11Blues: The Unofficial Chelsea Blog and News

Wednesday night Chelsea defeated QPR 1-0 but that was an expected result. There were important things other than winning yesterday. We fielded a side without Lampard or Terry after a long time. Joe Cole was returning from an injury and was made skipper for the night. No Anelka or Drogba. But still we won and more importantly, we were the better side throughout the contest.

In the present context , Joe Cole’s return was highly anticipated. The former West Ham skipper has been one of our consistent performers. He was playing in his first match since January and he did return in style. He was the skipper for the night and didnt disappoint. There was no signs of injury.He matched Wayne Routledge for pace in the early stages. Later in the first half he danced around Routledge and Akos Buzsaky before Martin Rowlands brought him down. And the deadlock was broken when he spun on the ball and slipped it to Kalou, whose crisp finish went in off the post.

Another anticipated thing was debut of Yuri Zhirkov. Zhirkov arrived this summer with a big reputation. But a knee injury kept him off the field. He wasnt anything spectacular yesterday, but was steady and supported strikers well. Paulo Ferreira is also coming back from an injury and had a decent game. With Cole, Zhirkov and Ferreira all fit we have a stronger squad depth than any other premierleague club, which is important considering the busy season ahead.

Another thing that Ancelotti tried to figure out yesterday was the capability of the squad to face a 2 transfer window ban. We need some youngsters in the squad if we are to face the ban. Youngster’s who are capable of filling in for their highly acclaimed first team players. Two names were tested yesterday: Fabio Borini and Sam Hutchinson. A striker and a centre back. Borini had a mixed day, he showed good pace and positioning but was below par with his finishing. Hutchinson, the Dutch defender had a much better evening. He recieved a noisy round of applause when substituted by Terry. The youngster had lost the better part of last 2 seasons to injuries. Defence was good yesterday, although Terry and Ashley Cole were called in the end to protect the lead.

Still I have some reservations though about yesterdays match. First of all, I expected 2 more debuts yesterday: Nemanja Matic and Jeffrey Bruma. Matic arrived only this year, and return of Joe Cole and Zhirkov were eagerly anticipated. But I expected Bruma to start yesterday instead of  Ivanovic or Belletti. Hopefully they will be given chance next time. Another worrying factor was that Lampard’s services were recalled when we found it difficult to score in the first half. Well this guy has been one of our best players, but he should be given the occasional rest. Deco should have been given a chance. Nevertheless we won, thats more important for me. Hope Chelsea win again this weekend at Wigan.

Chelsea continued its impressive start to the season, adding another 3 points to the tally.

Before the match, i wasn’t very confident considering Chelsea’s earlier performances. Wins against Stoke and Porto weren’t convincing. Moreover Spurs had one of their best starts to the season. The Sunday matches were supposed to be a real test for Man City and Spurs as it would show how good they are against the big four. Both teams fared very differently in this test.

Man City played like a big club for 95 mins. They had lower possession compared to United and they attacked less compared to United. But whenever they went forward, they showed intent. Defensive errors from Foster and Ferdinand didnt help United’s cause. But all these changed after 95 mins.  City’s luck ran out as referee Martin Atkinson became the star for United. The motto was keep playing until United win? No one knows for sure but the whistle which should have gone 26 seconds before United’s goal went 16 seconds after United’s celebrations. Any way as it happens United got another 3 points.

The Stamford Bridge derby was a much better affair. We were the better side and deserved 3 points from this match. But once again there was a hand of Webb in it. Spurs would remember it better, a scandalous penalty decision from last season when Tottenham were the visitors, and coasting at 2-0 up. It ended as United 5- Spurs 2. Keane deserved a penalty for sure, but i still don’t understand how Keane’s demand to book him for diving would have helped the cause. But other than that we played well, deserved the goals. Our strikers and midfield are combining well, Ashley Cole showed that he can score goals too. With Joe Cole getting fit we shouldn’t be much worried about the ban.

Elsewhere, Arsenal got back into top gear. But this is how they play these days, thrashing weaker opposition and struggling against better teams. Liverpool collected 3 points but were far from convincing. It was one mans(Torres/ Gerrard these days) brilliance that carried them through. No doubt  Benitez will be seeing flashing images of Zavon Hines whenever he closes his eyes this week. And do something about the dysfunctional zonal marking system.

So another week at the top of the table. QPR is visiting us midweek ( Carling Cup) . And we are travelling to Wigan this weekend. Should be 2 easy fixtures, but cant afford to slip up.