that Friedel completely gave up on. Suffers from a lack of movement from the solitary striker. 

Sturridge - 6/10

I personally think Sturridge is a very good magician! He has perfected the art of disappearing for long periods of time to then appear with a bit of excitement. Really needs to get more involved in the matches and stay wide at times because we lack so much width.

Drogba - 6/10

Simply not in the mood today. There are nights like Napoli when you think there is no way we should let him go, then there are days like today where he really doesn't do much and doesn't put as much into the match as perhaps Torres would. Despite that, you always know that he only needs a sniff to be devastating in front of goal.

Man City 2 - 1 Chelsea

21/03/2012

Man City 2 (0)-(0) 1 Chelsea

                                                   Aguero 78'              Cahill 60'

                                                   Nasri 85'

Hardly a result that is surprising for any team that goes to the Ethiad Stadium these days but gave City a far greater fight than I would have ever dreamed of a month ago. Di Matteo's 100% start in charge of Chelsea is over but it was never a match that was highlighted as a pivotal match. A lot more of the season was riding on that match for City than Chelsea and perhaps it was that desire that prevailed in the end.

Home influence

No doubt that the home fans had a massive effect on the referee in this match. Poor throughout the match giving very little Chelsea's way while allowing City to be overly physical while any touch from a Chelsea player resulted in a foul. Throughout the first half whenever Mata was on the ball and had played a pass, City players, most notably Yaya Toure continuously kicked out at his ankles and left studs in after the ball had gone. Going un punished from the referee it was actually Mata who received the first booking of the game for a fraction of what he had received through the entire first half. Granted their penalty was definitely a correct decision, the second half continued to have a similar take with multiple 50/50 decisions always going in City's favour including corners, throw-ins and late challenges. No City player received a booking in the match other than Nasri for his celebration.

Where the match was lost

The midfield. As soon as I saw the midfield that he had chosen the start with I knew that we were going to struggle. My thoughts were confirmed as Lampard and Meireles were completely useless in the entirety of the match. Mikel proved to be the most influential man in the line often winning the ball and offering a lot more strength compared to his two team mates. Struggling in the first half, they were completely dominated in the second as Mancini cleverly took of the increasingly useless Balotelli and brought on another midfielder which then caused Chelsea to be more defensive and after the opener, to have a far too deep defensive line which ultimately lead to our downfall.

Goals

One goal for both teams were extremely fortunate. The opener from Chelsea was a fortunate deflection from an un-cleared corner which was struck from Gary Cahill to score his second Chelsea goal in 2 games. The deflection completely wrong footed Hart who was called to make a instant change of direction which proved too much. The City equaliser was just as fortunate, this time a shot hitting Essien undoubtedly and unfortunately in the arm from absolute point blank range. Had his arms been at his side he may have had a case but with his arms in the air and blocking the goal, the referee had no choice. The final, winning goal was a result of a too deep defensive line. Continuous pressure without a break in intensity which we relied on Drogba for. Unable to win fouls or hold possession, the ball returned time and time again without the defence able to regather and re-position. Perhaps had Terry been fit then the line would have stayed stronger, but a simple give and go between Nasari and Tevez on the edge of the area was enough to be instantly 1 on 1 with the keeper - and easy chance from close range. 

What really pissed me off

I was happy with the determination and fighting spirit that we had displayed through the match and this result won't un-do the recovery that we have undertaken in recent week. Anything that was gained from this match would have been a freak bonus. The most infuriating thing was that after winning, City played CHELSEA's victory song 'one step beyond' by The Madness - a classic Skar song which has been a favourite at Chelsea for many years. It is symptomatic of City to steal it as they have not come up with anything original in their entire history. Couldn't name a single City chant other than Blue Moon. The 'City Poznan' another stolen show which didn't originate at all in City. Hearing madness played at City is a clear and blatant copy especially against the team that associate with it and played it after the Chelsea victory at Stamford Bridge earlier this season. If you beat Liverpool you wouldn't start playing 'you'll never walk alone' or if you beat United you don't play 'Glory, Glory Man United' - in the same way, when you beat Chelsea you don't play Madness, that's our thing so piss off.

Player Ratings

Cech - 6/10

Had a lot more asked of him today compared to what he has had to do in recent weeks. I was a bit disappointed with a couple of flaps on crosses and when Nasri hit the bar early on. He had already given up and was completely unprepared for the ricochet off the bar as he got a pathetic finger on the ball resulting in further pressure. 

Ivanovic - 6/10

Been the rock at the back for Chelsea recently but back at right back, didn't look promicing out there against the pace from early on. Perhaps never fully fit for the match thanks to a great deal of game time for the player over the last fortnight and got subbed early on in the match.

Cahill - 8/10 M.O.M

Hard to pick a man of the match when you lose but Cahill was the most solid defender who I am really looking forward to partnering either Terry or Ivanovic full time. Don't think Luiz and him partner well. In the end got the Chelsea goal and gave us hope for a surprise 3 points. Not involved in the penalty and not able to prevent the second without giving away another penalty.

Luiz - 7/10

Had a couple of rushes of blood to the head storming out of defence and losing possession but in general seams to have calmed it down recently and continued today. Not our best CB by any means.

Cole - 7/10

The experienced left back had a comfortable game and kept track of runners well resulting in City not choosing to attack down the right due to Cole's dominance there. Didn't contribute going forwards however, this seams to be the way Cole tends to play now. 

Mikel - 7/10

The most influential midfielder of the three and was the only one of the three to be up for a physical battle. Once again having to slip in to cover Luiz a couple of times and swept well in front of the back 4 especially on counters making City stop and slow allowing other players to get back.

Lampard - 6/10 
Slow and distant. Struggled to keep the tempo throughout the match with sloppy passes becoming suicidal at times as he have Balotelli a free chance in the first half.

Meireles - 5/10

Even worse than Lampard in both positioning and passing. So, so sloppy in his passing gifting possession all the time by either passing into trouble, off the pitch or directly at a City player. Greatly disappointed

Ramires - 7/10

Provided Chelsea with the engine that he so normally produces. Ran throughout the match but would really like to see him return to the centre of the midfield.

Mata - 6/10

Kicked and bullied out of contention. Going to become an increasing practice in the premier league and needs to learn to rise above it and play with his feet. Having said that, could have vastly benefited from some protection from the referee.

Torres - 7/10

Although I thought he shouldn't play in this match, he followed up his two goal display with a confident performance full of energy and running. Replaced by Drogba in the second half but won far more balls and made far more tackles than Drogba who was completely un-influential when he came on. Perhaps Drogba needs to start to be in pace of the game and have his impact?

Chelsea 5 - 2 Leicester

18/03/2012

Chelsea 5 (2)-(0) 2 Leicester

                                                   Cahill 12'              Beckford77'

                                                   Kalou 17'              Marshall 88'

                                                   Torres 67', 85'

                                                   Meireles 90+1'

There is absolutely no escaping the main talking point of this match..... A goal for Saloman Kalou! I know, who would have thought that such a terribly out of form forward would come up trumps for Chelsea. Unbelievable scenes!

Torres

All jokes aside, fantastic news to see Fernando Torres back on the score sheet. Not only that, to add to his brace, he also bagged a double assist setting up Kalou and Meireles. Like the age old saying, you wait ages for one bus, then two come along at once. We can only hope now that he kicks on from here and re-discovers a bit of form to aid us through the final stages of the season towards a possible 4th place spot and perhaps even the F.A cup. His first goal wasn't the best goal he will ever score but he has found space inside the box and taken his first touch well reducing what was required with the second. The two touch finish was completed with a dragged side footed pass into the bottom corner queuing celebrations of absolute relief. Coming towards the final 5 minutes of the match he doubled his tally with a deft 'flicked-on' header from a front post corner. He used the used the pace from the cross to flash the attempt across goal into the far corner. His appreciations went towards his former Liverpool team-mate Meireles who took the corner and also had previously set up his first goal. From the start of the game Torres played with a little more freedom seeing him becoming an integral part of every attack resulting in him actually being the most productive player. He was the provider of Kalou's goal early on in the first half with a great burst of pace down the right touchline and a perfectly waited ball across. Kalou received and waited for the keeper to go to ground before placing it beyond his reach. Torres final contribution in the match was to simply and unselfishly, set up his provider Meireles for a simple tap in by rolling the ball across the face of the box. The chance for a hat-rick was on, but he showed great professionalism by passing to the player in the best possible position.

Good Start

It is always nice to get an early goal to set the tone to reduce nerves and avoid a shut out tactic from the away side. The only goal which didn't involve Torres was the first where a Juan Mata corner was met by Cahill who showed the most desire and rose highest to power head the ball in from point blank range.  The keeper probably should have come and collected but Cahill punished the mistake and went off to celebrate by dedicating the goal to Fabrice Muamba - his former Bolton team mate. Everyone's thoughts in football are for Muamba and his family and we all wish him the best.

The only negatives

2-0 at half time and more or less comfortable, changes began to conserve those who are likely to play against City on Wednesday. Juan Mata was replaced on half time followed by Ivanovic a bit later on. Once these substitutions had been made, the match started to get a more of an exhibition feel where Chelsea were only really performing in 2nd/3rd gear. It could just be a coincidence, but interestingly as soon as Ivanovic was replaced, just a minute later Leicester scored the first of their two goals with a slightly fortunate rebound off the post after a long distance strike. Beckford was on hand and reacted first to instantly convert into the unguarded net. The second goal was another long range effort, this time finding the correct side of the post from Leicester's point of view. The 30 yard strike from the newly introduced substitute rocketed in off the post. It was truly a beautiful strike - I'm sure he'll remember that one for the rest of his life.

Wednesday

Despite his brace today, I doubt Torres will start Wednesday night against Manchester City - quite rightly too. Drogba was rested for a reason today, because he played 120 minutes of football v Napoli midweek, Di Matteo wanted to rest him to ensure full match fitness for against City. Regardless, I still think Torres shouldn't start because, after gaining this bit of confidence against a (no disrespect to Leicester) lesser side, the last thing he needs is to go away to an already difficult match and struggle. Granted we paid £50 million for the player and he should be up to repeat his actions but looking at the situation realistically, going away to the best team in the league, we are going to struggle as a squad to even score one goal anyway. Saving this new found bit of confidence will be far more useful in another tie.

Complete change

Torres's performance today was a true representation of the complete turn around that has occurred since the departure of AVB. Di Matteo has somehow released some of the pressure and shackles from the players who all play with new found confidence and freedom. This change was epitomised today by Fernando Torres and I couldn't be more happy for him and the club. Chelsea will be going to Wembley this season - from the brink of failure to possible success.

The Draw

Finally the semi final draw took place later this evening and pits us against either Tottenham or Bolton. While the other side sees Liverpool take on Everton or Sunderland. Therefore, we are probably looking at a Tottenham semi final and a Liverpool final if we get there.

Player Ratings

Cech - 7/10

Absolutely nothing he could do for either of the two goals today, both were well stuck long shots that beat the big Czech all ends up. Other than that, once again, became spectator for large portions of the match.

Bertrand - 8/10

The future is extremely bright at left back for Chelsea. Still needs to improve defensively and I haven't really seen him be tested rigorously in the air like Cole is on a regular occasion. However, going forward, I would argue that he is better than Cole as he beats a player and gets the ball whipped in from a decent position.

Cahill - 7/10

Great leap to send us on our way to Wembley for the first goal. Defended well for the majority of the match but could arguably be to blame at the first goal as he was the closest to Beckford on the re-bound. Much prefer the Ivanovic or JT partner to Luiz.

Ivanovic - 8/10

Another solid performance, this time at his native centre back position. He personally got a clean sheet as both goals came after he was substituted so nothing to criticise there.

Boswinga - 7/10

Massively un-eventful match for Boswinga, never really got involved and therefore made no mistakes. Trying to remember his contributions but literally couldn't name a time he touched the ball other than a throw in. A 7 is a safe score given I have no idea.

Miereles - 8/10

A much better performance from this hot and cold player. Set up Torres twice more like in the Liverpool days and had the favour returned to put the cherry on top of the team performance with a goal of his own.

Mikel - 7/10

Did what all good defensive midfielder's do and just screened the back four for protection and covered out of position players. Hardly a glamorous role and will often go un-noticed but Mikel performed usually well and kept the balance in the side. 

Mata - 7/10

Set up the first goal but was surplus to requirements at half time given the busy schedule. Will hope for a more productive night on Wednesday as his fellow Spaniard stole the show today..... His record for scoring in every round of the F.A cup this season came to an end. - Chelsea legend Peter Osgood still the only player ever to achieve this.

Kalou - 7/10

Another encouraging performance against a Championship side, needs to translate that success into premier league fixtures in order to remain at Chelsea. Took his goal well showing natural finishing ability to wait for the keeper to ground before taking the easy goal.

Sturridge - 7/10

Called 'Mr. Greedy' by the commentator on the match today and quite rightly too. Does well to get into decent positions particularly near the bi line and either doesn't produce or takes the completely wrong option (often a shot from an impossible angle to the near post). Frustrating but there will be bigger games for the young English forward. 

Torres - 9/10 M.O.M

Two goals and two assists truly earns him the man of the match for this game. Showed complete polar opposite demeanour perhaps a better relationship with the manager is the key. Hope so much that he become prolific now.

UEFA Champions League Draw - Benfica

16/03/2012

Benfica v Chelsea
Just as the dust was settling on an incredible result in the worlds most prestigious club tournament, the draw was made for the quarter finals. The draw also lays out the path to the final for each of the final 8 teams. The draw has been somewhat favourable with majoritively top quality sides left in the competition. In order from easiest to hardest, I would rank the teams: Apoel, Benfica, Marseille, Milan, Bayern, Real Madrid and finally Barcelona. To draw - in my opinion, the second easiest side in the draw is fantastic news. Furthermore, we must travel to Portugal first which is often perceived to be the preferred route to the next round. The first leg lays the foundations for a decisive second leg which in our case will be at home. The tie can't be won or lost in the first leg - we found that out in the last round. To visually understand the route to the final - the draw was as follows:

As a result of being on the left side of the second bracket of games, it means that if we were to progress, we would play the first leg of the Semi's at home and have to travel (probably to the Nou Camp) for the decisive second. The draw has been favourable and should see us through to the semi's but I'm afraid that is as far as we will go this season. With the present squad, I believe we don't have the strength to take on and beat Barcelona. But you never know, I hear people say that you'd rather play Barca over two legs than just one in the final. We have certainly done it before and we could do it again. Although the whole draw looks favourable for a tasty 'El Clasico' final between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Predictions
I had planned to release a prediction for the 4th spot in the recent future. Having made the predictions last week, I have already got the first week spot on. I have decided to release it now before it becomes too out of date. My probably biased predictions see Chelsea gain the 4th Champions League spot to the expense of Arsenal. Do you think I will be right?

Tables and predictions made on the 8/03/2012