A Welcome Option

I will start by apologizing to the entire squad that played on Saturday and the manager what i did. After the goal i had serious doubt that we would be able to return home with the 3pts. I watched the entire first half before being called outside for an errand but by then i was of the opinion that "here we go again". The team were playing the same way that got us 10th position last season. There was no real control of the game from the start and we lacked that cutting edge upfront to take advantage of the few chances that came our way.
I was out for most of the second half but it was while i was returning that i got notification of Watford taking the lead. I was pissed to be honest because i didn't know what to do then? Go in and watch us try for a draw or just relax outside and check the scores on twitter. I am glad that i chose to go in and support my team for whatever results came and funny enough the team equalised just 3min after my arrival before that fantastic winner from Diego Costa. I'm glad i did not miss that celebration.
So this is me apologizing to the team for my faltering faith. It won't happen again this season.

I missed Willian on Saturday. His direct approach was sorely missing in our game and personally i was not impressed with the contribution of Pedro. He likes to play at a fast pace but his passes were surprisingly poor for a player that was really involved with Barcelona. We sorely lacked creativity upfront with Hazard our only go-to guy to create the sparks. The energy level was not as high as against West Ham or we wouldn't be in the position we were. Victor Moses could have started instead of Pedro because he is more creative but that is me and my opinion but the manager has shown his ability to identify weaknesses and make the necessary changes and spring 1 or 2 surprises too.
Against West Ham he chose to replace Hazard, who was having a very good day, with Michy and we got our winning goal. On Saturday he kept Hazard on and replaced Pedro and Oscar instead and switched from 2 anchormen to 1 and brought on Fabregas which also got us the winning goal. But the most striking resemblance in both is that the team switched to 2 strikers with Michy joining Diego Costa and we have seen the effect so why are we not sticking to that formation with 2 strikers?
The combination is quite potent and instead waiting to chase games we can easily take a commanding lead early on and never look back. Costa currently looks full of confidence and Michy is hot right now with 3 goals from 1 start and 2 cameos. Starting them together gives us our own fear factor. 

The teams inability to keep clean sheets is quite disturbing. That is over 8 consecutive games that the team has failed to keep a clean sheet. Our defence line of Aina, Ivanovic, Cahill and Azpilicueta could not keep a clean sheet against Bristol City, with all due respect to the City. It is actually very disturbing because the team cannot afford to want to outscore every team we play and quite frankly it hurts me in my Fantasy league because i have Chelsea players in my defence. We need to really strengthen the defence or sort it out before we start facing the big guns.

i am already looking forward to our next game on Saturday against Burnley and hoping Hull can pull another surprise. 

Lets meet next week. 

Powered By Conte

Now that was a site to behold. Conte punching the air then rushing to hug the fans where Diego Costa scored the winner from 25yards out??? That was awesome and to be honest, I have not been able to stop watching it. The coach is relating with his boys and we can see that the team is shaping up nicely but most importantly he is nicely getting the fans behind the team for this new season and with the fans strongly behind the team at the Bridge it is going to be a different season altogether.

This game against West Ham was to test the team's preparation for this season and i must say that I loved what I saw and so did all the fans. The team played together and covered each other well which was not the case last season. Azpilicueta and Ivanovic were welcome support in attack and defended strongly. Ivanovic was porous last season and was the major hole in our defence but he did his job well last season. I personally preferred Ola Aina to start and improve his game and earn some games but Ivanovic earned his spot.

I said it last week that our major problem last season was in the middle of the pitch. Starting with Matic and Kante as the midfield axis we were able to take control of the match. West Ham's attack were easily repelled until Payet arrived to cause us some real trouble from the wings but all in all the boys played with so much energy and the recovery from the attackers to help win the ball back was just marvellous. We only need to create and take more chances.

Last night i saw enough of N'golo Kante to reaffirm my belief that he is going to be our best signing this season. He won 50% of his tackles despite being in the yellow card from the 3rd minute and completed 92% of his attempted passes with over 50% going forward. His presence gave the defence the protection they needed and started attacks nicely. They are saying in the papers that he might be our new Makelele and that is saying something.

I am very happy for Diego Costa and Hazard. The goals will do them good considering they took a while to get started last season and Hazard for one was terrible. Getting off the block so quick will only spur them on and they both have points to prove. Costa could have been sent off for his lounge on the keeper but he got lucky and I believe the coach is right in not trying to curb his wild side. That is what makes him the Costa we love. It turns out he is as nuts as the coach so I love them even more.

Oscar put on an energetic display last night. I have not been impressed by his progress at Chelsea since he arrived. He seems to be the same person with the same quality he brought to England with no improvement in about 4 seasons now. Everybody improves their game and i wish Oscar could bring something new to the team now and then or at least be consistent on his good performances. I think that is why there has been so many speculations about him leaving but he did himself good yesterday and if he can replicate that performance day in day out then he could be a mainstay in the team like Hazard and Willian.

Overall it was a good game on a monday night and long may it continue.

Exciting Season Ahead

It has been too long since i posted here but sometimes these things happen where we find ourselves focusing on some pressing issues. But BlueHiver is back again this season with sizzling updates on everything Chelsea.

Last season was a bust. No doubt about that. 10th placed finish for a league champion is downright disaster and a record too, if i heard/read right. But we all need a reality check and a kick on the backside once in a while.
But it will not happen again i hope. I am personally very bold in saying that this is going to be an exciting season at The Bridge and i will tell you why.

1. N'golo Kante
Chelsea's biggest strength in the Abramovic era has always been the midfield. From Claud Makelele to Essien to Lampsy and Ballack Chelsea has always had the presence in the middle of the pitch that could scare any team they faced. The team surrendered the midfield in most of our matches because Matic and most of the team actually were terrible. But with the acquisition of N'golo Kante the biggest missing piece has been acquired. It is said that water covers about 70% of the world and rest is covered by none other than our new boy Kante. With that presence in the middle the team can do whatever they want as we saw in his debut and second half display against AC Milan. He literally changed the game.
Welcome Kante.

2. No Champions League
Now as a Chelsea fan who has been enjoying Champions League football since i could remember i am not proud to say this but having to only focus on the domestic front this season can be benefitial to the team. There will be as much as 7 teams competing for the league title this season which will already be more competitive than ever with our biggest rivals landing experienced winners as managers and spending big so the slightest advantage can make a huge difference.
No European constraints helped Liverpool fight for the title last 3 seasons and also Leicester last season. The team can rest between matches and make enough tactical adjustments for the next matches.
We will be in the Champions League next season though. We can't afford to miss it 2 seasons in a row.

3. Antonio Conte
Our manager has forged his own identity and success againts huge odds at club and international level but he is still among the lesser experienced in the coaches that will be fighting for the title this season. He is one to relish such battles though. He feeds off such pressure and it is only to our advantage that the fans have such a passionate manager to rally behind. Stamford Bridge will be charged this season for Conte and the opponents will not enjoy themselves.
He is strict enough to deal with our plenty egoistic stars but young enough to really connect with them. His relations with the players has been excellent so far and we are seeing an improvement in the team.

4. The New First Team Members

I have already talked of Kante but we also have Michy Batshuayi joining the team and possibly Lukaku making a return to The Bridge. Juan Cuadrado and Victor Moses are back from loan moves and done well in preseason. We also have academy graduates Ola Aina and Nathaniel Chalobah impressing in preseason and could feature more for the blues this season. The young boys are always wild cards since they are not known and when they play without being held back they become a thorny opposition. Our season is shaping up nicely and these guys are nicely in the picture.

We have some reinforcements to be done especially in defence and while the team awaits Kurt Zouma's return we could do well to find another powerful center back.
But if it does not happen i know Conte has already prepared for that.

The team returns to London after a good preseason in the USA and to the rest of the league we say 'Bring it on'