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A disappointing draw on Wednesday night against a hard-working Everton side sees us slip off the pace in the Premier League, and Super Guus has rightly written us off from winning the Premier League - with Man United looking like they're going to win their third successive trophy. Still, there are some positives to be taken from all of this...
Ok, so the match didn't go as planned. A dour and hard-working side with no flair or panache played against us at the Bridge, and somehow managed to keep a clean sheet. I know a few of you will be thinking how well Everton have done, but the complete lack of anything special going forwards means that watching them play (certainly on a weekly basis) can be one of the dullest things known to man. Yes, its a results game, but do you have to play so dull?! We have NOTHING to fear in the FA Cup Final - unless they manage to hold us to penalties (which might just be their uninspiring plan).
We've now dropped to six points off Man United having played a game more. Assuming they win, we need to try and claw back 9 points over the next 5 games - and I can't see United losing more than once in the run-in, even if they end up playing Ryan Giggs at right-back!
Superman Hiddink himself has written off the title challenge, whilst also conceding it might do us a favour - "We said before the match that we could not drop any more points and we have. Mathematically we're in the title race but we have to be honest and focus now on the Champions League and FA Cup."
With the Premier League out of the way (and a spot in the top four practically guaranteed), we don't need to worry about getting decent teams out, and playing our best players against the likes of Fulham, Arsenal, Blackburn or Sunderland - playing for the cups is about getting the best possible team together to face Barcelona (twice), and not worriying whether Terry, Lampard, Ballack or Drogba need the next game off.
With our season effectively now built around three games, and Guus Hiddink being the master of winning knockout games, we can give the Champions League and FA Cup our best shot, and take home a memorable double.
Can we beat Barcelona? I can't wait to find out!
What do you reckon? Can we win the double?
Comments
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Posted by Darren on 04/23/2009
How can you say that Everton are so dull when Chelsea have no pace and only two strikers?!
You speak absolute rubbish - and are so arrogant I can't believe it. I hope Everton do you in the cup and you end up trophyless!
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Posted by Don Mkaveli on 04/23/2009
the game was good. somedays are like dat. we played our game were just unlucky to have lost the so so vital 3 points.
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Posted by Stephen on 04/23/2009
All right, all though Everton held us, they had their chances to win the game. On play, we were the better team and were desperately unlucky with Drogba smashing the post.
With Barcelona, you never know, i recon we can do it even though we are the underdogs.
It will be tough playing against Messi though, especially as Ashley Cole cant play the first leg through suspension.
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Posted by DOMINIC NYAKINA ONDARI on 04/23/2009
the blues will win the double.watch didier and essien as they demolish barcelona.
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Posted by Phil on 04/23/2009
Maybe its a blessing in disguise but we HAVE to win the FA Cup now or the season might as well be lost.
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Posted by JLiz on 04/23/2009
North Carolinian and Chelsea fan here. If it was going to be a draw, better against Everton since Howard is from this side of the pond and very well respected. Good to see one of us competing on such a high respectable level! Save our players, we're going to need it for Barca.
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Posted by BL on 04/23/2009
I agree that it might be a blessing in disguise. However, regardless whether the boys gave 100% effort in Everton match, the Gus must have a game plan in hand for the final w/ Everton. Comments about the lack of creativity and width might be true. Having said that, can anyone shed some lite as to why Queresma is not even on the bench? Quite a few Chelsea fans agree that he was rather effective with high balls to the pen as a right winger. So, why keep on using Kalou when this guy is inconsistent?? If Queresma is an asset, might as well try and use him more when the team is going nowhere breaking down a wall like Everton's! This might cost Chelsea the cup, IMO.
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Posted by Michael Mc. on 04/23/2009
We can win the double no doubt. But as someone said this could be a blessing in disguise. Lets rest the vetran stars (most are not spring chickens) and let the youth play! Give Stoch a chance at wing, let DiSanto prove his worth, give Mancienne a regular shot, let Mikel and Essien Beast the midfield. I know there is more youth i am forgetting. Maybe we will discover a hidden gem saving us money and effort in the transfer market over the summer. What can it hurt?
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Posted by Jeff on 04/24/2009
Barcelona on Tuesday. A chance they might start Essien in the back to contain Messi? Mikel could take Essien's spot which would lessen our offensive capability though. At least one away goal seems to be a must. Go Blues!
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Posted by Calvin on 04/24/2009
First you say "Chelsea should have more than enough to beat a toothless side like Everton whom cannot even managed to beat the Man Utd babies" in your "Our first Silverwear" article, now you blame Everton for playing a dull game.
True. Everton does play a dull game and I am not ashamed of that as an Everton fan because we have lost so many inspirational players through injuries. Players like Arteta and Yakubu.
Perhaps you should reflect on why an almost full strengthed Chelsea side whom spent millions could not even beat injury hit Everton who have been on a shoe strung budget for the last couple of seasons.
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Posted by Craig on 04/24/2009
Criticising Chelsea for a lack of strikers is laughable. How many sides have 2 world class OUT AND OUT strikers? I'll tell you: Inter (Ibrahimovic and Adriano, if he plays for them again), Juventus (Del Piero and Iaquinta), Barcelona (Et'to and Henry) and at a pinch, Manchester United (Rooney definitely and Berbatov/Tevez perhaps). By the way, Everton's strikers are Jo (on loan and unlikely to remain), Yakubu, Anichebe and Saha (held together with a piece of string). People in glass houses...
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Posted by Michael Mc. on 04/24/2009
Quaresma is not an a viable option. He cant play in the Champions League so why give him playing time in the EPL? We might as well give that pt to the youth who can play in the Champions league and could feature more next year. Quaresma is going back to Italy, he was brought in by Scolari. Hiddink will play players he sees fit, those commited to Chelsea.
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Posted by johnny on 04/24/2009
I don't blame Everton for parking a double decker bus. That is what most mediocre teams do when they play at the bridge. The funny thing is: when it became apparent that Chelsea were not going to win with ten to fifteen minutes left to play, the Everton fans start to sing their songs as if they were about to lift a trophy!?! So revel in your mediocrity, and continue to beat only the teams that are more mediocre than you. cheers
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Posted by sanesie kamara on 04/24/2009
i think essien will be the right man to mark messi,if we want to go throught the frist leg of the champions league,i doubt it weather mancienne will mark messi as the way guus want it to be,but all the same,chelsea is going to take double.
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Posted by Tony on 04/25/2009
For us to win bacar come tuesday,i suggest Guus hiddink should use a right footer to man mark messi on that left fullback. messi is a tricky player, he is a left footer that operates from the right wing and plays through the centre. If we can use the spirit we use against liverpool in the first leg, i'm sure we will overcome bacar. what we need is fighting spirit and team work. chelsea for life!!!.
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Posted by Daniel Aires on 04/26/2009
ok im a chelsea fan and im actually offended by this article you cant write off a team like everton like that no matter what form or anything they are in yes we were more dominant but we didnt steam roll them like they were derby. and on your last article i wouldnt even write off a championship team if we were playing them in the fa cup final you never know until the day. That is why its the beautiful game miracles can happen so before you spit out any more arogent crap please use your brain and remember the chelsea corespondant is reping chelsea fans. (that means you make us look bad just incase your slow) well with all that said i hope we can get an away goal at nou camp and them show them what we can do at stamford bridge.
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Posted by Ron Lim on 04/27/2009
First of all, Everton is a strong and determined, work-hard side. do not discount them until the game is over, i see them lifting the cup in extra time. expect the whole everton team to be on song for tt day. David Moyes big day, the best to mark his 6th year anniversary and signg a new contract earlier in the season.
2ndly, people over rate hiddink achievement. no doubt he is a gd coach.
3rdly, barcelona is too gd for chelsea, i dun see any defence containg Messi, E'to and Henry, with Henry shot past chelsea defence during Cech's peak career.
probably they will have one which is the fa cup, 50-50 chance.. bt definitely not the champ league. i haf a strong feel that whoever win the outcome of the gunners-devils match will lift the europe cup.. it should be a wenger-fergie game.
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Posted by Ron Lim on 04/27/2009
To highlight.. If Essien or another makeshift defence on a full back, chelsea could be exposed easily on the flanks defence by messi, henry and guys..
Why?
remem, hw last season champions league final goes?
Ronaldo play on the left wing to exposed Essien nt an established right back? Ronaldo got a goal without anybody marking him.
Hargreaves play on the right wing and had Ashley Cole sweating throughout.. thus chelsea full backs are their weakest spots to be exposed by Messi..
Notice ashley cole makes lots of mistakes in the game lately.. With the makeshift, i believe Barca will go into the 2nd leg with 2 goals cushion..
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Posted by K. OPARA on 04/27/2009
Champions league with barca i think we have a chance. we just didn`t play well against everton. our team normally do this some time we lack ideas when we have not scored. play drogba upfront by himself and five midfielders, two holding midfielders and three central and attacking midfieders will work well against barca.
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Posted by Isaac Mwape on 04/28/2009
Hey guys lets be real, we are in the race and we never say die. Barca are out, we beat them 0-1 tonight and finish them off at the Bridge in two weeks time 3-0 and an ultimate 4-0 on aggregate. Go Chelsea, go. remember we are the "blues". the only advice I have for big Guus is that he should work on the defence and start Drogba, Anelka, Lampard, Ballack and Essien. We'll do it coz we've done it before even with the less experienced Grant on the touch line.
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Posted by enock on 05/05/2009
I agree that it might be a blessing in disguise. However, regardless whether the boys gave 100% effort in Everton match, the Gus must have a game plan in hand for the final w/ Everton. Comments about the lack of creativity and width might be true. Having said that, can anyone shed some lite as to why Queresma is not even on the bench? Quite a few Chelsea fans agree that he was rather effective with high balls to the pen as a right winger. So, why keep on using Kalou when this guy is inconsistent?? If Queresma is an asset, might as well try and use him more when the team is going nowhere breaking down a wall like Everton's! This might cost Chelsea the cup, IMO.
FROM ENOCK ACHEAMPONG
KUMASI/GHANA/ASAFO
ASAFOBOYZZ
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About
Phil Lythell is a Chelsea season ticket holder and lifelong Blues supporter stretching back to the sepia-tinted days of Kerry Dixon and Pat Nevin. Author of Chelsea-centric blog ShoutyandSpitty.com, Phil has spent his entire life living within a 20 minute walk of Stamford Bridge which has cost him a fortune but has also kept him from those interminable queues outside Fulham Broadway Station giving him more time in the pub to discuss the latest glorious/calamitous/insipid match.
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