Chelsea FC The Bridge Will Never Fall

Chelsea Beats Stoke To Reach FA Cup Semis Humility Not John Terry's Best Suit

It was hilarious to have many people talking of a possibility of Stoke City upsetting Chelsea in pre-match chatter. It was never going to be that way because we are now becoming something of a Cup expert while Stoke had their best defender suspended. Don't believe it? See what happened to Stoke at Arsenal after Shawcross was off. They only held on for so long because of the emotional stress suffered by the Gunners. That will never happen with Chelsea. The players all stood up to be counted and the only low point was Drogba again not scoring. It looks like even though he is still playing well, the streak has ended and it might be some time yet before he gets back up and running in terms of scoring goals. But Lampard might be back on song and our dear old Captain Enfant Terrible John Terry is also finding some of his headers ending up in the back of the net. For sure, this brute is trying to do everything he can to show people that he is still king on the pitch after all the abuse he has, deservedly I might add as a Chelsea fan, received from opposing fans and media alike.

It was a typical Chelsea match. Long periods of dullness while they slowly squeezed the life out of Stoke. Only the early minutes saw a few scares as we had to clear off the line and Stoke could rightfully dispute some of the decisions. However, it was never going to last for Stoke and even without the creative talents of Joe Cole, we simply stuck faithfully to our power football tactics grown accustomed to since Jose was here. We kept pressing and eventually Lampard got his name on the scoresheet with another piledriver into the top netting. Spectacular goal is all I can say. Lifted the crowd and evidently the team as well. Energy levels were raised and you could see relief in the players' legs as they have had another tough week with speculation on how they were going to end up with nothing this season after leading the league for so long. I still think Chelsea will win the English Premier League - tough run in and Utd and Arsenal are pressing hard but Ancelotti knows what to do.

Wasn't too happy again with Terry's show of defiance and arrogance pointing to his armband after scoring to indicate he is still the leader. Don't really need a leader like him - ok he is still one of our best defenders but someone else should take over. The guy is basically still a juvenile despite maturity on the pitch. Off it, a terrible lout and not someone I am proud to have playing for the club, and worse still, the captain. I'll probably get lots of stick for this from fellow Chelsea fans and many will use the tired excuse that most millionaire footballers are like kids anyway, but it's terrible that we don't have true gentlemen playing the game nowadays. Few and far between. Terry better keep your opinions to yourself now and just go about your job quietly. You should learn from your mistakes after the John Terry scandal and become a better human being, instead of trying to go head on with those who criticised you.

So now on to Wembley and it looks like a possible Double for us this season now. One more semi, and a few more wins in the League and it'll be our best results since Jose left.

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Thoughts And Review On Inter Milan Defeat Of Chelsea

So in the end we were out-Chelsea-ed by Mourinho as our aging team proved to be out thought by a faster and equally tough Inter. At times during the game it looked like we were playing ourselves although I must admit Inter's attacking part of the team does look more dynamic and better than our battering ram of Drogba. No doubting the quality of Didier but sometimes we do look too one-dimensional going forward and short of options while hoping that he can come up with some magic in every game. That just doesn't happen even with Messi and Ronaldo, so we really need to expand our lineup upfront. On the other hand, still some worries over the form of our defence. John Terry still looks shaky despite claims that the John Terry scandal is all over. The two goals we conceded showed our lack of pace and organisation again. Some thoughts from Lampard after the game also came up:

Frank Lampard is convinced his club continue to have it all to do in the second leg but feels their old gaffer Jose Mourinho set his team a tough assignment after the Italian club's success.

"There's still the game in London to go. On the balance of play, possession, shots on target, I thought we were the stronger team, but we knew how Inter were going to play - they do like to soak up pressure and that's what they did," Lampard told ITV.

"(Mourinho's) very clever in the way he plays. They came to wait for us, we gave away the goal, came back, then let another in, but we've got the away goal and that gives us a chance."

The skipper claimed he didn't see the unpleasant incident where Salomon Kalou was likely seemingly fouled in the penalty box by the Inter Milan defender, but stated:

"Kalou believes it is a penalty and, if so, it is actually a red card and the match's totally different, but you have to take it on the chin and in the return encounter maybe something goes for us.

"We've got the away goal, but obviously we've got to beat them at home so it's in the balance."

Our old gaffer Mourinho refused to rejoice either Inter Milan goal on the pitch, but maintained he was more than glad with the outcome.

"Of course I'm happy inside," he said. "I was saying a few weeks ago or few months ago when we got the draw I'm a professional and I want to win as a professional I want to win more than anybody else."

He also rejected the notion he had done anything to out strategised his ex players.

"I don't think the game was a question of tactics, I think the game was a real Champions League game, a really high-level game.

"There were no surprises for me, no surprises from Chelsea, just two teams playing with the quality they have.

"Chelsea can play better, Inter can play better, but this is the reality of the Champions League. Sometimes it's difficult to express your qualities. This is a knock-out so you know any mistake can cost you qualification.

"Inter were unlucky with the draw, Chelsea were unlucky with the draw, because I think if you look at the Champions League, this was the game with two teams with great ambitions, and one of them has to go home."

Should be an interesting return leg at the Bridge. Can't wait for Jose to return - we'll give him a rousing welcome before and after the game but during the 90 minutes I'm sure he'll enjoy the jousting between us. Knowing his ways, I think we still have a chance until the last kick of the tie! We're Chelsea afterall and know Mourinho best!

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Chelsea Loses To Everton At Goodison Park Throwing Title Race Even More Open

Looks like Chelsea is starting to show signs of the strain of a title race and the John Terry scandal that has blighted our club. Admittedly, Everton are always difficult to play against. Unless you happen to be Liverpool, Manchester United or Arsenal, chances are it's hard to score against them and their dogs of war are always snapping at your heels. We have plenty of great players in the team, but none except Joe Cole would be considered to have the guile to match their steel in midfield. Liverpool sometimes gets the lucky break like that set piece goal but we hardly got any of that. The chips are down now and Manchester United are closing in too despite their draw against Villa. That should be considered a good result as Villa are very very hard to break down nowadays with O'Neil in charge. Considering they also played three quarters of the match with 10 men after the sending off of Nani and still got a point, I have to grudgingly give Fergie's men credit again. They always deliver when the situation calls for it.

Most of the post match talk has been of Arsenal getting back into the race. That is only possible if we and United drop more points. They're still six and five points back which looks bridgeable now but in reality I doubt they are good enough to do so. Their win over Liverpool was kinda lucky too as they struggled to break them down and could even have ended with a draw as Fabregas got away with that obvious handball. I'm pretty sure Webb was trying to balance out his error in awarding that last minute free kick to Liverpool when he waved the penalty appeals away. The result should matter little to United since they always believe they'll win every game, while for our players it might be a different case. I think the pressure is starting to get to them in the title race.

Hopefully Ancelotti can rally the boys together and help them manage the situation. Many of them have been title winners plus the gaffer has experience in that too. They can do it but need to have more alternatives when games are tight like last night. Everton really prevented us from playing football and our long ball attempts played right into their hands. Perhaps the consistency is just not happening this season so we must grind them out. Unfortunately it would not look good on Ancelotti since he was brought in to produce fantasy football by Roman.

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Carlo Ancelotti Defends John Terry And Why I Like This Funny Ole Italian

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has come out to explain why he has defended John Terry our best defender. According to him, it is 'not his job' to manage his players' private lives unless they affect their performances. Since Terry has continued to be (almost) rock solid for Chelsea despite the sordid revelations of his life between the sheets, Ancelotti saw no need for him to interfere or even do anything about it. In a way, the gaffer is right because his job is to deliver the Champions League and league title to Chelsea and so far he is still getting the results with a John Terry that is looking decidedly harassed before and after each game. I guess after all the moral grandstanding in my previous posts, I don't really care anymore either. Chelsea just needs to win and who really cares if a hoodlum is playing for us, as long as he does the business for the club! Furthermore I have no kids so no worries about them following a bad role model. Bad role model - that's quite an oxymoron innit.

Ancelotti also attempted to dismiss rumours of him becoming Italy coach after Lippi leaves. Now this part here is why I really like this Italian manager of ours. Ancelotti has been really funny since he arrived. Bordering on being one of the lads with some of his comments to the press. Much like Harry Redknapp with the one liners except that you know he is less cynical and more genuine. This is what he said when fielded questions by the media about the Italy post:

"I will not be there once Lippi leaves," Ancelotti said. "I have a contract with Chelsea. I will be a candidate in 2030 when Italy will win the World Cup.

"I have studied the stats and after the second World War, we have won the World Cup title every 24 years and reached the final every 12 years. Hence, the 2018 final I leave it to someone else.

That part about the stats and leaving the 2018 final to someone else was hilarious. However, he also revealed the pride and arrogance intrinsic to Italian football fans - that they are part and parcel of a World Cup final. Still, can hardly disagree with him though. If only England were that consistent. And if there are those who criticise Italy for being defensive and boring, they're certainly more entertaining than hoof it up in the air England.

Anyway, hope Ancelotti can still remain chirpy at the end of the season. Probably will - if we win the title at least.

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John Terry Loses England Captaincy As Chelsea Prepares For Arsenal

Well it was definitely coming and John Terry has now been stripped of the England captaincy by head honcho Fabio Capello after a 30 minute meeting at the Wembley offices. After all that has been said and done, I think that it might actually be good for the player, our club Chelsea and England as a whole. Capello definitely took a sound decision (I'm sure it was wholly his to make since Terry really has no control over it and to be honest, deserves to lose it). Terry should also take responsibility, issue an apology and now concentrate on winning the English Premier League title for Chelsea to make up for all the distractions he has caused us. He must then go to South Africa and help the team out as wel by leading England to the World Cup final at least. It has been obvious that the scandal has seen his game affected adversely with his mistakes against Hull and the lad will never learn given his gestures towards the fans after the equaliser. It is well known within the circles that John Terry is quite the prat and despite a well oiled publicity machine, if you keep having all sorts of dirty little secrets behind you, they'll fill up the closet and come tumbling out when the doors cannot be shut tight anymore. This is what happened and the only saving grace for Chelsea is that Bridge isn't around with us anymore. Who knows, he might have left because of this incident that time (although I am not sure of the timeframe in which the whole scandal happened).

Don't really want to talk about England fortunes on a Chelsea blog but hard not to do so when John Terry is part of the club. Anyway, I'm sure Capello know has a real problem on his hands. He might be the dictator in the setup and everybody has to abide by his decisions but there is one thing he cannot control and that's the emotions of the players. The only way out of this now is if either Terry or Bridge lose their form or get injured and either one or the other then are not selected for the England World Cup squad. If both play well enough to be selected, it is impossible to avoid friction in the team later on in South Africa. If results go their way they might be able to keep one eye closed but the moment problems occur, who knows we might see Bridge vs Terry on the field. Don't forget these two are defenders and are intricately linked if they play together. Another saving grace which I forgot though is that Bridge is hardly first choice in the England defence so we might still see Capello avoiding too much of a public spat between the two.

So the first game right after this whole John Terry incident losing his England captaincy is a big one and that is Chelsea v Arsenal this Sunday at Stamford Bridge. Obviously I think we will win and really beat on the poor young Gunners. There is no question about this. Even their Russian missile Arshavin has admitted to being put in a hopeless situation as a small targetman upfront. There is really nothing much they can do with Van Persie out and Bendtner still yet to acquire a gloss that really qualifies him as a classic striker of the Arsenal mold. Meanwhile we at Chelsea are a well oiled machine and as long as Terry can maintain his concentration and avoid anymore slips during set pieces, we should avoid another setback. We'll probably start the game in second since I really do not expect any shocks at Old Trafford the day before. United will beat up on Pompey easily. The ball would then be back in our court and that might be the only problem. We have shown some nerves this season and Ancelotti will need to shore us up mentally. Drogba seems to have come back sulking again and hopefully he is not feeling pissed off after Ivory Coast again flopped at the African Cup of Nations. Really they must all now focus on the English Premier League title as that is what we need to win in order to break our recent barren spell (the domestic cups don't count - nobody's really interested in them anymore sorry). Then the Champions League. Unfortunately for Ancelotti I think he is really only judged on whether he can win the latter but that's too bad for him. Well what is a post on the game without a prediction so here is mine - Chelsea 3 Arsenal 1. Probably we will be rattled early on as the Gunners come out fighting after last week's shame, but Terry will ironically galvanise the lads and come back later on to kick the Gunners off the pitch.

One piece of great news for Chelsea this week is the quashing of the transfer ban by CAS. It's really easy now to predict what will happen by looking at Ancelotti's actions. The guy is well informed and what he has implied has been happening. No buying of striker in January and that's what happened. Obviously he was aware that the ban would be overturned on sound grounds and the squad would be strengthened in the summer and now I'm excited about who we will sign. Will it be Ribery? We need someone capable of causing some excitement on the pitch with sublime skills and dribbling. Also happy for the young lad Kakuta - this would definitely be a weight off his shoulders and hope to see him overcome his injury and fitness problems and make it all worthwhile for him and the club.

Fallout From John Terry Scandal Grows

The fallout from the John Terry scandal continues to grow as further news from the papers today revealed that Vanessa Peroncel might have slept with no less than 5 Chelsea players both past and present. I've seen some of the names and would say that most of them aren't at the club anymore but it is shocking how dumb a club captain and the one who leads his national team can be by getting himself involved with such a woman, if the allegations prove to be true. It is easy to say that Terry probably thinks better with his other head but if only he applied half his on-field intelligence to his private life, things could have been all that much better for both club and country. Instead, now we could see a full blown problem that threatens to engulf the club and totally wreck our title ambitions.

We're now very close to becoming champions again this season in the English Premier League, but this situation has definitely affected team morale and performances. First it was Hull City, maybe this weekend it could be Arsenal. However, I still believe the Chelsea players will bond together well and come out of it stronger. The question is whether they can do it in time to still win the league. It would be painful to see the title once again stay in Old Trafford. Nothing hurts more than seeing those fairweather fans that are plentiful in Manchester continue to gloat over their success. But it is also useless to worry about others when we cannot clean up our own house.

Whether Capello decides to stick with his captain after Thursday's talks, or to ask him to hand it over to another player, the immediate repercussions would definitely be John Terry's club, Chelsea. The gaffer has already hinted about giving him some time off from playing to get his house in order. But do we have someone who can replace him at the back in the meantime? Not likely. His leadership on the field is also required, although there were signs that Terry was below his best against Hull. But it also underlined his importance to the club that his mistakes were the one that mostly could have resulted in goals or turning points. I think Ancelotti's hands are tied and he has no choice but to continue sticking him in the lineup.

The gaffer has already admitted that we have struggled against set pieces this season. In fact, it has been like that since last season. Cech has never recovered his best form and has already admitted to being afraid to dive in on most occasions. His unwillingness to stop wearing that helmet is also a clear sign that mentally, the Czech keeper has gone under. I do sympathise with him and can't really blame him after all that has happened. But the club has to come first and perhaps we have to look for a stronger keeper come summer. That lack of confidence in Cech has also affected the defence since then. Carvelho and Terry are two of the best stoppers in the game but they have continued to look rattled when defending in set pieces. There seems to be some communication problems and that is often the lack of it between goalkeeper and the line of players directly in front.

The vital match against Arsenal is approaching. Perhaps we shall know better whether we really stand a chance for the title or everything so far has been another false dawn and a collapse might be imminent.