With many Blues stars in action over the break it was also a chance for injured players to continue their recovery at Cobham and Villas Boas revealed that absentees Petr Cech and David Luiz will return to the traveling party that heads to the Stadium of Light for Saturday’s fixture.

‘David Luiz went with the national team last week. He was selected but not available to play because we felt he was in the last process of recovery. Both players have done extremely well since the whole squad got together yesterday.’

Villas Boas also welcomes back Daniel Sturridge who has been unfortunate to miss the seasons opening fixtures due to suspension after a promising pre-season and the manager feels now is the time to let the shackles off the 21 year old striker and for Sturridge to show his quality.

‘Sturridge never stopped training very, very well since his last game against Rangers where he scored twice. He is very competitive in training.

‘Everyone saw the part he can play, not only in our pre-season but at Bolton last year so it is a plus that he is available for selection and he can add to the team as well.’

New signings Romelu Lukaku and Juan Mata made an immediate impact in the Blues last outing, with Mata scoring on his debut to seal a narrow victory against Norwich and deadline day signing Raul Meireles will be hoping for a similar start to life in SW6, should he feature in the squad.

Villas Boas explained the reasoning behind the clubs pursuit of the midfielder from Liverpool and explained that he had a part to play in the coming season.

“We wanted to fill a space in midfield and bring one more in. Yossi could play in the middle, in channels or behind the striker. We felt that towards what we wanted to achieve in terms of playing style Raul will fit. It was an extremely good idea for us and [we are] happy to have him.”

Chelsea will be looking to build on a patchy start to the Premier League campaign and with a congested fixture list ahead with Carling Cup and Champions League clashes on the horizon, a return to winning ways is paramount if the Blues are to build momentum ahead of a sustained challenge for the title.

Pre-season aside, the hottest topic of debate amongst our readers, staff and I’m sure the wider Chelsea fan base has been the Blues activity in the transfer market.  There has been movement from Villas Boas and the board with several young talented individuals joining us from across Europe, Oriol Romeu and Thibaut Courtois take a bow.

The recent acquisition of a certain Romelu Lukaku has certainly got us excited. The young Belgian has been on the wish list of many Chelsea fans since he first burst onto the scene and with a fine mentor in Didier Drogba, I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that given time, this guy is going to a real star for Chelsea. There I said it and if he turns out to be Claudio Pizzaro in disguise then I apologize in advance.

So the Blues were back in business last weekend with a familiar looking side and unfortunately were unable to break down a resolute and particularly bullish Stoke side.  Although the form of an energetic and engaging Fernando Torres, who was rewarded with the man of the match champagne, if not a goal, was a huge positive to take from the game. His fitness and form will prove decisive in how close this side will come to regaining the title.

The Britannia is never an easy place to play football and I’m sure that our new manager Andre Villas-Boas has taken a lot out of that game. In fact he has probably compiled a dossier of information, spreadsheets and a nifty PowerPoint on the exact amount of times that ball boy handed Rory Delap a towel. I would love to have seen a glorious high definition Sky Sports shot of the manager’s face the first time he witnessed ‘throwing man’s’ talent but I digress.

So yes, despite the relative disappointment of last week’s stalemate up in Staffordshire there is still a renewed sense of optimism, hope, and confidence even as all of us here at CFCnet look out into the vast unknown abyss that stretches out before us at the start of this new campaign.

Perhaps this confidence comes from the manager himself. A succinct, driven and forceful presence at the press conferences we have attended so far at Cobham, the Portuguese tactician clearly has a plan for his Chelsea side and perhaps, despite our recent success’s, the Blues have lacked a clear identity on the pitch for some time. Villas-Boas’ identity is one of success; indeed he has never known failure, though if he can translate that persona onto the pitch through his players remains to be seen. Regaining the desire, focus and hunger of players and fans alike is going to be his biggest challenge.

With the Premier League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and of course that elusive Champions League on the table for Villas Boas, this season is going to be a fine feast of football for all Blues fans.

Loosen your belts now.

“I doubt that I am the high profile manager of the Premiership. There are other who have had great success for many years and I hope to live up to their standards, we aim to live at this club with the highest level of excellence and aim to win back the title that we lost. This first challenge is important for us.”

Villas Boas reign so far has been characterized by steady progress and evolution as opposed to the radical overhaul in playing staff and personnel that many quarters had predicted at the start of his time in SW6.

“It is my challenge, it is our challenge to win back the title. In my opinion these players are able to compete. That is the end of the story. It does not mean that we are not moving in the market. It does not mean that things will not just happen. You can see that they happened with Courtois, Romeu and Lukaku.”

New signings have come at a premium for the Londoner’s during the transfer window but the club has been far from inactive, securing deals for emerging young talents including the Brazilian star Lucas Piazon, Barcelona defensive midfielder and Spain U20 international Oriol Romeu and Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois signed from Genk.

The protracted deal to bring Romelu Lukaku to Stamford Bridge seemed to have drawn to a close when the Blues agreed a fee with Anderlecht for the teenagers services, but despite a recent delay in the talks, Villas Boas revealed the deal is moving forward and was full of praise of the Belgian teen.

“We are outlining the details, he (Lukaku) is one of those players we could not afford to lose. After everything that he has been doing over the last couple of years we had to advance our plans. It was threat to let this boy escape….now it is a question of hours not days to get this done.”

“There is no problems with him playing now, but it is difficult to build relationships on the pitch and also off of it.”

The clubs pursuit of Luka Modric has been well publicized however the manager would not be drawn on the subject.

“I have no more comments to make, he is not our player so I cannot speak about this.”

Villas Boas was in defiant mood when questioned on his age and duly pointed to the incredible haul of silverware that the young manager secured during his time at Porto. Comparisons to his predecessor and one time mentor at Porto and Chelsea, Jose Mourinho will no doubt be raised once again but Villas Boas will be defined by his successes and failures in West London.

“Its indifferent (the comparisons), it will come from players, it will come from the media, im not that guy, it it not in my personality to copy people. I am just me. I have no problem with it.

I don’t agree, people when it comes to Chelsea people are too concerned with age, the players are too old and the manager too young.”

Fernando Torres has been heavily criticized since his high profile transfer from Liverpool in January however the Spaniard had impressed during a promising pre-season that saw him score in the win over Aston Villa. A head injury whilst away on duty with the Spanish national side left him a doubt for the Stoke clash, but Villas Boas revealed that Torres is fit and available for selection, though the manager would not be drawn on his starting X1.

“Torres will be ok to be selected for the team that will travel to Stoke. He has trained well today and he can play.

This week has been disrupted, because of the international break, most of the players have come back with more than 60 minutes, many with 90minutes, it is difficult because it disrupts your preparation. We are getting in line to our starting X1. Regarding the full squad we do not have a lot of players available because we have short squad in this moment.

We are in favour of a 4-3-3- formation, you know this, there are a few forwards competing for that central striker position. So I will take a decision.”

The manager was quick to lay down the gauntlet to Manchester United and he believes that his Chelsea side has the strength in depth and in character to overhaul the current champions.

“I don’t care, I just want to be first, above all teams.”

“I think for sure in the beginning we have to show ourselves at the highest level we can perform. I think that all of the players can challenge themselves at the start.”

The Blues await the visit of Tottenham to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, knowing that a win will take them within 3 points of leaders Manchester United who visit the capital on Sunday to face off against Arsenal at the Emirates.

Considering Chelsea are still to face Manchester United at Old Trafford next weekend, the destiny if the Premier League title could well hinge upon the direction results swing over the course of the following days.

Ancelotti faced the media and detailed exactly what his side must do if a successful defense of their Premier League crown is to be achieved.

“We have to do our job and that’s to win against Tottenham,” he said.

“It will not be easy because Tottenham are a very strong team but we have to keep it open in the Premier League until the last minute.”

“It will be a good motivation because we can put more pressure on Manchester United and the game they have to play on Sunday.”

“In two weeks everything will be decided.”

Coinciding with the Blues re-emergence in recent months has been the return to form of Didier Drogba who’s performances have helped to keep Chelsea unbeaten in the league in 2011 and the manager believes that the Ivorian has finally overcome his battle with Malaria and returned to his devastating best.

With Fernando Torres releasing the pressure valve after finding the net for his new club for the first time in Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over West Ham last weekend, Ancelotti is keen to continue developing a system that allows both his prodigious forwards to shine, but conceded that each player would have to make sacrifices for the team.

“I understood Torres needed to score to move on from this moment. I was not surprised by the reaction of his team mates because in the last games they tried to do everything to help him score.”

“Everyone was happy; the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge was fantastic when he scored.

‘Obviously he will have less pressure now, this is normal because he scored the first goal for Chelsea. In the next game he will show his quality.”

“‘Torres and Drogba can play together. My philosophy and my opinion is when you have very good players you have to put them together. If a player has skills, ability, then they can play together.

“Maybe they have to sacrifice something with their abilities, their skills, but they can play together and it is good for the team to reach better results.

“We tried it this week in some training sessions. Today’s too early to make a decision about this but it will not be a surprise if they start together on Saturday.”

The manager had words of praise for his opposite number Harry Redknapp and believes they have the talent within the squad to fight for 4th place and that elusive Champions League spot.

“Harry Redknapp is a fantastic man and a fantastic manager,” he said.

“Tottenham play attacking football, so we want to do this. It should be a fantastic game to watch.”

“They can attack with Bale, they can counter-attack with Lennon, they can use their abilities in the air with Crouch and they have Van der Vaart who is a very good player who can play in the hole, so they have a lot of skills up front.”

“We must pay attention and stay focused.”

Despite  concerns regarding the fitness of Brazilian duo Ramires and Alex, both missing since the Champions League exit to Manchester United and with Michael Essien hobbling off against West Ham, the manager revealed good news in that he has a full strength squad to choose from for the weekend, giving the Blues a huge boost ahead of the run in.

Speaking to the media Ancelotti revealed that despite the Blues fine form since the turn of the year, the poor form and spiraling results of a difficult winter period have cost the defending Premier League champions the chance to retain their title.

‘The gap doesn’t allow us to think we can win the title because we are eight points behind Manchester United so it is better for us to think we have to prepare well the next game against Birmingham, try to win, and try to win the other five games and wait and see what happens in the table.

‘Obviously the first thing is to win the title; the second thing is to reach the position that allows us to play in the Champions League next year,’ he said.

Birmingham travel to Stamford Bridge six points clear of the relegation zone after victories against Sunderland and Bolton leave Alec Mcleish’s side with an excellent chance of beating the drop. Birmingham will face a tougher challenge against a wounded Chelsea side.

With a confidence boosting 3-1 away win at West Brom on Saturday in which a revitalised Dider Drogba found the net and put in a man of the match performance, the Blues will be looking to consolidate their top four status and push Arsenal all the way for 2nd place in the table after the Gunners dramatic 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday.

‘It is very difficult to change the team that played so well against West Brom, not just the result or the performance but they had a very good reaction,’ he said. ‘It was a good opportunity to show their character and they did very well against West Bromwich.

‘All the players that were involved in the game reacted very well with confidence, personality, playing good football.

‘This team in the last months and more did very well in the Premier League. Obviously the defeat against Man United was not good for us but in the Premier League this team played good football and won a lot of games.

‘Two months ago nobody could think that we could come back to fight for the title, we don’t think this but we are not so far from Manchester United, very close to Arsenal and two months ago this was a dream,” he said.

Ancelotti believes that a 2nd place finish would be a fantastic achievement for his side given the struggles they have faced during this campaign.

Since Chelsea’s recent exit from the Champions League there has been growing speculation that the manager will depart SW6 in the Summer with former club A.S Roma being touted as a possible destination but Ancelotti refused to be drawn on the reports, instead reiterating his commitment to his current employers.

Fernando Torres struggles in a blue shirt continued on Saturday, replacing Drogba in the 82nd minute from the bench searching for a first goal since his arrival at Chelsea. In truth the Spaniard had little time to make an impact but was unlucky when he raced behind the West Brom defence and casually slotted the ball past Scott Carson only to have his effort ruled offside

Brazilian duo Alex and Ramires missed the weekend’s trip with muscle strains andAncelotti revealed that the pair will miss out again for the visit of Birmingham and remain sidelined for West Ham on Saturday, with Branislav Ivanovic also struggling for fitness:

‘Alex and Ramires will not be involved, we have a problem with Ivanovic and we will check today in the training session,” he said.

‘They are out, I think also against West Ham and they will be ready to play against Tottenham. They are hamstring injuries. Ivanovic is just a little one, he has a tight muscle, he will train and I think he will be okay tomorrow.’

The under fire manager now has to steady the ship at Cobham ahead of a weekend trip to the midlands to face West Bromich Albion at the Hawthorns as the Blues look to consolidate their position in the top four and ensure Champions League qualification next season.

With speculation growing in many quarters that Ancelotti could be facing a summer exit from Stamford Bridge, with his former club Roma a mooted destination, the manager insisted his future was at Chelsea in the present and that he was focused on the task at hand:

“Obviously it is not an easy time because after the defeat it is not easy to move on but I think it is a good opportunity to measure our mentality, our strength and our character and it will be important to move on quickly with a reaction tomorrow,” he said.

“It is a very important game against a team with strong quality and new management, they are doing very well and it will be a good step for us, not just for the result but obviously we want to reach the first four places in the Premier League but to measure our character and personality and how we are able to move on from the defeat on Tuesday.”

“In these seven games we have to try to win all seven games. We cannot think about winning the title, there is a strong gap for Manchester United and it is difficult to close this gap but we have to stay focused on our games, not the games of the other teams. Tomorrow we have to play against West Bromwich.”

The form of £50million signing Fernando Torres has been of concern to Blues fans of late, but his manager offered words of support whilst revealing the Spaniards personal struggle and believes Torres will prove his critics wrong in due course, “‘Everyone in this club tries to maintain his confidence, I try with my job speaking with him and I don’t know really. Obviously he is not happy, it will not be easy for him, this moment, but he has personality and has to show character in this moment.”

“We have to believe. Torres is a fantastic transfer, not just for now but for the future so to judge now is not right. We have to wait, he is a fantastic striker, he is living not a good moment but he will move on and will be a fantastic player for Chelsea.”

Carlo revealed that two Blues stars will not travel to the midlands for Saturdays game after picking up muscle strains in midweek: the Brazilian duo of Ramires and Alex, although the manager did claim they would be both be available for Wednesday’s visit of Birmingham City to Stamford Bridge.

The vitriol took over naturally and by the time my coach rolled into Victoria in the early hours of Wednesday morning I was consumed by anger at the actions of the few. The Blues fans I had made the journey with, including several that had traveled from Sweden to show their loyalty at the game were equally as disgusted.

Yet I awoke the next morning numbed by the sting of another ignominious elimination from the Champions League and the realisation that I had witnessed this current Chelsea side’s death rattle, their final bow, going through the motions like jaded actors as the final curtain comes down.

So perhaps I was deflecting? Perhaps the malice directed at the supporters jumping ship in the final moments should have been better attributed to the benign performances of the supporting cast in the Chelsea team?

Florent Malouda’s regression has been a slow and painful experience, watching each week as his effectiveness diminishes, the exhaustion and frustration etched upon his face as much of a give away as the body language detailing a man who already looks resigned to leaving come May. A return of one goal in thirteen matches tells its own sorry tale.

The cruelest twist has come in the disintegration of former leading man Michael Essien. Since his return from serious injury and suspension, the Ghanaian has lost his physical edge, no longer dictating the pace of the game with arrogance and surety, his labored approach has seen Chelsea’s own stature in games falter and confidence drop. The Bison has become a passenger in a side where worthy replacements are lining up to step into the limelight.

Jose Bosingwa shares a similar fate, no direction, tactical discipline or physical presence, he bares the look of a broken man and his time at Stamford Bridge is surely up.

In contrast, there was one man who stood up in the face of all the mediocrity on display and put in a performance of merit, desire and class: Didier Drogba. Despite the contempt directed at him by the departing few and the way he has been mistreated and disrespected by the management, Drogba was his usual bullish, determined, dramatic, unstoppable self. A well taken goal fully deserved, only for it to be painfully made redundant almost immediately due to the lack of fortitude from the cast around him.

What a shame he was only given 45 minutes in which to drag the game in Chelsea’s direction. There are few like him in the modern game and we will not see his like again. I for one hope that he is rewarded for his endeavor and remains in SW6 beyond the re-casting, though it is still to be seen who will return for Chelsea next season after the final credits have rolled.

We can only watch and wait, a loyal and captive audience, well, for the most part.

The Blues are currently third in the Premier League table, trailing the leaders Manchester United by 9 points but with a game in hand and a trip to Old Trafford on the horizon, Ancelotti’s charges are battling to the last to retain their title and Ancelotti feels his side are prepared for the task ahead:

“We come back to play our football, to play with confidence, to do a mistake now is very dangerous, not just for us, for every team. For Arsenal and Manchester United, that is football,” he said.

“I don’t know what we can do, but we have the possibility to fight and do our best. We have a great atmosphere in this team.”

The form of £50million arrival Fernando Torres has proved erratic with the Spanish striker yet to find the net for his new club, but with mood in the squad upbeat following on from consecutive victories, Anelotti is backing his man to succeed.

“He did not score, but he played well. It does not matter if he scores or not. We have been lucky we did not need their goals, in April we will and I am sure they will all score. I have had this before with Inzaghi, with Crespo, with Shevchenko,” he revealed.

With Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Saloman Kalou all fighting for a place alongside Torres in the starting lineup, Ancelotti faces tough decisions ahead but does not believe it will be a problem, whatever partnership he selects.

“This happens. It is not difficult to find a partnership because they can all play together. The choice is for physical condition sometimes tactics.”

With a full strength squad to choose from for the first time this season, Chelsea will head to Stoke full of confidence and with the titanic Champions League quarter final against Manchester United on Wednesday in the managers thoughts, Ancelotti may make use of the talented resources at his disposal and rotate the squad with Yuri Zhirkov, Jose Bosingwa and Jon Mikel Obi all in line for starts.

“It is the key to keep good performance and good motivation. They have to understand it is important for them and more importantly for the club.The strength of this team is the big players with personality play for the team not just themselves,” he said.

Yossi Benayoun’s return from 6 months out could prove to be pivotal in the Blues challenge for honours at this late stage in the season. Ancelotti was quick to heap praise on the attitude of the Israeli international after a tough rehabilitation period and revealed that he could be ready to return to the Blues line up in the Champions League clash at Old Trafford.

Reports linking Chelsea with Brazilian wonder kid Neymar have been rife this week following on from the players dazzling performance for Brazil against Scotland at the Emirates last weekend but Ancelotti ruled out a move for the star whilst praising his own player:

“He had a good performance, but the best player on the pitch was Ramires! It is good that he wants to play for Chelsea, he is a fantastic player but it is not important. We are not interested in this moment.”

Chelsea will face Stoke knowing the result of Manchester United’s lunchtime fixture against West Ham, it remains to be seen whether or not this Chelsea side can catch the league leaders and Carlo believes it is too soon to be drawn on the destination of the Premier League crown:

“It is too early, it is too far in this moment. It is not in our hands but if we have a possibility we are ready.”

Despite the midfielder leading out England as captain in the last international against Denmark, there had been speculation that Lampard’s time in the Three Lions had reached its twilight as Capello was keen to move the side in a different direction.

Yet, at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, Lampard displayed the class and consistency of a seasoned pro and put to bed any lingering doubts that remained over his performances for England, after opening the scoring from the penalty spot in a 2-0 win over Wales.

Lampard has featured in 66 of the 69 England internationals that he has been fit enough to play in since 2003 and with 20 goals in 84 appearances, it would seem that Lampard’s consistent presence in the side is to be taken as a given. Yet with the emergence of the youthful and enthusiastic Jack Wilshire and the fine form of the under appreciated Scott Parker, Lampard’s position in the team is under scrutiny and his flaws and inconsistence’s are being highlighted like never before.

There has been a view long held amongst followers of the national side and journalists alike that the midfield pairing of Lampard and Liverpool’s talismanic captain Steven Gerrard is unworkable at international level. Neither player has the discipline or restraint to alter their own marauding individual games to suit the rigid, tactical constraints of the national side it is said. They are simply crushed under the psychological pressure of playing in the Three Lions and the weight of expectation that accompanies them away from the sheltered sanctuaries of Cobham and Melwood.

Yet whilst neither player has excelled as regularly for England as they do for their respective clubs, both have demonstrated that they possess the mental strength and fortitude to prosper in spite of the failures, near misses and bitter disappointments that continue to shackle many of England’s brightest talents. The frustration and disillusionment of the World Cup in South Africa last summer and Lampard’s own neuroses resulting from his wrongly disallowed equaliser against Germany could have broken lesser talents, but Lampard prevailed.

Lampard ‘s premature obituaries in the press this week and his subsequent performance have only served to highlight the midfielder’s importance to the national team. The new found flexibility of Capello’s 4-3-3 formation played to Lampard’s strengths and with his supposed ‘replacement’ in Scott Parker screening the back four and excelling in the holding role, Lampard had the freedom to roam and express himself. Fortune had it’s part to play in the winning of the penalty that Lampard duly converted but that should not take the shine off what was and impressive display.

With Lampard joining his Chelsea team mates John Terry and Ashley Cole in withdrawing from the England squad to face Ghana in a friendly fixture in midweek, the Blues midfielder can turn his attention to domestic and European matters back at Cobham. Chelsea fans can be hopeful that his fine form continues as he looks to lead the club forward into an enthralling title run in and the all important Champions League clashes against Manchester United.

In a repeat of the enthralling 2008 Final that saw Chelsea hearts shatter after Manchester United ran out winners in a tense shootout. The pulsating fixture ended 1-1 on the night after Frank Lampard had pulled a goal back from Cristiano Ronaldo’s first half header. Didier Drogba hit the post late on before being red carded for a slap on Nemenja Vidic. John Terry had the chance to seal the victory for Chelsea after Ronaldo missed his spot kick in the shootout, Terry however slipped and United went on to claim the trophy. Chelsea will feel that now is the time to take revenge for the supposed injustices of 3 years ago.

The ghosts of that night have haunted Chelsea fans and players alike ever since and the subsequent painful exits at the hands of FC Barcelona and Jose Mourinho’s Internazionale have only added further poignancy to the memories.

Drogba, Terry and the remaining old guard from that final will be focused intently on making amends for the cruel twists of fate that conspired against them in the Luzhniki Stadium. A return to that arena during this campaign in a 2-0 victory over Spartak Moscow was the first part of the rebuilding process that will come full circle next month.

In Nyon, Switzerland today fate once again bought together the Blues with their fierce rivals, with Chelsea having emerged victorious from their recent encounters and with the Red Devils undergoing something of an injury crisis, Carlo Ancelotti’s side will feel that this fixture is there for the taking.

The first leg of the tie will be at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday April 6th with the return leg at Old Trafford on Tuesday April 12th. The winner of this tie will go on to face the winner of the quarter final between Internazionale and Schalke 04 in the semi final.

With a Champions League final at Wembley the ultimate destination, the minds of everyone related to Chelsea will be transfixed on nothing but this fixture until the final whistle has blown.

For Chelsea then, this match is a chance to lay old ghosts to rest, to become the first London side to win the European cup, to conclude what seems to be a never ending saga for the club since the beginning of Abramovich’s reign, the chance to be crowned Champions League winners.