Chelsea Fc Thread

[KamalaDreamer]

DM said before the Wigan game that his team against Barcelona will be quite different.

I think he'll pick a team capable of going forward and troubling Barca at the back.

For me Sturridge needs to be there because he can cause damage against top class players.

I don't think Frank should start because his presence will lead Chelsea to play the kind of game that there will only be one winner of.

If PC plays a blinder in goal I think we've got a chance.

I'm just checking now what sort of line up we had that was successful against Barca last time... before the Norwegian ref stepped in.

DM will have had a close look I reckon.

Surprisingly,there's not a lot of difference between the personel of both teams compared with 2009 and now,Kam'.Alex,Anelka and Ballack played then but won't be playing now and Barcelona will be without Ya Ya Toure and Eto this time.The only difference is that they've gone forward and we've gone the other way.It was certainly a tempestuous confrontation then with Drogba at his nastiest.Nowadays,he's become Mr. Nice Guy,patting oponents on the back and pleading with the referee in their defence, when he's about to brandish a yellow card.

I much preferred the horrible,cheating,diving Drogba to the one now.Let him be reincarnated for first leg at Stamford Bridge,please!

Yep. Agreed oldgit. Anelka and Drogba were a mighty force.

Need some muscle up front. Ballack was very classy too.

I have faith in DM.

[Seapok]

I'm gona be in Bangkok for the Chelsea vs Liverpool game on May 5th, shall we have a little meet up to watch the mighty blues smash the bin dippers? :-)

The usual pitch,Sea'? By the way,I hope you've got treatment for blisters after you've staggered around the London Marathon course

I just noticed if Chelsea beat Spurs we will be in the FA cup final and thats on May 5th....will be an even bigger piss up if thats the case! Yeah I got the plasters at the ready, for my feet and nipples haha

[smokie36]

I'm gona be in Bangkok for the Chelsea vs Liverpool game on May 5th, shall we have a little meet up to watch the mighty blues smash the bin dippers? :-)

The usual pitch,Sea'? By the way,I hope you've got treatment for blisters after you've staggered around the London Marathon course

I just noticed if Chelsea beat Spurs we will be in the FA cup final and thats on May 5th....will be an even bigger piss up if thats the case! Yeah I got the plasters at the ready, for my feet and nipples haha

Bad luck for this Sunday Seapok...and all the best of luck for the following one!

[smokie36]

What's happening with Torres in the summer then gents?

[Seapok]

What's happening with Torres in the summer then gents?

I reckon we will give him another season, especially as this could be Drogba's last one, not sure about renewing Kalou's contract either so we will be short up front...obviously will be splashing out if we get a new manager.....again :-(

[KamalaDreamer]

What's happening with Torres in the summer then gents?

I reckon we will give him another season, especially as this could be Drogba's last one, not sure about renewing Kalou's contract either so we will be short up front...obviously will be splashing out if we get a new manager.....again :-(

Ask the boy on the yacht.

You still up there BirdDogHiddink?

Classy managers get classy workers.

[smokie36]

Another of your pals has disappeared....only the lonely.....

[Seapok]

John Terry and Ashley Cole are both available for Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley this weekend.

Blues skipper Terry has been nursing a rib injury while left-backCole missed Chelsea's last two games with an ankle problem.

But manager Roberto Di Matteo has revealed the defenders have both been training without any difficulties.

The news is a significant boost with regular right-back Branislav Ivanovic suspended for the Tottenham clash and Chelsea also facing Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League and Arsenal in the Premier League next week.

"Ashley trained today and is fine, he's available," Di Matteo told reporters at Chelsea's training ground. "It's a good time to have him back. John Terry came through training fine too."

Although this is a pivotal point in the season for the Blues, Di Matteo is determined not to look beyond beating Spurs on Sunday and is confident of doing just that.

"The two times we played (Tottenham) in the league, the games were quite balanced," Di Matteo added.

"But in a one-off game it is difficult to say who is the favourite due to the form, because the dynamic is a little different.

"We are in good form and the players are confident. At the moment I am only looking at the game on Sunday, and thinking about what is the best selection to win that game.

"Every time you play at Wembley it should be a spectacle because it is a great arena.

"We have two opportunities to win a trophy and we will try to win them both.

"That is what we are working for, that is challenge we face and we are looking forward to that challenge."

[SantiSuk]

Spurs, Barca and Arsenal in one week. Lucky you got the easy game in the middle

Edited April 15, 2012 by SantiSuk

[smokie36]

Spurs, Barca and Arsenal in one week. Lucky you got the easy game in the middle

To be fair Santi I'd love to be in their position. Best of luck to 'em...on Wednesday at least. I hope they win one draw one and lose one!

[SantiSuk]

Am in Bangkok for the evening. Can watch the Barca game back at my flat, but in case I am still out and about at 1:45am (quite likely) where can I watch the match?

[Seapok]

Massive game for us tonight, I'm feeling quietly confident strangely enough, if we go into this game feeling positive and play quite aggressively I do feel we have a good chance. Obviously will have to take care of Messi but thats easier said than done, if we come away tonight with a clean sheet I feel we could snatch an away goal over they then face Munich in the final... who says I'm a dreamer!

[mrbojangles]

If you have the same ref as the other day, you'll get an away goal every time you cross the half way line

[smokie36]

Am in Bangkok for the evening. Can watch the Barca game back at my flat, but in case I am still out and about at 1:45am (quite likely) where can I watch the match?

Pisshead!

Go home!!

[smokie36]

Barca have 68% possession so far and are battering Chelsea.

Just in case you didn't find a telly Santi...

[stoneyboy]

Barca have 68% possession so far and are battering Chelsea.

Just in case you didn't find a telly Santi...

Feed the Drog and he will score.

1 nil Chelski.

Edited April 18, 2012 by stoneyboy

[smokie36]

Barca have 68% possession so far and are battering Chelsea.

Just in case you didn't find a telly Santi...

Feed the Drog and he will score.

1 nil Chelski.

Are you leaping about like the Bet365 bloke?

Well done so far....

[stoneyboy]

Barca have 68% possession so far and are battering Chelsea.

Just in case you didn't find a telly Santi...

Feed the Drog and he will score.

1 nil Chelski.

Are you leaping about like the Bet365 bloke?

Well done so far....

Theres only one bloke leaping about and that appears to be Drogba,how much time has he spent rolling about on the floor I ask.

Edited April 18, 2012 by stoneyboy

[smokie36]

Great result that for you Seapok.

[stoneyboy]

Great result that for you Seapok.

Agreed,but I'm not sure it's enough.

[smokie36]

Great result that for you Seapok.

Agreed,but I'm not sure it's enough.

Their defence has been excellent lately. Is it good enough for the Nou Camp?

I think they will have to score over there to win.

[salty]

To keep a clean sheet in the 1st leg at home is always a good result. I would imagine that Barca will be worried about the outcome now. Looking at them every week in La Liga I sense they are not as good as last season. That still makes them a very formidable team but they will need to make better use of their chances and enjoy better luck. Given Barca's vulnerable defence Chelsea could well score away.

It should be a fascinating 2nd leg.

[MrRed]

Great result that,the luck was with you last night i cannot see you riding it out at the Nou Camp but stranger things have happened.

Still Bayern Barca final for me i hope.

[SantiSuk]

Yep - pisshead it had to be, only so that I could stay up to watch the footie of course. Arrived Swampy at 10 pm so I only had to do a couple of hours drinking and TV searching. Drank slowly - too much beer and the inevitable happens; dear oh dear me, the quality in Lower Sukhumvit these days, I'm so happy this morning that the big head kept the other in train.

Anyway back to the football. Absorbing match and amazing to watch Barca fans suffer such apparent agony at the cheek of another team actually beating them in a leg, when they know that their team rarely score less than 3 at home. Well done (to the old men of) Chelsea for all that intense concentration - they are almost impossible to contain and certainly the best soccer team on the planet, ever.

And the answer as to where, for future reference. A small pool/sports bar in that rat run of small bars/beauty salons and bar-girl internet caffs that runs parallel to Sukhumvit between soi 7 (close to Beer Garden) and soi 5. No unwanted pressure from the girls, other than to give them a chance to destroy you on the pool table (the 'hello hansum man where you come from' palls after 5 years of living here and 20 of visiting), though for some reason I still have to check it out in BG. Still going strong when I left at 4am. Must have to pay oodles of tea money.

Edited April 19, 2012 by SantiSuk

[carmine]

tactics for the 2nd leg must be all out attack for the away goal and then try to stifle them, because you are going to concede. Thats the only way for Chelsea to get to the final and the clean sheet at Stamford Bridge has given you the oppotunity to snatch this. IF you can grab an early lead its going to be very interesting.

[SantiSuk]

Barca badly missing David Villa; Alexis a poor substitute. I assume that Villa is still out of the picture injured. It struck me how badly they need either him back, or RvP, or both (unfortunately). If they do come to take him away they might find that the boot is on the other foot this year (ref to how they legged us over on price for Fabregas last year, given that he was hell-bent on going there and only there).

Watching Fabregas in the first half when he played well was like bumping into an old girlfriend (make that former, not old) and suffering those pangs of wondering why you ever dumped her or she dumped you!

[oldgit]

There isn't any other team that will live with Barcelona in a midfield battle of skills so I was relieved to see Lampard,Merieles,Mata and Ramires stand off and allow them to play their intricate little triangles in front of them,that is,until they got to the edge of the penalty area.

The concentration,determination and sheer bloody mindedness showed by the team was superb in the face of this onslaught.I haven't seen Ashley Cole have a better game for two years.On his most recent performances,they must have cloned him from something because he found an extra yard of pace from somewhere.

When we did get the ball,which was very rare,I thought we used it wisely by getting the ball forward to Drogba at the earliest oppurtunity.Puyol and Mascherano knew they had been in a match with him there.He was at his diving and cheating best.Personally,I would like to have seen Torres alongside him.The midfield had already been conceded with five across the park so,having a four men there wouldn't have made any difference.The goal was a microcosm of when even Barcelona get bored with all their possession and get hit on the counter.Their first reaction,when the ball is taken from them is to scurry around like a pack of greedy dogs after the recipient.The ball reached Ramires,after Lampard had picked Messi's pocket,and he found that he had four players between him and Drogba.The ball he threaded through had to be perfect....and it was.

With all their possession,they were always going to create chances so,Terry,Cahill,Ivanovic,Cole and Cech needed to be at their best.I think it's safe to say that they were with a little bit of help from Lady Luck into the bargain.

Anybody notice when the cameras went on the Barca' fans?They all looked like a mass of doctors and nurses to me.They're probably the only people that could afford to come over.

[Seapok]

Great result that for you Seapok.

Very good result for us last night, it certainly wasn't pretty but good all the same. A 2-0 win would of been great, our defence was outstanding and that tackle from JT on the edge of the box when Messi was about to pull the trigger was world class. I will have to do an all nighter for the second leg as I've got an early flight the same morning, couldnt careless how tired I will be as long as we are in the final....KTBFFH

[rixalex]

Great result that for you Seapok.

Very good result for us last night, it certainly wasn't pretty but good all the same. A 2-0 win would of been great, our defence was outstanding and that tackle from JT on the edge of the box when Messi was about to pull the trigger was world class. I will have to do an all nighter for the second leg as I've got an early flight the same morning, couldnt careless how tired I will be as long as we are in the final....KTBFFH

The apple cart could do with being upset. Good luck to Chelsea. I fancy you'll need it.

[carmine]

Great result that for you Seapok.

Very good result for us last night, it certainly wasn't pretty but good all the same. A 2-0 win would of been great, our defence was outstanding and that tackle from JT on the edge of the box when Messi was about to pull the trigger was world class. I will have to do an all nighter for the second leg as I've got an early flight the same morning, couldnt careless how tired I will be as long as we are in the final....KTBFFH

Or as we say in north London seapok "you can STBFUYA."