Archive for the ‘Napoli’ Tag
The beginning of a tough set of fixtures have begun for us now, starting with Leicester City today, then Manchester City during the week, and then Tottenham the same weekend, not to mention the Aston Villa game away from home, whom we’ve had major problems with form-wise away from home in recent years.
The good thing however, is that Roberto Di Matteo could not have asked for the perfect start during his short tenure as interim manager. Especially when our old guard, Didier Drogba, John Terry and Frank Lampard slapped their names on the scoresheet to revive our Champions League status with the impressive 4-1 win over Napoli at Stamford Bridge, and it’s those types of victories that are big enough to bring back the confidence in the team, steady the ship, and… maybe, just maybe, catch Arsenal and snatch 4th place. But they are going to take some stopping, especially when Robin van Persie is not disappointing Arsene Wenger in terms of scoring goals.
But today sees us play Leicester at the Bridge, in hopes that we can secure our 3rd successive semi-final in 4 years. I believe with the right mentality, and the right tactical approach, we can overwhelm our visitors and fight on in the rest of the competition.
The way the season has gone for us as a whole, particulary during the times of AVB, I don’t think we’re the favourites to win the trophy because Tottenham are still in the competition, and Liverpool are starting to find their feet under Kenny Dalglish.. BUT.. we ARE capable of winning big games, as we saw in the game against Napoli.
What does seem to linger at the back of my mind however, is that when AVB managed his first game in August, his team went on to be unbeaten in 5 matches before Manchester United beat us 3-1 at Old Trafford, so REALLY.. Di Matteo still needs a few more games to prove that he is the real deal. Generally however, It’s going to be an interesting couple of weeks for us. We need to keep fighting like we have been doing in the games against Birmingham, Stoke and Napoli. The players are fired up now, so there will be no excuse for defeat today.
One final thing I must say before I finish this blog. My thoughts and prayers go out to Fabrice Muamba, who is fighting for his life after he collapsed during yesterday’s Bolton match away to Tottenham. He is currently in a “stable” condition, and in this case, I hope and pray for his recovery, and my condolences are with his family at their very difficult time.
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My Chelsea team to face Leicester: Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Cahill, Bertrand; Ramires, Mikel, Lampard; Sturridge, Torres, Mata
Subs: Hilario, Cole, Romeu, Essien, Malouda, Kalou, Drogba
Never in my whole entire life as a Chelsea supporter, have I witnessed anything like the match I watched tonight! And it comes at a promising time when the fixture list gets tough, and winning points could be hard to come by!! Right from the off in the Champions League tie at home against Napoli, I expected us to flourish! I said to myself, “I don’t care where the goals come from, I just want Chelsea to find the goals needed, and get the job done”, and by jove, they certainly did that!
Didier Drogba on 28 minutes started the comeback with a stunning header from a cross by Ramires, who showed off quite a stunning performance himself. Then later, in the second half, John Terry nodded in a header from a corner to make it 2-0 and level the tie at 3-3, putting us in the driving seat to go through. But a rather breathtaking strike from Gökhan Inler from outside the box swung the tie back in Napoli’s favour again with the score at 2-1.
Frank Lampard however, thrashed in a penalty to take the game into extra time, with us winning on the night 3-1, until Branislav Ivanovic powered in our 4th goal from Drogba’s low cross to ensure our progress into the Quarter Finals!
Is this the beginning of the long-awaited Chelsea revival?? YES, and MORE! Roberto Di Matteo has only managed 3 Chelsea matches, with the team scoring 7 goals, and letting in just one… compare that run of form with what we had to endure with AVB, and the results speak for themselves. I know this is only 3 games, but let’s be honest. If you have players such as the ones who performed like beasts out there today, coming back from a 3-1 deficit against one of the most in-form Italian clubs to date, you can clearly see that this club HAS what it takes to turn the season around! I bet those who threatened to burn their Chelsea shirts and give up on the club because the team weren’t delivering the goods, are well and truely changing their tune now!
One question that must be asked, is who do I want to see us playing in the Quarter Finals? Well, right off the bat, Barcelona have to be avoided because right now, as we all know, their football is on a different planet at the moment, particularly when Lionel Messi seems untouchable, and that they are unbeaten at home in La Liga, dropping just 2 points from 13 matches. On the other hand, Real Madrid are possibly one to give a miss as well because they have Jose Mourinho, and despite Barca’s untouchable home form, they boast an impressive 10-point gap over the Catalans at the top of that table!
With that said, I’d go for either Marseille or APOEL. And I say that only because I claim those teams to be the weaker of the 7 teams available. Benfica might be a do-able tie, and it would mean both David Luiz and Ramires would be returning to familiar grounds! Bayern Munich and AC Milan could be tough opponents as well, although most English teams now know the faults of Milan’s back line, because Arsenal were able to put 3 past them at the Emirates.
But whatever team we’re drawn against on Friday, I have my full backing, not just for the team, but for the manager. Roberto Di Matteo since he took over as interim manager has impressed me from day one. He stated right from the off, that he cared about the club, and wanted to bring the best he can in the latter stages of this season, and with this fine display and impressive win over Napoli, he has ticked a dozen of boxes!
Who Needs Mourinho??
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