What’s that old saying? ‘You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family’. Something tells me our captain might be wishing that wasn’t the case right now because unfortunately for John Terry, his dad has been caught red-handed – selling cocaine.

In a really embarrassing set-up by the News of the World, Ted Terry sold an undercover investigator 3 grams of coke stating “The stuff’s all right. I get off on it.” Even more embarrassingly, he goes on “This is just between me and you. DON’T tell him that I’m John Terry’s dad. I can’t have this going back, I’m not saying that they’ll say anything, but you never know.  You CAN’T tell them I’m John Terry’s dad. I’ve just got them a load of gear.”

Now I’d love to say this is all merely “alleged” but the whole expletive-laden ‘deal’ is caught on tape and I’m not sure it’d make for a cosy Terry-family night-in’s viewing. Not exactly a popcorn moment you might say.

It begs the question though – why? Why, just 3 days before his son is involved in one of the biggest games of the season, would Ted Terry be selling coke in an Essex bar? His son earns £160,000 a week and has lashed out on luxuries like holidays, Rolex watches, and a house for his dad, could Ted Terry really have been so desperate for the £40 profit? And coming just 7 months after his mum’s been fined for shoplifting, you’d have to think neither of them really take their son’s career seriously. A fact only highlighted when, after bragging “I’m the proudest man around here, honest mate. My son. . . I’ve been very fortunate with what he’s achieved”, Ted Terry goes on to say “My lifetime dream is to see my son put a West Ham shirt on.  I’d die a happy man to see him walk out that tunnel.”

Oh dear Lord, just when you thought the drug dealing was the worst thing he could do - that statement really is shameful!

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The minute’s silence before kick-off was to be just about the only calm moment in what turned out to be yet another ill-tempered encounter with Manchester United.

Carlo Ancelotti made a couple of changes, with Ricardo Carvalho back to partner John Terry in defence and Nicolas Anelka and Michael Ballack both back after their rest against Atletico Madrid midweek. Unfortunately, he also saw fit to put Deco in ahead of Joe Cole which wasn’t his smartest move seeing as our Portuguese midfielder didn’t actually show up.

For United, Dimitar Berbatov was missing and Nemanja Vidic was on the bench, so we’d have been forgiven for thinking this might not be so difficult after all – we’d have been wrong though because from the off, we knew we were in a game. 

We had a frustrating first-half, with United having far more possession than it was comfortable to watch and if we’re honest, they had a fair shout for a penalty just fifteen minutes in with the Chelsea captain grabbing a sly handful of Valencia’s shirt in the box. Aside from that though, they weren’t exactly testing Petr Cech, in fact it was Nicolas Anelka stinging the fingers of van der Sar with a curling shot, but we just weren’t settling into the game as well as they were. To the relief of my fingernails, we managed to go in all square at the break though.

Second half didn’t look to be heading anywhere better for us really, with Rooney making a right nuisance of himself, with United turning the screw ever tighter. Then around 70 minutes in, Drogba takes Evans’ studs full on in the chest to a rendition of ‘same old Drogba, always cheating’ from the away support.  Free-kick? Booking maybe? Naturally, but in this case the foul went against Drogba – yellow card for putting his chest in the way of Evans boot. Made perfect sense really.

Or at least the ref’s decision made perfect sense considering the decision he was about to make anyway because predictably, these games HAVE to have the odd bit of controversy. So when Fletcher tangled with Ashley Cole, leaving our left-back on his arse, no-one should’ve been surprised to see us awarded the free-kick this time. Not that we were going to complain, particularly when Lampard’s free-kick found John Terry’s head and was dispatched into the back of the net.

Fortuitous? Abso-bloody-lutely, especially after Drogba looked to have fouled Wes Brown and got himself in a questionable position complete with outstretched leg. Still, shit happens as they say – and it was our turn to come up smelling of roses. The customary handbags inevitably followed with Carvalho running away from a foul, ignoring the whistle, only to be fouled by Evans – yellow card apiece and the game was getting decidedly bitchy.

Painful time-keeping from the officials saw 5 minutes added – and to say those 5 minutes felt like an age is putting it mildly.  Somehow we did it though, 1-0 the score, 5 points the difference.

Overall then, John Terry was lucky not to give away a penalty, which would’ve seen a different game and even luckier to get the winner, not just because the free-kick was questionable but also because the ball actually came off Anelka’s head before it went in.  And whilst I think it’s fair to say United were battering us, you’d have to say they were pretty lucky to finish with ten men on the field despite Evans best efforts to play karate kid.  And whilst it might not have been our best performance of the season (in fact it’s pretty clear it wasn’t), I can’t see any of us apologising for the ref’s decisions – we had the chance, we took it and god knows we’ve had our fair share of decisions go against us in the past.

TEAMS

CHELSEA: Cech, Ivanovic, A Cole, Terry, Carvalho, Essien, Lampard, Ballack, Deco (J Cole 63), Drogba (Kalou), Anelka (Alex, 93).

Unused Subs: Mikel, Malouda, Ferreira, Kalou, Alex, Hilario.

MAN UNITED: Van der Sar, Evra, Brown, O’Shea, Evans, Anderson (Owen, 84), Giggs (Obertan, 84), Carrick, Fletcher, Valencia, Rooney.

Unused subs: Owen, Vidic, Scholes, Fabio, Obertan, Gibson, Kuszczak.

GOALS

John Terry (76 mins)

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If we’d had an early kick-off it might be just about forgivable but is there any real excuse for needing to brush your teeth during this afternoon’s game? Bizarre.

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John Terry is in for the inevitable stick for his latest comments in the press.  In the wake of Didier Drogba’s admission that his 8 year old son shamed him into getting his act together, the Chelsea captain has spoken out in defence of the Ivorian’s Champions League rant.

Drogba had an initial 6 game European ban reduced to 3 games and Chelsea were ordered to pay £85,000 after ‘that game’ against Barcelona although strangely enough, the man responsible for lighting the touch paper – Tom Henning Ovrebo – got away with little more than a spray of saliva and battered eardrums.

Anyway, fighting Drogba’s corner, the Chelsea captain says “From a Chelsea point of view, I love the way Didier reacted there. When he lost his rag after the (Barcelona) game, that is because he cares about this football club.  Didier’s love for the club and the passion he shows for our football club is unbelievable and I can’t stress that any higher. When we lose a game there is no-one more disappointed than him.  He shows his anger and his frustration. I’m sure if you are a Chelsea fan, maybe if you are sitting at home and you are watching that, maybe it is not good to see.  But, at the same time, he cares about Chelsea Football Club and for people in it and the people running it, that is what they want. He has got passion that people don’t realise. People were quick to criticise him.  But, for me, you see him in the dressing room and you see him on the training ground and you see him motivating the players and motivating himself.  He really cares for this football club and for the people in charge to see that and reward him with a new contract was great and I think he is paying them back.”

Is Terry right though? I mean, he’s right when he says Drogba style rants aren’t necessarily what you want to see and I’m sure we’d be quick enough to slate opposition players for that sort of display. But is he right to say he ‘loves’ Drogba’s reaction? Well, watching the video back, I’d say ‘love’ might not be the right word to use but I’d certainly say I could ‘understand’ his reaction. Ok, so he lost the plot but I remember my review of that game wasn’t exactly the most rational piece of writing I’ve ever done either – it’s heat of the moment stuff and it happens. 

In a way Terry’s right though, whether he gets battered for saying it or not – would a supporter rather see a player lose his head because he’s that passionate or would supporters prefer a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders when you’ve just been cheated so blatantly?  

I suppose the fact that neither Drogba’s performance on the night nor his previous itchy foot syndrome were likely to have him marked down as your average passionate and committed player, so that doesn’t add much weight to his defence, although on that point, Terry says “I don’t think Didier was ever on his way out of the club. He loves this club. Chelsea fans, Chelsea players and the people around Chelsea never doubted Didier.” Again, I’m not sure I agree with JT, mainly because not just from what he was alleged to have said to the press or the way Drogba played (or didn’t play) last season, I certainly doubted his love for the club.

However, of the new-and-improved Drogba this season, Terry says “He has started the season unbelievably, he has been brilliant, so credit to him.  Since we began pre-season training I stressed how important Didier was to this football club and he has started on fire.  He is in great form.  Apart from his goals, he does an awful lot for the team. He holds the ball and brings it down and his build-up play is second to none.  For me, he is one of the best and most difficult strikers to play against in the world.  There have been times when he has played well and the goals haven’t come and vice versa.  But at the moment he is playing well and scoring goals, too.  Obviously, we are going to miss him when he goes away after Christmas” – and I’m definitely not going to argue with that!

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Didier Drogba’s performance at Old Trafford last season was nothing short of shameful. In fact, the Ivorian’s contribution was such a joke, he was even laughing at it himself. I remember thinking at the time, if it wasn’t blatantly obvious there was already a sniper in the crowd, I’d shoot the bugger myself.

Still, according to Drogba, he’s ready to right that particular wrong. Ahead of this afternoon’s game, Drogba says “It’s not about revenge, but I want to make up for last season’s embarrassment.  I didn’t play well that game. It was the third game in a row I’d played after a long period without many games.   I had a bad game, the whole team had a bad game, but since then things have changed and the team is in a different shape. The players are the same, but mentally we’re in a different position. We’re two points in front now and have to maintain the gap, or create a bigger one.”

And it’s clear from his form this season, there’s definitely been a change of heart. So what’s happened to change the striker’s attitude? Well, according to Drogba it wasn’t his Champions League ban or his face all over the press that shamed him – it was his eight-year old son. Of his son’s reaction to his European antics, Drogba says “I don’t always worry about what people think, but on this occasion it was really important to come out and apologise because of kids watching the games.  My son was watching with his friends from school and I was embarrassed by my behaviour. The good thing was that Isaac came to me and said, ‘It’s not right what you did, Dad, you should have had more penalties, but it’s not right to do that to referees.’  I told him never to do what I did. He’s 8 and plays for Chelsea Under-9s, but is very different to me. He’s really calm.”

It seems the Ivorian’s not completely oblivious to the image he portrays either because he goes on “I’ve always been very emotional, but don’t really know why.  My parents are very calm and quiet people, as am I in private, but when I’m on the pitch I’m different. Sometimes I see videos of matches and think, ‘Did I really do that?’ You’re kind of aware you’re doing it at the time, but when you sit on your sofa watching the game you think, ‘Was it really that bad?’  It was really difficult after the Barcelona game because I made a mistake, but was frustrated that people didn’t understand why I reacted. I apologised and everything, but I also wanted to show I’m not the person people think I am. I’m not a bad guy, I just want to win and sometimes I react. The passion drives me. It’s a part of my behaviour I need to improve, but people are human beings.”

As long as he keeps playing the way he’s playing this season, the new attitude works for me!

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Venue: Stamford Bridge

Date: Sunday, 8 November 2009

Kick-off: 1600 GMT

It’s Manchester United’s turn to try to put a hole in our 100% home record under Carlo Ancelotti today. A win for United would see them nick top spot off us whilst a draw would be enough for us given our superior goal difference.

Chelsea will undoubtedly be looking for another big showing from Didier Drogba if we’re going to get a result this afternoon. The Ivorian has been in stunning form lately and his partnership with Nicolas Anelka is finally answering the questions asked of it.

Another question answered lately has been around our defensive abilities. Our defeats to Villa and Wigan raised the questions, and rightly so, we looked pretty suspect. But Ancelotti looks to have addressed our disastrous defending of set-pieces and despite the suggestions our up-turn in form is largely because we’ve played lesser opposition, the fact is, we’ve still beaten everyone put in front of us in the league.

United’s defence hasn’t been without its fair share of questions either. With injuries to both Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic forcing constant changes in their backline and the lack of a Michael Essien in their midfield, they can be forgiven for looking a little more sieve-like than usual. Not that Carlo Ancelotti will get carried away with himself, Sir Alex Ferguson hasn’t been United’s manager for the last 23 years for no reason – a fact Ancelotti learnt when he came up against him in the Champions League in a former life.

MANAGERS’ THOUGHTS

Ahead of this top of the table clash, Carlo Ancelotti seems as unruffled as ever, saying “Psychologically, it will not mean more.  We have to play against a strong team. We will play against the second team in the list of the Premier League, but I think that it’s just a game that carries three points like the others.  It’s a very important game. It’s important because we play against a fantastic team, but we know very well that it will be a very difficult match but also a very interesting one. We are happy to play this game at this moment. I think we are doing very well, we are in good condition and we have a very good mental attitude.  I think Manchester United have a very good team.  Like us, they are doing very well because they have qualified in the Champions League and have done very well in the Premier League.  Sometimes against Ferguson I’ve won. Sometimes he’s won. But it’s not a match between Ancelotti and Ferguson. It’s Chelsea v Manchester United.  I have a very good relationship with Ferguson. I think that he’s one of the best coaches in the world. He has won a lot of trophies and I have respect for him.”

Strangely enough SAF, who questioned the age of our side last season, seems to be suggesting it’s a good thing now. The United manager says “I think Chelsea are using their experience really well.  Frank Lampard has retained that fantastic energy to get down the pitch and you would have to say that his record in terms of appearances is quite exceptional for a midfield player. He’s 31, but he obviously looks after himself to get that kind of playing record. They’ve got an exceptional player there and very, very good experience in the rest of the team. Experience can be important.  Carlo Ancelotti was a great coach at AC Milan and he has brought a wealth of experience with him to Chelsea. He’s won the European Cup twice and he was also a great player, so he has that wealth of knowledge. I thought he’d do well. He has brought a different system to the one Chelsea used and it seems to be working well. When you have those kinds of players, it’s easier for them to adapt than younger ones because they have more tactical knowledge.”

SQUAD NEWS

For Chelsea, Jose Bosingwa misses out again amid suggestions of a knee operation in the offing. Yuri Zhirkov and John Obi Mikel have both returned from injury.

Manchester United have to do without Rio Ferdinand (calf), Hargreaves, Park and Wellbeck (all knee) whilst Gary Neville misses out through suspension.

TEAMS

CHELSEA (from): Cech, Hilario, Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry, Alex, A. Cole, Belletti, J. Cole, Ballack, Lampard, Deco, Obi, Essien, Kalou, Malouda, Drogba, Anelka, Lampard, Sturridge, Ferreira, Zhirkov

UNITED (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster, O’Shea, Rafael, Brown, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Fabio, Valencia, Obertan, Anderson, Scholes, Carrick, Fletcher, Nani, Giggs, Rooney, Berbatov, Owen, Macheda.

LAST MEETING

Chelsea 2-2 Man United (Chelsea 4-1 pens) 9 Aug 2009

LAST SEASON

Chelsea 1-1 Man United (21 Sept 2009)

PREDICTION

Of our 34 league meetings, we’ve won 10 apiece and drawn 14, so it’s not exactly easy to call. United haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since 2002, so we should feel more confident than them going into this game. Why don’t I then?

REFEREE

Martin Atkinson

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‘Welcome to Stamford Bridge Samsung Stadium’. Doesn’t really have the same ring to it does it? How about ‘Stamford Bridge Adidas Arena’? See where I’m going with this?

Our new Chief Executive, who seemingly isn’t all that different to his predecessor, informs us the club are considering selling naming rights to Stamford Bridge – whilst somehow retaining the name itself.

Ron Gourlay says “Retaining the heritage of the stadium is paramount to considering such a move but we think that is achievable and on that basis we would enter into discussions over naming rights with the right partner for Chelsea.  We understand that this is a sensitive issue for our fans and that is why we would keep the name Stamford Bridge in any deal.

What we are not prepared to happen, and I am sure our fans will appreciate this, is allow our rival clubs in England and Europe to gain a competitive advantage over us in terms of the revenue they can generate through either expanding the capacity of their existing stadia or moving to a new stadium and then invest that upside in their team or the club.  Those possibilities are not open to Chelsea for the foreseeable future because of the restrictions in expanding our stadium and the issues around finding a new site, so that means we have to be creative and look at our sponsorship architecture and see if we can create new value and new opportunities that keeps us competitive.”

Obviously our ground is a lot smaller than the oppositions’ and Gourlay’s selling the idea (as well as our soul) by saying he doesn’t want the club to suffer.  The Chief Exec says “Our stadium does very well at the moment in competing with the bigger, and in some cases newer, stadia of our rivals. But they have more possibilities in the long run than we do. We cannot sell any more tickets to Chelsea fans as we sell out virtually every match within our limited capacity.  The match-day experience at Stamford Bridge and the relationship with our fans has improved greatly through initiatives such as our flexible ticketing policy for all cup matches, the freezing of non-hospitality ticket prices for the last four seasons for Premier League matches and subsidised or free travel to a significant number of away games.  But we need to keep evolving and move the business forward to support the football side and the club generally. This is a potentially realistic way of doing that.”

What a bloody ridiculous idea, Stamford Bridge is Stamford Bridge. Whilst it’s acceptable to change the name of a ground when the ground has actually moved, how can you suddenly change the name of a ground that’s still the same ground?

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TheChelseaBlog talks to the Republik of Mancunia blogger Scott The Red ahead of Sunday’s game:

STR: The question has been raised a few times in the media - who would you prefer out of Drogba, Rooney and Torres? Why?

TCB: The first thought that came into my head was Drogba. Why? Well, I might not be his biggest fan but he’s been phenomenal for us so far this season. He’s showed us his better qualities – his aerial ability not just in attack but defensively as well, his power – often from distance, his physical strength and presence. When he’s not busy auditioning for platoon, he’s just a nightmare to play against really.  

If I’m honest with myself though, I’d have to say Rooney. His game is about so much more than scoring goals and whilst Drogba’s contribution to Chelsea isn’t just about the goals he scores, I think it’s fair to say if he wasn’t scoring regularly then it would be because he wasn’t in his best form. I don’t think the same can be said of Rooney though, he’s more of a provider than Didier and whilst Drogba will always put himself in the box to defend, he doesn’t track back in the same way Rooney does. Add to that the fact Rooney’s just 24 compared to Didier at 31 and there’s quite obviously much more to come from Rooney.

STR: Unsurprisingly, I totally agree with you. There’s no denying Drogba is an immensely talented player but like you say, age isn’t on his side and there’s more to Rooney’s all round game. I would also argue that Rooney is completely in love with football whilst Drogba seems to go through phases. It wasn’t long ago he was dragging his heels when coming back from an injury and you can never imagine Rooney behaving like that. 

TCB:  Given you recognise the quality of Drogba, you must be looking forward to the African Cup of Nations?

 STR: You won the league in 2006 despite the ACON but I suppose that was a different era for Chelsea. That’s not me knocking Ancelotti in comparison with TNSSO but Chelsea’s best players in 2006 are still your best players now, but deeper in to their 30’s!

Still, Drogba has scored in 10 of the 13 games he’s played in, so of course I’ll be glad that he’s gone. Drogba has scored twice as much as any other player in your squad, Essien’s appearance record this season is only bettered by Lampard in midfield, Kalou has clearly had a lot of game time, with only one less appearance than Drogba and Mikel, well, ok, I’m sure you’ll survive without him… we certainly have done!

TCB: Unfortunately I have to agree, the loss of someone in the sort of form Didier Drogba has been in for us lately is going to have a huge impact. Michael Essien will be another big miss although we managed without him last season and although Mikel filled in (sort of), he’s barely seen the ball this campaign so we wouldn’t notice if he was there or not. Some might miss Kalou I guess but I wouldn’t be one of them.

We’ve still got Nicolas Anelka (who’s under-rated in my opinion), Sturridge (who isn’t under-rated in my opinion) and Di Santo will be back by then, so we’ll just have to get by. Getting by doesn’t win trophies though.

STR: Speaking of trophies, what do you believe to be Chelsea’s priority this season? Joe Cole recently claimed the Champions League was the most important trophy for you to win this year. Do you agree with players putting preference to Europe over the league?

TCB: I think he’s entitled to his opinion although I’d hope that isn’t the opinion held by the team as a whole. What concerns me about players coming out with comments like this is firstly the worry they’ll maybe commit themselves more in our European games than they would in the league, although on the evidence so far this season, that wouldn’t appear to be the case. More than that though, whilst the Champions League might be regarded as the big prize, a couple of titles under Mourinho doesn’t even come close to the success of our nearest rivals. We need to be looking to win those titles consistently. After all, as nice as it must be to win the ‘holy grail’, it’s all a bit of a lottery at times – it’s the consistent wins in the Premier League over a sustained period of time that really demonstrates a club’s worth.

STR: Definitely. Cup competitions, regardless of prestige, don’t prove an awful lot, whilst the league proves who the best team in the country is. From the group stages to the final, there are just thirteen games in Europe and I believe Liverpool won just eight of them when they were last crowned ‘Champions of Europe’. If you beat the best of the best then go on to win the final, you’re making a pretty good argument for being the best side in Europe, but nothing is conclusive.

Although you have to understand Cole’s urge for it, given how close you have come. Had John Terry buried his penalty, it would be a very different story for Chelsea. It’s a bit rich that a year later he would leave his ‘beloved’ fans hanging for almost a month whilst talk of a City deal spread like wild fire. Do you think he can still be considered the loyal captain he likes to paint himself as?

TCB: Unlike the vast majority of Chelsea supporters, I thought he was out of order.  I’d always bought into the ideal that John Terry really was ‘Mr Chelsea’ so for him to leave supporters guessing for 23 days whilst he apparently wasn’t considering City’s ridiculous offer, was out of line. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t because I believed he gave the offer serious thought because you’d have to at least consider such an obscene amount of money at his age, it was the lack of honesty that really pissed me off.

STR: Yeh, to claim afterwards that he hadn’t considered it for a second was rather insulting to the Chelsea fans’ intelligence… unless he really was telling the truth, and the sole motivation was to keep the club on their toes so they would fork out even more money to make him the best paid player in the league. Now that’s loyalty for you!

TCB: Clearly not JT’s biggest fan then! But which of our players do you rate? Who would you have in your team if you could?

STR: Michael Essien. It’s no secret we were in for him but he chose the then more successful team who would pay him more money. But I’d still take him at United in a heartbeat and I imagine the manager would too!

TCB: I could see a player like Joe Cole making an impact at United but I’m not necessarily surprised at this choice particularly given United’s deficit in this position. Essien’s lengthy absence was glaringly obvious for us, and he highlighted that the minute he came back from injury in true Essien style. I’m sure he’s happy with his choice.

STR: Yeh, who needs lots of medals anyway? Like Mad Rafa said the other day, it’s not all about winning is it? Hmm… Moving swiftly on… a lot of the media had Liverpool down to finish first, Chelsea to finish second and United to finish third. How true do you think that prediction was now?

TCB: Well obviously it’s Liverpool’s year although bearing in mind they’re not quite as keen to pay off managers at the same rate as us, they’ll probably keep the FSW and the title will be in their dreams again. The press might be about right placing us second though. Obviously I’d love to think we could nick it but realistically the ACON could disrupt our season, particularly with a transfer ban preventing us from strengthening the squad at all. I’m not sure how the press decided United would finish third, possibly in the wake of Ronaldo’s departure although it was clearly a premature prediction. I suppose you have to consider the fact that Arsenal seem to be quietly doing ok right now as well although given that they usually lose their momentum as soon as the business end of the season is in sight, maybe I’m being a bit generous?

STR: Arsenal are a funny lot really. You look at their squad and they’ve got some top quality players, their manager has proved his worth time and again, yet they don’t seem to have any real bottle and haven’t won anything for coming up to five years! It’s make or break for them really though because you have to think Fabregas will be there for just one more season at most, and for all their talented players, Cesc is far and away their best player.

I’d have to say Chelsea are the biggest threat to us winning an unprecedented fourth title in a row. Ancelotti seems to know what he’s doing and you have some important returns in Essien and Joe Cole.  

Of course there has been an impact on the team with Ronaldo’s departure though but the hole left by him isn’t the only weakness in our team though.

TCB: Go on…

STR: Well, our midfield in general. When you compare what we looked like in 99, with Giggs, Keano, Scholes and Beckham, we’re some way short of that now. Our depth is far superior to what it was then but we’re a player or two short of a really scary midfield. We’ve got a lot of good players in midfield but not enough great players. I’d like to think it will be a different story if/when Hargreaves comes back, but we’ve been waiting for a long time now.

TCB: Your defence seems to have leaked a bit so far this season although that’s hardly surprising given the constant changes enforced through injuries.  Mind you, if you had a quality defensive midfielder in the Roy Keane mould, it wouldn’t be as big a problem although the return of Fletcher will help. If Hargreaves does ever come back, do you honestly think he’ll be the same player he was though?  

STR: Well, who knows? Ruud van Nistelrooy had two lengthy lay-offs thanks to operations on his knees but that hasn’t stopped him from going on to have a long and successful career, with close to 600 professional appearances to his name. But he wasn’t a gritty central midfielder who had to put the boot in, so I dunno.

TCB: You seem well aware of your team’s weaknesses, but what about Chelsea’s?

STR: It’s hard to find one area really. I don’t particularly rate the players in Chelsea’s defence but the proof is in the pudding for them this season with the fewest goals conceded. Chelsea’s weakness is probably the depth. You’ve got a good first XI but there isn’t a lot of quality on the bench.

TCB: Our defence is strange really, as you say you don’t rate them and if I’m honest, the games against Wigan and Villa highlighted our flaws at set-pieces. Having said that, Ancelotti promised to address that and those two games aside, our defence has been pretty solid. If there’s a weak link there this season it has to be Ricardo Carvalho who’s been a bit suspect on occasion but we’ve got the option of Alex again now and he’s looked pretty strong since his return from injury.

You’re right about our lack of depth though. When Scolari came in, he pared the squad right back (and rightly so at the time) but none of these were ever really replaced – or at least not with any quality. Not that I hold with spending vast amounts of money or anything, but I think Abramovich has cut his nose off to spite his face a bit here. If Chelsea didn’t plan to bring their young players through and develop them into players good enough for the first XI, then they needed to bring in players of the required standard. The fact is, they didn’t and with the transfer ban they won’t be able to do it now before ACON which could cost us dearly. 

STR: It seems as though we’re both aware of our team’s weaknesses, although fortunately for my team, we can strengthen those weaknesses sometime soon… but let’s think forward to Sunday, whose weaknesses will cost them then and who are you looking out for?

TCB: The biggest threat to us oddly enough could be Darren Fletcher. He’s a vastly improved player and probably a lot more dangerous than he’s given credit for. Whilst our players are all too aware of the threat from players like Rooney, Berbatov, Owen etc and keep an eye on them accordingly, I don’t think they’ll necessarily be paying as much attention to Fletcher – and that could cost us.

As for predictions – the odd bit of handbags, maybe a couple of controversial decisions - same old, same old.

STR: I think however much United players want to win this one, there can be no accounting for the feeling Chelsea players have towards ours. We’ve won the league for the past three seasons and we beat them in the European Cup final. That will give the Chelsea lot something to fight against for some time to come I suppose, a point to prove.

Honestly, despite how long it’s been since we’ve won at Stamford Bridge, I usually fancy us to nick at least a point. This is probably the least confident I’ve been in some time, given we seem forced in to changing our back four on a weekly basis and are conceding goals left right and centre. But maybe that lacking confidence is a good thing, because these games often seem to favour the underdog!

Thanks for the chat Scott, hope you lose obviously  

Filed under: Interview, Rivals | 4 Comments »

Obviously TheChelseaBlog’s Aguero exclusive is top of this list but here’s a pick of the other stories today:

After this week’s games, Soccerlens has a look at the final 16 of the Champions League

Vital Chelsea brings us some bad news ahead of our game against United.

Goal.com looks at the impact Ryan Giggs could have on this weekend’s game.

Tony Cascarino focuses on the Torres v Drogba v Rooney debate.

And there’s an offer on Chelsea stadium tours if you click here.

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Chelsea target Sergio Aguero has refused to play down his interest in a big money move to Stamford Bridge.

Atletico Madrid claim they rejected a £42m bid for the Argentina international last summer but in the wake of Abel Resino’s sacking and a disastrous start to the season the Primera Liga outfit have opened the door for a fresh Chelsea bid.

The Blues have long been admirers of the brilliant 21-year-old striker and if FIFA allow them to make transfers in January, Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly expected to make Aguero his number one target.

The Argentinean Player of the Year has so far refused to comment on speculation linking him with Chelsea but today he broke his silence by revealing his long time admiration for the west London club.

Read more »

Filed under: Rumours | 9 Comments »