Chelsea FC - A Samillyroy Legacy Returns for FM13

[samillyroy]

Chelsea v. Benfica
UEFA Champions League Group Stage, Matchday 1

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[TD]KEY PLAYER - OSCAR CARDOZO
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The Paraguayan is a lethal striker, combining strength and power with finesse and technique. He will cause Chelsea numerous problems today and is Benfica's main attacking outlet.

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[TD]TEAM NEWS
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Oscar returned to training this week for Chelsea but will not play any part, whilst Ashley Cole and John Terry also miss out. Hilario is unregistered.

Nicolas Gaitan is out for Benfica and Luisao, the captain, is suspended.

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[TD]MATCH PREVIEW
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The Portuguese giants are excited to face the reigning European Champions and, having knocked Manchester United out in last seasons campaign, they are confident they can progress this time round too. The loss of Gaitan and Luisao are big blows but there is sufficent depth to still cause problems. Chelsea dispensed of Benfica in last year's quarter-finals thanks to Raul Meireles' late strike and they will be looking for retribution this evening but Chelsea are firm favourites to take the three points.

On paper, Benfica are the hardest team in this group and we have to show them some respect. They gave us a great game here last season and we will have to be at our best to get the three points that we want.

 

[Sam91]

Not the best start but not bad either, good luck

 

[samillyroy]

haha not the worst start either, like you say. results don't reflect performances and if we keep it up then we'll win more important trophies

 

[samillyroy]

UEFA Champions League Group Stage, Matchday 1
Stamford Bridge, London

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Ramires came back to haunt his old club with a superb double.

Chelsea saw off their Portuguese opposition this evening, with Ramires scoring a wonderful brace. The Blues held firm in an even first half before taking control thanks to a nice Demba Ba finish. From there on, it was plain sailing.

The first half saw some sparing between the two sides as Benfica looked to find a foothold in the game. Wanyama and Nainggolan used their power to try and force a way through the Chelsea midfield, but they found a tough defence and Cech in good form.

It took until the second half for Chelsea to find a way through, the returning Ivanovic swinging in a first time cross for Demba Ba to steal in and slam home.

And it was 2-0 moments later as the brilliant Ramires ran onto Mata's through ball before slamming into the far corner of the net on the instep, a beautiful finish.

Rodrigo pulled one back late on but Ramires ended the Benfica resistance with a cool finish to complete his double and give Chelsea a great start to their Champions League campaign.

A fully deserved result, I thought we were excellent from start to finish and were unlucky not to keep a clean sheet! Rami has been great in the past couple of games and his brace is just recognition for the effort he puts in game after game.

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[samillyroy]

Liverpool v. Chelsea
Premier League, Matchday 4, Anfield


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[TD]KEY PLAYER - LUIS SUAREZ
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A player who is respected and disdained in equal measure, Luis Suarez can make you scream in anger or delight. A wonderful technical player capable of the absolutely sublime, he will cause all kinds of problems for Chelsea if they do not keep up with him today. Will always put in a full shift for his side and can sometimes be overly competitive.

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Chelsea welcomed back Branislav Ivanovic in mid-week though he may not be available to play this game as well. John Terry is also still out with injury whilst Ashley Cole is a doubt at left back.

Liverpool on the other hand have Glen Johnson out with a back injury, whilst Jamie Carragher is doubtful to play.

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Liverpool have had an uninspiring start to the Premier League under new manager Brendan Rodgers, picking up 2 wins and 2 defeats in their opening 4 games. Luis Suarez tops their goalscoring charts with 3 goals in the league, but as they are fighting on the European front as well, the fans are holding judgement until later in the season. This should be a tight affair as both sides look to push forward and start to stake their respective claims. This would be a big early scalp for Illyroy's Chelsea at Anfield.

I'm aware of the rivalry between these clubs over recent years and for me this is a big game. Coming off the back of two excellent performances against Tottenham and Benfica I am looking for us to continue in this vein and if we do that then I will be happy.

 

[cfc12345]

beat the scousers!

 

[samillyroy]

Premier League Matchday 4
Anfield, Liverpool

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Hazard bagged his first Premier League goal at Anfield this afternoon but it wasn't enough to see off Liverpool.

Chelsea fans left Anfield fairly infuriated after letting slip a lead. Hazard buried a Torres knock down in the first quarter hour and Chelsea put in a top first half display only to be pegged back immediately in the second half.

Torres flicked on a Ramires cross for Hazard who slammed a first time drive into the bottom corner after 16 minutes and Chelsea continued the first half in positive fashion, creating numerous openings. Mata struck the bar with a free kick just before half time.

But straight after half time, Liverpool fought back and Suarez pounced on a parried shot by Petr Cech to score his 4th goal of the season. Liverpool then seemed content to let Chelsea force the issue and despite the introduction of Benayoun and Oscar, Chelsea couldn't find the guile to break through.

And when they finally did late in the game, Pepe Reina pulled out an extraordinary stop to deny Juan Mata his first goal of the season. Overall, a decent away point for Chelsea, but they will feel it could have been more.

I admit it's been an indifferent start to the league campaign but we were good again today. If we can bag a few more of the chances coming our way then it's a matter of time until the wins come in.

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[samillyroy]

bit gutted, three league draws in a row now playing pretty well now, hopefully we can beat the baggies next..

 

[samillyroy]

West Brom v. Chelsea
Premier League Matchday 5, Hawthorns


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[TD]KEY PLAYER - RAMIRES
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The Brazillian is a fans favourite because of his all action performances and non-stop running. His displays in the last few games have been vital for Chelsea and he has been a key player so far this season. Will cause West Brom plenty of problems with his direct running.

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Illyroy is expected to draft Demba Ba back into the squad after he missed the trip to Liverpool at the weekend. John Terry is expected to miss this game but may make the weekend match against Reading.

West Brom are without Gera, Popov and Ben Foster through injury, whilst Chelsea's loan striker Romelu Lukaku is ineligible fortunately for Chelsea, as the big Belgian has already struck 3 goals this season.

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Chelsea come into this mid-week game off the back of some indiferrent league performances. They will be looking to rectify that against a solid West Brom side and should they get their forward players firing then it shouldn't be too much of an ask for their side. West Brom have had a good start to the campaign and currently sit a place behind Chelsea in 11th but lost 6-2 in their last outing against Manchester United. Their fans will certainly be hoping for a better result at home today.

The Hawthorns has proven a tricky place for us over the last couple of years and I won't be under-estimating them by any stretch of the imagination. We will look to shuffle the pack a little after playing a number of games this week and with one eye on the Reading game.

 

[samillyroy]

Premier League Matchday 5
Hawthorns, Birmingham

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Ba's excellent finish continued his fine form and grabbed Chelsea a vital 3 points.

Chelsea grabbed their second win of the league campaign with a hard fought away victory in Birmingham this evening. Ramires opened the scoring before Ba's fine half-volley. Jones' header before half time made things interesting but the Blues held on for victory.

Ramires has been in great form for Chelsea of late, and he grabbed his third goal of the season after just 9 minutes, slamming home first time when Romeu squared across the box.

The goalscorer then turned provider as he played a sharp first time ball in behind the West Brom defence and Demba Ba ran on slamming on the half volley past a hapless Boaz Myhill.

Chelsea looked to be cruising from then as Hazard started to showboat, but Billy Jones' header right on half time made things interesting. West Brom turned up in the second half and made a number of openings, even having a goal disallowed.

But as time wore on, Chelsea managed to turn the screw and pushed harder on the counter-attack until West Brom ran out of steam. A hard fought victory for the Blues, but one that was much needed.

It probably wasn't as good a performance as some that we've put in recently but with the number of fixtures we've had, I won't be complaining. Demba has put in some top performances of late and they haven't gone unnoticed.

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[samillyroy]

Chelsea v. Reading
Premier League, Matchday 6, Stamford Bridge

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[TD]KEY PLAYER - DEMBA BA
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Chelsea's top marksman for the campaign with 3 goals, Demba Ba has settled in to life at Stamford Bridge well indeed. His finish in the last game against West Brom was evidently one of a striker full of confidence and Blues fans will be hoping he continues in that vein this afternoon.

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Juan Mata is expected to come back into the fold after dropping to the bench in the last match. Chelsea have no injury woes though as John Terry returns back into the fold after his injury on international duty.

Nick Blackman is out for Reading with injury and Hal Robson-Kanu is a long term absentee for the Royals.

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Not much is expected of the Royals this afternoon and with Chelsea in decent form, you may expect to see some goals at Stamford Bridge this afternoon. The Blues have struggled for goals so far this season but few would bet against them coming against struggling Reading. McDermott's side are rock bottom of the Premier League but have nothing to lose here.

Reading did brilliantly to get promoted last season and have a group of players who will give everything to the cause, we have to be wary of that. But if we play to our full strengths I am confident we can see them off in front of our home crowd.

 

[samillyroy]

Premier League Matchday 6
Stamford Bridge, London

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[TD="align: center"]Benayoun (32)
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Lampard bagged Chelsea's second and his first goal of the campaign.

Chelsea beat their opponents Reading in a very one-sided match at Stamford Bridge this afternoon. Three seperate Chelsea goalscorers cancelled out Adam Le Fondre's equaliser to ensure Chelsea's good form continued.

Chelsea surprised many with their team selection, choosing 18 year old Nathan Ake alongside John Terry for his first professional start, but the Dutch youngster looked assured throughout, even lasting longer than his colleague who suffered an injury and was replaced by David Luiz in the second half.

Chelsea had to wait until their opponents were reduced to ten men when Leigertwood received his second yellow, to take the lead and it came through an unlikely source. Benayoun has had few opportunities at Stamford Bridge since arriving two years ago but he took his chance here, pouncing on Pearce's mistake to score his first of the season.

And just a minute later the lead was doubled as Lampard arrived late to slam past a stranded Federici. Le Fondre scored in the second half but David Luiz's header from a corner sealed a thoroughly convincing victory ahead of a fixture pile-up for the Blues.

With 3 more games to play in a ridiculous fixture list, I felt it necessary to make some squad changes. Nathan is a real talent and I thought he would be good enough to come in and play today and he proved me right. Paulo is a solid squad player and deserved his call up and I know I can rely on him at right back. It was a good display by the boys and we move on.

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[cfc12345]

wins starting to come now

 

[samillyroy]

SEPTEMBER REVIEW

All in all, September can be considered a good month for Chelsea. 3 wins from a possible 5 and still unbeaten in the league is not a bad start to the season. Good performances against Liverpool and Tottenham didn't quite draw the right result but the manager is encouraged by the chemistry of his side:

This has been a great month in my opinion. We put the dissapointment of the two cup defeats in August behind us and got down to the business of the Premier League. I thought we were fantastic against Tottenham and deserved the three points and were very professional in our games against West Brom and Reading. If the boys keep going in this fashion, and with a bit of luck, then we will be lifting silverware come the end of the season. I have no doubt in that.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR SEPTEMBER
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RAMIRES
Ramires was a thorn in Tottenham's side in the opening game of the month before he bagged two beautiful goals against his former club, Benfica. His consistency has drawn praise from around the Premier League and the manager has been delighted with his displays and versatility. Currently Chelsea's top goalscorer.

TOP GOALSCORERS ALL COMPETITIONS
Ramires (4)
Demba Ba (3)
David Luiz & Eden Hazard (2)


OCTOBER PREVIEW
Another month behind us, and looking ahead October brings some crucial matches. We kick off with 3 games in the space of 5 days: Basel in the Champions League, followed by Arsenal in the Capital One Cup before a visit from Sunderland on the Saturday. After the international break comes the trip to Old Trafford and Manchester United, a visit to Belarus and BATE Borisov before hosting Swansea at Stamford Bridge.
It could be a crucial month for Chelsea and they will have to fully utilise their squad in order to compete on all fronts.

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[samillyroy]

FC Basel v. Chelsea
UEFA Champions League Group Stage, Matchday 2

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[TD]KEY PLAYER - ALEXANDER FREI
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The former Borussia Dortmund forward has an array of technical abilities and has scored and played at the highest level throughout his career. Carries Basel's biggest threat to a Chelsea victory this evening.

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No new team news for Chelsea, though having played just 3 days ago there is likely to be a change around in playing staff. John Terry's injury against Reading rules him out of this match whilst Hilario is unregistered for the competition.

Basel have no injury worries ahead of this game.

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Chelsea's first away trip in Europe this season sees them travel to the Swiss champions Basel, who are no mugs at this level having given United a torrid time in last year's campaign. With Chelsea having Arsenal in just two days time, there is likely to be a number of squad players playing in this game which could give Basel a chance. The manager is having none of that though.

I make no secret of the fact that I will have to rotate from my first choice XI this week with the number of games we're having to play. That said, I have a big enough squad to cope with these demands and the squad I put out today will be more than capable of beating Basel.

 

[samillyroy]

UEFA Champions League Group Stage, Matchday 2
St. Jakobspark, Basel

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Mata's quiet start to the season continued with a poor performance in Switzerland

Chelsea were held to a draw in Switzerland this evening against a Basel side who arguably outperformed them. Chelsea registered few shots on goal and had Petr Cech to thank for making some top saves.

In the first half, Chelsea looked to sit deep with Oscar and Romeu sitting in the midfield to launch counter-attacks, but Basel's fluid attacking play caused them numerous problems with Valentin Stocker particularly impressive. He twice went close with efforts but found Petr Cech in good form.

Chelsea had a good chance just before half time as Torres flicked Ramires into space in the box but despite bagging two in his last Champions League game, he was unable to find the net as he dragged wide of the far post.

In the second half, Basel continued their impressive performance but Romeu came into the game more for Chelsea as they looked to come away with a point. Substitute Marin came on to make his Chelsea debut and went close with a fizzing drive but it ended 0-0.

Basel are a good side and this is a tough place to come so we have to be happy with a point. We could have played better but with the Arsenal game just 2 days away and having played this Saturday I can't have asked much more from the boys.

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[samillyroy]

Arsenal v. Chelsea
Capital One Cup, Third Round

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[TD]KEY PLAYER - OLIVIER GIROUD
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Arsenal's top goalscorer with 7 goals this season has settled in quickly to life at the Emirates. Powerful in the air and improving technically, Giroud is a real threat to Chelsea's chances of success in this competition.

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Chelsea remain without John Terry for this match, a critical blow. Having played in the Champions League just two days ago, there will doubtless be a number of changes again for this clash.

Arsenal also played two days ago against Nordsjaelland and will be without a number of crucial players. Abou Diaby and Andrey Arshavin are long term absentees whilst Lukas Podolski and Tomas Rosicky joined that group this week too.

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This is a big game for both teams. Arsene Wenger is known for playing younger sides in this competition but facing Chelsea at this early stage will surely see him go against that tradition. The Chelsea manager is looking to chop his team around a little with the game at Sunderland in two days time in mind, but make no mistake, this is a vital clash early in the season.

I'm taking every competition seriously, and we couldn't have asked for a bigger clash at such an early stage of this competition. I have a number of players to pick from to make things interesting but it will be a very strong XI.

 

[samillyroy]

Capital One Cup, Third Round
Emirates Stadium, London

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Hazard's third of the campaign helped towards a routine victory.

Chelsea put their dissapointing draw against Basel behind them with an impressive victory against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. A dogged defensive display and some blistering counter-attack football was the key to victory.

Arsenal set their stalls out early and the league leaders pushed forward but were caught on the break as the impressive Ramires broke wiwde right before whipping in to Hazard who slotted past Wojciech Szcezcny.

Arsenal continued to pile no the pressure, but Chelsea had set up in a narrow formation to frustrate their opponents and continually caught them on the break, Ba next to spurn a couple of good openings.

But in the second half, Chelsea doubled their advantage as Ba flicked on a ball for Ramires who struck goalwards. Szcezcny made a good save but could only parry it into the path of Mikel who slotted home just his third goal for Chelsea since joining in 2007.

Arsenal were frustrated and Giroud went close with ten minutes to go but his header went over the bar. In the end, they failed to even register a shot on target as Chelsea celebrated a very professional performance that sees them through to the next round of the Capital One Cup.

I'm delighted because we had a gameplan and we executed it to perfection. Arsenal couldn't break us down and with Hazard and Ramires on either wing, we have the ability to catch any team on the break. I thought Mikel was particularly impressive and deserved his goal today.

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[samillyroy]

CHELSEA DRAW WATFORD IN THE 4TH ROUND OF THE CAPITAL ONE CUP

Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has been given the opportunity to test himself against his old club as Chelsea drew Watford at home for the next round of the Capital One Cup, the reward for seeing off Arsenal in the last round. The manager was pleased with the draw and is looking forward to meeting a personal hero:

Gianfranco is an idol of mine from when I was younger and it will be a pleasure to pit my wits against him. On a professional note I would expect us to go through to the next round but it should be a good game and it will be a great one for the fans.

 

[samillyroy]

Chelsea v. Sunderland
Premier League Matchday 7, Stamford Bridge


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[TD]KEY PLAYER - EDEN HAZARD (9 apps, 3 goals)
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Eden Hazard has really settled in to life at Stamford Bridge, scoring 3 goals in his first 9 appearances and providing something really different for Chelsea's attack. At just 21 he is only going to get better and the fans are excited to see what he can produce on a consistent basis.

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Chelsea are without John Terry as their only real injury concern, but fatigue from the two mid-week games could result in a re-shuffle.

Sunderland have no such fatigue problems having had a week off, and their only injury concern is Craig Gardner

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Chelsea fans will be expecting an easy 3 points this afternoon. Chelsea are in good form and Sunderland have made a shaky start to the season in the league, but it won't be quite that simple. Having played 2 games in mid-week there is likely to be a switch around in personnel for the Blues and there is concern that that could have a negative effect on the performance. But the manager was quick to go against that.

We knew that we would have a lot of fixtures in close proximity this season and I made plans for that this week. The team I put out should be capable of putting on a good display and I am looking forward to a tough battle.