Chelsea FC have beaten Swansea City 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to earn a vital 3 points at home. Its a marvelous 3 points that will really help the blues to finish in the top 4 and qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions league. Tottenham Hotspurs have drawn 2-2 away at Wigan yesterday, which leads the Blues to be in a comfortable 3rd position in the league table and gap the lead between Chelsea and thier two north London rivals(Arsenal and Tottenham).
Its two 1st half goals from Oscar and Frank Lampard at helped to get the revenge against the swans, who eliminated Chelsea from the semi-final of the Capital One Cup earlier this year. The Brazilian’s opener was beautifully assisted by Frank Lampard, who came on earlier at first-half for Ramires. And the 2nd goal came from Frank Lampard by a trade-mark penalty right before the first-half whistle. Juan Mata(who was celebrating his 25th birthday) was fouled in the penalty area by Leon Britton and Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spot to give Chelsea the penalty. Lampard then scored his 201st goal. He is one goal away from equaling club legend, Bobby Tambling(202) in the highest scoring list of Chelsea football club. That being said, lets look at 5 things we learned from today’s win:
1. Frank Lampard’s performances indicate he must be given a new contract
Frank Lampard delivered a decisive performance against Swansea City after coming on for Ramires at the first half. He exchanged passes with Captain John Terry and assisted Oscar for our first goal of the afternoon. Then in the 45th minute, Juan Mata was fouled by Leon Britton as he was trying to make his way in to the swans wall and Clattenburg gave the penalty, which Lampard fired past Michel Vorm to get his 201st goal. Lampard is helping the club coming on from bench or starting matches when he is needed. His contract will be up this summer and its all Chelsea fans hope for Roman Abramovic to offer the legend a new contract to END his career at Stamford Bridge.
2. John Terry is still one of the top defenders in the Premier League
Chelsea’s back four remained tight for the whole 90 minutes by not allowing the Welsh side to score or pose a serious threat unlike our 2-0 loss at home to the same side in the first leg of the capital one cup earlier this year. This has been influenced by skipper John Terry, who started his first EPL game since the away loss at Southampton. JT was very instrumental in organizing the back four this after noon. Also our defense was boosted by the return of Gary Cahill from injury. This proves a point to all the doubters that Terry is still one of the top defenders in the league and it has been reported on Friday that he might be considering a return to the England national team after he announced his international retirement last September. Although it will be remained to be seen whether Roy Hodgson will decide to call on the former England Captain or continue with some inexperienced or vulnerable options such as Smalling or Phil Jones to partner our own Gary Cahill for the Three Lions. But, it cannot be proven otherwise that the two Manchester United Center Backs are two of the most promising youngsters in their position. And it would for the good of the national team to have Terry return to selection ahead of the 2014 world cup in Brazil.
3. Fans need to have patience with performances of Oscar
As I was watching the game, many Chelsea fans on twitter were bashing the young Brazilian for many unsuccessful passes in the first half before he scored the opener late on. It should be taken to account that Oscar is still very young and has played to many games this season due to our congested fixture schedules. Since he arrived last summer, he was on London Olympic duties for the Selecao before he made his debut on substitute appearance against Wigan on the opening day of the Barclay’s Premier League. He has been exceptional in the way he adopted to the physical game of the EPL and was our top performer in the early exit of the Champions League. So, fans need to have patience with the Brazilian Kid as he will immensely develop in the coming years through experience.
4. David Luiz has fresh legs every single game, HIGH STAMINA
David Luiz yet again and played the whole 90 minutes against Swansea. He has been playing many games recently and still performs to the highest level without showing a glimpse of tiredness in his play. This is the 2nd back-to-back game that the Brazilian has played in Central Midfield role. He has adapted to the position since he was tried there for the first time in the Club World Cup last December in the absence of John Obi Mikel. Luiz has proven that he can adapt and play in any position he is asked to, particularly in CENTER BACK AND CDM. Even recently Gary Neville had admitted he was wrong to relate LUIZ as being “controlled by a 9 year old on Play Station”. He will continue to prove his doubters wrong and lead Chelsea to trophies in the coming years as we expect him to and It wont even be a surprise to see him getting the arm band from John Terry in the foreseeable future when the current skippers decides to pass on the torch.
5. Chelsea are more than capable of finishing in the top 4 and WIN the EUROPA LEAGUE
As we are now 1 point clear over Arsenal and 3 points over Spurs, with the Gunners having played a game more than the other two, there is a big chance of finishing in the top 4 if we continue as this level. We still have to play Spurs at home, in what would be a decider of who is going to finish in the top 4 for a champions league spot. Also we will play against Manchester United away at Old Trafford and against Everton at Stamford Bridge in the final day of the Premier League. Manchester United drew 1-1 away at the Emirates so that means United wont be able to break our record maximum point of 95 total set by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in 2005. Chelsea have beaten FC Basel away in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final 2-1 away last Thursday. One foot is already into the final of the tournament which will be played in Veltins Arena at Amsterdam. Lets hope to win the title against the winner of the Fenerbache and Benifica to end what has so far been an inconsistent display by the Champions Of Europe.
What were your opinions on the match and what lessons have you learnt? feel free to comment your opinions below and as always KTBFFH!!!
Oscar needs to improve his physique.. He will definitely get better but I think he still needs a year more..
u ‘re right.
and you need to remember RDM played oscar behind the center forward where he was a success .. he is adapting to the new position given
I think we should loan Oscar somewhere when the season starts.
no no no no no no no no no
Sallah u dnt knw what u ate saying,to loan or what
i agree with everything except that terry was good….
He was pretty good. Not the John Terry of 2004-05 or 2005-06, but age can do that to you.
chelsea will make d top four no doubt, we will win our remaining match.
i really agree almost with everything and i conquer with King,Oscar played in the number 10 role under RDM and thats where he produces magic and that was the case yesterday, he played much of the game on the middle and Mata on the flanks, on the other hand i can say Terry is not the same, it was because of Cahills` prowess that we dint concede because he had to cover for him on 2 or 3 occasions, but collectively we played well and would love to see MATA,LUIZ,HAZARD,OSCAR rested on Thursday my preferred line up for Thursday would be
CECH AZIPILICUETA IVANOVIC CAHILL BETRAND
MIKEL AKE
LAMPARD
MOSES FERNANDO MARIN
in a 4-2-1-3 formation
that would be suicide, the formation is interesting but the players do not suit it especially Mikel as he would slow down the play and then cock things up!!!, Luiz should be in that position instead!!!
Lampard. This is what happens when you play back to back games and not sit on the bench after one game,consistency. He changed the whole game when he came on. Remember when Mikel was away on national duty? Lampard had to play every single game and delivered consistant performances aswell as some crucial goals. Apart from consistency,you can call it match momentum. It’s the same with Ba. He can’t build momentum from the fact that he’s in and out of the team.
David Luiz. I love seeing him in midfield. With him as the screen,you actually don’t need a double pivot. He has pace,strength and excellent passing ability. He also has a good tactical sense of reading the game to intercept passes from the opposition. Look I’m not a Mikel hater but for me,he is second choice in this position if Luiz keeps on playing in this position. Especially if we look at the coming season.
Ps. It’s afternoon bra,not after noon. Cheers.
Oscar on loan, never gonna happen.
Lampard played well against the Swans, but his age has def caught up with him.
Terry and Cahill partnership was solid. Unfortunately, Ivanovic and Luiz pairing with Terry can be awful.
@Zane let’s forget dis Luiz – Mikel comparism. They are totally different players for different occasions. Luiz made a number of sloppy long balls against the swans, dt wsnt mentioned in the article. Mikel’s game has bin undermined in London, he hasn’t bin given d responsibility to play make from deep, always asked to protect the back four solely. Mikel has the best long range of passes in his arsenal dan any oda Chelsea oda player save for Lampard. Mikel is more composed on d ball and he cn keep possession going. Mikel is a stopper nt a rough tackler, he knows wen to intercept. Not blessed with abundant pace but when in position he cn stop any player in the world.
I have watched Mikel @ his play making best. Now seeing him in Chelsea colours just been utilized as a defensive cover, is so sad. A player sacrificed his creative talent to become a rigid DM for d blues, all u cn say abt him is his bad days. That ain’t fair. He has played against the best teams hence the best players for years and he held his own, when he doesn’t play well dt means d whole team ain’t playing well either.
Mikel John Obi, Chelsea’s Unsung Hero.
i thought you had more to say about Oscar who was on top form yesterday and also on our draw with Liverpool… i think this boy is good and dangerous in the center position where Mata plays and i would suggest that this guys to be exchanging the position like yesterday because it
was not certain who is on the center as Oscar was there while Mata was also seen
I think we can get the best out of Oscar if we give him time…. am also happy with his tackles and the way he wins the ball from an opponent, just like Ramires
Still only 25, his Opta stats for this season compared to three years ago show less tackles, less blocks, less interceptions and fewer passes in the final third. Is it one of the reasons Chelsea have lost ground in the Premier League?
Lack of responsibility, especially in the final third, killing the blues.
The statistics show that John Obi Mikel is not only a fantastic asset to have defensively to protect the back 4, he is also a competent passer of the ball. Defensively he has a tackle success rate of 83.33% with a remarkable 662 minutes between each defensive error and 88 minutes per each loss of possession. In terms of passing, his successful pass rate of 90% is quite remarkable for someone who is naturally under a lot of pressure in a role which requires composure as well as awareness. Compare this to the stats that Oriol Romeu, who is the next best alternative at DM, has. As we can see, he is worse than Mikel in most areas, with a ground 50-50 win % of 50% compared to Mikel’s 55% and aerial 50-50 win % of 50% again in comparison to Mikel’s 54%. Mikel’s tackle success rate is 83.33% in comparison to Romeu’s 78.38% and his pass completion rate is just below Mikel’s. These stats aren’t to show that Romeu is a bad defensive midfielder, rather to show that Mikel is an excellent one. Romeu in time will become a good defensive midfielder but Chelsea need Mikel in there to provide a solid base for the back 4 and for attacks to start from
John Obi Mikel is the best defensive midfielder that Chelsea has, the statistics prove that. He is calm on the ball, a competent tackler and rarely makes mistakes. Against Bayern Munich and Barcelona he had to be excellent as Chelsea were constantly under attack, especially at the Nou Camp.
Against QPR at the start of the season, as Chelsea were down to 9 men, he had to fill in as Luiz and Terry bombed forward, doing excellently in the process as my article from last season shows: http://www.eplindex.com/5400/chelsea-qpr-john-obi-mikel-underrated.html.
Mikel is key to Chelsea’s progress and must not be forgotten while the evolution continues.
http://www.eplindex.com/5400/chelsea-qpr-john-obi-mikel-underrated.html
http://www.eplindex.com/18194/influence-john-obi-mikel-stats-analys.html
Check his stats out
“He is slow,he lacks creativity,he can’t score goals” the same thing was said about Makalele before he left MADRID….now chelsea fans are doing it 2 MIKEL…….may be when he leaves us, we will realize his value as we did 2 ANELKA
@Neri Like Toure in the FA cup semi final and ended up on his arse every single time? I have not seen Mikel do one long pass in his time at the bridge. He is not one of our best playmakers in the team, his pass completion is so high because he passes back and to the sides. He does cover the defence well but that is all I see him do. He has better stats than Romeu because 1.He has more minutes under his belt 2. Romeu has been out since December 3. Romeu is only 20 and is still learning and progressing
we should always remember when Chelsea plays terms like Barca,Man utd,Arsenal terms who tip-tap the ball all over the field, mikel is always the man to do the stopping not Luiz or Romeu..he as proved that to us on so many occasions and people say he pass the ball back and sideways all the time not forward(he’s just following instruction been giving to him by the manager)we should remember when mikel plays under Jose mourinho he’s a better play than any of our defensive midfielders…Am so sure Oscar will become one of Chelsea all time best players in the future.isn’t easy to adapt to a position u are not use to.
After solid seven years of service, Chelsea fans still find time 2 criticiz dia best defensive midfielder(mikel) …….Alex Song of Arsenal (now Barca) was worse but d gunners faithful lifted him and kept him up after some brutal own goals
Though i’m a city fan but I’m sick and tired of reading articles/comments that underate Mikel .behold what do u expect from a young brilliant creative midfielder who was converted 2 a devfensive midfielder? Can some1 tell me how mata will cope if given d role 2 play? (Mikel was just like Mata if not better when he came 2 your club)
Khalid has now made me to accept that the boy (mikel) made the worst mistake of his life by joining us….he should have joined a club where he ‘ll continue his development,and his talent will be appriciated rather than being in a club where the fans underate him despite his hardworking
Mata will look like the worst player on the earth if he plays the role (cnt stop laughing)
Neri the stats man. I’m not saying Mikel is a bad player.
With Mikel,the game slows down. Don’t fool yourself. This player never makes long foward diagonals. The only long foward pass I can remember him making was a grass cutter to Cole in the Club World Cup,it wasn’t even an aerial ball.
Think football and forget about the stats. Football gets faster and more technical as generations pass. Look at Luiz in midfield. He is faster and in today’s game,you need screens who has more pace to get from the right side of the pitch to the left side of the pitch (vice versa). Mikel is good at what he does but mostly the game passes him by. He has his moments and yes you’re right,we need him. I just feel we don’t need him when we’re full out attacking and pressing. The manager can put him on when we’re defending and guarding a lead.
Why havn’t we seen him in the last two games? Benitez knows it isn’t about fooling around now at this time of the season. We must win games and with the players we have,we must attack teams to get those wins. As I said and if you look at Luiz in midfield,the ball gets into the final third quicker so the attack is fluid and has more pace to it. Lool at one of the best who distributes balls from deep,Xabi Alonso. Neri you say Luiz made some sloppy long passes right. The same goes for Alonso. Not every pass has to be perfect because it’s from such a deep position. I hope you’re a player to understand what I’m saying. It’s better to spray ten balls foward and get four accurate balls for four potential chances than spraying none and creating 0 potential chances. If you don’t buy a ticket,you won’t win the raffle.
I am a Chelsea fan, but now I believe Mikel made the wrong choice by joining us. It was @ Chelsea his game was tailored after Makalele. When I first saw Mikel in his creative element, he reminds me of Riqueleme nt blessed with pace but with footballing intelligence.
He would v bin a better player mirroring PAUL SCHOLES. He wud v been appreciated better.
Sir Alex, Mourinho, Grant, Scolari, Anclelotti, Hinddink, AVB, Di Matteo, Benitez all keeps using him and u say he is bad.
1. Sir Alex? 2. Mikel had the potential to be better than Scholes he has just never fulfilled that potential
@ Alexcfc if u haven’t seen Mikel make any long passes den u don’t v any reason to comment bcos u haven’t bin following Chelsea @ all.
hmm yes i have been from the age of 5 that was 14years ago
Then you must have been watching from the back of your TV
It’s really sad, many Chelsea fans don’t appreciate Mikel and the balance he gives the Chelsea Team. Technically Gifted, good destroyer and shield to the back four and decent ball distributor. Even in a game requiring a fast pace and high tempo, he provides the much needed balance. For all Mikel haters just explain why he has had favor with all Chelsea gaffers from Mou till date.
Im not saying he is shit I am just saying I haven’t seen him do a long pass. He is a good shield for the defense and has good interceptions. He balances out the midfield. I think he could be a good partner with Luiz as with Luiz being strong tackler and Mikel good at interceptions they are good for defense both good in the air and with Mikel sitting back he can cover Luiz while he does his thing with the ball
We played well in d 4-3-3 formation we have players 2 play Der,OSCAR,RAMIRES,LAMPARD,MATA AD EVEN MARIN.so dats all ad i can’t believe of all d work ivanovic is doin mikel is even earning Dan him ad he is d lowest earner in chelsea menn dats bad menn i fell 4 him
Is it because Mikel has not been scoring goals for Chelsea? He is the engine in the midfield, if he fails to work, the striker will not get the goal. Most times he had the chance to score but he willingly passed the ball to a striker. He is not selfish with that, yet the credit goes to the striker.It’s like the CPU of a computer, if all the processing is not done there, the monitor will not have anything to show. Chelsea fan should learn to appreciate and honour their stars. Mikel Obi is a star any day any time. Chelsea learn to honour your stars so that other stars will accept to join your club.