The Artful DECO!

First of all, i wanna say "WHAT A FANTASTIC FREE KICK!" by the artful Deco!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? That its only his second game in and has already scored two fantabulous goals! The TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER that even the England goalkeeper David James couldn't stop and the recent superb freekick against Wigan! Although in fairness, Wigan pushed Chelsea all the way and they played better than Portsmouth. Well done anyway Wigan.. (there's nothing you can do when the blue army comes your way!)

I can safely say and I know the Chelsea fans will agree with me here that the NEW CHELSEA style of play is much better and stronger than ever before. Looks like the Chelsea Board has appeased the fans by taking in SCOLARI! (WHOM in my Chelsea Fantasy was the first choice Manager that I chose!) Quotes from the SAMBA BOSS:

Speaking after yesterday's 1-0 win he said: 'Tomorrow when I am back at the club I will discuss these things.

'It is important (to be focused) before a game. Last week we only talked about Wigan but tomorrow I will talk about players.

'Tomorrow when I come into the club I will discuss this or that, who comes, who goes.

'First we finished the game. Now we get back to London and I start a new week.'

AND REGARDING DECO:

'If Deco is scoring goals or if Lampard is scoring goals is not important, what is important is if Chelsea win,' he said.

'Chelsea is more important than us. They are friends and if one scores the other players are happy.

'I read that Lampard, in the last two or three seasons, has scored 20 goals every year. This season maybe 25, but maybe 15 or 10. Maybe even five. It is not important if Chelsea win.'

Wise words from our SAMBA BOSS!

NEXT CHELSEA GAME is against Tottenham and I am already looking forward for it! Let's see if the Spurs can match the Blue Army this season! Thats on SUNDAY 31st August so be sure to catch that live game!

CHELSEA FOREVER! P/s: "Robinho on his way to the Blues!"

New Season.. New Episode...

Luiz Felipe Scolari made the perfect start to life as Chelsea boss after the Blues beat Portsmouth 4-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Goals from Joe Cole, Nicolas Anelka, and a Frank Lampard penalty gave last year's Premier League runners-up a 3-0 lead at half-time.

Playmaker Deco marked an impressive debut with a sensational fourth goal with a strike from 25 yards.

Scolari saw his side make an impressive start, opening up Pompey with some slick passing.

Lampard, who signed a new five-year contract last week, was the first to test David James with a ferocious snap-shot from 25 yards that the England goalkeeper parried.

Chelsea's dominance was rewarded on 12 minutes when Michael Ballack's sublime first-time ball over the top fell for Cole who fired past James into the corner.

Anelka came close to grabbing the home side's second when he ran onto Ballack's through ball but James blocked his shot.

But the Frenchman opened his account on 26 minutes when James failed to reach debutant Jose Bosingwa's deep cross, allowing Deco to lob the ball up for Anelka to head in from a yard out.

Anelka, who scored just two goals last season, remained a constant threat and came agonisingly close to scoring his second when he stabbed a shot inches wide past the on-rushing James.

The visitors' strike partnership of Jermain Defoe and new signing Peter Crouch produced little of note. Their best chance fell to Croatian midfielder Niko Kranjcar whose drive was parried by Petr Cech.

Chelsea wrapped up victory on the stroke of half-time when Joe Cole's cross hit Sylvain Distin's arm, with Lampard lashing home the penalty to make it 3-0.

The pattern continued in the second half with Anelka at the centre of the Blues' attacking threat. The ex-Bolton Wanderers striker blazed over from the edge of the box, then had a header cleared for a corner minutes later.

Harry Redknapp's men improved in the second half with only a stunning last-ditch tackle from Ashley Cole denying ex-Blues midfielder Lassana Diarra, while Mike Riley then waved away their penalty appeals when Kranjcar's volley hit Ricardo Carvalho's arm.

Deco grew in confidence as the game progressed and scored his first goal for the club, with a sizzling strike from distance that deceived James on 89 minutes, to cap off an impressive display by the title contenders.

Drogba has no plans to quit Bridge

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has assured the club's supporters that he will remain at Stamford Bridge for at least another two seasons.

The Ivory Coast international has been linked with a move away from the club all summer, with Barcelona, AC Milan and Inter Milan all thought to be possible destinations for the 30-year-old.
However, Drogba insists he is going nowhere and will happily see out his contract with the Blues.

"I have always said that I am very happy at Chelsea," he told France Football. "It's a great team with great players and a great coach.

"Everything's going well here and I have two years left on my contract and I will spend them at Chelsea."

In an interview with the same magazine last October, soon after the departure of Jose Mourinho as manager, Drogba claimed he wanted to quit Stamford Bridge.

"I want to leave Chelsea," he said. "Something is broken with Chelsea. Nothing can stop me from leaving now."

He later said he regretted the remarks and was "100% committed" to Chelsea.

Who’s losing their place - Lampard, Ballack, Deco, Essien & Joe Cole?

Just when we are saying that Chelsea has got the best squad in the premier league, rumours are everywhere that Kaka could still join Chelsea this month. Kaka or no Kaka, we have a fantastic squad in terms of talent and experience. Fergie’s daily dose on Blues’ aging squad is a testimony to our squad depth. If Kaka comes in, I think that would again be primarily for non-footballing reasons. Everyone inlcuding Scolari knows that the squad is complete. Even without Robinho, we have a squad that can win the league title. I don’t see Scolari pressurising Roman or Kenyon that he needs Kaka. Highly unlikely. Here is what Kaka’s agent says:

"I spoke with Kaka yesterday (Saturday). We know that the clubs are talking about the transfer, although they have not reached a conclusion yet. I think an August transfer is still a possibility, though Kaka will only talk about that when they do a deal. He is waiting for a deal and then he will start to negotiate with Chelsea. Normally, Milan do not sell their best players. We think they like the proposal, but it is not so easy for them to accept it. For now we must just wait and see."

I hope this is not just another stunt by a continental player to get his contract suitably improved. As a player, what does Kaka bring to Chelsea? He is a great player who’d be a big plus for any team. He is a kind of player who would warrant a change in Chelsea’s playing formation and style readily. If he is here, we may not be in a position where were are unsure if 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 is going to be our primary formation. Also, his presence would make one or two players redundant straight away. If Kaka’s going to be here, we need to take some tough calls. Kaka’s signing would put immense pressure on Scolari to deliver success. Signing of Kaka means there would be no excuses and Roman’s tolerance level might also come down. A win will be taken for granted, draws will be condoned and defeat? Let’s not even go there. But even if Kaka is unable to make a sudden impact, he is young, he can come good the next season.

The reason quoted for Kaka’s renewed interest in Chelsea is that he wants to play champions league football and not UEFA cup football. Despite showing no promise, Milan has not really strengthened their side, except one big singing in Ronaldinho. That could also be one reason why Milan could let go Kaka for a great price. If Chelsea were to buy Kaka, we’d shell out about 75 million pounds with which Milan can buy three good players plus they already have Ronaldinho. Doesn’t look that bad, eh?

To catch up on the form news of our rivals, Man Utd won the FA community shield in the penalties this year too. When Diarra was walking up to take the first shot, I was telling my mate that he’d miss. I said that jokingly because he had some Chelsea connections. He then missed quite gloriously. I was saying the same thing about Glen Johnson and he emulated Diarra. The penalty curse of Chelsea seems to be chasing all Chelsea players - past and present. Man Utd weren’t any great today but they were the better team certainly.

Spurs beat Roma 5-0 yesterday where Bent and Bentley scored two goals each. Spurs are really turning the heat on. Darren Bent’s new found form is gonna come in handy for Sergio Ramos. Arsenal struggled profusely against Sevilla before they luckily held on to a 1-1 draw with Sevilla. Fabianksi was reported to have made 10 proper saves in this match. And yes, Sevilla did find the woodwork too sometimes. I wonder what the defence were doing, if the goalkeeper has to make 10 saves?!

It’s gonna be the fans’ day at Stamford Bridge. If you’re in and around London don’t miss this opportunity. Some of the things that you can do are (a) watch Scolari hold the training session with all players including new signings (b) catch hold of the otherwise secretive activities such as the drills and formations of the squad (c) take a penalty on the Stamford Bridge turf, if you win the membership competitions (d) entertainers to interest you in with juggling, stilt walking, face painting and balloon-modelling (e) get some unforgettable photographs and autographs, provided the players can do it considering the security requirements and visiting population. I’d love to be in London just for this.

If you happen to be there on fans’ day and watch the drills and formation, please let the rest of us know what the mood is like. I hear more and more people saying that it would be Ballack who may not be an automatic starter under Scolari. I don’t know people think this way. If Scolari is particular about keeping the English core of Chelsea on the pitch, Ballack would be the casualty. A 4-5-1 with Ballack, Lampard, Deco, Essien and Joe Cole looks like a remote possibility. I don’t think Scolari would have a certain formation just to accommodate all his key players.

We have this ‘Fab Four’ of Lampard, Ballack, Deco and Essien. I’ll extend it to ‘Fab Five’ to inlcude Joe Cole. Mostly, these players start as long as they are fit. But not all can play every single match. So who do you think would have to lose their ‘untouchable’ place this season? Choose the two players among these 5 midfielders, that you think may play the least number of matches in this season’s premier league.

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Chelsea 5-0 AC Milan

Kaka might want to reconsider his loyalty to AC Milan after the Italians were hammered by his summer suitors Chelsea in Moscow.

Four goals from a razor-sharp Nicolas Anelka were more than enough to settle the third-place play-off in the Railways Cup pre-season tournament after Frank Lampard opened the scoring.

• Scolari impressed by four-goal Anelka

Milan's Brazilian star did not feature as his team put in a miserable display, typified by some comically inept goalkeeping by Zeljko Kalac.

A strong Chelsea line-up saw Michael Ballack make his first appearance of the Blues' pre-season following his late return to the squad after Euro 2008 duty with Germany.

But it was his central midfield partner Lampard who put Luiz Felipe Scolari's side ahead in the second minute when his curling free-kick was missed by everyone and the ball flew in through Milan keeper Kalac's legs.

It was two in the eighth minute when Anelka latched on to a poor defensive header to fire home low from the edge of the area.

The Frenchman added a third 10 minutes later when Kalac's day went from bad to worse.

Attempting to clear a routine backpass, the Australian kicked nothing but air, allowing Anelka to steal in and tap into an empty net.

Chelsea were utterly dominant and Shaun Wright-Phillips very nearly headed a fourth soon afterwards as they sought to make amends for their shoot-out defeat to Lokomotiv Moscow two days ago.

A Milan side with no recognised strikers, but featuring former Arsenal star Mathieu Flamini in midfield, were providing little resistance and Anelka completed his hat-trick six minutes after the restart.

Deco played in Florent Malouda down the left and the winger's cross found his countryman, who headed accurately into the corner of the net.

Remarkably if was four for Anelka and five for Chelsea in the 58th minute when another flowing move down the left ended with Malouda centring once more for the former Bolton striker to volley home.

The Premier League runners-up took their foot off the gas in the last quarter but still dominated and the lively Malouda fired narrowly over with a good long-range effort.

Scolari impressed by four-goal Anelka

Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari believes Nicolas Anelka finally showed he can be his lethal weapon with a four-goal rampage against AC Milan.

The clinical Frenchman scored two in each half as the Blues hammered the Italians 5-0 in Moscow in the pre-season Railways Cup after Frank Lampard's early opener.

'This game was important for Anelka but more important for us - the fans, the coach and the other players who will have more confidence in him,' Scolari said.

'Today was good not because he scored four goals but because he played more free and with more quality than in other games.

'He was playing against a big club and to get four goals against Milan, for his confidence it is fantastic and Anelka today and in the last game played more inside the penalty area than before.

'That is where I asked him to play and where I need him, not right and left as before, because we have one striker and that is Anelka.'

With Didier Drogba getting ever closer to returning to training after a knee injury, Scolari admits he has some tough decisions to make before meaningful action kicks off against Portsmouth on August 17.

'Maybe I will receive good news about Drogba and we have 12 days to train and maybe we will have something I don't expect,' he said.

'I have quality, competitive players and they fight for places on the pitch. I have 22 here, five at home. I have a good team.'