Sunday 30 September 2012

Torres Enthuses About Emirates Win!

Torres Enthuses About Emirates Win!
Vitalfootball: Chelsea: 30/09/2012 11:49:00
Yesterday, at the Emirates Stadium, Chelsea became the first team to win three Premier League games there, another milestone to be proud of.
VitalFootball Feed: Chelsea
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

Triesman: Black players let down

Former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman believes black players feel let down by the governing body's handling of the John Terry racism case.

Independent.ie - Soccer RSS Feed
Read more... Triesman: Black players let down

Mikel Arteta sees red over ‘unfair criticism’ of Blues’ £50million striker Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres's descent from fearsome forward to a figure of fun has left Mikel Arteta dismayed.

Evening Standard - Football
Read more... Mikel Arteta sees red over 'unfair criticism' of Blues' £50million striker Fernando Torres

Di Matteo pleased with Terry

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo felt his decision to play John Terry was vindicated after the Blues captain came through the expected hostile reception at Arsenal to lead the team to a 2-1 victory. The World Game
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/10/01/di-matteo-pleased-with-terry/

Torres - Big test passed

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres feels his side came through their biggest test of the campaign so far after beating Arsenal 2-1 at Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Sky Sports | Football News
Read more... Torres - Big test passed

Di Matteo plots end to road less travelled

LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea coach Roberto Di Matteo will have to address his side's shortcomings on the road in Europe on Tuesday with the Londoners unable to afford a slipup against Nordsjaelland, a team new to rubbing shoulders with the continent's elite. The Londoners will be expected to win against the Champions League newcomers in Copenhagen after throwing away a two-goal lead to draw their opening Group E game at home to Juventus. ... Chelsea News
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/10/01/di-matteo-plots-end-to-road-less-travelled/

Mata benefitting from break

Juan Mata is confident of maintaining his best form for Chelsea after recently being handed a fortnight off by Roberto Di Matteo. Football365 | Chelsea
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/10/01/mata-benefitting-from-break/

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal defend as a team

Midfielder Mikel Arteta maintains Arsenal must take collective responsibility for their defensive failings against Chelsea. Chelsea | Mail Online
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

Cole wants to end career at Chelsea

Ashley Cole wants Chelsea to offer him a long-term contract because he is eager to stay at Stamford Bridge for the rest of his career, according to an ESPN source Football news from ESPN.co.uk
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/10/01/cole-wants-to-end-career-at-chelsea/

Cech wants Chelsea to kill off teams after 'nervous' Arsenal win

EPL:Petr Cech, Chelsea v Newcastle United

The Czech goalkeeper has called on his side to become more ruthless and ensure that the Blues avoid the sort of nerve-jangling finish they encountered at the Emirates

Goal.com News - Chelsea FC
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/10/01/cech-wants-chelsea-to-kill-off-teams-after-nervous-arsenal-win/

MATA: GOOD TO BE BACK

Juan Mata played a starring role in our 2-1 win at Arsenal on Saturday... Chelsea
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/10/01/mata-good-to-be-back/

How it so nearly went wrong: Deconstructing Olivier Giroud's big chance on Saturday

152324038_standard_1349049574_400

Andre Villas-Boas was many things, but he was also, on occasion, entirely correct.

You can provoke the opponent with the ball, provoke him to move forward or sideways and open up a space. But many players can’t understand the game.

The key to opening up a well-organised defence is to draw them out of position. Intelligent movement of players and ball can provoke players to commit, push defenders around and generate space to attack. We've seen how the duo of Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain peeled open the Chelsea left wing for Arsenal's only goal of Saturday's match.

But what about the moment that nearly caused a hard-fought victory to fall apart? How did the defence let Olivier Giroud into a position where the Frenchman could have salvaged a draw by simply slotting into an open net?

It all started fairly innocently. Oxlade-Chamberlain has the ball in the Arsenal half, with Chelsea in a loose 4-4-1-1. It's slightly weird that John Obi Mikel's so high up the pitch, but as long as he can stop the youngster from blazing by him, perhaps turning him back to pass a defender, all should be well...

...oh. Oxlade-Chamberlain has skipped past Mikel as if he wasn't there, bursting into the space behind him and provoking Ramires into trying for a tackle. Note that both central midfielders, who are ostensibly supposed to be marking Santi Cazorla, have now engaged, and the wide midfielders aren't in a position to provide support. If Ramires' tackle fails, Chelsea have allowed Arsenal clean through their first bank of four defenders.

Which they have. Uh. Oh. Oxlade-Chamberlain has slipped the ball to Cazorla and started sprinting into the space that should have been occupied by Mikel and Ramires. Why was Cazorla free? Because he drifted between the lines, flank to flank, all game. There's no reason for Victor Moses to have picked him up -- his direct opponent is Kieran Gibbs -- and Branislav Ivanovic will not have wanted to over-commit and break up the second line of for. That leave Cazorla free to return the ball to Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Note that Gervinho's drifted infield to occupy Gary Cahill's attention; now he can pull him back out with a move to the flank. Olivier Giroud is running behind John Terry to get a little bit of space. Arsenal are the ones dictating Chelsea's shape at this point.

Although Eden Hazard's been in pursuit of him since the move began in the Arsenal half, Oxlade-Chamberlain's still going strong and is shown here racing onto the return pass by Cazorla. Cahill realises too late that Gervinho's going nowhere and Ivanovic isn't doing anything particularly useful. John Terry has to do something about it, and he chooses to try to get to the pass before Oxlade-Chamberlain. Cazorla's provoked the last defender into drifting out of position.

Terry's too slow, and now Giroud has space to exploit. A simple ball through -- neither Ashley Cole nor Cahill can catch him, and the French striker is one on one with Petr Cech.

Another game and this could have ended in tears. Fortunately it didn't, which means Chelsea can use this to learn some lessons. What can we take away from this chance?

Firstly, the way in which Arsenal manipulated our centre backs was worrying. They'd routinely use one of their wide forwards or Cazorla to form a two-striker shape, occupying a centre back, and then slowly drift wide to create a hole. This happened a number of times in the second half, and Chelsea never ever got wise to it. Here Cahill lets Gervinho pull him out of position, opening up the hole through which the final pass is played.

Secondly, and more seriously, this was a massive failure on the part of both pivot midfielders. That Mikel was so high up is worrisome -- a heavy press isn't required in injury time while holding a lead, and one of the downsides to pressing hard is that a technically able opponent can skip past you and take you out of play if you get too close. Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has the skill and speed to be a winger, can do that*.

*So can Ramires.

It's less of a surprise to see Ramires baited into a tackle he couldn't win. Ramires is a great player and a strong tackler, but he's very prone to chasing the ball at all costs rather than holding his position. The real estate in front of the centre backs was much more valuable to Chelsea than winning the ball off Oxlade-Chamberlain at this point in the match, so he should have held position as soon as he realised Mikel was caught too high up the pitch. I suspect that he would have fouled Oxlade-Chamberlain if he wasn't already carrying a yellow card; that would have also been an acceptable way of mopping the play.

This chance, then, could best be described as Arsenal provoking Chelsea's four most important defensive players to abandon their position in search of either the ball (Mikel, Ramires, Terry) or their man (Cahill). It's alarming that a move involving four players was able to cut so cleaning through the Blues' two lines, and it's more alarming still that the flaw was essentially one of discipline.

It didn't end up costing us, but if the centre keeps playing like this, it'll make for some rather unhappy times.


Follow We Ain't Got No History on Twitter

We Ain't Got No History - All Posts
Read more... How it so nearly went wrong: Deconstructing Olivier Giroud's big chance on Saturday

Chelsea's Juan Mata pulls the strings to fire up Fernando Torres to seal derby-day victory over Arsenal

Juan Mata's winner against Arsenal keeps impressive Chelsea on top of Premier League..

Chelsea Football Club
Read more... Chelsea's Juan Mata pulls the strings to fire up Fernando Torres to seal derby-day victory over Arsenal

Chelsea profit after defensive errors add to familiar Arsenal flaws

• 'We were too passive' says Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger
• Petr Cech pleased as leaders Chelsea pass 'real test'

It is surely no consolation to Arsenal that their first defeat of the season showed a certain togetherness, as blame for it could be shared throughout the side. There were deficiencies in defence, deficiencies in midfield and deficiencies up front.

Arsène Wenger expressed familiar lamentations about his team's mentality. And supporters were left venting familiar grievances about a club they fear will remain prone to such performances for as long as they spend each new season integrating fresh arrivals to replace departed stalwarts and make do with a squad that never quite looks complete.

Before this match Arsenal announced pre-tax profits of £36.6m for the year ending 31 May, and they are in rude health financially. But the fans' mood is still locked in a debilitating cycle of boom and bust. After the upswing triggered by the impressive win over Liverpool and draw at Manchester City, the sorry loss to Chelsea caused a plunge back towards pessimism. Chelsea did not have to excel to triumph.

"This was a game where everybody said 'OK, this is a real test of how we are doing' and we did well, so that is pleasing." That was the assessment of the Chelsea goalkeeper, Petr Cech: the flip side applies to Arsenal.

The home side's most obvious flaw was not necessarily the most worrying for the campaign ahead. Chelsea's goals came from set-pieces that were badly defended, notably by Laurent Koscielny, who lost his bearings as Fernando Torres guided in the first one in the 20th minute and then, in the 53rd, failed to cut out Juan Mata's free-kick and instead helped it into the net.

"We knew before the game we were playing against a team that was more mobile, more based on movement and played more on the ground and that's why I decided to play him," said Wenger by way of explanation for his decision to deploy Koscielny instead of Per Mertesacker, who had enjoyed a fine start to the season.

In fairness to Wenger, his logic was sound. But Koscielny suffered an off-day. That can happen to anyone but what was more alarming was that his mistakes were aggravated by a lack of communication – Wenger suggested Koscielny's troubles at the first goal were caused partially by the team's failure to reassign marking responsibilities after Abou Diaby was forced off injured three minutes earlier.

Such a laissez-aller approach pervaded this Arsenal performance and that, unlike Koscielny's bungling, is a frequent complaint. "We needed more personality, we were too passive," regretted Wenger. "We needed to attack the ball." That charge could be aimed at the whole team, not just a defence that, until the visit of Chelsea, had shown clear signs of progress since the summer appointment of Steve Bould as Wenger's assistant.

The meekness was perhaps most evident in midfield. Diaby was twice caught dozing on the ball before departing in the 17th minute and, while Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta toiled without finding much inspiration, Aaron Ramsey seemed too content to be a passenger. The Wales captain seldom exerts an influence commensurate with the faith placed in him. Up front, there can be no denying that Gervinho exerts an influence. However, even though he struck his fourth goal of the season with a splendid swivel and shot just before half-time, it is by no means clear that the Ivorian's influence is more positive than negative. Against Chelsea, as on countless previous occasions, his decision-making and execution were frequently exasperating, causing chances to disappear in groans.

Theo Walcott, who began on the bench, is accused of lacking a football brain but even he seems to have more reliable instincts than Gervinho. For the season ahead, the forwards on whom Arsenal could find themselves counting the most are Lukas Podolski, who was peripheral to proceedings here, even if one late header did bring a smart save from Cech, and Olivier Giroud.

Not for the first time this season, Giroud perpetrated a miss late in this game that Wenger admitted was "difficult to explain", slashing into the side netting after rounding Cech. That miss means he has scored just one goal in eight appearances since his £13m move from Montpellier.

However, unflattering comparisons with Marouane Chamakh could yet prove unwarranted. Giroud's movement, strength and build-up play suggest he has the skills to be an effective fulcrum and that his barren spell is as unsustainable as Gervinho's prolific one. If he rediscovers his knack for finishing, Giroud could solve one Arsenal problem. But the big Arsenal problem is that the team remains beset by too many 'ifs'.

Man of match Juan Mata (Chelsea)


guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Football: Chelsea | guardian.co.uk
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/10/01/chelsea-profit-after-defensive-errors-add-to-familiar-arsenal-flaws-2/

Chelsea's cavalier style suits Mata but leaves Wenger with a headache

London's two most successful sides of recent years will make the customary transition to Champions League games this week in different mood. Each will be expected to win, but in Arsenal's case at home to Olympiakos a tightening up at both ends of the pitch will be required to offset the bitter disappointment of Saturday's 2-1 defeat, whereas Chelsea merely need more of the same against the Danish champions Nordsjælland.

- Premier League RSS Feed
Read more... Chelsea's cavalier style suits Mata but leaves Wenger with a headache

Chelsea profit after defensive errors add to familiar Arsenal flaws

• 'We were too passive' says Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger• Petr Cech pleased as leaders Chelsea pass 'real test'It is surely no consolation to Arsenal that their first defeat of the season showed a certain togetherness, as blame for it could be shared throughout the side. There were deficiencies in defence, deficiencies in midfield and deficiencies up front.Arsène Wenger expressed familiar lamentations about his team's mentality. And supporters were left venting familiar grievances about a club they fear will remain prone to such performances for as long as they spend each new season integrating fresh arrivals to replace departed stalwarts a... Chelsea News
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/09/30/chelsea-profit-after-defensive-errors-add-to-familiar-arsenal-flaws/

That Luiz Dive!

That Luiz Dive!
Vitalfootball: Chelsea: 30/09/2012 11:48:00
Was it a harsh call?
VitalFootball Feed: Chelsea
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

No time-out needed for Torres

Fernando Torres insisted he did not need to be rested like Juan Mata after the pair combined again to fire Chelsea three points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League.

Independent.ie - Soccer RSS Feed
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

Triesman: Players let down in Terry case

Former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman believes black players feel let down by the governing body's handling of the John Terry racism case. The World Game
Read more... Triesman: Players let down in Terry case

Mata benefits from break

Juan Mata is confident that Chelsea will benefit from his recent break and is happy to see his team top of the Premier League. Sky Sports | Football News
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

Di Matteo defends Terry pick

Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo says he feels vindicated over his decision to select John Terry for Chelsea's win at The Emirates on Saturday Football365 | Chelsea
Read more... Di Matteo defends Terry pick

John Terry latest: Lord Triesman claims black players let down by FA

Former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman believes black players feel let down by the governing body's handling of the John Terry racism case. Chelsea | Mail Online
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

Triesman: Black players let down

The former FA chairman Lord Triesman has voiced fears that black players will feel let down by the way the association handled the John Terry racism case Football news from ESPN.co.uk
Read more... Triesman: Black players let down

FA handling of John Terry case questioned

The former FA chairman Lord Triesman has voiced fears that black players will feel let down by the way the association handled the John Terry racism case. ESPNsoccernet
Read more... FA handling of John Terry case questioned

Hazard, Mata and Oscar prove Chelsea have the steel to match the style

EPL:  Juan Mata,  Arsenal v Chelsea

The Blues' creative wizards have lit up Stamford Bridge with their brilliance this season, but on Saturday they also showed the desire to ally industry with artistry

Goal.com News - Chelsea FC
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

Triesman bemoans Terry ban delay

Lord Triesman says the 11-month delay in handing out a punishment in the John Terry racism case "unconscionable". BBC Sport - Football
Read more... Triesman bemoans Terry ban delay

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal defend as a team

Midfielder Mikel Arteta maintains Arsenal must take collective responsibility for their defensive failings against Chelsea. Chelsea News
Read more... Mikel Arteta says Arsenal defend as a team

Match Analysis: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea

153028006_standard_1349012452_400

Roberto di Matteo made just one change to the team that started against Stoke City last Saturday; John Terry stepped in for Gary Cahill. This meant the manager kept faith with Ramires-Mikel double pivot leaving Frank Lampard once again on the bench. The selection of Ramires, starting for the third time in 8 days, suggests that di Matteo is looking for pace, energy and a lot of off-the-ball movement from his midfield. Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata lined up in the attacking band behind Fernando Torres: Hazard on the left, Oscar down the middle and Mata on the right. But they all rotated across the attacking third like three cups under the spell of a magician determined to hide the location that elusive ball.

Arsenal too made just a single adjustment to their last league starting lineup; Thomas Vermaelen returned from injury to replace Per Mertesacker. Gervinho, who likes to drift out wide, led the attack with Santi Cazorla slightly behind him. Lukas Podolski and Aaron Ramsey flanked the midfield duo Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby.

Passing Overview

Overview_medium

Las weekend, Arsenal were able to out-pass Manchester City in their own backyard, so one might expect them to do the same against Chelsea at the Emirates. That was not the case as Chelsea started very energetically – pressing hard off the ball and passing well when they gained possession. For the first 30 minutes or so, the home side was content to sit back with two banks of four in defensive phase – Cazorla and Gervinho did little tracking back – and the Blues moved the ball around with relative ease.

Despite making more passes than the Gunners in the first half, Chelsea trailed their opponent in final third passes (see above chart). This suggests that majority of Chelsea’s passes in the first half were completed in the defensive half and around the center circle. This trend moved the opposite direction in after the break: Chelsea made fewer total passes but completed more final third passes. This makes sense since the visitors were happy to defend deep and rely on counter-attacks after they retain the lead through Mata’s 53rd minute goal. Arsenal, on the other hand, maintained about the same number of total passes and final third passes on either side of the break.

Different Roles for the Men in the Hole

Oscar_vs_cazorla_medium

On paper, Oscar and Cazorla played the same position for Chelsea and Arsenal respectively. The "No. 10" role requires the player to stay pretty close to the main striker and be the creative link between the midfield and the attack. While Cazorla stuck to this No. 10 role, Oscar did more defensive than creative work from that position. The young Brazilian pressed and chased tirelessly off the ball. He stayed tight to Arteta as he did to Andre Pirlo against Juventus in the Champions League. This prevented Arteta from influencing the play positively from the deep position – keeping the tempo of Arsenal’s attack and distributing intelligent passes – the way he has been able to do recently. Oscar may not have done much in attack, but his defensive work was very important for the team. As Arsenal tactics blogger @ArsenalColumn tweeted during the game, "To press Arteta is to stop Arsenal." Of course pressing is always a collective effort, but Oscar was the key in the execution of this approach.

People often say that Oscar, Hazard and Mata are almost identical to one another. It is true to an extent: they are all slight, technical players who inject creativity into the team. But Oscar stands out as the only player who can and is willing to take on defensive duties – tracking, pressing and tackling. We must give credit to di Matteo for identifying that quality and utilizing it appropriately.

Cazorla, on the other hand, stayed up high in both offensive and defensive phases. The lack of pressure from him made it easier for Mikel and Ramires to circulate the ball. However, he was involved in almost every Arsenal attack. The Spaniard made the highest number of attacking third passes in this game, distributing the ball left, right and center. He even got a couple of good chances to shoot when his teammates cut back from wide areas. With better finishing, he could possibly have scored.

The Arsenal Equalizer

0d8h5_medium

Having played with little urgency in the opening 20 minutes, Arsenal came into life after Chelsea took the lead – Torres getting the better of Koscielny and putting away Mata’s free-kick. As Chelsea dropped down a gear, Arsenal moved up one. With Oxlade-Chamberlain replacing the injured Diaby (the English man took the right flank and Ramsey moved to the central midfield), Arsenal’s right side became more potent.

At the same time, Hazard (or any other player rotating into the left wing) provided little protection to Ashley Cole who was bombarded by Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Carl Jenkinson. So the Gunners attacked that flank in the last 15 minutes of the first half and it was of little surprise that they got the equalizer from that route. Graham has already done a detailed analysis on how Chelsea conceded that goal – Oxlade Chamberlain’s low cross from the right escaped Cole’s reach while Gervinho fooled Terry and Luiz with a smart, but rather simple, move to generate space to shoot. It doesn’t reflect kindly on Cole, Terry and Luiz, but the Gunners had been knocking on Chelsea’s door from that side for awhile before the goal.

Second Half and Changes

0dkp4_medium

Chelsea would again take the lead soon after the break without playing spectacularly and from that point on, they were happy to drop back and defend. Arsenal’s attack came down both flanks with fullbacks Gibbs and Jenkinson pushing forward. Gervinho’s diagonal runs to and from the wide areas also caused problems for Chelsea’s defense. In the first half, the home side managed 5 goal attempts, 2 of which came from inside the box; after the break, they mustered 10 goal attempts, 7 of which unleashed from inside the box.

Di Matteo made his first change at the 73rd minute, bringing on Victor Moses for Oscar. The Nigerian went to the left wing to provide support for Cole. It was clear that Oscar needed to come off since the Brazilian has covered a lot of ground. The choice was between Moses and Ryan Bertrand. The fact that di Matteo chose the former suggests that he wasn’t comfortable with the 2-1 just yet. Moses could offer better attacking threat to find a winner if Arsenal were to come up with another equalizer.

Strangely, though, the game took a weird turn after this substitution. Chelsea were unable to threaten from the break – the plays broke down either due to poor dribbling or good tackling. Meanwhile, Arsenal were also making basic errors like misplaced passes, offside runs and wayward shooting. It should be noted, however, that Petr Cech pulled of two great saves in this half to keep Chelsea afloat. David Luiz, carrying an injury, was replaced by Gary Cahill; and Bertrand later came on for Mata. These changes made little difference to the game.

Torres Watch

0dq86_medium

The season may be young but Fernando Torres’ performance has already gone through some ups and downs. In this game, the striker was riding some high waves. Not only does he score an excellent goal, he was very much involved in the game from start to finish. He received a total of 42 passes in this game, the highest he has received in the six league games played so far (Wigan, 22; Reading, 32; Newcastle, 37; QPR, 25; and Stoke, 24). We know that he’s not a target man like Didier Drogba, but he does okay when it comes to receiving long passes.

He also worked hard off the ball to press and hurried Arsenal players in possession of the ball. It was also neat to see him play another one-two with Mata before setting up the midfielder for a shot (blocked) in the second half. They have pulled off the same move against Stoke and Wolves (Mata scored from that one). They clearly like each other (very much) off the pitch so is this one-two connection a form of footballing bromance? Who knows but it is positive for the team.

Conclusions

This was a big game and Chelsea got the big result. The performance might still leave us with some lingering questions – where’s our creative midfield or consistent width, for instance –, but the team did what they needed to do. They exploited the opposition’s weakness (defending set-pieces) and did just about enough to pull off the win. Di Matteo prepared the team well for this game and picked the right approach.

We Ain't Got No History - All Posts
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

FC Nordsjaelland v Chelsea: Andreas Laudrup makes a name for himself as he follows in famous family footsteps

One name will leap from the FC Nordsjaelland team-sheet when they play Chelsea in the Champions League next week: Andreas Laudrup.

Chelsea Football Club
Read more... FC Nordsjaelland v Chelsea: Andreas Laudrup makes a name for himself as he follows in famous family footsteps

Arsenal v Chelsea: squad sheets

Chelsea may have won all three of their Premier League crowns since Arsenal last achieved the feat in 2004, but whether the strongest title challenge comes from west or north London this season is up for debate. Neither club have yet tasted defeat, and while Roberto Di Matteo's side are the early frontrunners, this game represents the first genuine test of their new-look style. With Santi Cazorla having adapted instantly to English football to become Arsenal's creative hub, Arsène Wenger's side look similarly regenerated. Paul Chronnell Emirates Stadium, Saturday 12.45pm

Tickets Sold out

Last season Arsenal 0 Chelsea 0

Referee M Atkinson

This season's matches 4 Y16, R0, 4.00 cards per game

Odds Arsenal 11-10 Chelsea 5-2 Draw 12-5

Arsenal

Subs from Martínez, André Santos, Djourou, Koscielny, Frimpong, Coquelin, Arshavin, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud

Doubtful None

Injured Sagna (leg, 6 Oct), Wilshere (foot, 20 Oct), Rosicky (achilles, 20 Oct), Szczesny (ankle, 20 Oct), Fabianski (shoulder, 20 Oct)

Suspended None

Form guide DWWDDW

Disciplinary record Y2 R0

Leading scorers Podolski, Gervinho 2

Chelsea

Subs from Turnbull, Hilário, Blackman, Ferreira, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Romeu, Bertrand, Marin, Oscar, Moses, Piazon

Doubtful Lampard (ankle)

Injured Sturridge (hamstring, 6 Oct)

Suspended None

Form guide WDWWWW

Disciplinary record Y7 R0

Leading scorers Torres, Ivanovic, Lampard 2

Match pointers

• Over the past 33 league matches between these sides, Chelsea have only won when they have fielded the summer departure Didier Drogba

• Arsenal won their first 12 home Premier League fixtures against Chelsea but have won just two of their last eight

• Mikel Arteta has averaged 111 touches per match this term, the most in the division

• Chelsea and Arsenal are the only top flight teams yet to concede a second-half goal

• Only Vito Mannone (91%) has a better saves-to-shots ration this season than Petr Cech (88%)


guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Football: Chelsea | guardian.co.uk
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

Not Interested?

Not Interested?
Vitalfootball: Chelsea: 30/09/2012 11:47:00
You just knew that the Emirates faithful would give John Terry a hard time yesterday.
VitalFootball Feed: Chelsea
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/09/30/not-interested/

Roman Abramovich Ultimatum could see the end of Ashely Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry at Chelsea

John Terry, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard of Chelsea (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) According to Dave Kidd of the Daily Mirror, Chelsea could be seeing the last of legendary veteran's Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry. In an article on September 29th, Kidd announced that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has issued an ultimatum to the club that no player over the age of 30 will be given a contract for longer than a single year at a time. That news looks to potentially set in motion a world wind of speculation in the press and gutted feelings of loss in the hearts of the Blues fans. Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard are the most likely in the immediate cross hairs, and Lampard being left out against Arsenal this weekend is potentially an even bigger talking point due to this new information. Both Lampard and Cole have contracts that ... Chelsea News
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/09/30/roman-abramovich-ultimatum-could-see-the-end-of-ashely-cole-frank-lampard-and-john-terry-at-chelsea/

Terry ban "lenient" according to Ferguson

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson suggested Chelsea captain John Terry had got off lightly after being hit with a four-match ban for using racist language towards Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand. The World Game
Read more... Terry ban "lenient" according to Ferguson

Torres - I don't need a rest

Fernando Torres has told Roberto Di Matteo he is in no need of a rest any time soon. Sky Sports | Football News
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

Torres doesn't need rest spell

Fernando Torres insisted he doesn't need to be rested like Juan Mata after the pair combined to fire Chelsea clear at the top of the league. Football365 | Chelsea
Read more... Torres doesn't need rest spell

Fernando Torres says he is not tired

Fernando Torres insisted he did not need to be rested like Juan Mata after the pair combined again to fire Chelsea three points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League. Chelsea | Mail Online
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/09/30/fernando-torres-says-he-is-not-tired/

RDM: Terry deserves second chance

Roberto Di Matteo believes Chelsea skipper John Terry deserves a second chance after being found guilty of "using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour" toward QPR's Anton Ferdinand Football news from ESPN.co.uk
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

West Brom's Lukaku staying humble

West Bromwich Albion's on-loan Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku knows he has much to learn in the game.

read more







Chelsea
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/09/30/west-broms-lukaku-staying-humble/

New Arsenal, same old story but reaction to Chelsea defeat will shape Gunners' season

EPL: Arsene Wenger, Arsenal v Chelsea

There is no need for Arsene Wenger's side to press the panic button after first defeat of the campaign but lessons must be learned if progress is to be maintained

Goal.com News - Chelsea FC
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com

Chelsea come away from Emirates with impressive win

153023648_standard_1348947118_400

And the Blues came through with flying colours. Roberto di Matteo kept his front line more or less unchanged despite a relatively poor performance against Stoke City, and they answered with goals from both Fernando Torres and Juan Mata -- goals against an Arsenal side which had only conceded twice in their opening five fixtures. At the other end of the pitch, sloppy defending gave the Gunners far too many chances, but Petr Cech came up huge to preserve what was eventually a 2-1 victory.

The opening stages of the match all went Chelsea's way. After dominating possession against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last weekend, one might have expected Arsenal to control the midfield with relative ease, but Oscar, so effective at hounding Juventus' Andrea Pirlo on his debut, shut down Mikel Arteta completely. Then Abou Diaby managed to pick up the injury he was due for, and Santi Cazorla found himself isolated against John Obi Mikel and Ramires. That turned out not to work so well.

One of the ongoing storylines this season has been the reinvigoration of the Arsenel defence under the tutelage of Steve Bould. In recent years, Arsene Wenger's team had been a byword for defensive frailty, but they'd only shipped two goals in the early stages (in a blowout against Southampton and then from a corner against Manchester City, a match they drew). That narrative was blown apart here.

Thomas Vermaelen brought down Eden Hazard with a rash challenge 35 yards from goal, and Laurent Koscielny managed to turn his back to the ball as Mata's delivery made its way to the far post, floating just over the outstretched locks of David Luiz's hair. Torres ended up behind the defender, but managed to take advantage of the lapse of concentration to stick out a boot and hammer past Vito Mannone. 1-0 Chelsea.

It could have been two shortly thereafter. Another mistake by Koscielny put Torres in one-on-one against the Gunners keeper, but this time the composure wasn't there and the striker completely mis-cued his shot. There were claims for a penalty, but they were pretty silly claims.

Had Torres put that second chance away, the game would presumably have been far more comfortable. Instead, Arsenal were allowed back into the match and ratcheted up the pressure on the Chelsea back line. Ashley Cole in particular was having issues -- his side was being overloaded and there wasn't much he could do about it -- and eventually the equaliser would come from a cross on our left.

Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain, on for the stricken Diaby, was the provider, although his cross should have been cleared by Cole. Instead, said cross made its way to Gervinho in the middle, who was free thanks to both Chelsea centre backs dropping back at once. Given the space to turn and fire past Cech, the Ivorian did just that, making it 1-1 just before the interval and undoing all of the good work in the first half.

Not to worry. A severe case of the Koscielnies afflicted Arsenal shortly after the restart, gifting Chelsea their second. Again, Thomas Vermaelen was drawn into a needless foul, this time bringing down Torres and earning himself a booking in the process. Again, Mata swung in the free kick. This time, Koscielny managed to keep Torres from latching onto the ball, but he didn't actually bother clearing it and the mixup saw Mannone letting the ball creep into his bottom corner. Whoops.

Lukas Podolski attempted a reply, cutting Chelsea's open with a phenomenal run and header only to be denied by a full-stretch save from Cech. The goalkeeper came to the rescue yet again after a Cazorla shot deflected off David Luiz -- wrong-footed, Cech was still able to push the awkward ball just wide of the post. Chelsea seemed content to soak up pressure and hit their hosts on the counterattack, but their attempts to break were mostly thwarted by their odd habit of sending attempted through balls straight into their own players' backs.

Di Matteo took steps to ensure his lead would be held, reinforcing both flanks by adding Victor Moses and Ryan Bertrand to the game. He also introduced Gary Cahill for David Luiz, who was struggling with an injury. It was just about enough, although Arsenal would get one last chance when Olivier Giroud sauntered through the defence, rounded Cech, and hit the side netting (from an admittedly tight angle).

But that was the last scare the Blues would face. The rest of injury time was marked by the likes of Eden Hazard and Ryan Bertrand holding possession deep in the Arsenal half, seeing out the game without any further problems. This was a great result on top of a good performance, and beating a potential top-four rival on their home ground means one thing: Chelsea are back.

We Ain't Got No History - All Posts
Read more... Chelsea come away from Emirates with impressive win

The FA panel which found John Terry guilty features Craig Moore, Maurice Armstrong and Stuart Ripley

The men at the centre of John Terry's disciplinary hearing with the FA, who found the defender guilty of using racist language towards Anton Ferdinand.

Chelsea Football Club
Read more... The FA panel which found John Terry guilty features Craig Moore, Maurice Armstrong and Stuart Ripley

Roberto Di Matteo says Chelsea's belief will grow after win at Arsenal

• Chelsea manager says playing John Terry was 'right choice'
• Arsène Wenger laments Arsenal's defensive flaws

Roberto Di Matteo watched the Premier League leaders make a statement of intent with a 2-1 victory at Arsenal and suggested more is to come from his emerging Chelsea team.

"I am really pleased with the way we played, away at the Emirates, with the performance and the consequences," the Chelsea manager said. "That gives the team a lot of confidence and belief that now we can play differently. We have to. We need to change our style a little bit from last season. We still have a lot of work to do to improve as we have not been together for much time."

In a match in which they expected a stern test, Chelsea dictated the tempo, their new style clicking encouragingly as they went three points clear thanks to Manchester United's defeat at home to Spurs. Juan Mata was at the heart of both goals with his set-piece delivery and, with his mobile cohorts Oscar and Eden Hazard moving intelligently behind Fernando Torres, helped show how effectively the new Chelsea can blend old-school power with fresh flair.

John Terry, whose first touch was jeered by Arsenal fans, had a routine afternoon at the end of a complex week. "It was the right choice to play him," Di Matteo said. "He showed his leadership qualities and what a good defender he is for the team."

The Chelsea manager also had praise for Torres, who opened the scoring. "He was excellent, scored a great goal, an important goal, but also his all round game was excellent."

Arsène Wenger criticised his team for blowing the chance to stake their own credentials. "When you play at home and concede two soft set pieces you are on the back foot. What is important is the personality you show in a big game. Today we were not at the level."

Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny endured a difficult afternoon and was implicated in both goals conceded. Wenger defended his decision to select the Frenchman ahead of Per Mertesacker, arguably Arsenal's most consistent defender this season. "The decision was based on who we played," Wenger said. "If I left out Vermaelen or Koscielny I would have been asked the same thing."


guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Football: Chelsea | guardian.co.uk
Read more... Roberto Di Matteo says Chelsea's belief will grow after win at Arsenal

John Terry latest: Lord Triesman claims black players let down by FA

Former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman believes black players feel let down by the governing body's handling of the John Terry racism case. Chelsea News
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/09/30/john-terry-latest-lord-triesman-claims-black-players-let-down-by-fa/

Arsenal 1 - Chelsea 2: Not-so-Sweet 16 for Arsene Wenger



ARSENE WENGER celebrates his 16th anniversary as Arsenal manager tomorrow.


Daily Star :: Football Feed
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/09/30/arsenal-1-chelsea-2-not-so-sweet-16-for-arsene-wenger/