Chelsea FC - A Samillyroy Legacy Returns for FM13

[samillyroy]

Chelsea v. Manchester City
Premier League Matchday 20, Stamford Bridge


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[TD]KEY PLAYER - SERGIO AGUERO (29 Apps, 15 goals)
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Sergio Aguero has continued his fine form for Manchester City this season as they continue their charge on the Premier League title. A goal every other game is a great return and it is the runs and hard work that Kun does off the ball that endear him to his supporters the most.

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George Saville is out injured, whilst Demba Ba and John Obi Mikel have departed for the African Cup of Nations.

Meanwhile, City are also without Yaya Toure because of the African Cup of Nations. John Guidetti and Kaka will definitely miss out with injury whilst Carlos Tevez is a doubt.

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These two have already met twice this season - in the Charity Shield and the Capital One Cup, with Manchester City coming out successful on both occasions. Chelsea will be desperate to amend that with victory at Stamford Bridge today and they came back into form right on cue. Torres' great goal and a superb performance from Oscar will surely force the manager's hand so will their be room for Juan Mata?

I certainly have some interesting decisions to make ahead of this game. Oscar was excellent against Wigan and I would really like his form to continue, but there are a lot of games coming up and I need everyone to be fit for each game. We're really looking to get one over City though after they knocked us out of the Capital One Cup.

 

[samillyroy]

Premier League Matchday 20
Stamford Bridge, London

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Dzeko's early goal put City on their way to a crucial victory over title rivals Chelsea.

Chelsea slumped to a second Premier League defeat at home to Manchester City, despite having the better of the game. Clinical strikes from Dzeko and Nasri put City in control and despite Mata's late effort Chelsea couldn't level the match.

City were ahead after just 4 minutes as Dzeko pounced on Terry's missed header to slam past a rooted Petr Cech. Chelsea were shell-shocked and put up with a barrage of City attacks.

Despite recovering and starting to pile pressure on City, Chelsea were then caught on the break as Maicon crossed to the back post for Samir Nasri to tap home an easy finish.

Chelsea fans were starting to get frustrated but the Blues improved after the break. Oscar pulled the strings as they broke through the defence time and again, but some good keeping from Joe Hart combined with poor finishing left Chelsea pulling out their hair.

Juan Mata came off the bench to score an excellent goal, but rather than signify a late barrage, it was the last real chance as Manchester City fully shut up shop. A dissapointing afternoon for the Blues whose title bid is faltering dangerously.

This is a bitter pill to swallow. We were the better team in that first half but were punished for two mistakes and were unable to do the same to City in the second half. I can't help but feel the fixture list hasn't helped us but we can't make excuses and move on to the next game.

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[samillyroy]

Newcastle United v. Chelsea
Premier League Matchday 21, St. James' Park


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[TD]KEY PLAYER - YOHAN CABAYE (21 Apps, 1 goal)
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Yohan Cabaye pulls the strings for Newcastle United from deep with his brilliant vision and technical ability. Chelsea will have to keep tabs on him if they're to have any success this afternoon.

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Demba Ba misses out on the chance to play his former club as he is out on ACON duty, as is John Obi Mikel. George Saville is also injured.


Moussa Sissoko and Mathieu Debuchy are injured for Newcastle whilst Cheikh Tiote and Papiss Cisse are on ACON duty.

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Newcastle had a flying start to the seaosn but their form has, like Chelsea's, dipped of late. Their home form remains imperious though and Chelsea will have to play at their best if they are to get 3 points today. A victory is vital for the Blues as they saw their bid for the title falter against Manchester City at the weekend.

We have to get back on the horse, and quickly because the games are coming thick and fast. There is no time for excuses and pointing fingers, we just have to get on with it and it's almost a blessing in disguise to have a game so soon after the other. We'll give this a real good go today.

 

[samillyroy]

Premier League Matchday 21
St. James Park, Newcastle

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Torres thanks Hazard after his excellent assist for the second goal.

Chelsea bounced back from defeat against Manchester City with an impressive performance against Newcastle United. Fernando Torres returned to his best with two fine goals on a good evening for the Blues.

It took just 9 minutes for Chelsea to get ahead, Mata holding up the ball as Torres darted between the Newcastle centre-backs. Mata found him with a great through ball and El Nino took the ball in his stride before sliding underneath the onrushing Tim Krul.

Chelsea continued to probe on the break while Newcastle looked to use the brute strength of Ameobi to force a way through the backline. But Torres stroke again just after the half hour to kill off hopes of a comeback.

Hazard collected the ball out wide, beating Davide Santon with a great burst of pace before cutting in on his right and curling a wonderful early first time cross towards the near post where Torres rushed across his man and nodded into the bottom corner.

Chelsea then used the second half to ease off and catch their opponents on the counter-attack with substitutes Victor Moses and Marko Marin causing havoc on the break. In the end, 2 goals were enough to seal 3 vital points.

That shows the character of this group of lads to bounce back from such a demoralising defeat. Fernando was excellent today and I hope he can keep up that form - I'm sure he can with that kind of service.
6 points is not unsurmountable and we have a big game against Tottenham coming up. That could be decisive.

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[samillyroy]

Chelsea v. West Brom
Premier League Matchday 22, Stamford Bridge


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[TD]KEY PLAYER - FERNANDO TORRES (30 Apps, 10 goals)
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Fernando Torres appears to have refound his goalscoring touch in the last couple of games, putting in an excellent shift against Newcastle to win the game after inspiring Chelsea to victory against Wigan in the game beforehand. He will be hoping to cause problems again this afternoon as Chelsea continue to march towards the top spot.

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Demba Ba scored his last Chelsea goal in this reverse fixture but is on ACON duty along with John Obi Mikel. George Saville is back in training but will play no part.

Billy Jones is out injured, Romelu Lukaku is ineligible and Peter Odemwingie is on ACON duty for Nigeria.

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REVERSE FIXTURE: West Brom 1 - 2 Chelsea
Demba Ba's fine finish won the day back in September but it was a tough match for Chelsea and they'll be expecting similar this afternoon. West Brom sit 9th in the table after a great first half of the season but they have loanee Romelu Lukaku to thank for much of that, having scored 9 goals already at just 18. Chelsea will be expecting victory but must be vigilant.

West Brom ran us close the last time we played them but we're in good form and have to focus on ourselves. I would hope for victory here to keep up with our good recent performances.

 

[samillyroy]

Premier League Matchday 22
Stamford Bridge, London

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Oscar and Hazard celebrate after the Brazilian's strike sealed victory.

Chelsea notched up a good victory against West Brom at Stamford Bridge this afternoon thanks to two of their young starlets. Eden Hazard continued his fine recent form with a cool finish before half time and Oscar sealed it with a late header.

The Blues started the match 6 points off top spot, with a game against leaders Tottenham just on the horizon. They knew therefore that a win was vital and it showed in the urgency they played with.

Benayoun had the first real opportunity as he dodged expertly past Reid before fizzing a wonderful strike goalwards but it hit the underside of the bar and came down, as MacAuley cleared the ball from danger.

But the Blues deservedly took the lead on the stroke of half time as Hazard tapped in a rebound after Foster had saved Fernando Torres' initial strike.

With the lead taken, Chelsea continued to push but were vulnerable to Shane Long's pace on the counter-attack - the Irish forward had a goal disallowed with 20 minutes to go for a push on Petr Cech.

But Brazilian Oscar sealed victory late on when he headed Azpilicueta's excellent first time cross for his third goal of the season. Chelsea move up to third, just three points off their next opponents Tottenham Hotspur.

Ahead of that trip to White Hart Lane, we knew it was vital that we got 3 points here against West Brom. The boys came out strongly and really gave it everything they had and I think 2-0 was a fair reflection of the performance. We go into that game against Tottenham full of confidence.

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[samillyroy]

Tottenham v. Chelsea
Premier League Matchday 23, White Hart Lane


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[TD]KEY PLAYER - OLA TOIVONEN (26 Apps, 13 goals)
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Signed from PSV in the summer and has been a brilliant acquisition. Very consistent and good in the air, the perfect foil for Jermaine Defoe who is also scoring freely this season. Chelsea will have to be on top of their game to keep him quiet this afternoon.

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Chelsea are without Demba Ba and John Obi Mikel because of international duty, whilst David Luiz picked up a knock against West Brom and will miss the next 2 games.

Tottenham are without winger Gareth Bale and full back Benoit Assou-Ekotto leaving them a little light on the left side of midfield.

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REVERSE FIXTURE: Chelsea 0 - 0 Tottenham
Tottenham had Hugo Lloris to thank for the point they got at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season as Chelsea dominated affairs. They were missing Gareth Bale that day too and he could be a big loss for them. The Welsh star has created and scored in large number this season and Chelsea will look to exploit that loss.
Chelsea have an injury concern of their own in David Luiz, a key player for them this season, but Gary Cahill has performed above expectations this season and the management will be hoping he can step in and do the job alongside captain John Terry.
This is a big game - few would have predicted it would be a title clash at the beginning of the season but with Spurs top of the table, it's a big test for a Chelsea side who slumped over the festive period. Recent form suggests that they are back in the rhythm but they need a positive result here.

This is as big a game as we've had all season and we're absolutely relishing it. We know how good they are going forward so we will look to nullify that threat before countering ourselves but we need everyone to be at their best if we are to get victory this afternoon.

 

[samillyroy]

Premier League Matchday 23
White Hart Lane, London

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Dawson's early header proved decisive in this London derby.

Chelsea succumbed to defeat at White Hart Lane despite creating a host of opportunities against the league leaders and will feel mightily aggrieved at leaving empty handed. Michael Dawson's header in the 8th minute proved to be the decider.

It took just 8 minutes to get off the mark as Dawson rose at the near post to head home Aaron Lennon's corner to blow any gameplan Chelsea had out of the water. Scott Parker had a goal disallowed minutes later from a free-kick as Chelsea struggled to recover.

After 20 minutes Chelsea came into the game and really began to dominate. Hazard missed a number of exceptional opportunities and will be very dissapointed that he wasn't able to level proceedings.

He came off in the second half for Victor Moses, but the youngster showed his naivety again on a number of occasions, breaking through the Tottenham backline but failing to play the killer ball or losing his cool and blasting wide.

Late in the second half, Hugo Lloris made a number of crucial saves from Fernando Torres to keep Tottenham in the lead and they had him to thank with a minute to go when Ramires broke through only to be brilliantly denied.

It's advantage Tottenham in the title race after this game and Chelsea will be left to wonder what might have been.

Over both games we have given Tottenham more than a game - we have been the better team on both occasions so I'm gutted for the lads that we have come away with nothing. That said, we only have ourselves to blame because the chances kept coming. Their lad in goal was exceptional but you have to score some of these chances at this level.

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[samillyroy]

Reading v. Chelsea
Premier League Matchday 24, Madejski Stadium

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[TD]KEY PLAYER - JUAN MATA (28 Apps, 2 goals)
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The Spaniard struggled for form in the early part of the season but is quickly coming back to his best. Played his part in some excellent victories of late and Chelsea will need him to be at his creative best if they are to bounce back from their defeat to Tottenham in the last game.

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David Luiz is out injured for Chelsea whilst Demba Ba and John Obi Mikel are on international duty.


Jimmy Kebe is at the ACON for Reading, but is their only player out.

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REVERSE FIXTURE Chelsea 3 - 1 Reading
Chelsea cruised to victory the last time these two teams met, and things have gotten worse for Reading rather than better. McDermott is out and Mark Hughes is in, but that hasn't changed their fortunes and the Royals currently sit rock bottom despite beating Tottenham Hotspur two games ago.
Chelsea are desperate to bounce back from defeat at Tottenham and will need to be professional this afternoon in order to do that against a plucky Reading side.

We need to put that loss behind us and get back to business. We can take heart in our performance against Tottenham and just try to keep the momentum from previous games going here.

 

[meguel]

Amazing story, will be following.

 

[samillyroy]

Premier League Matchday 24
Madejski Stadium, Reading

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Mata breaks the offside trap to bag his second goal of the game.

Juan Mata continued his return to form with two great finishes to give Chelsea a deserved win against table proppers Reading. Chelsea dominated from the word go and were rarely threatened, whilst Pogrebnyak saw red for a second yellow card for Reading.

It was barely a test for the Blues but Juan Mata stole in after quarter of an hour to give Chelsea the lead, slotting in at the near post to beat Adam Federici.

The Spaniard tormented the Readnig defence throughout the first half and Torres was unlucky not to be rewarded for some of the excellent runs he was making as he was denied by the woodwork with a fine shot on the turn.

In the second half, Chelsea continued to turn the screw and with twenty minutes left Mata broke the offside trap to collect an Azpilicueta cross and steer into the back of the net for 2-0.

The Blues then sat off to protect their lead ahead of the FA Cup clash with Middlesbrough in mid-week. This was a professional performance though from the Blues which helps paper over the dissapointment of the Tottenham defeat a little.

Losing to your bitter rivals is always going to hurt but the only thing we can do now is win games and we've gone and done that here today. I'm delighted for Juan because he has worked so hard all season and it's only just starting to come off for him. We're expecting big things from now until the end of the season.

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[samillyroy]

Middlesbrough v. Chelsea
FA Cup sponsored by Budweiser Third Round, Riverside

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[TD]KEY PLAYER - MARVIN EMNES (28 Apps, 8 goals)
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The Dutchman is hot property in the Championship and has done well for Boro this season. Full of tricks and a very pacy forward, he will be their key threat this afternoon.

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Branislav Ivanovic picked up a knock against Reading and will be out for 2-3 weeks, but David Luiz returns. Demba Ba and John Obi Mikel remain on ACON duty.


Emmanuel Ledesma is suspended for Middlesbrough but is their only unavailable player.

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Chelsea are out of the Capital One Cup, making this even more important for them. They also haven't lost in open play since losing to Barnsley in the 2008 Quarter-Final. This is their competition, though without Didier Drogba, new players will have to step up to the mark of being match winners in important games. They can start here today against Middlesbrough, with Chelsea firm favourites to progress and play Sunderland in the 4th Round.

The FA Cup is a magical trophy and we're desperate to get our hands on it. To do that we have to take every game with ultimate professionalism and ruthlessness and that starts here today. I'm excited to get underway.

 

[samillyroy]

FA Cup, Third Round
Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough

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Chelsea captain John Terry ensured passage to the next round of the FA Cup with a late header.

Chelsea's youthful side made hard work of it but eventually saw off Middlesbrough thanks to a late header from captain John Terry. The Blues took the lead thanks to Oscar but were pegged back by Bikey's header.

Illyroy sprung a surprise by including two academy players in his starting XI, midfielder Lewis Baker (18) and striker Islam Feruz (18) both made their professional debuts and had good first halfs, Lewis Baker particularly impressive alongside Frank Lampard in controlling the midfield.

Chelsea took the lead on the stroke of half time, Lewis Baker slotting through to Oscar who composed himself before slamming home a fine finish for 1-0.

In the second half, Middlesbrough looked strong on the break and were always going to have chances from set pieces. Hazard went close before Bikey then equalised with a header from a free-kick.

Juan Mata and Ramires came on to shore things for Chelsea and it was Mata's corner in the 78th minute that found the head of captain John Terry who slammed home to send Chelsea into the next round where they will face Sunderland - this weekend!

That was a tough match in the end for us, but I was really impressed with the schoolboys. They are both really talented young lads with intelligent brains, they'll go far in the game. The most important thing today was progressing and we've done that so I'm happy.

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[samillyroy]

Chelsea v. Sunderland
FA Cup sponsored by Budweiser, Fourth Round, Stamford Bridge

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[TD]KEY PLAYER - SEBASTIAN LARSSON (25 Apps, 3 goals)
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Sunderland's key creative threat is Sebastian Larsson, a Swede with an excellent cross and technique on the ball. His dead balls could be key and Chelsea will have to look to close him down at every possible opportunity.

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Having been in action mid-week against Middlesbrough, Chelsea will certainly look to swap their team around a little but there are no new injury concerns. Branislav Ivanovic is out whilst Demba Ba and John Obi Mikel are on international duty.

Sunderland are without Connor Wickham, Kader Mangane and Wes Brown. Stephane Sessegnon is on international duty.

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These two teams met earlier in the season with Chelsea coming out 4-0 victors on that occasion. The Blues will be hoping for a similar performance today as they look to secure passage into the next round of a tournament they have made their own in recent years.

We have to keep ploughing through these fixtures at the moment. The FA Cup is very important to me and to this club so we'll be going all out for victory today. I want a top performance from the boys.

 

[samillyroy]

FA Cup, Fourth Round
Stamford Bridge, London

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Victor Moses came off the bench to score the winner with the last kick of the game.

Chelsea made it through to the 5th Round of the FA Cup with the very last kick of the game against a spirited Sunderland side, thanks to substitute Victor Moses. The game was marred by a potentially serious injury to striker Fernando Torres.

Chelsea looked jaded after a fixture jam that has seen them play 8 games since the turn of the year, with another fixture against Sunderland in mid-week to come. Their play reflected that as they struggled to get going.

In fact it was Sunderland making most of the headway, with Danny Graham having a header tipped just over the bar and Steven Fletcher fully shaking the crossbar with a rapturous long range shot.

In the second half, Fernando Torres was stretchered off with a potential rib injury, a big blow for Chelsea. In his place came Victor Moses up front, but he often looked out of position and struggled to make the runs that Hazard and Mata were looking for.

Despite that, in the 2nd minute of time added on, he took a one two from Azpilicueta before firing a wonderful strike past Simon Mignolet to send the Blues through to the next round of the cup.

I have to say I'm delighted for Victor because he came on and did a really hard job, and to get the winner was just reward. It wasn't our best performance but with some of the bad luck we've had over the past month, I will take this and we move on to the next match.

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[samillyroy]

Sunderland v. Chelsea
Premier League Matchday 25, Stadium of Light


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[TD]KEY PLAYER - VICTOR MOSES (31 Apps, 5 goals)
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Victor Moses has had a great breakthrough season for Chelsea scoring 5 goals in his 13 starts for the club, his latest seeing off today's opponents with a wonderful strike. With Demba Ba and Fernando Torres both unavailable for the next few games it's a big time for the Nigerian to step up.

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Chelsea were dealt the cruel blow of losing their only recognised striker available in Fernando Torres who faces over a month on the sidelines with bruised ribs. Demba Ba is also out on international duty, along with John Obi Mikel and Branislav Ivanovic is still receiving treatment.

Sunderland are without Stephane Sessegnon because of the ACON, whilst Wickham, Brown and Mangane are all out injured.

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REVERSE FIXTURE Chelsea 4 - 0 Sunderland
Chelsea recorded their biggest victory of the season over today's opponents the last time they met in the league with John Obi Mikel scoring twice. He is unavailable today and with a number of injury worries for Chelsea, they will be worried of the effect that could have on their team today. Still chasing that title but with it looking more and more like a pipe dream, they need fringe players to step up this afternoon if they are to keep in the hunt.

The one thing we didn't need at this stage was to lose Fernando. He's been in good form recently and with Demba Ba at the ACON we are left really short for big games at the beginning of February. Hopefully other players can step in and make their mark.

 

[samillyroy]

Premier League Matchday 25
Stadium of Light, Sunderland

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Danny Graham's calm finish was enough for Sunderland to see off Chelsea.

Chelsea's title aspirations took a big dent with defeat in the North East this evening, owing largely to the fact that they were playing without a recognised striker. Danny Graham's strike after 20 minutes was the decider in a fairly even tie.

Chelsea looked pretty tired after a month which saw them play 8 times in the space of 4 weeks, but they could have taken the lead in the first half when Moses twice broke through only to sky his efforts well over the bar.

The Blues were so short on defensive options that 18 year old Nathan Ake made a start alongside Cahill, and although they impressed later in the game, the youngster was at fault for letting Graham bring down Johnson's cross before lashing home.

Chelsea came back strongly and were arguably the better team throughout the rest of the game, with substitute Juan Mata striking the post with a fine half volley, but they couldn't break their opponents down.

Winning the league is looking less and less likely for Chelsea and February will be a critical month with matches against Liverpool and Manchester United to come. How they will cope without a striker though is anyone's guess.

The fixture list is an obvious excuse but we also have to take responsibility because we were poor going forward today. We know how competitive this league is, you cannot afford to be this lacklustre in front of goal, and we've paid the price. There are plenty of games left to change things though and we move on to the next game.

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[samillyroy]

JANUARY REVIEW

A tough month for Chelsea, as defeats against Manchester City and Tottenham dented any chance of challenging for the title. Performances were not bad in those games but they lacked the clinical edge and perhaps a bit of luck to see them through. Great wins against Reading, Wigan, Newcastle and West Brom partially made up for that, as did progressing to the 5th Round of the FA Cup but the manager was keen to stress that they had higher ambitions.

To be 6th in the league at this stage of the season is dissapointing really, but there are many mitigating circumstances. We cannot use that as an excuse though and things have to improve next month. We have the players in this squad to perform better than we have been doing and with huge games against United and Liverpool on the horizon we have all the motivation that we need.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR JANUARY
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OSCAR
A breakthrough month for the Brazilian as he scored his first goals for Chelsea, ending the month with 4 to his name. Some excellent performances have earned him a starting berth in the side and he will want to push on next month.

TOP GOALSCORERS ALL COMPETITIONS
Fernando Torres (10 goals)
Eden Hazard, Ramires, Frank Lampard (6 goals)
Victor Moses, John Terry (5 goals)

ORIOL ROMEU VOTED BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE YOUNG PLAYER OF THE MONTH
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Oriol has featured sparingly throughout the season but solidified a position in the side following the absence of John Obi Mikel. Assured on the ball and a great reader of the game, he has proven a top player for Chelsea.

FEBRUARY PREVIEW
February will prove a tough month for Chelsea, opening with home matches against Liverpool and Manchester United, as well as the two legs against Lille in the Champions League. But with the season starting to enter the home stretch, it's time to see just how strong this squad is and how much it has left to give in winning this club trophies.
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[jakedfc]

Love the amount of detail you put into your story ! Keep it up

 

[jozzy98]

wicked detail mate! Just a shame about the league tho :/