Ramires, Swansea

For the first time in the Premier League era Chelsea travel to a different country to play a league fixture, heading west to south Wales to take on Swansea City. Much has been made of the Welsh side’s excellent home record this season and rightly so; they have only lost once at the Liberty Stadium, to champions Manchester United, and boast the accolade of having conceded the fewest goals on their own turf, a measly six. Considering Chelsea’s last three games have produced only two goals, both in favour of the Blues and including a very harsh penalty, it seems unlikely those in blue venturing down the M4 will be rewarded with a feast of goals. Indeed just a performance with a bit more energy and quality than Saturday’s dire effort at Loftus Road will suffice.

Issues off the pitch will once again cloud tomorrow’s fixture. A little over an hour after the final whistle will mark Fernando Torres’s first year at Stamford Bridge. The £50 million spent in the very last hour of the 2011 January transfer window has yielded a return of five goals from the Spaniard which, if my maths is correct, have come at a price of £10 million a hit. But hey, while we’re here, let’s celebrate each and every one of them again – first up, the wonderful turn and shot in the pouring rain in a 3-0 home win against West Ham (remember them?) in April. Then came the delightful chipped finish past David de Gea in our 1-3 reverse at Old Trafford in September; sadly this goal was blighted by a miss later in the game of quite epic proportions. The following Saturday marked the height of Torres’s Chelsea career when he notched for the second successive game, against tomorrow’s opponents Swansea, with a neat finish. This zenith was also short-lived, however, as he saw red barely ten minutes later for a reckless lunge on Mark Gower. Two more goals followed in October in a 5-0 rout against Belgian no-hopers Genk. And there we have them, all five – West Ham, Manchester United, Swansea City and Genk, the victims of Torres’s quality. It is now sixteen games in the blue of Chelsea since he last scored in a time of just under fifteen hours. Interestingly, this run of impotence in front of goal is now longer than the one he endured having signed for the club in January.

He has, of course, been the victim of some bad luck – the miss at Old Trafford stands out, especially following such a piece of brilliant skill to get himself in front of the goal with nobody to beat, as do seemingly endless strikes against the woodwork. That the team have also found it so hard to play to his strengths hasn’t helped, nor have the occasional flashes of brilliance from Didier Drogba which have made it impossible for first Carlo Ancelotti, and now Andre Villas-Boas, to appoint Torres as the club’s main striker and figurehead up front. Only with Drogba in Africa can Torres feel like the position is his. His work-rate has been mostly faultless and he has produced some performances of the very highest quality which haven’t been rewarded, but unless something changes, and fast, one fears for the future of the fourth most expensive player in the history of the game.

Elsewhere in the all-too-predictable soap opera that defines Abramovich-led Chelsea, Wednesday morning sees club captain John Terry in court facing charges of racial abuse. Returning to the scene of the alleged crime on Saturday Terry performed excellently against a side even blunter going forward than our own. Whether he will be able to put his neck on the line in typically dramatic fashion in a West London courtroom remains to be seen. It is ten years to the month since JT was last in court and all those in blue will be hoping that the (eventual) verdict is the same as the one given in January 2002.

Anyway, back to matters on the pitch. With Player of the Season-contender Ramires ruled out for three to four works with a knee injury sustained at Loftus Road a place in Chelsea’s midfield three opens up, with Frank Lampard (who has around a 50% chance of returning for this game), Michael Essien and Oriol Romeu all vying for a place in the starting eleven. Chelsea’s front three is unlikely to change, not because of their sparkling form but simply because there is nobody to replace them, and it would be churlish to drop David Luiz now he’s hit a run of very good form. What the Blues have lacked in creativity in recent weeks they have made up for in defensive solidarity and Luiz deserves much credit for the four consecutive clean sheets Chelsea have kept.

Swansea’s game is built around keeping possession in the middle third then inviting wingers Nathan Dyer and Scott Sinclair to wreak havoc closer to the goal where predatory forward Danny Graham continues to impress. Leon Britton has won the hearts and minds of football pundits and journalists up and down the country with his remarkable ball possession statistics (better than Xavi, in case you hadn’t heard), although the contrarian in me would point out that the Welsh wizard has yet to score a goal or record an assist this campaign. Instead, it is left to Mark Gower to provide the attacking ingenuity to unlock defences – he has six assists to his name. The defence hasn’t changed from the one that won promotion through the play-offs last season and is all the better for it, whilst new custodian Michel Vorm has proven a revelation in the Swans’ goal. Dorus de Who?

Ex-Blue Scott Sinclair will be excited to show his former employers that they were foolish to let him go, but in truth he has endeared himself to Chelsea fans more so in recent weeks, with crucial goals against Tottenham and Arsenal, than he ever did whilst playing at Stamford Bridge. That victory against Arsenal in their last outing at the Liberty Stadium was impressive, but defensive flaws were evident too – a more clinical Arsenal, perhaps like the one we witnessed at Stamford Bridge in October, might well have scored four or five. This will hopefully give the visitors some confidence as they seek to end a dry spell in front of goal. Indeed the Swans come into this game on the back of two defeats, at Sunderland and Bolton, whilst Chelsea’s last five games point to four wins and a draw, and they are unbeaten on the road since October. Whether this record remains intact as they return from foreign lands remains to be seen, but perhaps it will be Fernando who brings some symmetry to proceedings with a winning goal against the team he last scored against in the league exactly a year to the day since he signed for the club? Ok, perhaps not, but forgive me for dreaming.

Meireles, Kalou, Newcastle United

Saturday teatime brings a trip to the DW Stadium for Andre Villas-Boas’s resurgent Chelsea. The Blues are searching for a fourth consecutive league victory and if this was to be achieved it would be the first time they had managed such a run in the league all season. Wigan Athletic come into the game on the back of two wins in three themselves, although their last outing at home was less impressive, going down 4-0 to Arsenal. If Chelsea are to be considered serious title contenders this year then they can certainly not afford to drop points during games such as these. Indeed, as Petr Cech has pointed out in the build-up to the game, all the hard effort put in to win the last two league matches, at Newcastle and at home to Manchester City, will count for nothing if the Blues do not return from the North-West with maximum points.

With regards to team selection it appears that no new injuries have been picked up since the victory over the league leaders five days ago. Goalscorers Frank Lampard and Raul Meireles will again vie for the same spot in midfield, while Villas-Boas hinted in his pre-match press conference that he will stick with the same front three, meaning another place on the bench for Fernando Torres. He hasn’t started a league game since October.  Elsewhere David Luiz returns from suspension and is expected to go straight into the starting eleven at the expense of Jose Bosingwa.

Wigan’s resurgence in form has seen them win consecutive away games 2-1, at Sunderland and West Brom. The latter victory briefly moved them out of the relegation zone but they are now back there in 18^th place. Roberto Martinez has favoured a 4-4-1-1 formation this campaign with the creative Jordi Gomez playing behind a long striker, traditionally former blue and top scorer Franco Di Santo or Irish striker Conor Sammon. Hugo Rodellega, such a pivotal player in helping the Latics stay up last season, has lost form dramatically and with the summer departures of Tom Cleverley and Hugo N’Zogbia Wigan have suffered from a lack of creativity and penetration this season. At the back their defending has quite consistently been of a schoolboy standard. Antonin Alcaraz, perhaps missing for this game with a rib injury, has been culpable on a number of occasions – the home defeat to Bolton and the 3-3 draw with Blackburn were particular lows. Behind the error-prone back four Chelsea will find one of the best stoppers in the division in Ali Al-Habsi, but even he blundered against Arsenal, letting Mikel Arteta’s fairly tame effort slip through his fingers.

With January fast approaching many fans’ attention has turned to the upcoming transfer window. Nicolas Anelka’s departure has already been confirmed whilst transfer listed Alex is also likely to move on to pastures new. Villas-Boas’s long-term strategy for the Blues may well be defined by his approach to the window according to much of the media, but with the African Cup of Nations around the corner the sale of more players seem unlikely.

With leaders Manchester City hosting Arsenal on Sunday and other Europa League contenders Manchester United facing a potentially tricky game at Loftus Road the same day the opportunity presents itself for the Blues to make up some more ground on those directly around them. Today’s fixtures start a run of five league games in fifteen days and a healthy points tally acquired in that time could help plunder the Blues right back into the title mix. Meanwhile in the Champions League Chelsea received one of the most difficult draws yesterday with two games against the potent, pacey Napoli scheduled for February and March. Following something of an unpredictable season thus far it is difficult to predict what sort of form Chelsea will be in going into those games or indeed where they might be in the table:  anywhere from 1^st to 7^th seems feasible right now.

In the short-term it is the frosty, windy DW stadium that awaits Chelsea. A 6-0 win last season was harsh on the Latics and all our previous games there have proved much tighter, with Carlo Ancelotti’s Double-winning side losing their first game there in September 2009. A 3-2 win just before Christmas five years was especially memorable and Chelsea will be hoping somebody can reproduce Arjen Robben’s heroics today.

Terry, Arsenal

Chelsea got back to winning ways on Saturday afternoon with a comfortable 3-0 win against Wolves at Stamford Bridge. Goals from John Terry, Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata were enough to sink the visitors and help the Blues make up ground on five of the teams around them.

Under-fire manager Andre Villas-Boas responded to consecutive defeats by bringing in young Spanish midfielder Oriol Romeu into the starting eleven at the expense of Frank Lampard. Ashley Cole returned too after missing the midweek defeat in Germany.  Wolves, meanwhile, were without two of their key midfielders, Stephen Hunt and Jamie O’Hara, both suspended.

After two consecutive home defeats in the league it was important that Chelsea got off to a strong start to calm nerves around the ground and that is exactly what they did. Ramires made a typically lung-bursting run from deep and brought the very best out of Wayne Hennessey with a stinging drive from twenty yards which the Welshman tipped round the post. From the resulting corner Chelsea did take the lead; Mata swung the ball in and John Terry was on hand to head the ball into the far corner with the aid of a deflection.

A little more than twenty minutes later Chelsea doubled their lead. Wolves had threatened briefly with a couple of headers but a swift counter-attack started by Romeu picked their opponents apart. The Spaniard passed long to Ashley Cole who in turn picked out Raul Meireles. He found the marauding Mata who had too much pace and skill for Ronald Zubar before crossing for Daniel Sturridge for finish confidently from six yards. The in-form English striker nearly made it eight for the season when a Hasselbaink-esque thunderbolt from the edge of the box drew a strong save from Hennessey. The respite was brief for Wolves who couldn’t prevent Chelsea notching a third before the interval. This time it was Ashley Cole who crossed for Mata to sweep home unerringly following excellent work from Didier Drogba. Chelsea’s lead of 3-0 was as comfortable as any had been this season.

Chelsea started the second half strongly and Ramires again found Hennessey on form when his dipping volley was plucked out of the air. Wolves began to assert themselves into the game at this stage though and might have pulled a goal back soon after when Stephen Ward beat David Luiz to get a shot away but it drifted wide. The ensuing five minutes saw the visitors with more possession than at any other time in the match but they couldn’t convert this into anything meaningful and before long it was the Blues back on top. Sturridge beat his man for skill and pace but his dink across the six yard box found no blue arriving much to the frustration of those in the Matthew Harding stand. Sturridge and Mata then both had shots well-saved in quick succession by the overworked Welshman in the Wolves goal.

His opposite number, Petr Cech, was called into action soon after to repel efforts from Matt Jarvis and then more impressively from Ward – these were the only meaningful saves he made all afternoon.

Fernando Torres was introduced for Drogba with fifteen minutes to go and ran at a tiring Wolves backline but couldn’t quite manage an end product on two occasions, first chipping into Hennessey’s grateful arms and then just failing to pick out another substitute, Frank Lampard, when well-placed. John Terry then managed to pick up a booking for timewasting that will rule him out of Tuesday’s game against Liverpool. That Carling Cup Quarter-Final match starts a run of increasingly tricky fixtures which include a difficult lunchtime trip to Newcastle next Saturday followed by crunch home games against Valencia and Manchester City respectively. Whilst the opposition at Stamford Bridge were certainly weaker than the calibre of team about to be faced, it must be hoped that this victory will provide the Blues with the fillip of confidence required to go on to bigger and better things.

torres, gent

The east of Belgium provides the unlikely setting for Chelsea’s first steps to redemption following two consecutive derby defeats. Since the comfortable 5-0 demolition of Genk two weeks ago the Blues have lost 1-0 at QPR and 5-3 at home to Arsenal in the Premier League and anything other than a win on Tuesday night could plunder the Blues into crisis.

This match day four encounter provides Chelsea with some welcome respite from the recent harrowing league experiences. Chelsea currently top group E with seven points, one ahead of nearest challengers Bayer Leverkusen. The Germans face a tricky tie in Valencia but should they win on the east coast of Spain Chelsea will qualify from the group with a win themselves. Even a draw in that game coupled with a win for the Blues would guarantee qualification and perhaps this would be the most favourable result as it would also put some breathing space between Leverkusen and us ahead of our trip to Germany in three weeks’ time.

Twenty Chelsea players have left for Belgium (although the team will actually be staying in Holland) including Nicolas Anelka, injured on Saturday. The previous game against Genk saw Fernando Torres given a run-out as he was in the middle of a domestic suspension; this one could see Didier Drogba feature as he remains suspended for Saturday’s trip to Blackburn because of his own red card picked up at Loftus Road. Meanwhile it would be no surprise to see David Luiz back in the fray, perhaps more for his offensive options against weak opposition than for his own defensive abilities. Another player who deserves a start on recent form is Oriol Romeu, excellent again in last Wednesday’s Carling Cup win at Everton and surely not far off a start in the league. 

Manager Andre Villas-Boas has reiterated his desire to play attacking football with the aim still to outscore the opposition, rather than stopping them scoring at all, in the wake of Saturday’s humiliating defeat. A noble stance perhaps, but the Portuguese must take some important lessons from the defensive horror show on display at the Bridge. The high defensive line employed was frequently exposed by Arsenal’s rapid forward line and whilst AVB mused on how our poor finishing had cost us the game, he must not forget that Arsenal had missed two easy chances before we even took the lead. It also seems foolish of the manager to rely on our strikers scoring. Profligacy in front of goal has been a worrying trait of ours for nearly eighteen months and recent games against Manchester United, Valencia and QPR have all proved this. Saturday was a humbling experience for all concerned and the Chelsea supporters must be hoping that Villas-Boas has learnt from it and is able to display tactical flexibility which was perhaps beyond his predecessor.

Tomorrow’s opponents come into the game on the back of two contrasting results. On Wednesday they lost 0-2 at home to Lierse in the Confidis Cup, a game watched by just over 5,000 people and described by manager Mario Been as a ‘debacle’. On Saturday they participated in an even more remarkable game than Chelsea’s on the same day, coming back from 4-2 down with twenty minutes go to win 5-4 at Club Brugge, with rumoured Chelsea target Kevin de Bruyne scoring a glorious hat-trick. Having conceded nine goals between them on Saturday it will be no surprise to see more goals at the Cristal Arena on Tuesday night.

The 1,200 Chelsea supporters making the short trip across the Channel will be expecting nothing less than a victory on Tuesday as an urgent return to winning ways is sought ahead of the inevitably tough clash to follow at Ewood Park on Saturday.  A clean sheet and a better conversion rate in front of goal would be the cherry on the cake.

sturridge, ashley cole, everton

Branislav Ivanovic and Jon Mikel Obi returned to the starting eleven but otherwise Andre Villas-Boas kept with the same side that had won so impressively at Bolton last time out.

A two-week break had followed that emphatic 5-1 win at the Reebok Stadium and the gap appeared to have done the Blues no favours as they started slowly against the Toffees. Bar a darting run from Ramires early on which was prematurely and perhaps illegally ended by the covering Sylvain Distin Chelsea had nothing to show for their possession in the first thirty minutes. Indeed it was Everton who created the best openings in that time. First the prolific Louis Saha, so regularly the demon of our defence, wriggled free in the box but shot straight at Cech. Then some excellent interplay involving Leon Osman, Leighton Baines and Maroune Fellaini culminated in a clever reverse pass from Baines which picked out the big-haired Belgian midfielder, but he opted not to shoot instantly and Mikel covered magnificently to clear the danger.

These scares appeared to jolt the Blues into life and after a sustained period of pressure in the Everton half they took the lead with their first attempt on target. An incisive chipped through-ball behind the Everton backline from the ever-dangerous Juan Mata picked out a surging Ashley Cole whose first-time dinked cross was equally pinpoint – Daniel Sturridge, running from deep and ahead of Baines, was the grateful recipient, heading home from barely three yards out. It had taken a goal of serious precision to open up a previously stubborn Toffees rear guard.

Knowing that games between these two clubs are often tense affairs with barely more than a goal in them Chelsea’s second on the stroke of half time put some welcome breathing space between themselves and the visitors from Liverpool. An inswinging Frank Lampard free-kick from the left touchline found the head of John Terry, and with Tim Howard having gone walkabout the England captain had the simplest of tasks, heading into an unoccupied net for his second league goal of the season.

The Toffees almost immediately halved the deficit barely thirty seconds after the interval but Osman was unfortunate to see his low shot from 20 yards hit the outside of the post. Chelsea responded well to this warning and netted a third on the hour with a flowing counter-attack. Mata picked the ball up deep inside his own half and found Didier Drogba on the halfway line. He surged forward and found Mata in the inside left channel. With two touches the Spaniard controlled the ball and squared it immaculately across the face of goal where Ramires was charging in to convert from close range.

Unfortunately for the Brazilian, who had covered the length of the pitch in a matter of seconds, he injured himself in the process of scoring and had to be replaced. Florent Malouda was the beneficiary.

With the game now sealed and Stamford Bridge in full voice enjoying a strong if unspectacular Chelsea performance (by this stage of the game three shots on target had yielded three goals) it felt hard to imagine the Blues playing their home football anywhere else. Many stickers, leaflets and banners were on display urging CPO shareholders to vote no in the forthcoming EGM.

Everton did get a goal ten minutes from time as once again Chelsea proved incapable of keeping a clean sheet. Substitutes Royston Drenthe and Apostolos Vellios combined with ease to see the latter sliding in to convert past Cech a mere eighteen seconds after he had entered the field of play. The goal proved a consolation however and it was Chelsea who might have had the game’s last word. Malouda’s cross was deftly chested down by Drogba to the lurking Lampard but his well-struck half-volley was straight into Howard’s gleeful arms.

So Chelsea had ended their barren run against the Toffees and enjoyed a third consecutive league victory in the process, a run which has included twelve goals. Villas-Boas must be enjoying the improved clinical nature of the Blues’ finishing since that particularly profligate game at Old Trafford a month ago. With a couple of tricky London derbies on the horizon the Portuguese manager will be hoping the goals keep flowing and the points keep coming.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has promised wholesale changes and is expected to fully maximise his squad, with those yet to see much or indeed any playing time so far expected to play. Villas-Boas has already guaranteed starts to four of the club’s youngsters, namely youth products Ryan Bertrand and Josh McEachran as well as summer signings Romelu Lukaku and Oriol Romeu. Salomon Kalou, who started the opening two games of the season but hasn’t played at all since should start, perhaps alongside Ivorian compatriot and fit-again Didier Drogba. In goal Ross Turnbull is likely to deputise for Petr Cech with Hilario out injured. He will be hoping for an improved performance from the equivalent fixture last season when he shipped four in a dramatic home defeat to Newcastle. Unused substitutes from Sunday’s defeat including Florent Malouda and David Luiz could also feature.

Chelsea host Swansea on Saturday before travelling to Valencia next week. With the games starting to come thick and fast Villas-Boas will need to deploy all his expertise in rotation to keep the Blues fighting on three different fronts. Jose Mourinho famously placed a good deal of emphasis on the Carling Cup in his first year in charge and continually employed strong teams. Fulham were beaten on the way to victory in that year’s competition, with goals from Damien Duff and Frank Lampard edging out the Whites in a tightly-fought contest at Craven Cottage. Most of those inside the ground tonight will be expecting a similar outcome, irrespective of the potential inexperience of the home side.

Fulham are yet to win a domestic game this season and currently find themselves in the relegation zone having picked up three points from five games. They have won just one of their last eight in all competitions (a 3-0 home win against Dnipro) but their season did begin at the end of June. Tonight will be their fifteenth competitive game of the season. They did however show impressive resilience in fighting back against the previously unstoppable Manchester City on Sunday, when surely many teams would have capitulated. The result was met with huge cheers from all around Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Last year’s 3rd round exit was the earliest we have exited the competition since the 2005/06 season, and it is now four full seasons since we won the League Cup. Whilst never exactly a priority for any team these days, the opportunity for a potentially interesting fourth round draw (Aldershot away, anyone?) coupled with a quick opportunity to get back to winning ways following Sunday’s encouraging defeat at Old Trafford should hopefully spur fans and players alike on. Reduced ticket prices haven’t been enough to encourage either set of supporters to sell out, however. Those who have paid will be hoping to see many of the stars of the future on show in an entertaining West London derby.

Andre Villas-Boas, in charge of the side at Stamford Bridge for the first time, made two changes from the side which drew 0-0 at Stoke last Sunday. Hilario replaced the injured Petr Cech in goal while Anelka was favoured ahead of Malouda by the Portuguese boss. The side retained the 4-3-3 formation it had adopted at the Britannia Stadium.

Last season Chelsea began their campaign at the Bridge with six consecutive clean sheets lasting until the middle of November. This time around they managed barely three minutes before conceding. Alex was caught napping on the ball by the hard-working Shane Long who pinched the ball off him before beating the Brazilian for pace and strength. His finish was equally adept, coolly slotting the ball past Hilario.

It took almost the entire half to awake Chelsea from their early-season slumber during which time they were fortunate not to go further behind. An incisive through-ball from Chris Brunt pierced Chelsea’s worryingly high defensive line – it certainly wasn’t the first time it happened – to release Long who raced clear. All it needed was an easy square pass to the unmarked Somen Tchoyi for the Baggies to double their advantage. Instead Long woefully overhit his pass and the opportunity was wasted; one which, by the end of the afternoon, was to prove costly.

Before that Paul Scharner had tested Hilario at his near post with a fierce drive, while Chelsea offered very little in the way of shots. Salomon Kalou, substituted on the half hour in a Mourinho-esque move by the new manager, cut inside from the left before firing over in Chelsea’s only real attempt on goal in the first forty minutes. Things did improve in that five minute period before the interval as the introduction of Malouda seemed to spark the team into life. First Ashley Cole brought the best out of Ben Foster with an excellent long-range strike before Alex nearly atoned for his earlier mishap with a deflected free-kick that Foster just about clung onto. In between Anelka was denied a penalty after being tripped by the Brom keeper.

Chelsea’s growing renaissance showed no signs of being impeded by the half time break and within seven minutes they were on level terms. Anelka weaved his way into the box and shot past Foster with the aid of a deflection, the ball angling perfectly into the far corner. Minutes later Anelka and Lampard linked up beautifully only for the former to be denied by the outstretched leg of the increasingly busy Foster, before Malouda’s follow-up was brilliant blocked by Steven Reid.

The chances continued to come. Substitute Didier Drogba, in place of the busy Fernando Torres, fired wide at the near post from a Cole cross. Anelka shot over when well placed. Tchoyi then reminded Chelsea of the Albion’s capabilities with a decent curling effort which was tipped wide by the flying Hilario. With the midfield pressing higher up the pitch following an earlier tactical change Chelsea were enjoying more possession – it seemed the diamond was the jewel missing in Chelsea’s crown after all. Anelka probably should have doubled his and his side’s tally with a quarter of an hour to go after Foster went AWOL – instead the Frenchman’s long-range shot dribbled frustratingly wide.

The sense of anxiety which had clouded Stamford Bridge since the third minute finally lifted with seven minutes remaining. Jose Bosingwa, out on the right and facing two defenders, knocked the ball in between them and sprinted past them with a devastating turn of pace. His cross was equally impressive, across the face of the goal and in between the defence and the goalkeeper. If Andy Gray were commentating, he would almost certainly have described it as ‘undefendable’. Malouda had the simple task of knocking the ball in at the back post and Chelsea led. If ever an assist really made a goal, this was it, and it was no surprise many of those in blue headed straight to Bosingwa to congratulate him.

A couple of tense moments later, notably a Peter Odemwingie volley which flew fortuitously straight into Hilario’s arms, and Chelsea had recorded their first three points of the 2011/12 season. Players, fans and manager alike looked relieved. This time last year we were romping to a 6-0 win and were dead certs for the title. Perhaps a slower start will prove that there are gaps in the squad that still need to be filled if we are to be anywhere near the top of the table come May.

The Portuguese manager lined his side up in a traditional 4-3-3 formation which saw Ramires making his first appearance of pre-season in midfield alongside Frank Lampard and in front of Mikel. Salomon Kalou, Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge comprised the front trio, whilst Paulo Ferreira and Ashley Cole flanked Alex and John Terry at the back.

Rangers, on the back of elimination from Europe’s elite competition on Wednesday night in Sweden, started brightly and were ahead within six minutes. Former Fulham midfielder Steven Davis won the ball in midfield and released Naismith down the right, who crossed for Jelavic to comfortably head home from six yards. It was a remarkably simple goal and continued a worrying trend which the Blues suffered from last season, namely conceding early goals away from Stamford Bridge. The hope must be to start quicker and tighter at the Britannia Stadium next Sunday.

To give Chelsea their due they immediately settled into their own game and barely allowed Rangers another sniff at goal for the remaining eighty four minutes or so. Constant possession of the ball finally paid off after 21 minutes when Lampard and Torres (who might earlier have been awarded a penalty) combined effectively, allowing the ball to arrive at the feet of Sturridge who lashed home from close range with his right foot and via the underside of the bar. The young English striker didn’t take long to double his and his side’s tally, dispossessing Kirk Broadfoot close to the touchline before bursting past him with an impressive combination of speed and strength. His finish matched the build-up, as he calmly fired past ‘Gers keeper McGregor at his near post. It is shame that we will miss this level of deadly finishing for the first three matches of the season, which see Sturridge suspended owing to a red card received during the last game of last season whilst representing Bolton.

It might have been three soon after but Kalou saw his well-struck effort parried by McGregor; Torres had again been influential in the build-up, and the Spaniard enjoyed a strong half before being replaced by Didier Drogba at the interval. Sturridge nearly found himself in on goal again but his touch was a little heavy following an incisive Ferreira pass and the chance was lost. Mikel was then lost to injury just before the interval, Josh McEachran coming on in place of the Nigerian.

The second-half proved a more low-key affair as substitutions and stoppages meant little flow to the game was found, but that didn’t stop supporters of both sides enjoying each other’s company and singing along to the same songs.

A new frontline of Anelka, Drogba and Malouda picked up from where Sturridge and co. left off, and, allied with the creativeness of a midfield featuring McEachran and another sub in Yossi Benayoun, continued to dominate the Scottish outfit. Drogba turned his man before firing just wide three quarters of the way through the game and five minutes later assisted Malouda for Chelsea’s third. Jose Bosingwa, enjoying another excellent game at full-back, released Anelka whose cross find Drogba. The big Ivorian lobbed the ball in the direction of Malouda whose header wrong-footed Rangers sub keeper Neil Alexander in front of the 3,000 travelling supporters from London. Immediately after Drogba was felled in the box when through on goal but Lampard’s resulting penalty was weak and too close to Alexander who saved comfortably and saved the ‘Gers more misery.

Chelsea were in complete control and Rangers seemed incapable of stringing even a few passes together – by the end of the second half their side was awash with youngsters and reserve players. Anelka threatened a fourth twice in quick succession but could only find Alexander’s grateful arms when two good opportunities presented themselves to him. Rangers striker David Healy had a late strike which was straight down the throat of the underworked Petr Cech, but that was about the sum of Rangers’ attacking exertions in the second half.

So Chelsea made it six wins out of six in pre-season and with Romelu Lukaku’s signing announced on the same day Saturday was undoubtedly a successful one for the Blues, both on and off the pitch. Villas-Boas must be praying his side can take their winning form into the new league campaign, which starts at Stoke on Sunday. Another performance as convincing as this one will give Chelsea the best possible chance of taking three points from the Potteries in Sunday’s opener.

With Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Manchester United in mind Carlo Ancelotti rested Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres, but apart from that duo it was pretty much a full-strength Chelsea side that lined up to face a side they hadn’t dropped points against in the Premier League era. Much of the Blues’ preparation was undone after only seven minutes when the Potters opened the scoring. David Luiz was frustratingly casual going to pick up a ball on halfway and was caught napping by Jon Walters. With many in blue ahead of the ball Walters had acres of space to advance into, eventually turning inside the overcommitted Michael Essien inside the box before firing expertly past Petr Cech. It was a fine individual goal but questions must also be asked both of Chelsea’s defending and their continuing habit of conceding early in away games. This was the eighth occasion in the league this season that we have conceded a goal in the first twenty minutes of an away game, also suffering at Blackburn, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, Tottenham, Wolves and Sunderland. This frustrating habit must surely be considered a key factor in our inevitable inability to retain our league crown.

To our credit Chelsea responded very well to this early adversity. Ashley Cole (‘he shoots who he wants’) met a wonderfully teasing Florent Malouda with a diving header which was tipped wide by a stretching Begovic. Ten minutes later Frank Lampard hit a sweet volley from the edge of the box but unfortunately it was only straight at the Stoke keeper and his fumble didn’t quite fall to Nicolas Anelka. By now Chelsea were having most of the possession and it didn’t come as a huge surprise when they equalised. Anelka floated a cross from deep behind Stoke’s defence and Drogba ghosted in to emphatically head home his strike partner’s ball. Thirty minutes were gone.

The rest of the half was played out with Chelsea pressing but struggling to open up a stubborn Stoke rear guard led by the imperious Robert Huth, and indeed it was Kenwyne Jones who went closest to scoring but his shot was deflected into a grateful Cech’s arms.

The second half began in lively fashion with Jermaine Pennant forcing Cech to save well with his feet after yet another Stoke counter-attack had split the Blues open. Drogba then hit the outside of the post with a slide-rule finish having been played in by Ramires. Ancelotti subbed the Brazilian and Anelka on 60 and this seemed to hand the initiative back to Stoke who began to dominate again. Marc Wilson’s powerful free-kick rattled the underside of the bar with a slight touch from Cech helping to keep it out, and a minute later the big Czech keeper was at his brilliant best, this time tipping Huth’s powerful header onto the bar from point-blank range. Jones threatened again having wriggled free of Luiz and Terry but could only fire wide with just Cech to beat. From a corner Drogba then tested the strength of the woodwork again as his left-foot shot on the turn rattled the bar. The second half was a frantic affair with both teams going all out to win, but unfortunately from a Chelsea perspective they couldn’t find that elusive second goal. Substitute Fernando Torres showed glimpses of brilliance but was met by a red brick wall on more than one occasion.

The final chance of this neutral-friendly encounter fell to Ricardo Fuller in the second minute of stoppage time but he inexplicably headed wide from barely three yards out having escaped the attention of Chelsea’s defence. This was certainly a welcome let-off. On another day it might have finished 4-1 to Stoke but Chelsea themselves could have run out comfortable winners if they had been more clinical in the final third; as it was, a draw was a fair reflection of an even encounter. The damaging withdrawal of Ramires on the hour affected Chelsea’s performance defensively and offensively from that moment on and we must hope Ancelotti makes better use of his substitutes for Wednesday’s first leg with United, a game which will surely be much tighter than this gung-ho affair.

Chelsea have responded well to the disappointing FA Cup exit at the hands of Everton with a couple of decent wins against FC Copenhagen and Manchester United. A continued blight of the campaign thus far has been false dawns, and Chelsea must do everything they can to ensure that they build on these last two wins with another at Blackpool. Three successive league victories in January were followed by a gutting home defeat to Liverpool and a scoreless draw at Fulham, and it is Chelsea’s inability to string together a run of victories which has really cost them this season. We won our first five league games but since then have only managed one run of three successive victories (the aforementioned run in January) and one of two successive victories. For Chelsea to have any hopes at all of retaining the title so spectacularly won last May, they must surely not drop points in more than one more league game this season, and that is why the Champions must remain such outsiders.

Chelsea’s opponents for this 8pm televised affair are Blackpool, this season’s Premier League ‘fairy tale’. The Seasiders were surprisingly promoted last season despite having one of the smallest budgets in the Championship and for much of this season they have not looked out of place in the top flight. Much of that is down to the excellent work ethic of Ian Holloway’s side, yet it has been their attacking style which has seen them win the hearts of pundits and fans alike. They have so far scored 42 goals this season, only six fewer than Chelsea, and possess the seventh best away record in the division. Their home form has let them down but they have still enjoyed impressive victories against Liverpool and Tottenham, both in 2011. Their open style has seen a remarkable 97 goals scored in their 28 games and they have yet to keep a clean sheet at Bloomfield Road this season, where Fernando Torres has already notched for Liverpool. Perhaps tomorrow is the day the £50 million man breaks his duck.

Tuesday’s victory over Manchester United was especially notable for the performance of David Luiz, who scored a fantastic equaliser and then was fortunate to stay on the pitch. The Brazilian injured his hamstring and has not trained since but Carlo Ancelotti seems confident that he can start his third consecutive league game. Another potential absentee is Mikel, injured in the warm-up before the United game, but he too should be fit to take a place on the bench. The improved recent performances of Frank Lampard and Michael Essien coupled with a change of formation to 4-4-2 mean there simply isn’t a place on the pitch for Mikel, perhaps harsh on one of Chelsea’s better performers this campaign. Another is Ramires, again hugely impressive on Tuesday, and the Brazilian is slowly turning into one of the first names on Ancelotti’s team-sheets with his assured performances both offensively and defensively. A player who may be dropped is Florent Malouda, who has not been at his best in recent months, and Yuri Zhirkov’s bright performance from the bench could convince the Italian to start the Russian for the first time since November. Elsewhere Didier Drogba’s superb cameo should see him back in the starting line-up in place of Nicolas Anelka.

Blackpool will be without two of their most important players tomorrow, with DJ Campbell and Charlie Adam both suspended, and Chelsea will be looking to capitalise on their absence and pick up three more valuable points. Considering Blackpool’s inability to keep clean sheets it seems likely that Chelsea will score so a solid defensive display should see the three points heading back down south, which would be a welcome bonus before a spell of one league game in four weeks.