English Premier League

AVB wants Lampard to stay

2012-02-27T20:51:00.004+08:00

Lampard and AVB no ideal partner at Chelsea

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas wants Frank Lampard to stay at the club next season after he was on the scoresheet in the win over Bolton Wanderers.

Lampard has admitted that there are "certain issues" between himself and the manager, and Villas-Boas has defended his team selection which has often seen the England midfielder benched.

The 33-year-old has still started 19 Premier League games this season, and on Saturday became the first player to reach double figures for goals in the Premier League in nine consecutive seasons.

Asked if Lampard will remain at Stamford Bridge, Villas-Boas said: "I hope so. It does not depend on me. It depends on three parts - I want him, the person wants to stay and the club wants him.

"Frank goes on and on breaking the club's records and that is important for him. I congratulate him for that. He is a player who has been involved with all managers before and played in most of the games.

"The only difference this year from the years before is that we have more competition in midfield and things become more difficult for everybody. But Frank is now in the top five of players most used so he is up there with the best."

Chelsea 3 - 0 Bolton Wanderers

2012-02-26T15:30:00.004+08:00

Didier Drogba celebrates doubling Chelsea's lead

Andre Villas-Boas enjoyed some much-needed respite in front of Roman Abramovich as Chelsea stopped the rot to return to the Premier League top four.

The Blues looked every inch a side that had failed to win any of their previous five games in another dire first half against Bolton at Stamford Bridge.

But they turned on the style after the break, defender David Luiz doing what he does best by firing them ahead before Didier Drogba and the recalled Frank Lampard sealed a desperately-needed three points.

Chelsea also hit the woodwork twice as Bolton's first-half solidity deserted them to leave them second bottom of the table.

Villas-Boas recalled Lampard, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien, who were controversially left out of Tuesday night's Champions League defeat at Napoli, sparking further reports of dressing-room unrest.

The Chelsea boss stood by his Naples line-up, insisting it was picked purely on footballing reasons, but he admitted on Thursday he was forced to explain it to owner Abramovich.

That merely fuelled speculation Villas-Boas was on borrowed time at Stamford Bridge, with the club's season in danger of unravelling completely. But today's opponents might have been hand picked for the home side, with Bolton enduring an even more miserable campaign.

Chelsea certainly made the more impressive start, Daniel Sturridge testing Adam Bogdan inside five minutes after a burst from the halfway line before finding Lampard with a superb through ball, the midfielder just failing to shake off his marker.

Drogba also had a couple of sniffs but the lack of confidence that has dogged the Blues' play of late was soon evident as they struggled to fashion a meaningful opportunity.

Abramovich, attending his first game since the 3-3 draw against Manchester United three weeks earlier, looked on pensively as well-drilled Bolton continued to frustrate his expensively-assembled side.

They finally had Bogdan at full stretch in the 29th minute when he palmed away Drogba's left-foot curler, while David Wheater had to be alert to stop Sturridge finishing Luiz's raking pass.

Chelsea were only really looking dangerous on the break and their half was summed up when Branislav Ivanovic and Drogba ran into each other running onto Lampard's inviting ball.

Bolton were even less of a threat and Darren Pratley - making his first league start for more than two months - was booked for an obvious dive trying to win a penalty before Ryo Miyaichi had their first real effort when he fired over on the stroke of half-time.

Chelsea were in dire need of inspiration and it arrived less than three minutes after the restart.

Luiz - clearly under orders to rampage forward - won the ball high up the pitch, carried on his run forward and profited when Wheater failed to clear, curling a lovely finish beyond Bogdan.

The celebrations were hardly raucous, with the nervousness of a side that had kept only two clean sheets at home in the league all season quickly apparent when Nigel Reo-Coker drilled wide from the edge of the box.

That almost subsided when Chelsea then hit the woodwork twice inside two minutes, Luiz's header from a corner glancing the post before Drogba curled Juan Mata's pass against the top of the crossbar after another breakaway.

There was no stopping the striker in the 61st minute when he shook off Fabrice Muamba to nod in Lampard's corner, the midfielder significantly taking the plaudits as the home fans sang "super Frankie Lampard''.

It should have been 3-0 when Ivanovic finished weakly after Essien's drive was parried by Bogdan before Bolton threw on Marvin Sordell for David Ngog.

The change had little effect and Chris Eagles soon joined Sordell, with Tuncay Sanli coming off, before Chelsea suffered a blow when Drogba limped off to be replaced by Fernando Torres for the last 14 minutes.

A goal arrived three minutes later, but it was Lampard who got it, stealing in at the back post to cushion Mata's cross past Bogdan for his 12th goal of the season.

Sturridge then came off for Salomon Kalou, Torres - axed by Spain yesterday - curled over from a tight angle with his only chance and John Obi Mikel replaced Ramires.

Kalou almost nodded in number four in stoppage-time as Chelsea enjoyed a rare trouble-free final 10 minutes.

Teams

Chelsea	Bolton Wanderers
1 Petr Cech	1 Adam Bogdan
4 David Luiz	32 Tim Ream
24 Gary Cahill	31 David Wheater
3 Ashley Cole	18 Samuel Ricketts
2 Branislav Ivanovic	2 Gretar Rafn Steinsson
5 Michael Essien	6 Fabrice Muamba
8 Frank Lampard	19 Nigel Reo-Coker
7 Ramires	30 Ryo Miyaichi
10 Juan Mata	9 Tuncay Sanli
11 Didier Drogba	24 David Ngog
23 Daniel Sturridge	21 Darren Pratley
Substitutes
15 Florent Malouda	Paul Robinson 4
9 Fernando Torres	Jussi Jaaskelainen 22
22 Ross Turnbull	Zat Knight 12
21 Salomon Kalou	Ivan Klasnic 17
12 John Mikel Obi	Chris Eagles 7
16 Raul Meireles	Marvin Sordell 29
34 Ryan Bertrand	Dedryck Boyata 25
Substitutions
Fernando Torres for Didier Drogba (76)	Marvin Sordell for David Ngog (66)
Salomon Kalou for Daniel Sturridge (80)	Chris Eagles for Tuncay Sanli (75)
John Mikel Obi for Ramires (88)
Yellow Cards
	Darren Pratley (42)
· Squads: Chelsea \| Bolton Wanderers

Match Stats

Chelsea

Bolton Wanderers

26(13)	Shots (on Goal)	11(1)
8	Fouls	14
14	Corner Kicks	7
4	Offsides	2
59%	Time of Possession	41%
0	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
1	Saves	10

Scoring Summary

Chelsea	Bolton Wanderers
David Luiz (48')
Didier Drogba (61')
Frank Lampard (79')

We must sort this mess!

2012-02-22T21:51:00.003+08:00

Chelsea defender Cahill demands more with Villas-Boas' job on the line

Gary Cahill insists Chelsea's beleaguered players must raise their game quickly with Andre Villas-Boas job on the line.

The England centre-back was among those who failed to deliver on Tuesday night as they relinquished the lead to lose 3-1 at Napoli.

The partnership of Cahill and David Luiz was brutally exposed by the Italians as Chelsea slumped to their latest defeat.
Juan Mata fired Chelsea ahead but Ezequiel Lavezzi's brace that sandwiched Edinson Cavani's strike put them on the brink of Champions League elimination.

Boss Andre Villas-Boas - who benched key men Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard - is now desperately clinging to power at Stamford Bridge, with owner Roman Abramovich considering removing his another boss.

But Cahill says the blame should be laid at the feet of the players who were caught out at the Stadio San Paolo.

He said: 'It started off brilliantly. We were frustrating them early doors, they made a mistake and we got the goal.
'For some reason, it seemed really open after that instead of really solid. We should have shut the door, made everything really compact and gone in at half-time 1-0 up, but it wasn't to be. I think we were too easily cut open.'

Cahill, who suffered a nightmare Champions League debut, claimed a soaking pitch saw the players 'slipping all over the place'.

'But it's no excuse for simple, basic things,' he added. 'The goals came for a lot of long balls, which is bread and butter for people like myself.

'If we were getting caught open it might be different, but it was bread and butter things that went wrong.

'They had good players all around the pitch, but I think we made their job a little bit easier.

'We are still in it. To score two goals at Stamford Bridge is by no means beyond the realms of possibility.

'The third goal killed us a little bit, but we need to pull our finger out in the next leg and put in a better performance.

'I'm ridiculously disappointed. Disappointed with the result, the night, the Champions League debut. So it was a pretty low night for myself, actually.'

Chelsea have now gone five matches without a win and it is hard to see them turning the tie around unless they can stop the rot before the second leg in two weeks' time.
Cahill added: 'It's a sticky situation at the minute. I have come in right in the middle of it. As soon as we get results, I think it will turn the corner, but it's difficult times.'

Next up is Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with the Bolton side Cahill left just over a month ago.

'It has come round pretty quickly,' he said. 'It is going to be a weird situation knowing the lads and knowing how they play. But, if selected, we need to get a result and put in a better performance in that game, for sure.'

Napoli take control

2012-02-22T21:38:00.004+08:00

Double trouble: Lavezzi nets his second strike to give Napoli a two-goal lead

Smile lads: Chelsea's bench look on before the start of the game

Andre Villas-Boas is in greater need of a vote of confidence than ever after Chelsea lurched to another defeat that left them in real danger of crashing out of the Champions League.

Villas-Boas has repeatedly insisted his job would not depend on the outcome of the last-16 tie with Napoli but, despite an improved attacking performance, his players heaped more pressure on him with another defensive horror show.

Having thrown away winning positions countless times both at home and abroad since Villas-Boas took charge, Chelsea did so again in Naples to make it five matches without a win.

Their defending for the outstanding Ezequiel Lavezzi's double was simply shocking.

A 3-1 win was no more than Champions League surprise package Napoli deserved - despite gifting Juan Mata the opening goal - with their attacking trio wreaking havoc against a defence once again badly missing the leadership of injured captain John Terry.

Villas-Boas may also come under fire for not starting with Frank Lampard or Michael Essien in what is regarded one of the most hostile atmospheres in Europe.

Indeed, the cacophonous Napoli fans, swirling wind and driving rain gave the whole occasion an almost apocalyptic feel.

The visitors were immediately under pressure, Petr Cech needing to be alert to race off his line, while captain-for-the-night Didier Drogba briefly stayed down after a clash of heads.

Both were a prelude for worse to follow in the 10th minute when Cech produced real heroics after Cavani looked certain to convert Lavezzi's pass, the goalkeeper just getting his foot to the ball.

Injury really did then strike when Jose Bosingwa limped off with what looked like a hamstring pull, forcing a half-fit Ashley Cole on far earlier than expected.

More brilliance from Cech denied Christian Maggio from a tight angle but Napoli were looking far from secure at the back themselves and, from nothing, they gifted Chelsea the lead.

Drogba found Daniel Sturridge, whose cross was inexplicably flicked back towards his own goal by Paolo Cannavaro, falling perfectly for Mata to fire left-footed beyond Morgan De Sanctis.

A stunned San Paolo struggled to process what had happened, with the visiting fans finally able to make themselves heard.

They might have been celebrating again when Sturridge wasted a glorious opportunity to play in Mata for goal number two, instead greedily trying to beat his man, while the resultant corner saw David Luiz power a header narrowly over.

Chelsea were in the ascendancy but they allowed Napoli to level seven minutes before half-time, Lavezzi given an age with which to curl a beautiful 25-yard shot beyond Cech.

Ramires should have restored the visitors' lead when the home defence parted in front of him but he blazed over the bar.

Raul Meireles was booked for handball, suspending himself for the second leg, and there was a suspicion of the same as Napoli scored again two minutes into first stoppage-time.

Gokhan Inler's cross reached the far post and Edinson Cavani leant his shoulder into the ball to turn it home, the home fans letting off a firework in jubilation.

Villas-Boas refused to shut up shop after the interval and Marek Hamsik was forced to clear off his own line, while Florent Malouda drilled a volley too close to De Sanctis.

But Napoli should have punished another error when Meireles gave Cavani the chance to feed Lavezzi, who dragged wide.

Gary Cahill was booked for clattering into the livewire forward and Mata volleyed another shot straight at De Sanctis before a desperate Salvatore Aronica clearance denied Drogba a possible equaliser.

Napoli were not sitting back either and the latest Luiz howler saw them double their lead in the 65th minute, the defender kicking a long ball straight against Cavani, who squared past the stranded Cech for Lavezzi to steer into an unguarded net.

Villas-Boas responded by throwing on Lampard and Essien for Malouda and Meireles, with Lavezzi soon withdrawn for Blerim Dzemaili.

Branislav Ivanovic was unable to make the most of a goalline scramble and Napoli almost killed the match - and perhaps the tie - when Cole cleared Maggio's open-goal effort off the line.

Goran Pandev came on for Hamsik and he too might have made it 4-1 but Drogba also went close to giving Chelsea a tie-changing second away goal when he hooked wide.

endI

Napoli v Chelsea

2012-02-22T00:09:00.004+08:00

Napoli v Chelsea: Preview

Andre Villas-Boas tonight admitted his insistence he was at Chelsea for the long haul would carry more weight if publicly backed by the club's hierarchy.

Blues boss Villas-Boas was once again bombarded by questions about his future this evening ahead of tomorrow night's Champions League last-16 clash at Napoli.

The 34-year-old reiterated he was confident Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich would not sack him should he fail to reach the quarter-finals and that his three-year project to revamp the squad had the Russian billionaire's "full'' backing.

Villas-Boas claimed on Thursday that he did not want a vote of confidence from Abramovich, joking that would mean "the end''.

But he suggested tonight he was beginning to sound like a broken record in his claims of unequivocal backing and it might be better if someone at the top explained they were finally going to allow a manager to see things through.

In front of watching chairman Bruce Buck and chief executive Ron Gourlay, Villas-Boas said: "You have to understand that this club, from 2004 up to now, has made a dramatic change for the best in terms of their past.

"It's the richest part of Chelsea's history, full of trophies and success, and you want to perpetuate that into the future.

"To do that, you have to sometimes make changes because you cannot sustain the same habits that you had in 2004, when this environment and team was created to make a winning team.

"These words would be more valuable coming from the top. I cannot keep saying them but, as the voice of the club, I will continue to perpetuate this message because this is what we believe in.''

Villas-Boas, who has overseen what is currently the club's worst season of the Abramovich era, admitted speculation over his future was inevitable based on the Russian's previous habit of firing managers.

He said: "In terms of the results this year, the speculation is normal given the cultural past of this football club, but you have to understand that there's a different perspective now.''

The Portuguese added: "I'm really confident about next year.

"That doesn't take any responsibility for what's happening now, but we had a three-year project to change not only the team, but the culture and structure of the club.

"There's a lot we needed to do, a lot of plans, so that's why I'm excited about the future. Having said that, we have to build a team to win trophies from the start.

"With that in mind, the fact that we're no longer in the Carling Cup and don't have a chance to win the (Barclays Premier League) title is a shame.

"But we are still confident we can do well in the Champions League and the FA Cup.''

Standing in their way in Europe are Napoli and the Italian side's boss Walter Mazzarri has ordered his side to think like underdogs, claiming only a "perfect'' performance would beat Villas-Boas' men.

"Tomorrow, we will face a team, Chelsea, who have played more than 100 Champions League matches,'' he said.

"We are proud to play this match but I don't want to hear anyone saying we are the favourite for this game.

"We can find a result only if we play a great match.

"All the team has to play not only a special game, but the perfect game.''

Mazzarri was banned from the tie for pushing Villarreal forward Nilmar during Napoli's final group game in December.

Assistant Nicolo Frustalupi will deputise, with the Italians having won all their previous games when he has done so.

Mazzarri said: "Nicolo Frustalupi is probably better than me as tactical coach and I'm sure that he will be a perfect coach tomorrow.''

Napoli boast one of the most feared attacking trios in Europe in Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi.

The latter is the only one of them yet to score in the Champions League - something he was planning to change tomorrow.

"I really hope so - it would be pretty nice to score my first Champions League goal against a team like Chelsea,'' he said.

Chelsea rocked by Terry injury blow

2012-02-22T00:04:00.002+08:00

John Terry: Fitness race

Chelsea captain John Terry will miss Tuesday's Champions League tie at Napoli amid reports he could be out for two months with an ongoing knee problem.

Chelsea were hoping to have Terry back for the daunting trip to the Stadio San Paolo and the centre-back pushed himself through a pre-match training session on Monday, despite clearly struggling.

According to the Daily Mirror, Terry woke in agony at the team hotel as his knee problem worsened overnight, instantly ruling him out of contention for a game that could define manager Andre Villas-Boas' reign.

Chelsea have failed to keep a clean sheet in Terry's absence and needed a defensive boost as they prepare to face Napoli's highly-rated attacking trio of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marek Hamsik and Edinson Cavani.

Terry has missed the last four games after being forced to give way to the knee injury he sustained when he collided with the post making a goalline clearance in the FA Cup win over Portsmouth on January 8.

It was hoped that rest and recuperation would cure the problem of bruising on the bone, which Terry had initially played through, but the defender will now undergo what was described as a "small procedure" by club medics when Chelsea return to London.

Mourinho speaks to Chelsea, Inter fans

2012-02-19T21:40:00.003+08:00

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has called on fans of his former sides Chelsea and Inter Milan to get behind their teams and respective managers.

"Mourinho one of the best in history"

Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas and Inter coach Claudio Ranieri are both currently struggling to live up to the legacy left behind by Mourinho at their respective clubs.

The bad feeling surrounding two of Europe's football heavyweights came to a head over the weekend when both sets of supporters could be heard singing for Mourinho's return during Inter's 3-0 loss to Bologna on Friday and Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Birmingham on Saturday.

Mourinho, whose own future at the Bernabeu has come under question in the past, downplayed the significance of the events.

"I love my former sides Inter Milan and Chelsea, and their fans as well," Mourinho told the Real Madrid website.

"I'd rather those fans supported their teams and their coaches rather than me. I'm their past, and a very good one at that, so they remember me.

"I'm no longer there and they should fight together instead of thinking about those who aren't there any more."

The desire for fans of both Inter and Chelsea to see Mourinho back at their clubs is understandable. The Portuguese guided Inter to a famous treble in his last season at the San Siro while he was also the architect of unprecedented success at Stamford Bridge when he was in charge of the Blues.

On Saturday, Mourinho led Real Madrid to a 4-0 win over Racing Santander which leaves them 13 points ahead of rival Barcelona, who play on Sunday, for the race for La Liga this season.

"I like the final score, but what I most like is taking another three points and having one game less to play," Mourinho said.

"We won without much brilliance, but without much effort either."

Sao Paulo goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni recently declared Madrid boss Mourinho as one of the best coaches in football history following a visit to the club's training ground earlier in the week to watch the Portuguese in action.

Chelsea 1 - 1 Birmingham

2012-02-19T13:37:00.004+08:00

Daniel Sturridge rescued Chelsea from FA Cup humiliation but they did nothing to ease the pressure on Andre Villas-Boas as Birmingham secured a shock FA Cup fifth-round replay with a 1-1 draw.

The home side's season was in danger of hitting a new low when their latest defensive calamity allowed David Murphy to give the visitors a shock half-time lead at Stamford Bridge.

Colin Doyle also brilliantly saved a Juan Mata penalty and, although Sturridge eventually equalised, Chelsea simply did not do enough to find a winner.

The performance showed Sunday's summit meeting in which Villas-Boas' players reportedly challenged their manager did nothing to address the problems which led to their worst display of the season at Everton last weekend.

Villas-Boas insisted it did not matter if some of his squad did not back him as he had the support of Roman Abramovich, but the club's billionaire owner would not have been happy with what he saw.

The man he spent £50million on - Fernando Torres - again failed to impress, hauled off at half-time for Didier Drogba, who was a surprise substitute following the African Nations Cup.

But others, too, let themselves down as Chelsea's winless run extended to four matches.

The travelling fans taunted Villas-Boas with chants of, "You're getting sacked in the morning", as Chelsea toiled from the start.

The hosts were almost embarrassed when David Luiz's attempted clearance deflected off a Birmingham head before Stephen Carr was forced off injured, Jonathan Spector coming on.

The defending that cost Chelsea at Goodison Park resurfaced when they fell behind in the 20th minute, Luiz and Raul Meireles failing to deal with a near-post corner, allowing Murphy to drill home.

Chelsea finally woke up and urgent attacking immediately won them a penalty when Wade Elliott tripped Ramires but Doyle produced a world-class save to tip Mata's spot-kick onto the post.

Curtis Davies produced a brilliant interception to stop Torres reaching a cross from Sturridge, who then screamed in vain for another penalty when he crumpled under Pablo Ibanez's challenge.

Luiz tried to inject some inspiration when a typical surge forward saw Jordon Mutch rightly booked for the crudest of challenges, which the defender almost punished with a superb free-kick that Doyle tipped over.

Sturridge then unleashed a blistering volley that just dipped too late and Mata directed a header too close to Doyle before Chelsea trudged off to muted jeers.

The boos turned to cheers after the interval when Torres, who had another half to forget, was hauled off for Drogba.

The Ivorian immediately showed the kind of commitment lacking from Torres by retrieving the ball for a goal-kick.

But Chelsea showed little sign of improvement and Gary Cahill was booked for a tangle with Adam Rooney before more shocking set-piece defending saw Redmond blast over a corner.

Salomon Kalou replaced the ineffective John Obi Mikel, although it was someone else the crowd wanted, judging by the chants of "Super Frankie Lampard".

However, the change paid off, Mata drilling wide after brilliantly taking down Luiz's crossfield pass before Sturridge equalised in the 62nd minute.

Branislav Ivanovic was given time to deliver a cross and Sturridge rose unmarked to power home a header via the inside of the post.

Elliott threw himself in front of Ivanovic's attempted follow-up before Rooney was withdrawn for Jake Jervis.

Meireles' low drive through a crowd of players was deflected just over the bar while Mutch tested Petr Cech with a low free-kick.

Lampard finally joined the fray when he replaced Mata for the last seven minutes in another unpopular substitution, with Elliott also withdrawn for Chris Burke.

Ivanovic appealed half-heartedly for a penalty after a coming together with Murphy before Birmingham wasted a glorious chance to snatch it when Redman shot tamely at Cech after racing clear.

Lampard drilled a free-kick straight at the wall in stoppage-time, Luiz was cautioned for clattering into Spector, and Davies headed too close to Cech as the visitors held on for a deserved replay.

Teams

																		Chelsea				Birmingham
																		1 Petr Cech				13 Colin Doyle
																		24 Gary Cahill				5 Pablo Ibañez
																		2 Branislav Ivanovic				24 Curtis Davies
																		34 Ryan Bertrand				2 Stephen Carr
																		4 David Luiz				3 David Murphy
																		16 Raul Meireles				15 Wade Elliott
																		12 John Mikel Obi				18 Keith Fahey
																		7 Ramires				14 Morgaro Gomis
																		9 Fernando Torres				12 Jordan Mutch
																		23 Daniel Sturridge				22 Nathan Redmond
																		10 Juan Mata				17 Adam Rooney
																		Substitutes
																		40 Henrique Hilario				Jack Butland 26
																		17 Bosingwa				Steven Caldwell 4
																		8 Frank Lampard				Jonathan Spector 23
																		5 Michael Essien				Chris Burke 7
																		15 Florent Malouda				Callum Reilly 35
																		11 Didier Drogba				Jake Jervis 36
																		21 Salomon Kalou				Akwasi Asante 25
																		Substitutions
																		Didier Drogba for Fernando Torres (46)				Jonathan Spector for Stephen Carr (12)
																		Salomon Kalou for John Mikel Obi (57)				Jake Jervis for Adam Rooney (71)
																		Frank Lampard for Juan Mata (83)				Chris Burke for Wade Elliott (83)
																		Yellow Cards
																		Gary Cahill (55)				Jordan Mutch (34)
																		David Luiz (90)
																		· Squads: Chelsea \| Birmingham

Match Stats

Chelsea Birmingham

12(5)	Shots (on Goal)	6(5)
10	Fouls	13
6	Corner Kicks	3
4	Offsides	4
54%	Time of Possession	46%
2	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
4	Saves	3

Scoring Summary

Chelsea	Birmingham
Juan Mata (pen miss 23')	David Murphy (20')
Daniel Sturridge (62')

Is Torres Feeling The Love?

2012-02-18T21:49:00.001+08:00

I was in a cab when I heard we’d signed Andriy Shevchenko. I remember it because I’d been saying for two seasons we should sign him. I remember how I took the absolute piss out of the other passenger in the cab with me – a Milan fan who’d sworn all along Shevchenko would never leave AC. More than that though, I remember how it felt – I can even imagine the look on my face when it came through on the radio. I’d seen plenty of what Sheva could do and been to the San Siro enough times myself to know what an important player he was – and suddenly he was a Chelsea player – bloody overjoyed just doesn’t cover it.

Needless to say then, I was gutted the way his spell at Chelsea went. In fact, the longer it went on, the more painful it got. For those who know anything aout the 7 stages of grief, well that was me, I did the lot. From doing my best ostrich impression, through arguing with everyone around me (except the big man upstairs, who of course I was still bargaining with by way of a few Hail Mary’s), right up to downright sulking. I held off the acceptance bit, right up until I realised it was more cruel for us to keep him.

Sort of a standing joke for us though really – Stamford Bridge is where strikers come to ‘end’ their careers. Shevchenko certainly wasn’t the first player whose goals seemed to dry up the minute he pulled on a Chelsea shirt (he was just the most expensive) and he wasn’t to be the last either…..

A couple of years and an extra £20million later, Step up Fernando Torres.

Similarly to Shevchenko’s signing, I remember where I was when our £50million signing was announced – mainly because I’d hardly left the room during the transfer window. Glued to SkySports and the internet, I spent the whole night dreading another ‘Robinho’ fiasco, crossing my fingers whilst frantically updating the blog, being wound up by an opposition supporter on msn, whilst trying, in turn, to wind up as many scousers as was humanly possibly in a day.

And then, whilst not in the realms of Shevchenko (mainly because he’d come from Liverpool so not a player I’d ever particularly cared for), I still remember how I felt. Not elation exactly but close enough to feel a bit smug. We’d got our ‘big’ signing. After the embarrassment of Robinho (little did we know!) and the utter disappointment of United getting Berbatov – it was our turn – and I knew they didn’t like it.

You see, not only had we just signed Fernando Torres – whose career of course, we were going to resurrect – but we had the strike force of Didier Drogba and Torres combined! Imagine that! Of course it made the opposition unhappy, but whilst they were left pretty deflated from that particular transfer window, Stamford Bridge was awash with happiness – and ‘awash’ is certainly an apt description considering the hard-ons it undoubtedly induced. Unfortunately for us though, this isn’t something that’s been reciprocated so far because, over the last 12 months, the only thing stiff about Fernando Torres has been his ability to finish.

Similarly to Shevchenko, I’ve refused to believe Torres needs to go and right before the United game, I was still at the point where I could only see his every move through blue-tinted glasses. Even on the tube, I almost accepted someone’s “but how many does he set-up?” argument. And to an extent, whilst I mentioned the minor issue of us not paying £50million for him to ‘set them up’, I wasn’t about to labour the point.

Watching it back again later though, I’d have needed more than tinted shades to miss his lack of confidence. The Reds must have been expecting the inevitable when the golden opportunity presented itself to our Spanish striker. I mean, he ‘loves’ scoring against them right? Enough of them said it before the game – except, that was then and this is now – because, as we know to our cost, he let the opportunity go begging.

So, what’s the difference between then and now – apart from a shitload of goals? Well, similarly to Shevchenko, Fernando Torres came to us at a time when he wasn’t in the best of form anyway. An injury before the end of a decent 2009/10 season for Liverpool meant he needed a spell out – but like too many players, he returned from that prematurely for international duty and has never returned to his best since.

Having come to us under those circumstances and then failed to set the world alight immediately, the pressure in the press inevitably started – but was it just from the press?

If he has major concerns, Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas hides it well in the press, insisting he is happy enough with the rest of Nando’s game. Like the Jose Mourinho situation with Sheva though, Torres was not a major signing of choice for AVB – he was inherited (albeit before his arrival on this occasion), so not the ideal way to feel wanted.

Then there’s the rest of the squad. Yesterday, TheChelseaBlog looked at the impact ‘player power’ could be having at the club and you’d have to think this sort of thing could come into play with new signings. Our ‘senior’ players have been at the club a fair while and it wouldn’t be unheard of for these ‘old-timers’ to have an opinion on such a significant signing. Certainly 6 months or more ago, there was the odd whisper about a ‘bust-up’ in training – I don’t recall reading it in the press at the time – although rumour had it there was an alleged row between Nando and another senior player who may, or may not have felt his place under threat. Surely if this sort of thing is more than a rumour, it has to unsettle a player like Nando? Similar to Shevchenko, feeling almost the outsider trying to play your way in has to have an impact – even worse if you’re made to feel as isolated on the pitch as you feel off it? How often have we questioned the lack of service he gets for example?

Maybe all this hearsay is just clutching at that ‘denial’ straw again though and maybe the bust-up was a one-off borne out of the frustration of his barren spell rather than being its route cause? Well, whichever it is, at the time, the rumour was that the Spanish striker was more than capable of standing up for himself off the pitch…………..now its just a question of whether he’ll ever start doing that on it?

AVB: Torres taking his time

2012-02-01T20:38:00.002+08:00

Might Andre Villas-Boas be losing patience with Fernando Torres?

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has admitted Fernando Torres is "taking his time" to find his form for the Blues.

Torres has gone 1,074 minutes without a goal for Chelsea after he again failed to hit the back of the net in his side's 1-1 draw at Swansea City on Tuesday night.

The Spain international has now scored just three goals in 32 Premier League appearances since signing at Stamford Bridge from Liverpool for £50 million in January 2011.

When asked about his attacking options, Villas-Boas chose to talk up Didier Drogba's quality, with the Ivorian due to return from African Nations Cup duty this month.

The Portuguese said in The Sun: "The two players are competing for the striking position and we all know the significance of Didier to this team and his record.

"We will have to see how tired he is when he comes back to us but no one can doubt his ambition to win trophies for us this season. With Torres, the situation does not change. We still believe in the player but he is taking his time."

De Bruyne completes Chelsea switch

2012-02-01T20:33:00.002+08:00

Kevin De Bruyne is capped at international level for Belgium

Genk's Belgium international Kevin De Bruyne has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea.

As anticipated as part of the agreement, De Bruyne, 20, will spend the remainder of the season at Genk before joining up with Chelsea in the summer.

The attacking midfielder underwent a medical with the Blues on Monday after a reported fee in the region of £7 million was agreed between the two clubs.

A statement on Genk's website read: "The transfer of Kevin De Bruyne to Chelsea has been completed. He has signed for five and a half seasons and will continue (playing with) Genk until June.

"His signature was confirmed at 0.30 last night. De Bruyne and his agent will return back today from London, along with general director Dirk Degraen.

"Genk will hold a press conference with (director) Jacob Gunther and Dirk Degraen in which they will clarify the transfer policy.

"Afterwards, Kevin De Bruyne will also give an explanation about his transfer to the English club.''

De Bruyne told Chelsea's official website: "It's a little bit of a dream come true. I've worked very hard and am still very young but have already played a lot of games. To come to a team like Chelsea is a dream but now it's a reality and I have to work hard to achieve the level that's necessary."

De Bruyne becomes the third Belgian to join Chelsea in the last six months, following the arrivals of Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois last summer.

Meanwhile, Chelsea also confirmed this morning that 18-year-old Austrian youth international Philipp Prosenik has joined AC Milan on a permanent deal.

The midfielder arrived at the Blues from Rapid Vienna in 2009 but did not make a first-team appearance at the London club.

Swansea City 1 - 1 Chelsea

2012-02-01T20:18:00.005+08:00

Blues Struggle to draw with Swans

Swansea's Scott Sinclair scored a memorable goal against his former employers, but it was not to prove the winner

An own goal from Neil Taylor deep into injury-time saw Chelsea deny Swansea another famous win at the Liberty Stadium after salvaging a 1-1 draw.

Former Chelsea winger Scott Sinclair had given Swansea a 39th-minute lead when his left-footed volley looped over Petr Cech and into the net, putting the hosts on course for a repeat of their stunning win over Arsenal.

Chelsea dominated the second half but they looked set to suffer a sixth defeat of the season when Ashley Cole picked up a second booking late on.

However, with time running out, Jose Bosingwa's driven ball across the box from the right struck the unfortunate Taylor and beat Michel Vorm.

Chelsea, without captain John Terry due to a knee injury and with new signing Gary Cahill on the bench, had Branislav Ivanovic and David Luiz in central defence and they were thankful to the former for saving them twice during a sluggish opening from Andre Villas-Boas' side.

Ivanovic firstly denied Danny Graham a simple finish after a Steven Caulker header had rebounded to the striker before Chelsea threatened when Luiz ventured forward, with his low cross resulting in Daniel Sturridge firing narrowly past Vorm's near post.

Ivanovic was involved again when a long ball pumped towards Graham caused chaos in the visiting defence.

Cech could only clear the ball to Gylfi Sigurdsson, who skipped past the goalkeeper but saw Ivanovic block his goal-bound effort. Graham's follow-up attempt was kept out by Luiz and Joe Allen was denied by the recovering goalkeeper.

Having survived that scare Chelsea began to take a stranglehold on the game, dominating possession and pinning Swansea deep in their own half.

Ashley Williams made a terrific interception to cut out Fernando Torres' intended pass to an unmarked Sturridge, while Juan Mata fired wastefully wide of either post after more patient build-up.

Vorm was uncharacteristically hesitant in tipping a Oriol Romeu drive around his post, before Luiz failed to make the most of a free header from a Raul Meireles corner.

But after absorbing the pressure Swansea took the lead against the run of play as Sinclair netted against his former club.

Sigurdsson's free-kick was weakly headed away by Bosingwa, and a swing of Sinclair's left foot saw the ball float over Cech into the far corner, although the winger was restrained in his celebrations in front of the travelling support.

Stung by the concession of the goal so late in the first half, Chelsea completely dominated the opening exchanges of the second period.

Mata and Meireles prompted in midfield as Swansea defended ever deeper.

The visitors initially created little in the way of clear-cut chances, although they would have levelled had any blue-shirted attackers made the effort to follow in Cole's astute ball across the Swansea six-yard box.

Villas-Boas brought Michael Essien on for Romeu, and the move almost paid instant dividends as the Ghanaian blasted a fierce drive narrowly over Vorm's bar.

Bosingwa then teased his way to the byline but his hanging cross was headed clear by Angel Rangel, before another surge from the right-back saw Sturridge turn and poke wide.

Swansea were by now struggling to find their way out of their own half as their efforts to keep ball were stymied by Chelsea's pressing high up the pitch.

They summoned a rare attacking foray with seven minutes to go as substitutes Kemy Agustien and Luke Moore combined to give Nathan Dyer a sight of goal, but he dragged his shot across the face of goal.

Normal service was soon resumed as Bosingwa cut in and fired narrowly over, but Swansea were just about managing to handle everything Chelsea could throw at them.

Chelsea's frustrations were then compounded as Cole, who had been cautioned just before the interval, picked up a second booking for a rash tackle on Dyer and was dismissed.

But their pressure finally told as Bosingwa again tricked his way into the box and saw his driven effort strike Taylor to deceive Vorm and rescue a point.

Match Stat

Swansea City--------------Chelsea

8(5)	Shots (on Goal)	19(4)
10	Fouls	22
1	Corner Kicks	11
3	Offsides	0
46%	Time of Possession	54%
2	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	1
4	Saves	4

Scoring Summary

Swansea City	Chelsea
Scott Sinclair (39')	Neil Taylor (og 90')

Team Selection

						Swansea City																Chelsea
						1 Michel Vorm																1 Petr Cech
						2 Ashley Williams																4 David Luiz
						4 Steven Caulker																2 Branislav Ivanovic
						3 Neil Taylor																3 Ashley Cole
						22 Angel Rangel																17 José Bosingwa
						24 Joe Allen																16 Raul Meireles
						7 Leon Britton																6 Oriol Romeu
						10 Danny Graham																9 Fernando Torres
						42 Gylfi Sigurdsson																10 Juan Mata
						11 Scott Sinclair																15 Florent Malouda
						12 Nathan Dyer																23 Daniel Sturridge
						Substitutes
						15 Wayne Routledge																Michael Essien 5
						16 Garry Monk																Paulo Ferreira 19
						19 Luke Moore																Ross Turnbull 22
						26 Kemy Agustien																Gary Cahill 24
						25 Gerhard Tremmel																Ryan Bertrand 34
						18 Leroy Lita																Romelu Lukaku 18
						29 Ashley Richards																Lucas Piazon 35
						Substitutions
						Kemy Agustien for Gylfi Sigurdsson (67)																Michael Essien for Oriol Romeu (65)
						Luke Moore for Scott Sinclair (78)																Romelu Lukaku for Florent Malouda (80)
						Yellow Cards
						Neil Taylor (14)																Ashley Cole (45)
						Angel Rangel (48)																Florent Malouda (45)
																						Raul Meireles (87)
						Red Cards
																						Ashley Cole (86)

PSG sign Chelsea defender Alex

2012-01-31T22:25:00.003+08:00

Alex made 72 Premier League starts for Chelsea

Chelsea defender Alex has completed his move to French club Paris St Germain, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The French Ligue 1 leaders have been tracking the 29-year-old Brazilian since he was placed on the transfer window last month and have snapped him up for around £4 million.

PSG sporting director Leonardo joined Alex in addressing the media in a press conference broadcast live by PSG TV on Friday evening.

"It was a good opportunity given his price and his desire to join PSG," PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference.

Alex joined Chelsea from Santos in 2004, having gained experience of the European game after a loan spell with Dutch side PSV Eindhoven from 2004 to 2007.

De Bruyne undergoing Chelsea medical

2012-01-31T21:59:00.004+08:00

Kevin de Bruyne lifted the Belgian Pro League with Genk last season

Kevin De Bruyne appears on the verge of signing a deal with Chelsea amid reports the Genk star is undergoing a medical with the Premier League club.

It is claimed De Bruyne, 20, will pen a five-and-a-half year contract at Chelsea after a fee in the region of £7 million was agreed.

The Belgium international is then expected to be loaned back to Genk for the remainder of the season before joining up with the Blues in the summer.

A Genk spokesman is quoted by the Mirror as saying: "Dirk Degraen is in London and the expectation is that it (the transfer of De Bruyne) will be finished this week.

"The assumption is that Kevin de Bruyne will be transferred to Chelsea and then will finish the season (on loan) at Genk."

Attacking midfielder De Bruyne will become the third Belgian to join Chelsea in the last six months, following the arrivals of Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois last summer.

Andre Villas-Boas had earlier said that De Bruyne signing was down to the club.

"It is a target decided by the club," he said. "'He is a player the club have scouted for some time and I am a manager who respects club policy.

"A club have to look to the future whether it's with this manager or another. He's a good bet for the future. I will do everything in my power for him to reach maximum potential."

Chelsea transfer speculation: Lucas Moura bid set for summer transfer window

2012-01-29T10:43:00.004+08:00

Lucas Moura Playing With Sao Paulo

Chelsea will wait until the summer before tabling a bid for Brazilian sensation Lucas Moura, according to reports in the British press.

The 19-year-old playmaker has already earned 10 caps for his country, and is gaining rave reviews for his performances with Sao Paulo in South America.

But, despite speculation over a move to Europe earlier in the month, Lucas is set to stay in his homeland until the summer at least - a point his agent Junior Pedroso highlighted earlier in the week.

And The Guardian claims Chelsea will wait until the end of the season before making a move for the teenager, although it's unlikely that Andre Villas-Boas will be willing to meet the player's £66.8 million minimum fee release clause at the Morumbi.

Pedroso did suggest that the Blues had already tabled a €35 million bid for Lucas, a claim which neither the west London outfit or Sao Paulo have confirmed.

Inter Milan have also been linked with a move, but the agent denied that an agreement to see his client move to Italy at the end of the season had already been agreed.

"There is nothing definite with Inter to sign Lucas for next season," Pedroso told FcInterNews.it.

"I can say that we've heard from people connected with the club over an offer from Chelsea for €35million."

Queens Park Rangers 0 - 1 Chelsea

2012-01-29T10:29:00.006+08:00

Mata delivers Blues through FA Cup

Juan Mata Score penalty against QPR

Juan Mata's hotly-disputed penalty helped Chelsea secure a 1-0 victory in a tempestuous FA Cup fourth-round tie at west London rivals QPR.

A match that for an hour was completely devoid of the kind of flashpoints that marred October's Barclays Premier League meeting suddenly had one when Clint Hill was harshly adjudged to have bundled over Daniel Sturridge.

Mata stepped up to score the only goal of a game dominated by the reunion between Chelsea captain John Terry and Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, neither of whom put a foot wrong following what had been the most combustible of build-ups.

The match itself was always going to struggle to live up to the drama that preceded it, which culminated in full body searches for fans entering the ground and the cancellation of the traditional pre-match handshake.

The former was prompted after police last night confirmed they were investigating allegations Ferdinand had received "malicious communication", although they refused to reveal whether it contained a bullet.

Ferdinand and Terry were spared having to shake hands with each other after the Football Association agreed the clubs did not have to undertake the traditional pre-match ritual.

Ferdinand had reportedly been agonising over whether to accept Terry's hand four days before the court case begins in which the Chelsea and England captain stands accused of racially abusing his fellow defender.

Terry denies the charge, which relates to an altercation between the pair in October's league clash at Loftus Road.

But that did not prevent him being jeered every time he touched the ball today, while he was also the victim of numerous abusive taunts.

Chelsea fans refrained from using the notorious "Anton Ferdinand, you know what you are'' chant that they were warned would see them punished, although they did sing "Anton, what's the score?'' after the visitors took the lead.

Both sets of supporters cranked up the decibel level before kick-off but had little to cheer in a disappointing first half that saw only one shot on target.

That came after Mata, playing more centrally in the absence of Frank Lampard, pounced on a Luke Young slip in the 12th minute and unleashed a 15-yard drive too close to Paddy Kenny.

Otherwise, the final ball from both sides was sadly lacking, meaning a succession of speculative efforts that were well off target.

A fixture that had seen Chelsea reduced to nine men in October was also a more controlled affair and it was almost half an hour before Mike Dean brandished the first yellow card for a Shaun Wright-Phillips foul on Raul Meireles.

Ramires should have done better with great cutback opportunity after being released by a wonderful Mata backheel but neither side deserved to be ahead at half-time.

QPR threw on Federico Macheda for Heidar Helguson at the restart but it was Chelsea who flew out of the blocks, with Fitz Hall booked for handball before Sturridge lashed over after great work from Fernando Torres.

But the game really exploded into life on the hour mark.

Petr Cech parried a Wright-Phillips cross just too far in front of the outstretched foot of Jamie Mackie and Chelsea surged down the other end and won a penalty.

QPR were furious at the award but Mata shrugged off the jeers to score, the midfielder celebrating with most of his team-mates in front of the visiting fans. Terry was a notable absentee.

Ashley Cole was carded for fouling Wright-Phillips before Chelsea lost Ramires to a serious-looking injury.

The midfielder appeared to twist his ankle blocking a shot and - after several minutes' treatment - was carried off on a stretcher to be replaced by Oriol Romeu.

QPR had already thrown on Rob Hulse, who was denied a penalty in the dying minutes.

And there was a flashpoint deep into stoppage-time when Romeu was booked for diving in on Hulse, with Young almost snatching a draw when his 20-yard drive was parried by Cech.

Queens Park Rangers------Chelsea

7(3)	Shots (on Goal)	13(5)
11	Fouls	12
3	Corner Kicks	5
0	Offsides	3
43%	Time of Possession	57%
2	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
3	Saves	4

Villas-Boas hopeful over Ramires injury

Chelsea midfielder Ramires will be out for at least four weeks after suffering a medial knee ligament injury in the 1-0 FA Cup win over QPR on Saturday.

Ramires was injured midway though the second half as he blocked a shot from Clint Hill and went off on a stretcher.

Chelsea say the 24-year-old Brazilian will have an MRI scan on Sunday and manager Andre Villas-Boas says he hopes an operation will not be needed.

Ramires has played 25 times for Chelsea this season, scoring eight goals.

Saturday's game was won courtesy of Juan Mata's disputed penalty and QPR manager Mark Hughes was in no doubt that it was the wrong decision.

Clint Hill was adjudged to have fouled Daniel Sturridge but Hughes thinks the Chelsea man went down too easily.

"If Mike Dean watches it again he will see that Daniel Sturridge has gone down very easily and unfortunately the referee has given a foul," Hughes told BBC Sport.

"The referee will be disappointed with that decision because no way was it a penalty.

"We worked exceptionally hard, had good shape and good discipline. Unfortunately, the penalty came when we were having our best period in the game in an attacking sense and it really took the wind out of our sails."

Chelsea boss Villas-Boas refused to discuss the penalty incident, pointing out that his side should not have been reduced to nine men in the league game between the pair in October.

"It's very similar to David Luiz and (Heidar) Helguson here and nobody seemed to criticise anything," said Villas-Boas.

"We finished the game for the league here with nine men and (were) maybe treated unfairly. Maybe QPR this time got treated unfairly."

Villas-Boas: No Willian bid yet

2012-01-28T00:59:00.001+08:00

Andre Villas-Boas has dismissed suggestions Chelsea have launched a bid for Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian playmaker Willian.

Reports earlier this week suggested the Blues had made a £16 million offer for the 23-year-old, but Villas-Boas has crushed any talk of an offer - although he did not rule out an approach in future.

"I think he's an extremely interesting player but I don't think we are going to progress with our interest," he said. "Because of certain issues. From work permit to the player's valuation, I think our project next year is more important than the actual project at the moment.

"Not that Willian doesn't have the characteristics for the future, we are thinking a lot on what we can do next year. Clubs are asking for a lot of money, and not a lot of money is around in society and in football at the moment. The January market is always extra inflated and you have to take that into account."

Willian, capped two times by Brazil, would have been ineligible for this season's Champions League even if he did sign for Chelsea, as he has already featured in European competition for Shakhtar.

Meanwhile, Villas-Boas has revealed he is not taking an active part in the potential signing of Genk midfielder Kevin de Bruyne. "You have to speak to people at the club regarding that," he said. "Kevin is a player that is club policy, he's a player that is not within my immediate project, he's a player that the club has scouted for quite some time - I'm a manager that respects club policies as well.

"The club has to respect the future, whether it be with this manager or the next manager. Kevin is an extremely interesting player."

Chelsea move 'excites' Willian

2012-01-26T18:58:00.006+08:00

William: Has two full Brazil caps

Willian Football Manager 2012 Attributes

Chelsea target Willian has indicated he would be interested in a move to the Premier League club, stating that the prospect of playing for a team which regularly wins silverware "excites" him.

Willian, an attacking midfielder who plays in Ukraine for Shakhtar Donetsk, has been tracked by Chelsea since last summer and earlier this month the club had a £16.6 million bid rejected.

And now the player, 23, has indicated he would be ready to move to London if the two clubs can agree a fee.

"Chelsea are known as one of the biggest and most successful clubs around," he told The Sun. "To play for them is a challenge I would accept and enjoy.

"If a deal doesn't go through, I'll understand. But I hope it happens. They have a culture of winning trophies and that excites me.

"I have friends in the Brazil side who play for Chelsea, like David [Luiz] and Ramires. All they talk about is the thrill of being in a city like London and playing for a club like Chelsea.

"I've known David since we played together in the Brazil Under-20 side and he talks about what Villas-Boas is trying to build at Chelsea. He and Ramires feel he wants a core of young players who can mature and grow together but also be successful.

"David says how the coach takes a real interest in all his players, how he can adapt different cultures together and bring the best out of them.

"I wouldn't have any fears about coming to England because I have played against English sides in the Champions League and studied the English game. To play in a league that is seen throughout the world would be good for my hopes of playing regularly for Brazil, especially with the World Cup at home in two years' time.

"That is my aim. I've worked hard for four years to establish myself in the national team. It has taken that long but now I feel I have a good relationship with the coach and I want to keep working hard, so I remain in the side.

"If the next step of the adventure is England, then I would be excited by that."

However, Chelsea may have to considerably up their offer if they are to land the former Corinthians player. But Shakhtar have indicated they could sell at the right price.

At the beginning of the week, Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin said: "We have no burning desire to sell the player, but in football some things are impossible to avoid.

'If it weren't for our good relationship with Chelsea - and Willian does not hide his intention to test himself in one of the best clubs in the English Premier League - we would insist on the £29 million release clause written into the player's contract.

"It is important to understand that we are talking about Chelsea's desire to buy Willian, but not Shakhtar's desire to sell him."

Lampard set to miss QPR clash

2012-01-24T22:38:00.003+08:00

Frank Lampard gets treatment at Norwich

Frank Lampard is expected to miss Chelsea's FA Cup fourth round clash against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday after suffering a calf injury.

The England midfielder limped off in the first half of Chelsea's goalless draw with Norwich at the weekend, and he was later seen wearing heavy strapping on his left leg.

However, scans have shown that Lampard only suffered a small tear to his muscle and could be available for selection as early as next week.

A statement on Chelsea's official website confirmed that Lampard will join up with his Blues team-mates in Mallorca, where they are training this week.

Norwich City Vs Chelsea (0-0)

2012-01-24T22:28:00.006+08:00

Torres fails as Lampard is crocked

Fernando Torres fired another blank as battling Norwich held Chelsea to a goalless draw at Carrow Road.

The Spain striker, who has not scored since October, endured another frustrating afternoon, denied in the first half by John Ruddy before then stabbing wide in front of goal from eight yards.

Norwich created several chances themselves, mostly through busy captain Grant Holt and went on to record a first clean sheet of the season as they continued their progress under Paul Lambert.

Chelsea had started well as they looked to make up ground on the top three who all play tomorrow.

The Canaries, though, created the first opening on seven minutes as Wales striker Steve Morison got away down the right and fed Anthony Pilkington, whose shot was parried by Petr Cech before Morison's follow-up was blocked by Ramires.

Norwich carved Chelsea apart again on 10 minutes when Morison slipped a ball inside for Holt, who slide past David Luiz before dragging a low shot just wide from the edge of the area.

The hosts remained dangerous on the counter, with the lively Pilkington curling an effort into the area which was headed clear before Morison smashed a long, cross-field ball from Holt into the side netting as the rain lashed down at Carrow Road.

Juan Mata danced down the Norwich left and chipped the ball through the penalty area, but it was too high for Daniel Sturridge.

Torres collected the ball on the edge of the Norwich area and turned Zak Whitbread before stabbing a shot with the outside of his boot towards the bottom left corner, which Ruddy turned away at full stretch.

Pilkington sent a deep cross from the right towards the far post, which was headed back by Holt, but Cech collected it under the bar.

There was a stoppage when Frank Lampard needed treatment for a calf injury.

The England midfielder eventually was helped off and replaced by Florent Malouda on 36 minutes - just after Bradley Johnson's deflected effort had almost wrong-footed Cech.

Ruddy was out to make a brave take as Torres looked to connect with a right-wing cross into the Norwich six-yard box.

It was end-to-end stuff as suddenly Holt got in space on the right and fired in an angled shot which Cech palmed away.

Mata weaved into the Norwich penalty area in first-half stoppage time, only to then fire over the bar.

Norwich began the second half with some purpose, as Pilkington smashed a cross through the Chelsea box and high into the Barclay Stand.

Chelsea slowly probed, with Luiz curling over from 20 yards after positive play from Malouda down the left.

On 58 minutes, Torres made space on the edge of the penalty area, only to then blaze the ball over.

The Spaniard then somehow managed to stab wide from eight yards after being set up by Jose Bosingwa.

Chelsea continued to press, as Mata's angled shot was saved at the near post by Ruddy.

Referee Mark Clattenburg then missed what appeared a clear handball by Raul Meireles on the edge of the Chelsea area when he charged down Holt's flick.

With 14 minutes left, Chelsea made a change as Torres was replaced by 18-year-old Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku - much to the delight of the home crowd.

Norwich made a double substitution when Simeon Jackson came on for Morison and Wales midfielder Andrew Crofts for David Fox, with Chelsea sending on Michael Essien for Meireles.

Ashley Cole drove an angled drive across goal and wide from 25 yards as the match entered the closing stages.

Norwich dug in to see out three minutes of stoppage time to record their first clean sheet of an impressive Premier League campaign.

Match Stat

Norwich City-----------------Chelsea

6(2)	Shots (on Goal)	20(6)
5	Fouls	6
1	Corner Kicks	11
0	Offsides	0
42%	Time of Possession	58%
0	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
6	Saves	2

Ancelotti: Chelsea must sell Drogba

2012-01-18T22:22:00.003+08:00

Didier Drogba has scored 98 league goals for Chelsea, Fernando Torres just three

Carlo Ancelotti believes Chelsea must sell Didier Drogba if they are to ensure Fernando Torres blossoms at Stamford Bridge.

Ancelotti, who is now in charge of Ligue 1 club PSG, was at the Chelsea helm when the club signed Torres for £50 million from Liverpool in January 2011.

The Spain international, 27, has struggled for form since the move, scoring just five goals in 41 appearances in all competitions.

Torres' poor form has led to suggestions Chelsea could cash in on the forward, and on Tuesday Ancelotti claimed his side PSG have been offered his services.

But Ancelotti believes current Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas' solution is to retain Torres and sell his strike partner Drogba, who turns 34 in March.

"Coaching Chelsea in the midst of a major generational change is complicated," Ancelotti is quoted as saying in the Express. "Look at Torres and his crisis. If you decide you are going to invest in him, you have to sell Drogba.

"Didier is like Pippo Inzaghi at Milan. He tends to swallow up all his competitors. It is not because they are evil, they are just like that."

Chelsea make Vorm approach?

2012-01-18T22:17:00.003+08:00

Swansea director John van Zweden has claimed Manchester United and Chelsea have made enquiries about goakeeper Michel Vorm.

Dutch keeper Vorm has been one of the stars of the Premier League season, with his consistent excellence winning him many admirers.

Swansea paid just £1 million for his services from Dutch side Utrecht and could well cash-in for a sizeable profit.

Losing Vorm would represent a major blow for Swans boss Bredan Rodgers but with the club thought to be willing to accept a decent offer, the big boys appear to be circling.

"Clubs have enquired about Vorm," Van Zweden told VI Radio. "Manchester United have asked, in addition Chelsea and for that matter Newcastle United.

"Tottenham Hotspur have cautiously announced they are interested. It would be a nightmare for us if he left."

Manchester United shelled out a fee in the region of £18 million for David De Gea last summer, but he has not convinced and it would appear the reigning Premier League champions are considering other options - while Chelsea may well be planning for life after Petr Cech.

Tottenham have veteran Brad Friedel in goal at White Hart Lane, while Tim Krul has impressed for Newcastle and he too has been linked with a move.

Gary Cahill

2012-01-18T22:10:00.003+08:00

Squad No: 21
Position: Defender
Age: 26
Birth Date: Dec 19, 1985
Birth Place: Sheffield
Height: 6' 2'' (1.88m)
Weight: 160 lbs (72.4 kg)

Cementing his reputation as one of the most promising centre-backs in the league, Cahill was first called up to the England squad for the game against Kazakhstan in June 2009 following the withdrawal of Rio Ferdinand and has gone on to become a key part of the squad.

Aston Villa handed him his first taste of the professional game in November 2004 when joining Championship side Burnley on loan for the remainder of the season. He was named Burnley's Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year and the England Under-21 international was handed a Villa squad number for 2005-06.

He began to make his mark at Villa Park but fell out of favour under Martin O'Neill and was heavily linked with cross-city rivals Birmingham before plumping for a £5 million move to Bolton in January 2008, becoming a vital player for the Trotters and cementing his place in Fabio Capello's England squad.

With his contract running down in 2012, Cahill opted to move on and Bolton were keen to recoup a transfer fee by selling him in January. Chelsea swooped and he signed a deal to take him to Stamford Bridge for around £7 million.

Strengths: Committed and strong, Cahill is a no-nonsense defender who is good in the tackle and an aerial threat. He also boasts a decent turn of pace.

Weaknesses: Consistency has been a problem for the defender and his positioning has been exposed occasionally.

Career high: Named the Bolton Players' Player of the Year for 2008-09.

Career low: Failure to break through into the Villa first XI under Martin O'Neill left him in search of a move.

Style: Whole-hearted, powerful, a leader on the pitch.

Quotes: ''Mentally he is there, as well as physically and ability-wise. There is no doubt for me that he will really push himself into that England squad." Owen Coyle on Gary Cahill, June 2010.

Trivia: Cahill suffered a blood clot in his left arm after a training injury which forced him to pull out of the home game against Fulham on February 6, 2010 and kept him sidelined for months afterwards.

finally Cahill completes move to Chelsea

2012-01-18T22:03:00.003+08:00

Bolton defender Gary Cahill: Done deal

Bolton and England defender Gary Cahill has completed his move to Chelsea.Bolton accepted an offer from Chelsea for the 26-year-old central defender before the transfer window opened, but protracted contract negotiations delayed the deal. Chelsea have not revealed the length of the contract.

Cahill, who has been given the No. 24 shirt, told the club's official website: "Chelsea is a massive club, it is a club that looks to win trophies season in season out and it is a big opportunity for me to be a part of that. Opportunities like this you can't turn down."

While on Bolton's website, he said: "This is the right move for me at the right time and I would like to thank everyone at Bolton because I've had a great four years at the football club.

"My spell with Wanderers has enabled me to break into the England squad, and I would particularly like to thank the fans for their support along the way.''

Newspaper reports suggest Cahill is set to earn £23 million in wages and bonuses over a suggested five-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

Cahill was said to have initially wanted £100,000-a-week from Chelsea, and the club were unwilling to meet his demands. But talks with Chelsea's chief executive Ron Gourlay on Thursday are thought to have led to an agreement that will see Cahill take home around £80,000-a-week.

It is now expected that Cahill will be available for Chelsea's Premier League game against Norwich at Carrow Road on Saturday, while he is eligible for the Blues FA Cup tie at Milton Keynes Dons or Queens Park Rangers having been left out of Bolton's FA Cup tie at Macclesfield earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Owen Coyle has confirmed Bolton are hoping to finalise a deal to sign USA international Tim Ream as Cahill's replacement.

"He is a player that we would love to bring to the football club and hopefully in the next few days that can come to fruition," he said.

Villas-Boas hopeful of Lampard stay

2012-01-14T13:27:00.003+08:00

Frank Lampard has seen a reduction in playing time under Andre Villas-Boas

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas insists he and Frank Lampard enjoy a "fantastic" relationship and stated his desire to see the midfielder remain at the club in the long-term.

Lampard has been in and out of the Chelsea side since Villas-Boas took over as manager last summer. Villas-Boas was recently accused of blanking Lampard on the team bus following the midfielder's failure to join in a goal celebration with the Chelsea boss during last week's Premier League win at Wolves.

Villas-Boas, though, dismissed reports which suggest Lampard could leave the club in January, despite the England international being linked with Manchester United.

"We speak every day," Villas-Boas said. "Frank is a player who is not available at any price.

"First, he's not in and out in rotation. There is no such thing. We decide on an XI who are strong for any game and that can help us in the strategy to win the game.

"Every player wants to find that consistency and playing times. Frank, with the player he is and the history he represents, wants to be involved all the time, but every player is competing for a place.

"I've said the same all season, even when Frank had more playing time and others didn't. Everyone is fighting to be in it, and a player of Frank's level has a shorter distance to travel to be in the team than others."

Lampard has been dropped for all of Chelsea's big games recently but Villas-Boas insisted this did not mean his powers were on the wane.

"Players have different characteristics and your strategy depends on how you want to play the game," he said.

"Other players might be better placed in certain games, or players might be in better form than others.

We try different options at times, but Frank is the fifth or sixth most used player at Chelsea so he's involved all the time. We are speaking of two players ahead of him. One is a goalkeeper and the other is John Terry."

Part of Lampard's frustration stems from the knowledge the clock is ticking on his playing career. Villas-Boas refused to put a timescale on the midfielder's eventual departure, suggesting the player himself would know when the time was right.

"You have to respect players of this magnitude who have reached lots of success," he said.

"Players know more or less what the competition is around them and make the necessary judgments to see who is overtaking them. An up front relationship would see them inform the manager and we would make the best decision possible."