A Chelsea View

Status
Not open for further replies.

Sharpys top lip

Player Valuation: £60m
Got this off CFCnet worth a read.

Cup time again for Chelsea this Tuesday night, and after edging past billionaire neighbours QPR in the FA Cup, it’s Everton’s turn next to try to knock us out of an English cup competition for the first time since we lost to their Merseyside rivals Liverpool almost three years ago. That too was a semi-final, but we meet Everton in the League Cup, a competition we have won three times in the last ten years, and the Toffees travel to Stamford Bridge on the back of a major cup upset, an embarrassing 1-0 home defeat to League 1 Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup. With David Moyes’ men probably still shell-shocked from their early exit, the first leg of this League Cup tie could see The Blues take advantage, and hopefully we will be on our way to Wembley once again.With the prospect of a youthful line-up against QPR never really materialising, expect a similar line-up to the side which Avram Grant put out on Saturday. Along with the well-publicised injuries we have, a handful of big names will also miss out because of the African Cup of Nations. Salomon Kalou, Didier Drogba (both Ivory Coast), and Michael Essien (Ghana) must report for their respective countries’ training camps and are therefore unavailable for selection.

However, tenacious midfielder John Obi Mikel has been given permission to postpone his departure to the Nigerian squad along with Everton’s defender Joseph Yobo and their record signing, the dangerous striker Yakubu Ayegbeni. Nigeria boss Berti Vogts has ensured that he is in both managers good books by allowing them to play in the semi-final, and as Chelsea would probably have had to replace Mikel with the (to put it kindly) out-of-form Steve Sidwell, I think we all owe Berti! I know who I am now backing in the tournament in Ghana anyway.

Everton will be without Steven Pienaar however, as he is needed immediately by South Africa, while Leon Osman is out with a long-term injury. David Moyes was resting captain Phil Neville and first-choice ‘keeper Tim Howard for the Oldham tie so expect both to return.

Last season we were very fortunate as the semi-final draw pitted us against League Two Wycombe Wanderers. After making hard work of the first-leg and drawing 1-1 (with our goal coming from stand-in left winger Wayne Bridge) we saw the lower-league side off at the Bridge with an emphatic 4-0 win.

But earlier this season we played Everton at home back in November, and after looking the better side, and leading through a Didier Drogba goal, Tim Cahill ruined our day with a last minute bicycle kick to equalise. We have to go one better this time around, and make our chances count. After a dour win over QPR, improvement will be needed to knock out Everton. A first leg played at home gives us a chance to take a huge step towards another Wembley date, lets hope that by the 90th minute, it’s advantage Chelsea.

Prediction: Everton will have a point to prove to their fans after the humiliating defeat to Oldham but Avram knows that all eyes are on him in any big game. The Toffees will play well but we will take a two-goal lead to Goodison Park and the second-leg. 2-0 with a late-ish goal.


One of the comments by a chelsea fan on this page says, "i think were underestemating everton, i dont expect us to win this one"

Wow hope he's right.
 

I can't argue with one bit of that commentary.

I think we can give 'em a game but we're missing some key players as are they.

So, who's squad players will come through in this important match? Ours or Chelsea's?
 

Drogba was the one that scared me. without him and Kalou they only have the under performing Pizzaro and Shevchenko to select up front* :)

Essien is a big player for them, thankfully they only have Makelele to fill in !

we might struggle in midfeild with no Pienaar, Osman or thanks to that s**t fabriglass, Arteta. but im confident we can get this result COYB !

* this does not mean i dont think they can score goals
 
We need to forget Chelsea's team. To be honest I think with our full lineup we are a match for anyone, but we are missing Pienaar, Arteta and Osman (OUR BEST MIDFIELDERS), and that is where our defeat will lie.
There is no midfield quality left in either teams, it will be very scrappy and I doubt we can pick up a win. Mikel and - hopefully - Leon will be back for the home leg, that is what we should be looking to. Keep it as tight as possible and then bring them back to Goodison.
 
Its an intresting one, chelsea are far of their first choice line up too, I heard shvenkeo is out injured to, that means pizzaro might be their only fit forward in a five man midfeild, should we look not concede and hope to nick one or should we go for the throat?
 
Last edited:

I think if we could fed our yaks enough in this match we could get a win, our defence line up is strong, the problem is going to create scoring chance!
 
they may setup 4-5-1

hilario
belletti carvalho ben-haim a.cole
essien
phillips ballack sidwell j.cole
pizarro

its not classic chelsea, and im glad chunky chops is out (fwank!) but they have options in midfield and we are sorely lacking, this game will tell a chapter about moyes Re: tactics, setup and selection.
 
Though most predictions go out the window in semi finals, theres so much at stake it can be become a bit of a head [Poor language removed] foir the players, their usually tense tight affairs . Unfortunately Chelsea have more experience at this stage of compititions then our squad withthe exception of Neville, so hes nailed on to start, you can count stubbs in too!

Personally with so many players out i think chelsea may not be to adventourous and hope not to concede and take us back to goodison when more of their players return. I think its goin gto be 0-0! Get your V Cash on it!
 
I say go for the jugular. They are missing most of their quality through the spine of the team. I love the passing school of science football we've been seeing more of recently, but tomorrow i think with the players both teams have missing we should forget that for one night and just hit em hard and where it hurts. Get the ball up to Yakubu, fire balls at Hilario and the back 4 non-stop, and kick 7 shades out of them in midfield. I know this is going back to the dark dogs of war days, but there is a cup final up for grabs, even if it is 'only' the Carling Cup, and i reckon we have got a great chance of getting there.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Welcome

Join Grand Old Team to get involved in the Everton discussion. Signing up is quick, easy, and completely free.

Shop

Back
Top