Welcome Back, Roman!

Roman Abrahimovic is back in business

           Cost-cutting, Michel Platini, UEFA's Financial Restrictions....If anyone thought these words governed the happenings at Chelsea these days,then Roman Abrahimovic just showed who is in control at Stamford Bridge.Almost 75 million pounds spent on New Recruits,one of them a reigning Euro and World Cup Winner,while the other hailed as the Future of the Ultimate Footballing nation.Chelsea are back in Business.
           Not since the Massive investment in 2006,that saw the likes of Shevchenko,Michael Ballack, and Kalou land in London,have Chelsea made a big-name signing.The last 3 or 4 years have been relatively quiet,with just the likes of Zhirkov and Ramires and Sturridge coming in,all good players no doubt,but not the superstars who win you the Titles.There were talks of Self-sufficiency at the Club,but with the Champions faltering badly this season,Roman has been forced to open his chequebook again.

            The signings of Torres and David Luiz are highly significant in many ways.First and foremost,it shows that the Owner is firmly backing Carlo Ancelotti,by trusting him with the big signings.It's particularly important at a Club like Chelsea,for whom Stability could be working wonders.Also,it gives them a fresh impetus,in a campaign which threatened to deteriorate even further.Suddenly,there is a spring in their steps now.The arrival of Torres immediately puts pressure on Chelsea's big-name, yet misfiring strikers.It was all so evident against Sunderland.Nicolas Anelka,who looked no more than just an ordinary guy so far this season,was suddenly cutting inside three or four defenders effortlessly.That's what competition can do to you.Chelsea now have much-needed cover in the defense too,which now means all of us will be spared of watching Paulo Ferreira haplessly struggling in the Central defensive role,when Terry or Alex gets injured.
              Although one team feeling the brunt of Chelsea's sudden spree is Manchester City.They have tried to establish themselves among the Elite by throwing obscene amounts of money at half-decent players.But,even then,they remain unable to attract the very Best talent.People like Adebayor,and Edin Dzeko will come,but there will be no Kakas or Rooneys or Torreses.City would have been hoping to become the sole destination for big-money signings,but with Chelsea getting back to their Spending ways,it's a massive blow to the Blue-half of Manchester.

Fernando Torres after signing for Chelsea

               Lots of things are being said about Torres' massive transfer.Some say 50 millions is too much,then let me ask you differently.Is Torres worth 30 millions less than Ronaldo? No.Is he worth 6 millions less than Ibrahimovic? No. Is he worth 15 millions more than Caroll? Certainly.And then let's not forget Torres is already one of the most feared strikers in the World,has already netted in the Euro Final,and aged 26,arguably has his best years ahead of him.As far as Torres is concerned,for all the flak he's facing from Liverpool,his decision only seems logical.He may have loved Liverpool very much,but the fact is Liverpool are not up there with the Rest of the big Clubs.Biggest reason for Torres leaving Atletico,his boyhood club,was his desire to play in Champions League,to test himself against the Best in the world.We all know Liverpool aren't going to play Champions League next year,and maybe even in the year after that.And if the timing of the move is to be questioned,it was Torres' best chance really.Had he waited till the summer,Manchester City would come in with another massive bid,and Liverpool would rather sell to them,in the hope of earning a few more millions,than Chelsea.As a World Cup winning player,you would hardly want to go to City,when the Big teams are interested (Unless,you are stupid enough to be Carlos Tevez, of course!).
             Well,there have been too many discussions about Chelsea's massive spendings (which seem to overshadow the 35 millions Liverpool paid for a striker who is yet to play a Full-season in EPL,and was outscored by 4 players in the Second Division last year.Cunning piece of business,anyone? ) One thing is Crystal clear,Roman Abrahimovic has made Chelsea an even better destination than ever before.With that massive transfer of Torres,it's going to be much more easy for Chelsea to convince the big names to come to Stamford Bridge. Neymar, Kaka,Pato, Marek Hamsik,take your pick.
            Anyone thought Chelsea were a Club on the way down, not good enough for Steven Pienaar to choose over Tottenham?? You can forget all that now.The Russian Oligarch's actions in this January Transfer window promise a huge impact on the European Football for the seasons to come.

Welcome Back, Roman!

Chase the Devils...

               Yet another win,even after failing to dominate almost the entire game.Yet another comeback,after being outplayed for large periods,but most importantly,yet again 3 points added to the total.Some may say,Manchester United were plain lucky to survive,some may say they displayed the Spirit of the Champions.Whatever it may be,the fact is that United now have a Rock-solid Grip on the Title.Defending Champions Chelsea are 10 points short,which is a footballing equivalent of the Gap between a Ferrari and a Maruti 800,while let's not kid ourselves,Man City and Arsenal are just not good enough for the title.

Roberto Mancini,is he too defensive-minded to win the English League?

                 Let's just start with Manchester City only.I was totally baffled by their Midfield selections vs Aston Villa.De Jong,Barry,Yaya Toure and David Silva.Three defensive midfielders in the same line-up?? Against a team you beat 4-0 less than a month ago?? That's not title winning mentality,Mancini.That's the Problem with City.They can talk about World Domination as long as they want,but they themselves don't seem to believe they are good enough to beat the Manchester Uniteds and Chelseas.Even though they beat Chelsea,their goal came on the counter-attack only,and before that they seemed happy enough to play for a draw.Same thing versus Man United and Arsenal.You don't win titles like that.All they have managed so far,is to give away Huge Christmas presents to Arsenals and Barcelonas and Wolfsburgs by paying extravagant money for their players.Just look what they are doing,paid 25 millions for Adebayor,and less than 2 seasons later,they are ready to send him on loan,just to splash 25 millions more on Edin Dzeko.24 millions for James Milner,like he's the next-Gen Steven Gerrard or something! But,the biggest windfall went to Barcelona.29 millions for a want-away player in Yaya Toure! I mean,who are they kidding? Harry Redknapp got Rafael Van der Vaart and Gareth Bale together,for half that price!
                  Talking about Harry Redknapp,Spurs have been more than decent this season,with all those heroics in Europe as well.But the talk of the title challenge still seems far-fetched.They failed to take advantage against a Ten-men United recently and followed it up with a draw at Newcastle.We can already consider them out of Title Race.Their London neighbours,Arsenal,remain very much in with the chance.But,with their amazing ability to Self-destruct,I feel they aren't ready to go the distance yet.They might push their bid all the way to the end,but then this is a team that beats Chelsea 3-1 spectacularly on a day,and then fails to beat 10-men Wigan 2 days later!
                     I still think,even after suffering a massive dip in form for last 2 months,which included Defeats at unimaginable places like Wolves and Birmingham,Chelsea are the only team,which can really challenge United.And even Sir Alex seems to agree,as he's already declared their game at Stamford Bridge as the Season-defining game.The Blues looked almost back to their Best in the 4-0 demolition of Bolton.The ruthless desire to win was back in the team,the ability to turn a victory in a Rout was on display again.And although the 10-point gap that has been created due to ,what Carlo Ancelotti described as a "Bad Moment" (a moment which lasted just about 3 months,that's more than a Quarter of a season!) might yet prove too much.Manchester United may have massive points on the Board,but the Champions will not be willing to give away their Crown, without a Fight!

Can Chelsea's striking Duo Replicate their last season's Heroics?

                     So,at the moment, the Title looks Manchester United's to lose.Still unbeaten in the League,having Dimitar Berbatov in such Red-hot form,but I should remind those already jumping on the "Invincibles" Bandwagon,that United are yet to visit Stamford Bridge,and the Emirates,and the Anfield,and the White-heart Lane! Anyone still ready to bet they will be unbeaten,come the end of the season?
                     Well,United are running away at the moment,demolishing some teams,and grinding out results against the remaining ones.But,in Football,you can never promise what's gonna happen next.May be that's why,It's the Beautiful Game!

Can Dalglish be Liverpool's Messiah ?

Kenny Dalglish is back in the Liverpool Hot-seat

            King Kenny is back at Liverpool,the Place he left almost 20 years ago,as One of the Best Ever the Club had seen..Finally,it seems, the Liverpool fans have got their wish.Roy Hodgson,who many fans thought,led the club through their worst ever run, is gone,to be replaced by the Old Kop-Hero.For many,he represents hope,the sort of guardian angel,who can heal all their pains of mediocrity.But,has suddenly everything changed at Liverpool? Not Really.
            The Problems still remain at Liverpool Football Club.But,what Dalglish's arrival has done is that it has lifted the gloom around Anfield.The fans suddenly believe it's their team again.Some believe,almost to the point of foolishness, that Dalglish can take them back to their Glory-days.Suddenly,everything looks possible again.Funny,just one man's arrival should do that.But then,Kenny Dalglish isn't really like any other man.Many consider him to be the Greatest-ever to have played for Liverpool.He still remains the last man to win the English  League with Liverpool as manager,His achievements almost unparalleled.He's still The only manager of the Current era,to win the English League,with two different clubs.Liverpool fans have every right to believe,that they have found their saviour,or rather Re-discovered him.
                 Suddenly,the Anfield is buzzing again.The half-time boos,that usually accompanied the team at half-time will vanish instantly,at least for some time now.They say many players in Liverpool's current squad don't really understand what it really is,playing for Liverpool.Well, they will find out,by this Sunday. But, then, don't you think it's getting a bit too Romantic? Football Matches aren't won on just emotions,they are won by Hard Facts.The back-to-back defeats against Manchester United and Blackpool are there to flash the warning signs.And no one understands it better than Dalglish.Even after remaining out of Football for long time,he still has one of the best Footballing Brains.His immediate decisions,to get Steve Clark as his Deputy,and putting full faith in Fernando Torres testify to that.
                  Liverpool still have massive problems to fix.Their defence is as porous as anyone's in the EPL.For every battling Jamie Carragher,they have a Glen Johnson,who,well,quite simply can't defend.Poor man's Dani Alves,you can call him at best.They need someone to support Torres,they know it from ages,but still we only see David Ngog and Babel running around cluelessly,when Torres is out.But,the biggest thing is they need is to get their confidence back.Let's not forget,they still have most of the players of the team that crushed Real Madrid 4-0,or the side that Romped to 4-1 at Old Trafford.They just need to believe in themselves,which,they just don't, at the moment.That's why,personally I think Dalglish's return could be the best thing to happen for Liverpool.I do not know what a master tactician he is,but he can motivate that team,He can charge them up,Make them realize that they play for Arguably the Most Historical Club in England (They are still unmatched in European Trophies,at least in England).Liverpool have suffered terribly for last few years.Reactions of some fans to the 0-1 defeat vs United show precisely how.Respectable Defeat,they claim.For a club of the stature of Liverpool,any defeat vs United should not be acceptable,even in such conditions.Can you imagine Chelsea losing to Arsenal and later claiming it was a "Respectable" loss?? Or Barcelona accepting any loss vs Real Madrid as "Good Performance"?

"Make Us Dream", that sums up Liverpool fans' feelings

             That's why,it's heartening to read about the names being linked with Liverpool now,since Kenny's arrival.Luis Suarez,Fabio Coentrao,even Charlie Adams of Blackpool,they are far better players to target than the Paul Koncheskys and Ngogs and Jovanovics Liverpool have been signing recently.It's nice to see some common sense returning there.
             Well,we do not yet know,if Dalglish can turn Liverpool's ailing fortunes around.But one thing you can be assured of,the passion is back at Anfield.There will be desire again,to go into every tackle hard,to win every ball,to win every game.The fans will get behind the team.Any team which goes to Anfield from now till the end of season,is sure to get one Hell of a game,For the Faithful Kop believe,they have got back their Messiah.And I can't wait to hear the roaring chants again,

                              "You'll Never Ever Walk Alone!"

The Bridge is Falling....

               Come May,Chelsea will not be lifting the Barclays Premier League Title.Period. Now, some cynics (Read United Fans) may even say it was always likely to happen with the "Old" Squad and Chelsea are now not good enough to even finish in Top 4,while some may think it's just a tragic reaction to a Dip in form.Well,it's not.It's just the hard cold reality.Just go and check the recordbooks.Champions don't lose to Sunderland 0-3 at home,Champions don't dominate the whole games versus the likes of Newcastles and Birminghams and Wolves,and still manage to lose.And the Champions most certainly don't play Paulo Ferreira and Ramires,when they have the talented Brumas and Sturridges,in absolutely must-win games.True,there might still be a fightback,I am almost sure there will be a late surge to derail United's title charge,but well,It's just not gonna be good enough.

Dejected Chelsea players after another Defeat

               Having said that,it's not that United are playing so well to lead the League so easily,they are nowhere near the "Invincible" tag they are trying to claim.Go and watch their game vs WestBrom.They were all over the place.Westbrom dominated almost the entire game,should have had a penalty and red card to Neville,which they didn't get (Even Fergie accepted that.Now how many are ready to bet that a 10-men ,dejected United would come back from 1-2 down against an inform West Brom team.But,after that,Baggies did get a Penalty,which they just fluffed away.Now,you just don't do it against United.It was clear from that point,that United would make them cry.And they did.That's where they are so good,United,winning the games even after playing badly for the large chunks of the game.And that's what Chelsea have precisely lacked in last 3 months.United were outplayed at West Brom,and even Wolves,and still got the maximum points.Chelsea,on the other hand,wasted needless points at Birmingham and Newcastle,and Aston Villa.That's the reason that while United are way clear at the Top,while Chelsea languish in the Fifth place,even below City and Spurs.
               There are calls already to sack the Manager,the same one who was hailed as "One of the Best-Ever" after leading Chelsea to a Historic Double.The So-called "Football Pundits" are already claiming Chelsea won't even finish in Top 4.Nonsense. The same people were writing United off at the start of the season,after Chelsea had driven into a 5-point lead at the top.Now,suddenly,Chelsea are No-goers,right? Yes,there have been some Self-destructing decisions,like sacking Ray Wilkins,or not investing in New players to cover up for those who were drafted out.But,let's not forget they have missed their Big players big time.Injuries to Drogba,Lampard (that guy was out for 3 months,for God's sake,the World's best scoring Midfielder.You're bound to miss him,right? ) and Terry,not to mention the long-term layoffs of Alex,Benayoun,Zhirkov have all hurt Chelsea's cause.
                And then there is the problem of in fact HAVING players like Ferreira and Ramires.What it does is that it dents the chances of youngsters like McEachran and Bruma and Sturridge.Just imagine,Vidic and Ferdinand getting injured for United,and Johnny Evans will automatically come in to fill,Ferguson won't try to put Neville or Carrick in that role.But at Chelsea,there will be long discussions about whether to trust Bruma,or to put the "Experienced" Ferreira in that role.In the end,Ferreira will be picked to play in a position he just can't play,Chelsea will get drubbed (remember 0-3 vs Sunderland, don't you?) ,and after all this tragedy,next time similar injury crisis happens,Bruma will be given the task,as if he's being done a huge favour! And after all this,that 18-year old kid is still expected to go and play like John Terry!
Same thing with Ramires.Well,we were trying to cut the costs.So,we let all the Ballacks and Decos and Joe Coles ( don't you think anyone of them would have come in handy in these times?) were all allowed to leave for Free. Apparently,this decreased Chelsea's wage bill by 20 millions.And then they go and spend 18 millions on Ramires.Not a very smart piece of business,is it? When he arrived,we all were made to believe he is the Future of Brazil.That guy is supposed to be a Midfield-enforcer.But,seriously,he can't keep the ball himself,Forget winning it from the Oppositions.I just can't get why Carlo played Ramires and Ferreira vs Aston Villa,when he had Sturridge and Bosingwa.Don't tell me he "Rested" them.You just can't do that in such situations.It's like being stuck in a House on Fire,and saying "oh no,we're tired now.We'll have some rest first,and then try to get out".
               Chelsea's midfield has never looked so fragile.Few years ago,they could claim to have the Best Midfield Unit in the World.Free scoring Lampard,German captain Ballack,the African Superstar in Essien,the Invincible Makelele,all backed up by Deco and Joe Cole.Look at the situation now,with Lampard and Benayoun gone,we're straight into Mikel and Ramires,and there's this thing as well with Young McEachran not being trusted enough.They say he has the talents to match the Messis and Ronaldos,and still fear to put him against Aston Villa!
               But,even having had so many problems,it's still ridiculous to say they won't finish in Top 4.They still have the team to beat Uniteds and Arsenals.The big players are starting to return,The Blues will rise again,with same personnel,I still believe.For they are the men with Courage,the Terrys and Lampards and the Drogbas, they are the team who got heartbroken in Moscow in Champions League Final,and they still returned to win the Premier League in 2 years time,breaking all kinds of records on the way.

Carlo Ancelotii with Malouda in happier times,after winning the Premier League

                 I'll will leave you by refreshing our memories to a similar situation 2 years ago.Chelsea were playing badly( eve worse than they are now),people said they won't finish in Champions League places.Well we all remember what they did,winning the FA Cup,and even though they were beaten in Champions League semis,Don't you remember how they made the Mighty Barcelona,the Best footballing team ever and all that, look like an Impotent Unit at Stamford Bridge?

Of Arsenal's "Mission Impossible" and Spurs' Italian Adventures

Who would get to lay his hands on the Europe's most coveted Trophy,this year?

        
  So,finally the Draws for The Champions League knockout stages are out,and although some of the biggest teams in World Football are involved,there isn't really a Adrenaline-raising,Mouth-watering clash at least in the Last 16s. Manchester United and Chelsea got comparatively easy draws,while Arsenal managed to find the worst draw possible in Barcelona,Real Madrid face Olympique Lyon,the team that knocked them out last year,so that would be an interesting clash too.Here are the 3 best fixtures I thought,came out Yesterday's draw:


3. Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich

with the "Special One" gone,and Diego Millito not emulating his last season's goalscoring heroics,Inter will find the goings hard in Europe's elite competition this year

It's the clash between last year's Finalists,but this doesn't look as exciting as last year.Both teams are struggling in the Domestic Leagues,especially Inter,who have really found it tough to cope with the loss of Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid.Struggling with so many injuries,Inter languish at the sixth place in Serie A ,and if their form doesn't improve soon,we could have a different man from Rafa Benitez in the Dugout by the time they face the German Giants.Although,Bayern themselves are not in the best of forms,the Bavarian Giants would be my pick in this tie.




2. AC Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur


This one promises to be a cracking tie,the Defensive Strength of Milan versus the free flowing Spurs.Although AC Milan would be a different opposition altogether from their neighbours Inter for Spurs,who were impressive against the Defending Champions in the Group Stages,the Londoners do have the talent to compete with the very best of Europe.One thing that could go against them is their inexperience at this stage,although they score goals for fun,keeping clean sheets is so vital in Champions League,especially in the latter stages,and Spurs look like they can concede anytime.Milan are in very good form domestically,on top of the Serie A,and with Ibrahimovic finding his goalscoring form,they would be my favourites in what promises to be a Roller-Coaster ride of a game,but then which game involving Spurs isn't??




1. Arsenal vs Barcelona

Will Fabregas and co. be able to match the Catalans,or will it be a repeat of last year's Messi mania??

This was the fate everyone wanted to avoid,and Arsenal have gone and found it again! Points dropped against Braga and Shakhtar look so costly now,as they find themselves in a tie,which ,at the moment,seems to have only one possible outcome.The Catalan Giants have re-discovered their devastating form,and since Destroying Real Madrid in the "Classico",they haven't bothered to look back.While their dazzling scoring records catch every one's eye,they have silently turned into a Rock-Solid Defensive Unit.6 straight clean sheets in all competitions in a row,and the number only looks set to increase as La Liga action continues.Arsenal haven't been that impressive,although they sit 2nd in the Premier League,they have already lost at home to the likes of West Brom and Newcastle,and unless Someone can produce a Miraculous performance for the Gunners (and of course,there is a condition that no one does it from the Spanish side,which looks unlikely,remember what Messi did last year to them,don't you?) ,This looks a tie heavily tilted towards the "La Blagurana"

Another FIFA Fiasco???

           So According to FIFA,World's current top 3 player come from a same Football team.Just look at their descriptions,one is the pass-master who can control the game the way he wants against any opposition,another has fired the World Cup winner,while the third is almost a "Divine" player,who is supposed to be Light years ahead of any competition.You'd tend to think,the team that has all 3 of these greats would tend to be ,not the world,but atleast the Current Continental Champions,wouldn't you?? Ooops,they aren't!!!
           Welcome to the World of FIFA Ballon'D Or,another pathetic attempt by FIFA to associate itself with the Best of the Club Level football.Wesley Sneijder,the man who took a team like Internazionale to Champions League Glory,and Netherlands to the World Cup Final,isn't even in top 3 players ,according to FIFA! Amazing how they work that out...
        I'm in no way suggesting,that Xavi and Iniesta are not great players,yes,they have been the best midfielders in the world for last few years.But this is the award 2010,and you don't need a genius to tell you that Sneijder's achievements this year far outweigh those of Xavi and Iniesta and even Messi! Yes,we all know Barca play beautiful football like no one else does and all that,but sometimes we just give too much respect to them! Well,if Messi can get to be the favourite just because of 34 goals he scored last season,even after managing to win just the Spanish League last season 9 (that too by only 2 points!),why can't Frank Lamaprd,with his amazing 27 goals from Midfield last season,which lead Chelsea to the League and Cup double be the contender too??? I should just point out that Lampard managed to score more goals than Xavi and Iniesta put together last season!!! And if your argument is England's World Cup debacle,then What great things Messi's Argentina did in World Cup either?? A useless referee,who refused to change his decision,even though the entire stadium,including himself,knew it was wrong,was the reason they went past Mexico,and later got ruthlessly hammered 0-4 by the Germans.If this isn't the blemish on Great Messi's season,then why should it be on Lampard's? (He in fact even managed to score a perfectly legitimate goal vs Germans too,which was not given,if you remember!)
         

Wesley Snijder had an amazing last year,including the triumph over Mighty Barcelona

      I am not trying just to put forward Lampard's case here,but just pointing out that the Xavis and Messis haven't been that great they are made out to be.Barcelona have won just the Spanish League last season.Compare this to Sneijder's haul of the Serie A,Italian Cup,and the Champions League(first time in almost 50 years for Inter),and he did it with Inter Milan,whom nobody had really fancied,let's not forget they slayed the Catalan Giants on their way,with all their Player of the Year contenders!and then he lead the Dutch to the World Cup finals,too,where he didn't have the Torreses and Villas and Puyols and Casillas backing him up,either! My point is that this is an Individual award,and no matter how great Barca are as a team,there are better performers like Diego Forlans and Wesley Sneijders who have taken their teams forward single-handedly.
               But,of course you can't expect much from FIFA these days.Remember the latest controversy,handing the 2022 World Cup to Qatar,a country who has never qualified for the tournament,is currently ranked 113rd in the World,and has temperatures in excess of 40' Celsius in Summer.Taking the Game forward,are we?? Same thing goes for the Club World Cup,another desperate attempt by FIFA to relate itself to Club level Football.For pure financial reasons,it's played in Japan or Middle-East,and it's almost guaranteed that the final would be between European and South American Champions.Who bothers much about it anyways?

            So,come January,we will again be singing the praises of the Great Messis and Iniestas,for being the best players in the world,it might be true too,but the scar on the trophy will always remain,for it didn't have the chance to be nominated for the Lone Warriors like Sneijder and Diego Forlan! 

"Month from Hell"??

Another agonising game to watch,playing just one-half of good Football, well,and then just giving up in the second,Chelsea fans aren't really used to this....But,really these troubled times make you understand what Arsenal and Liverpool fans have to suffer week in week out!!! From 5 points clear at the top,the Champions have plunged downwards in November,seeing Blackpool's home record,we can consider ourselves 4 points off the pace already,and the December fixture list doesn't make it any easier.Tottenham,Manutd,Arsenal all lined up alongside resurgent Bolton Wanderers,Chelsea couldn't have chosen worse times to have got the Lampards and Terrys and Benayouns injured,could they??

Watching the Everton game on Saturday,I couldn't really believe how light-weight Chelsea's midfield looked.Essien looked rusty from injury,Mikel was wasteful,and why Malouda is trying to play in the Centre-midfield more when he excels so well on the wings???

If there was one area,that Chelsea could boast of as being arguably the"World's Best",till last year,it would be their midfield.Lampard,Ballack,Essien,not to mention Makelele,these guys would get into any team in the World,and then we had Joe Coles and Decos and Mikels as cover-ups,couldn't get any better,could it? And suddenly this season,it's all collapsed!! Mikel looks a lost man,the creative force of Benayoun was lost to injury,and Ramires hasn't managed to settle in English Football yet.Chelsea are missing Lampard like hell!!! He gets them those 20-25 invaluable goals each season from Midfield,but its not just the goals,but his forward drive,his ability to get into shooting positions.Watching Mikel and Ramires on Saturday,I really missed Lamps there! Of course,Chelsea wouldn't have missed him so much last season,when Michael Ballack could fill that role efficiently,But this season,with Benayoun out inured,Chelsea have lost that authority in midfield.It was same vs Everton,same vs Sunderland,and same vs Birmingham.They just put the extra guys in midfield,and Mikel and Ramires were simply overwhelmed,Malouda tried to bridge the gap by getting more Central,and it took out Chelsea's sting on that left flank! At the moment,there looks to be no solution other than getting Lampard back as quickly as possible,and with the quality of the teams they're about to face,they have got to do it fast!!!

Manchester Utd are getting back to their normal Fiery "Christmas period form"(not taking into account that dreadful 0-4 to West Ham,of course!!!),Arsenal also look strong,and Spurs seem to be in great spirits following their adventures in European Football,but all the talk of Chelsea's title challenge falling apart still seems far-fetched.Your title challenges are not wiped out in November,guys,well,not unless you are Liverpool fans! But,for the rest of the normal World,it takes April or May for the title challenge to fade off.So let this "Month from Hell" be upon us,we won't give up Hope.

December,here WE come !!!