The Burning Boats...

There's an awe-inspiring story of the famed explorer Hernando Cortez that I can never forget. He reached the shores of Mexico in 1519. Wanted to conquer the land for the Spanish empire. But the hurdles were too big. A  mighty empire of Aztecs as enemies, deadly diseases, and scarce resources in a totally foreign land. As he marched with his army for the battle, he sent one of his captains back to the shore with a single order, "Burn our Boats." I love that attitude.

When Chelsea's famous Old Guard marched on to the Stamford Bridge turf on Wednesday night, they perfectly knew what future awaited them. They knew that, their boats were burning, and that there was no way back. Fight for survival, or die in the war.Simple. And they delivered. Sometimes, it's better to be under pressure, rather than coasting through everything.

John Terry said before the game it could be one of their greatest nights, and spot on he was. This was a performance that defined what Chelsea are all about. Simply refusing to die, refusing to give up on their long cherished dream of conquering Europe. Chelsea's golden generation knew this would be their last chance, a final onslaught in their quest for the Holy Grail, that is the Champions League. And they fought heroically, for the whole of those astonishing 120 minutes. John Terry, Mr Chelsea as he most certainly is, would lead the way majestically, miraculously just 3 weeks after a surgery on what had looked like a serious knee injury. Didier Drogba, who turned 34 days ago, battled like a monster for the whole of two hours, never allowing a moment's peace to all 3 defenders who formed Napoli's rearguard.

Let's give Napoli the credit they are due, though, for making this tie a memorable one. Any Italian team would try to sit on the two-goal lead they brought from Naples. But then, Napoli hardly play like an old-fashioned Italian team. They aren't afraid of the giants, and rightfully so. Their "Holy Trinity" is one of the best forward-lines in Europe, bettered perhaps only by Messi and Co. Napoli are quite an exceptional team, they move at a breakneck speed, they make the game thrilling, without doubt they went down fighting.

Walter Mazzari was right with his philosophy, despite the defeat. They knew they could score in London, leaving Chelsea to score atleast three. What he would not have thought, was that Chelsea would be up for the challenge. This was the Chelsea radically different from the one that fell lamely in Naples. Fired up for the occasion, ever since Terry put them ahead on aggregate, you could sense there would be no stopping them. Gokhan Inler's brilliantly taken goal, even though easily the finest of the night, merely delayed the inevitable. Chelsea would not be beaten on the night. There was far too much determination in them to be knocked out.

These are the nights that make football fans' lives worth living for. These are the nights that make Football the "Beatiful Game" that it is. Every club has their own, and this one perhaps, was Chelsea's greatest. There's far too much work yet to be done, all the hullabaloo will count for nothing if Chelsea can't get their faltering season back on track at the end. But this was a night, that galvanized the club, which days ago, looked a broken unit. Stamford Bridge erupted like never before, and it's likely to keep roaring again. The writing on the wall is there for all to see. Chelsea's Golden Generation are out on their final assault. They might not be around for long now, but they're far from finished. Not by a long way.

Is this the start of a revival for the Men from the Bridge?

Those Mundane Weekends...

What was the last time we watched a Premier League game, then? Scratch your heads, go deep in your memory, refer the history books, and we might just get a clue. There have been countless moments in-between, when I sat on a sofa, just gazing at the ceiling haplessly on a Saturday evening of all times in a week. It's been happening quite frequently these days though, thanks to these so-called international commitments. Why do they happen in first place, I wonder? Only so that the reigning World Champions can get a break form the fiercely contested domestic tournaments, and have a nice walk in the park?  That's what they did last Saturday anyways vs England! The English may bang their drums as much they want about a "Triumph over the World Champions", but really, How much did the game matter to Spain? Taking off Xavi, David Silva and Iker Casillas at half-time when the game is at 0-0, that tells you something about it.

Picture Courtsey (David Dixon) / CC BY-SA 2.0

Okay, Chelsea fans must have felt nice to see Lampard leading his team to victory over the World Champions, and the Manchester United guys will have taken their chances to boast about Jones' versatility too, not to mention Suarez's 4-goal heroics. But honestly, wouldn't we all have preferred to rather watch Tottenham versus Aston Villa a week earlier? Would have made a better sight than watching Gareth Barry captain England at the final whistle, anyways.

But like all good things in life, after a long period of never-ending suffering, the European club action resumes tonight, and there are some seriously big fights to witness. But the biggest battle is likely to be between Liverpool's ability to hit the goal-posts rather than the net, and Chelsea's allergy at keeping a clean-sheet. Of course, a Chelsea own-goal is an option that can help both teams preserve their principles this season. Branislav Ivanovic nearly did that out of humanity for Blackburn, but that of course, was ages ago, if  you are able to recall. I know I'm wandering into nowhere now, but you'll surely excuse that from someone deprived of proper football for 2 whole weeks!

While we're at it, Luis Suarez was formally charged by FA for racism against Patrice Evra. What surprised me is no one has even suggested so far about banning him from the national team, or locking him up in jail, or condemning him at least. No comments on his being guilty or not guilty, but I do recall the outcry when similar accusations were hurled at... well, you-know-who. Half the media had already branded his reputation as "tarnished forever and irreparable". So much for the thought of "Innocent till Proven Guilty"!

Anyways, let these things not dampen our spirits. It's been a long time, and these are the moments, when we feel delighted even at the pretty sight of Gervinho, simply because he's in an Arsenal shirt. So get ready for action again, but all the while, don't underestimate these mundane weekends either. They are the ones which show us, why even a Bolton vs Stoke football match is counted as  the "Beautiful Game".

Nine Proud Men...

       First of all, apologies for being away so long. I'm fully aware College exams and Journal submissions hardly count as excuses, when compared to the monumental importance football holds in our life. I know no one's life was affected, just because I didn't write a new post for a month, but I hope (or rather I dream),someone, somewhere missed my blogs. Enough of these sweet dreams though, let's get straight into serious business.


           It was a sense of deja vu for the Chelsea fans. A trend that was set on a chilly night at Anfield in May 2005, and followed on many such as that fateful one at Stamford Bridge in May'09. The fact that it was rather a fine sunny afternoon didn't seem to matter. Nor the fact that they were up against a rather measly-looking QPR, rather than the Barcelonas and Manchester Uniteds. But for all the disappointment, the vigour with which Chelsea carried the fight will not have been lost on the Blues faithful. 3 priceless points may have been lost, but there were far too many positives to gain from it.

AVB's Tactical Genius :
When your team plays with 9-men for more than a half, and still commands nearly 60 percent of the possession even against QPR, you just know they are destined for big things. As you must have already read, the 9-men system that AVB set-up was thoroughly impressive,and it nearly paid off too.

Lampard almost played a forward-role as the game wore on, even as the full-backs burst forward at every possible opportunity.

 Chelsea nearly sacrificed their entire midfield, as they chased that unlikely equaliser in the second half. Only Raul Meireles stayed in his mid-fielder's role, trying to thread the passes, as Lampard drove constantly in the penalty area, to support the lone forward Anelka. Whether there was an injury to Mata or not, Villas Boas' decision to bring on a conventional forward in Anelka for a play-maker, that too in first-half- stoppage-time was brilliant. It so reminded me of Mourinho's daring changes in an FA Cup tie vs Spurs 4 years ago., when he found his team trailing 1-3. The decision to sacrifice Sturridge for Ivanovic, although it may sound defensive, also was a much beneficial one. He, along with Ashley Cole on the other flank, worked tremendously to cover their entire sides of the pitch.

Mikel sat deep, allowing Terry and Luiz to  take turns to bomb forward.

It's also worth noting that the Chelsea defense didn't capitulate under the pressure, as most teams do even with 10-men. You require a great amount of co-ordination to play that high defensive-line with 2 players down, and they pulled it off nicely. Cech just had one good save to make in the entire second half, as his defense ran marathons to stop the onslaught. Every time John Terry made a lunge-busting run forward with Cole or Ivanovic in advanced wide positions, Luiz smartly tracked back to accompany Mikel, who sat ultra-deep to provide the shield to the defensive-four. After an exemplary deep-lying midfielder's performance by Oriol Romeu in mid-week, it was a solid performance by the Nigerian to stake his claim for a regular starting berth.

Of course, a more accomplished opponent that Queens Park Rangers could have exploited Chelsea much more. If Manchester City showed how strongly you can punish your opponent's weaknesses, QPR  miserably failed to replicate that. But then, from a team, who consider a win earned by a diving-penalty and failing to dominate a 9-player team as their best performance for 30-40 years, you can't expect too much more than mediocrity. Watching Shaun Wright-Phillips' wayward-to-say-the-least shooting, you have to admit the referee got the Bosingwa incident horribly wrong. It's simply not a goal-scoring opportunity, if Wright-Philips is through on goal.

Jokes apart, AVB did not mince his words after the game. "I was aggressive to him (the ref), but I think I have to be.Is he okay with it? I don't care",said the Portugese."It was not a bad day for us. It was a good day for us, but a bad day for the referee". He knows the importance of what was lost. But still, he refused to criticise his own players, instead applauding their determination to fight, and very rightly so. There are big games coming, and he'll charge up his troops to battle, even if it means taking on the rest of the world. There's another shade of Mourinho in there. But, Villas Boas is different, Jose would attack the opposition, taunting the "small clubs". Villas Boas made himself clear and moved on, ignoring the arrogant (AND reckless!) comments from Warnock and of course, the footballing saint, Joey Barton. There are bigger things to achieve.

The English League has never been tougher in recent times. City are running rampant at the top. United may have had the thrashing of a lifetime, but there should be no doubt they'll bounce right back. Devilishness is a virtue integrated in the Red-side of Manchester. And yet, the atmosphere is buzzing around the Stamford Bridge like never before. The chance to gain valuable ground on the Mancunian rivals may have been lost, but to use the cliche again, The Blue Flag has certainly kept flying high.
Adios!

John Terry-the Captain, the Leader, the Legend...

                Almost everybody seems to have an opinion over England manager Fabio Capello's decision of handing the Captain's armband permanently to John Terry,just 13 months after he was unceremonious sacked as England skipper on moral grounds.And many of them are publicly expressing their dismay over the decision already,but for me,and I don't just say it as a Chelsea fan,it was the most obvious thing Capello and England should have done.I can already sense people ready to throw stones at this,but I firmly stand by my belief,.Whatever be the off-field issues,there is no better player in England at the moment than Terry to lead the country.Period.

Terry has been lifting many trophies with Chelsea,even after being removed as England skipper

                                                
                                      
                   I do not wish to enter into the controversy that erupted last year,but on the field,where it matters most,John Terry has been a Maverick.He has been,and remains, one of the most reliable defenders in World Football,along with Vidic and Pique.Just look at his Club level form at Chelsea for that sake.The ever reliable Ricardo Carvalho was sold away to Real Madrid this summer.David Luiz has just come in,but Alex has been missing through injuries for long periods this season.Still Chelsea boast the Best defending record in the Premier League this season.There should be no doubts where the credit goes most.
                    They say it took Capello 12 minutes to sack Terry as the captain last year,after all those lurid allegations.But it didn't take Chelsea even a few nanoseconds to stand behind their skipper.And John Terry paid the full value of that faith.Handsomely.Chelsea romped (No pun intended) to a Historic League and Cup double last season,breaking all kinds of records on the way,even as a toothless and leader-less England failed miserably in the World Cup.People criticised the performances of Terry most at that time,which was a conveniently easy thing to do,but it doesn't change the fact that Terry has been one of the Best defenders on the planet for last few years.

Absolute fearlessness while going for the ball,to the point of madness.
But this is what has made John Terry a footballing Great.

                     The thing that sets Terry apart from his counterparts in World Football is his passion about the game.Never in his life,has John Terry hesitated to go into a tackle or fighting for a header,fearing for his personal safety.In fact,his outright determination to win every tackle,and the readiness to always put his body on the line for the team's gain was what made Capello eat his words,and hand the armband back to Terry. "For John Terry,dying on the field would be glory.In order to stop him from playing,may be you will have to kill him,and may be even then he will still play!" These were the thoughts of the former Chelsea coach "Big Phil" Scolari about his club captain.Looking at Terry's some terrific,and almost madly tackles sometimes,you can't help but believe that.I have seen that guy trying to head the ball,while lying on the ground,without having the slightest fear about the Oncoming player's studs cracking his head.You can all crack jokes about the allegations with Terry's private life,really easy thing to do,but it takes real courage,to throw yourself on the ball,when there's every chance that the opponent's tackle may break your bones,perhaps can even end your career.Even when all those allegations came out,even when he was booed everywhere while playing,Terry did not go into hiding.His first reaction to all the abuse was to score the late winner at Burnley,the place where Manchester United,Arsenal,and Liverpool failed to win.In his first England game,after the Champions League final in Moscow,which left him heartbroken,he scored the winner vs USA.That was the game that made Capello make him the England Captain. He was targeted almost every time he entered the field last season,but he still emerged holding the EPL and FA Cup aloft in the end.

Perhaps tackles like this made Capello change his mind over the Captaincy issue

                                            
                                                          
                   I am in no way trying to support all the misdeeds he carried out,it was a disgraceful thing to do,especially at the time,when young kids see these footballers as role models.He should have been,and has been punished for that.But then who do England have as the "Mr. Clean" leader? Even Steven Gerrard has been involved in drunken fights.England's captaincy was handed to Rio Ferdinand after Terry,a player who was banned for 8 months for missing a Drugs Test (How many of us remember that?) ,and who had just been banned 3 games in EPL for "Violent Conduct" at that time,a ban which was extended to 4,because the appeal committee termed his appeal as "frivolous".Not the most moralistic thing you could do,was it?
                     People have been saying making Terry captain will cause divide in the team.Rubbish.Young players like Joe Hart,Wilshere and Carroll are going to be more interested in cementing their place in the team.In the seniors section,the Chelsea contingent are unlikely to have problems with having Terry a captain,Steven Gerrard knows Terry was Capello's first choice when he took over,and Wayne Rooney is said to be among Terry' allies.So fearing whose wrath, should Capello refrain from his decision? Gareth Barry?

That's what Terry's status is,at Stamford Bridge!

                                                                                                                                                                               
                        Rio Ferdinand is never going to be fit enough to lead England consistently.Even Alex Ferguson testified to that by handing Club captaincy to Nemanja Vidic ahead of Rio.Steven Gerrard may be an exceptional player,but he is not a leader,he inspires by his own performances,but he isn't influential enough in England's system,as compared to his heroics with Liverpool.On the contrary,John Terry is a born leader of men.A host of managers,who have a World Cup,Six European Cups,2 Club World Cups, and dozens of domestic titles amongst them,have chosen Terry to be the man to lead their team.Yes,he has been involved in many controversies,including infidelity and fraud.His dad was arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine and such stuff.He has been in headlines many times for the wrong reasons.Yet,these managers,considered to be some of the most genius footballing brains in the world,put their faith him.They still dare to look beyond all those headlines.For what lies beneath,is one hell of a Footballer!

UEFA, the Referees & Contoversies etc etc...

             Now we have heard and read enough from both the Arsenal and Barcelona camps,about how they truly deserved to progress to the Quarterfinals of the Champions League.Listening to any one's side of the story,you can't help but feel they are right in their place.But then, I do not wish to take any sides on that.But has anyone noticed that such controversies happen almost every year in Champions League these days? It's supposed to be the most coveted prize in World Football,alongside the World Cup itself.We would tend to expect quite high standards of Officiating,wouldn't we? But then, we have always been disappointed.Right from Luis Garcia's "Phantom Goal" that took Liverpool to glory in 2005 (Mind you,there would be no Istanbul,had that goal not been counted!),to some horrible performances from Tom Henning Ovrebo for last 2 years,right to the last week's disgusting decision making by the Swiss ref Massimo Busacca,we have always had such avoidable controversies.                                 

Robin van Persie was sent off at Camp Nou,for not hearing the whistle,amidst the roaring 95,000 fans

                                                
                 Robin van Persie may have been sent off for not playing to the whistle at any other stadium in the world than Camp Nou.Hundred thousand fans baying for his blood,surely he can't be penalised for such thing there.How is he even supposed to hear the whistle? His actions suggested indeed he failed to hear it.I mean, you can understand if a player is trying to waste time.If someone is 40 yards away from goal,and still shoots from such position after the offside whistle,it's clear what his intentions are.No such thing appeared on Van Persie's mind.As I already said, I don't want to sponsor a particular team here,but that decision from the referee killed the game for Arsenal.Till that moment,Barca may had dominated the game,Arsenal may not have had a shot on goal,they may not even have touched the ball for the entire 56 minutes,but for heaven's sake,they were leading 3-2 on aggregate.And for all their so called domination,Barca had only managed to make the scoreline 1-1 till that moment.I'm not saying Arsenal would have gone and surely destroyed the Catalans,but they were denied the chance to attempt such a feat at least,for no fault of theirs.Of course, Arsenal shouldn't whine too much about it.Even Barcelona had a perfectly legitimate goal denied for Offside in the first leg.Wenger didn't seem to remember that.But,that doesn't make it any better for UEFA.Two Wrongs don't make one Right.
               I should remind all of the infamous Tom Henning Ovrebo here.2 years ago,after he denied Chelsea 4 stonewall penalties (yeah, FOUR!!),there were accusations of Conspiracy and Corruption in UEFA. I remember reading an opinion of a Respected Football Pundit on that;" I don't believe in all these Conspiracy theories,but if Tom Henning Ovrebo ever officiates again in a game more important than an U-13 match outside Switzerland,then you can be sure,there's something rotten in UEFA."
               Well,just one year later,Ovrebo was the man in charge for the Bayern Munich vs Fiorentina match in Champions League knockout stages.If that's not outrageous enough,he awarded Bayern Munich a blatantly offside goal in 93nd minute,which proved decisive in the outcome of the tie.Miroslav Klose was in an offside position for entire building of the move that led to the goal.Just see the image below to understand how pathetic the decision was.What should we say on this?

How much more clearly Offside can a player be ???

                                              

                  UEFA Champions League is perhaps the most coveted competition in the world.It also generates a huge revenue for UEFA,which is so important to them,while wielding their authority.So, we are entitled to at least expect decent refereeing in such competitions.Some may say,such errors are only human,and so much fuss shouldn't made of them.But, Champions League is serious business.Damn serious.Players are willing to put their careers on the line to win it. If you still don't understand the passion, just go and ask John Terry.He will tell you how much it means.

John Terry says his penalty miss which cost Chelsea the Champions  League title,still continues to haunt him

                                                   

Doomed in Crisis??? ...Not really!!!

All of a sudden,everyone believes Chelsea are on the way to disaster.Two bad performances in a week,and it's suddenly a crisis,isn't it?? Arsenal have lost 3 times at home already,including twice against Newly-promoted teams,and still Chelsea,after first home defeat of the season are suddenly doomed,aren't they??However convincing the defeat maybe,I should just point out,it came in the absence of Terry,Lampard,Essien and and Alex (Can anyone imagine Liverpool missing Gerrard,Torres and Carragher and even beating Northampton???Not really..)

Same thing with United,those guys have won just 1 game away from home so far,just ONE in one-thirds of the season,and still just a couple of away defeats at Liverpool and Birmingham suddenly mean Chelsea are just not good enough for the title?? Nonsense.

Yes,the sacking of Ray Wilkins came as a rude shock,which wasn't really necessary,with all going so smoothly,but does anyone doubt they are not up for the fight after watching them vs Birmingham?? I don't certainly.It was just a bad day,where nothing seemed to go in for them,and their opponents scored from the only Chance they created in 90 mins (Still,horrible goal to concede,though,watching the replays,I felt John Terry even on a wheelchair,would position himself better!! But,that's the reason he's John Terry though,you can't suddenly expect Ferreira to be like him)

Say anything you want,but Chelsea have badly missed Frank Lampard (All those thinking we're just making excuses,just remember what Manutd or Liverpool keep crying about when Rooney or Gerrard is missing) .Not just his consistent flow of goals,but his ability to drive forward relentlessly,creating more space for the attackers.I should point out,Chelsea were hammering goals for fun,early in the season,when he was playing,they just seemed to have dried now he's missing.We're supposed to have signed the "Future of Brazilian Midfield" for 18 millions,but his attacking skills make Lucas look like Xabi Alonso! And you just can't afford to put 4 fullbacks in defence,not even vs Sunderland,as we found out.But,still there will be better days to come,no?

Huge games coming up for Chelsea now,with Spurs,Arsenal and ManUtd all to be faced,but with the return of Inspirational skipper Terry,along with Super Frank and Essien,talk of whatever crisis as long as you want,Chelsea are still the team to beat if you want that Title !!!!

The Final Hurdle

One point......thats all that separates Chelsea and Manchester Utd going into the last week of an enthralling Barclays Premier League Season.And that one point will be enough for Chelsea to win their first title since the "Jose Mourinho" era at Stamford Bridge,if they can beat Wigan at home on Sunday.

Chelsea are the clear favourites going into the weekend,as the Blues have amassed an amazing 49 points out of 54 at Stamford Bridge,but this season has taught us to expect only the unexpected.Especially.with Wigan having nothing to lose,and and ManU clear favourites versus Stoke,we could be in for a nasty surprise.

End of the season games are always tough,with relegation threatened teams upsetting the big boys,and it can really get tense,as Sir Alex Ferguson is known to have said frequently " Football, Bloody Hell" !!! So,what are the scenarios possible on Sunday?? A Chelsea win on the evening will win them the title,irrespective of the outcome of United's match.But,a draw or a defeat,paired with a United win,will hand the Red Devils their Record 19th title.But,it will take nothing short of a miracle from Wigan to achieve that,looking at Chelsea's terrific form ,which has seen them scoring an amazing 95 goals so far in the league,just 2 short of the record in the Premier League.

Although it should be a straightforward game for the Blues,there will be immense pressure till they take the lead.Just imagine the scenario of Image of Rooney just scoring Utd's 5 th goal versus Stoke flashing at Stamford Bridge,with Chelsea leading 1-0 with3 minutes to go,imagine the pressure!!!! The ball falls to Hugo Rodallega 10 yards out,he produces a fierce drive aaaaaaaand Cech parries it away.that's what tends happen again and again anyways,but it's an absolute nightmare for Chelsea fans like me!!!!

So,I can't wait for tomorrow's game ,because as much tension I feel in the adrenaline,I can't wait to watch John Terry lifting the Premier League Title to the heavens after 4 years !!!!!!!!