The Torres Situation at CFC

We all know Torres has not performed to our expectations as fans, to the club management's expectations and even to Roman Abrahamovic's expectations.
Some would question Roman Abrahamovic's intentions of bringing Torres to the bridge. They were all good. At the time, Torres was one of the deadliest strikers in the world. So, obviously, Abrahamovic had good intentions, he coughed 50million pounds, a record transfer fee that still stands to date.

Some people, including a few coaches have made it clear that Didier Drogba would me missed, not for his goals, not for how much he believed in Chelsea ( I wait to see the day Torres would pull "an Overbro" like Drogba did) not for his set pieces but mainly for the sole reason that in big matches, Drogba would always stand out. He was a big match sort of player, and when it comes to such...he always took the limelight.

When Torres was signed at CFC, I was for one very happy and looked forward to a deadly combination between him and DD with Anelka, Kalou and Malouda in support. Well, that never happened. I remember clearly his first match was against his old team Liverpool, we the fans thought he would score and so did Ancelloti but that never came to pass. We ended up losing that match courtesy of a Raul Meirelles strike. We then kept counting, we waited, we sang his name, we supported him and some like, David Luiz even prayed for him but still there was nothing.

Well, there are those who gave up. The coaches did. Drogba became the main man again and things started looking normal again. Big matches were played, big goals were scored and it wasnt Torres. It was Didier. He then gave us a reason why he thought he wasnt scoring. The midfield was too slow, he was quoted. A friend of mine joked, that according to Torres if wanted him to score, we had to replace those "donkeys" behind him. Others even said it was Drogba who kept "breaking the wind" every time Torres went near him, hence the two couldn't play together.

The first thing Chelsea did was to replace "the donkeys" behind Torres. We now had a more energetic Ramires, the hawk eyed tattoo lover called Raul Meirelles and a more skillful Mata behind. Still, the goals didn't come and as such, Drogba still remained our main man. The problem however wasn't Drogba. The problem was a young england player called Sturridge who was making all the headlines and scoring match after match. He was stealing the show. Someone had to stop him. He wasnt the heir to this throne. Now, it became clear, it wasnt the "donkeys" fault after all.

There were two more reasons. Perhaps it was Drogba. Not because of his alleged behavior of "breaking the wind' every time they were together in the field but due to the fact that he has always been the dominant force. Or so we believed. So, we decided to ship him to China, far far away. But that was not the whole plan, we also decided to bring in more fast and skillful players so we never hear of that "donkey phenomenon" ever again. We brought in Oscar, Hazard and Marko Marin. All these players had excellent assist records for their clubs. We were optimistic. Some saw 40 + goals, others saw golden boot awards and some said, only a long term injury would stop our Fernando.

The reality however was that still goals didn't come. There were no single shots from him, on target or anywhere in some matches. You cant score without attempting or so I hear. But its true. Personally I don't like hating on a player. This unsettles them and could make them even perform worse. So we kept on singing his name, praising him and still hoping. Then came the moment, the moment we substituted him and he went straight to the dressing room mumbling words. That was the moment. We were astonished. We wondered. Some of us loud enough to heard, some just wished it away while others kept singing, but not as loud as before. They were doing it, this time not for their Fernando, but for the love of the blue flag that is Chelsea.
The fact remained, we had replaced managers, we had replaced the donkeys behind, we have replaced those who used to break the wind. Maybe its time to replace him. But then again, maybe not. Just maybe!!!

QPR - Other than the result, there were positives

So, we drew at QPR a place where we lost last season. Its obviously an improvement if you ask me. We also whipped Newcastle, a good revenge for them walloping us with some "Juju" goals. We beat Wigan, comfortably, a place where we drew last season. I can only say, I still have a lot of faith in this squad. And we are doing good.

Whereas, i wasn't impressed by the recent performances of key players, notably Fernando Torres. He underperformed if you ask me, often losing possession at key moments during the game. in the first half, he drew a fantastic save from Julio Cesar when trying to score from an impossible angle. He was fantastic in the opening minutes, faded as the game went by and became useless later on.
Another positive to take from this, was the fact that Di Matteo noted Torres's performance and substituted him for Sturridge.

Well, we all dont like what followed. A player shouldnt walk straight to the dressing room when substituted, or atleast, those who have done that havent been successful in their careers, regardless of how talented they are. Such behavior is reserved for players like El Hadji Diouf, Mido and Adel Tarabt and Joey Barton!!

I still dont understand why Betrand started. Was it to offer support to Ashley Cole? During the Newcastle game, I understood why Betrand had to start. To take care of Newcastle's most dangerous player in the name of Ben Arfa. Against J.S Park, we didnt need Betrand. I am not saying he is a bad player, all am saying is if you have Oscar, Moses and Marko Marin against a relegation threatened team, no need to have a defensive approach. In as a much as you stand a big chance of winning a match when you dont concede, the attacking philosophy that we expect Di Matteo to employ from here on is, "lets just outscore them". The Brazil national team, the Spain national team, Barcelona will never approach a match with a defensive mind. They policy is, and that of any other attacking team is, if they score one, we will score two or three.
I therefore think Betrand shouldnt have started this match, and more so, in the name of assisting Ashley Cole who in my opinion has been the most consistent Chelsea defender year in year out. My point, come on....Ashley doesnt need support, he is the best left back in the world!!!!

I recall the double winning season, when Ashley Cole and Malouda developed a very serious threat on the left wing. Where will we get that kind of consistency if in every match, Ashley Cole has a different player a head of him? Today its Betrand, tomorrow Moses and the day after, someone else.....? Not good.

Finally, it occurs to me we cant have Lampard playing 90minutes. He too faded later. His timely runs in the box that have brought so many goals for Chelsea in the past are not existent anymore.
I would wish for Ramires to partner Mikel in midfield and have lampard come in late on. Theres always a time to let go. Against Atletico Madrid, our midfield was so ineffective that any time Atletico had the ball, they had plenty of time to decide exactly how and where to place their passes. Of course we all witnessed the outcome.
Lampard is a good player, he can pass, he can shoot, he can defend. He is a legend, but there is always a time when you have to let go. There always a time when you play the assist role and not the main star. The time for Lampard is now, otherwise he may jeopardise his legendary status. They say, if you do bad, people never forget!!


All in all, we are on top of the table. Unbeaten and with plenty of abundant talent rearing to go. We however need to be tactical. We need to change the "AVB Syndrome" where, we stick to a formation regardless of the outcome. Having versatile players means you can change formations however and whenever you feel the need to. Nowhere in the Chelsea constitution does it say, thou shall play 4-2-3-1 whether you are losing 4-0 against Atletico Madrid or whether you are struggling against QPR.

Until the Juventus game, ktbffh!!

QPR Preview;


All EPL teams have strengthened. This includes QPR who are much stronger than they were last season. They have brought in an experienced right back in the name of Bosingwa, hard working midfielders in the names of Ji Su Park and Esteban Granero and an upcoming left back on loan who isnt too bad. (Da Silva)

They have Bobby Zamora upfront and this is a guy who has been capped severally by England and has a powerful left foot , physical and can also run really fast. I watched QPR play against Manchester City and I have to tell you, they are no push overs and Zamora is a striker who must be watched.

Then there's Junior Hoilett, a player who scored some amazing goals for Blackburn last season. He has the pace, the dribbling ability and most definitely can create chances for his teammates.
Well, Holett will have his debut tomorrow and most likely will want to impress the Rangers' faithfuls.

On the bench they will have Djibril Cisse, an experienced widely travelled player whose power, speed and precision can cause havoc to any team.


I would therefore line up in the usual 4-2-1-3 formation while on attack and revert to 4-2-3-1 formation when we lose the ball. Alot of work will be on the two wide men, presumably Hazard and Mata who must come and assist the fullbacks. This is because QPR have speedy wingers in WrightPhillips and Hoillet and should they start together, then I fancy Betrand starting on the left side. The only problem with Betrand, in as much as he has impressed in the few games he cannot swap positions with Hazard, but is definitely good especially when building from the back.

I will therefore have Terry and Cahill partnershing each other in central defence. The reason I would drop Luiz to the bench is because this is a more physical QPR side and further, we have a tough mid week game against Juventus and we shall need one reliable centre back. I will have Ivanovic and Cole take the full back positions, again due to the physical nature of the game and the fact that Ivanovic is scoring goals. He has 2 in 3, not bad for a defender. (Anyone who watched his finish for Serbia on Wednesday night will agree with me that we have a good striker in this guy)

My midfield will have Mikel and Ramires. I would love to have Lampard start but I think for a 30+ year old, having played on Saturday, then on Wednesday night, I doubt if he has enough gas left in him for this match. Plus, frankly speaking, Ramires needs to come back to his preferred position.

I will have Mata at the centre, Hazard on the left and Moses on the right. The main man remains Fernando Torres upfront and I have my first eleven. Why Moses, one may ask and as much as I may want to give Cesar his debut as well, this is a London derby, one of the hostile atmosphere (The Terry- Ferdinand affair) may not bode well with a young inexperienced player. So when am to make a choice on who to give a debut, between a striker (Moses) and a defender (Cesar) I would give Moses simply coz, assuming they all make mistakes on their debut, it would be more costly for the team when a defender does it unlike when a striker does it.

The bench will have Cesar, Luiz, Lampard, Oscar, Sturridge and Betrand.

The people I may bring in are Oscar for Mata, Lampard for Ramires (in the last 10minutes) and Sturridge for Moses or Torres. Obviously, substitution should be made, taking into account the performance of individual players and the result.


Well, this is funny. Someone is reminding me I have forgotten to say who will be in goal. Well, Cech is fit and hence dont expect me to say Hillario.

See you guys at Loftus Road tomorrow. KTBFFH!