Chelsea lift the Europa Cup

Sadly we have reached that stage of the season where domestic football has come to an end and Saturday afternoons once again consist of dreaming about watching football, pretending to enjoy taking your partner out shopping and playing football in the park imitating the great Juan Mata (no I’m not just talking about kids there!).

But let’s fear not, with a post-season tour around The States starting this week, the exciting ‘silly season’, consisting of myself phoning and digging around for the latest transfer gossip, and before we know it the pre-season friendlies will begin once again.

For now though, I have complied my own player performance reviews of the season, some you may agree, some you might think I’m being too harsh, others not harsh enough, but we all have our opinions and I am pleased to hear yours.

Petr Cech -
I had always been concerned about his confidence ever since his life-threatening head injury and naturally he has had some cagey moments. But this season I honestly feel like we have had our goalkeeper back once again, he seems to be back to his very best and has many top seasons left in him.

Cesar Azpilicueta -
Since joining from Marseille in the summer I have been really impressed with him in general, he needs to work on his crossing and distribution at times though but his pace is scary, he is solid at the back and contributes going forward. A top right back for many years to come.

Branislav Ivanovic -
Once again another solid and reliable season from him especially when played in his natural centre back role. Some more important goals and excellently timed tackles and blocks have helped us win vital points. Unfortunately he has also made a few costly errors but recovered well in the latter part of the season.

Gary Cahill -
Unfortunately he was injured for some of the season forcing him to lose his consistant routine, but as ever he provides a solid back bone to the team and is one of the best defenders in the world at making shot blocks, something that gets over looked at times. I’m certain he will be an important player for us for years to come, another John Terry.

John Terry -
Although he has been out of favour with Rafa Benitez and suffered with a couple of long term injuries this season, I still feel he is our most important player and still has the ability to captain our side to glory in the coming years. A solid enforcer and the best possible leader.

David Luiz -
My personal award for ‘most improved player’ this season. Luiz had struggled with his over-committing, shady temper and rash play until he was converted to centre midfield. Now, in this latter part of the season we have seen a different player, composed, intelligent, vision, scoring vital goals, skilful, decision making and timing. All things he struggled with before but has now nailed them. I am happy with him at centre back or centre midfield. A very important player for many years to come and a future captain for sure.

Ashley Cole -
I cannot praise Cole enough, as a player he is absolutely vital to the team. He is the perfect all-round full back and still the best left back in the world. He is passionate, experienced, determined, strong and quick and we really notice when he is not playing. Another solid season and I am happy we secured his contract.

Ryan Bertrand -
After reaching his dizzy heights of representing Great Britain in the summer Olympics, I feel Ryan has took some un-deserved criticism in a Chelsea shirt this season. Although suffering his un-balanced moments, in my opinion he is developing in to a great left back and certainly the one to take over from Cole when he leaves. He is a determined hard working player who has not endured enough first team game time to reach his best as yet, but it will come. He needs to finish developing as a full back before he can be experimented as a left winger as he was this season.

Frank Lampard -
The supporters favourite and deservedly so. Although Frank has showed us a few more signs of ageing this season and has steadily played his way through it, there is no denying that he has been just as vital for us this season than he has any other. Often he has yet again been the instigator in a come back, scorer of a vital goal or the captain to lead us to yet another European success. I’m happy he signed for another year, his role will decrease slightly now, but he’s still an important player for the squad in my opinion.

Ramires -
The Brazilian machine can often put in some inconsistent spells and did again this season, but at the same time when he is on his game he is simply the best at it, scoring some important goals, making some astonishing counter attack runs and of course being solid and the most energetic player around in midfield. Ramires is an important player for us but I feel if we capture another centre midfielder this season, his role may decrease slightly which would be unfortunate.

John Obi Mikel -
I have always been a true believer in Mikel’s work, I’ve always stuck by him and thought that he does an excellent unsung job, which let’s be honest he has and normally does. This was his make or break season in my opinion and once again in my opinion, I believe he has blown it. A lack of form and constant inconsistency this season saw him mainly warming the bench. Mikel is a great ball winner and a good calm safe passer, but unfortunately I don’t believe that he has that edge to be good enough for the starting line-up next season.

Nathan Ake -
The ‘Ruud Gullit’ looking youngster is a super hot prospect, and although we have not seen enough of him at senior level as yet, he is very composed, confident and great on the ball. I am sure we will see more of him next season.

Oscar -
Well what can you say about this young man? He settled in right away and although he has had a few edgy performances he has finished strong, in terms of his physical strength and his form. Starting light weight he has improved immensely with his strength on the ball. I feel he is being played out of position on the wing however, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him move more central to a deeper lying playmaker role next season. A huge and exciting prospect for us.

Juan Mata -
My (and everyone else’s no doubt) player of the season for sure. Mata has improved immensely this season, and that’s not saying he wasn’t excellent last season, it is merely stating just how good he has been this season for us. over 30 assists, that’s incredible. And he’s always popping up with important goals. Our most creative spark who has formed a frightening partnership with Eden Hazard that sparks fear in the heart of any defensive unit around the world. A top player who is still yet to peak, another scary thought.

Eden Hazard -
Surrounded by big expectations when he joined in the summer, Hazard got off to a flying start but quickly seemed to struggle. The most fouled player in the Premier League, luckily for us Hazard re-found his form and continued to take the league by storm grabbing 13 goals along the way. His pace with the ball at his feet is mesmerising, we have used counter attacks many times this season effectively, and that is purely down to this man bringing the ball away, he’s the best at it. Again, still a young player and still developing, I’m excited to see him progress even further next season.

Victor Moses -
Although he has produced some moments of magic and some diversity to our play, I really can’t see him being any more than just a squad player, which I’m certain he would not be happy to accept and rightly so. I just don’t see him being good enough for our squad next season I’m afraid.

Marko Marin -
Disappointing to say the least, but I still feel as always we are too quick to judge, he surely has not made enough starts to make our judgements this season? He was hyped as the German Lionel Messi before he joined and rated very highly be the experts, this can’t be for nothing, we must be missing something right? Another case of high expectations denting the confidence perhaps?

Fernando Torres -
Well, when you start the season and someone tells you that your main striker will get you over 20 goals in the season, you surely cannot ask for much more than that right? Torres is a very difficult case, the fans love to hate him but they equally love to love him. Let’s be honest he simply is not the player he once was even though he has got us plenty of important goals this season. He ended on a high, scoring the goal to send us through to the Champions League, I still feel we might see a revival and I certainly wouldn’t want that to happen at another club, especially in England. So I say we should keep Torres as a squad striker and rotate him as he has done this season with Demba Ba, after all we’re not going to recoup anywhere near the £50 million we paid for him now so we might as well get some more goals instead. Don’t write him off yet if you haven’t already done so.

Demba Ba -
Generally I have been disappointed with Ba, he has done the job he came in to do, provide us cover, give us another option and be a good finisher. Nobody can doubt he has made some fine finishes this season and scored some very important goals. But again, his distribution, his team play, I just don’t feel that he is good enough for the squad next season.

Well that wraps it up, I’ll leave you with the thought that it is seeming more and more likely by the day that we will be seeing the home coming for ‘The Special One’. I for one will be very happy if Jose Mourinho comes home, I feel with this squad and the few additions needed in the summer, Mourinho will once again turn Stamford Bridge in to a real fortress.

Remember to follow my Twitter for transfer news updates, silly season is just around the corner!

Simon Phillips – News Editor @CFCneteditor

Tuesday 14 May
Both Eden and John travelled with the squad for tomorrow’s game in the Netherlands but Hazard will not be playing. Terry will be reassessed on the morning of the game.
Arsenal showed no sentimentality to Wigan by thrashing the FA Cup winners 4-1. The Gooners climb into fourth while Wigan become the third and last to slip out if the Premiership. It all comes down to Sunday when we play Everton at home, Arsenal are away at Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspurts are at home to Sunderland.
News is starting to emerge that if we finish level on points, goal difference and goals scored we will have a play-off with Arsenal.

Europa Cup Winners

Wednesday 15 May
Benfica 1:2 Chelsea
Last gasp dramatic winners have rarely been so late or dramatic. After a night of poor defending and wasteful attacking we somehow managed to nick this. To cap it all Frank Lampard announced that he is close to a new deal to keep him at the club beyond the summer.
Benfica started the better side as they pinged the ball around midfield and walked past lame challenges from David Luiz and Lampard both of whom let their game slip at the worst possible time. Torres was dropping deeper and deeper looking for the ball and our defending was passive, we never pressed the player in possession so they simply played round us.
The Portuguese side arrived in the box time and again and were unlucky that we managed to get bodies in the way – just.
The half could be characterised by one move that saw Torres bravely holding the ball up against two defenders waiting for support only for the team to play the ball all the way back to Cahill on the edge of our box.
Just as it looked like we’d surrendered Frank Lampard reminded the game that we were there. Picking up possession he thrashed a shot at goal that the Benfica ’keeper just palmed away; brilliant stuff from both and the first class of the evening.
The second-half started much as the first had ended the closest we could get to the ball was to bring them down. A succession of free-kicks and corners ended with the ball in the net but an offside flag saved our bacon – he looked level.
The shock woke Chelsea from their collective slumber. Mata started to spray some passes around but the breakthrough came from a more direct source – channelling the Wimbledon side of 1986 – Petr Cech threw the ball straight down the middle, Mata flicked, Torres ran on to it held off the defender, rounded the ‘keeper and lashed the ball in from an angle. 0-1.
We didn’t have long to enjoy the lead as the referee bizarrely interpreted Azpilicueta’s hand deliberately getting in the way of a ball travelling at speed from an inch and a half away. Cardozo scored and immediately collapsed with cramp. 1-1.
We should have had a penalty of our own when Torres was rugby tackled in the box but the referee calmly allowed the foul.
The recovered Cardozo drew a flying save for Petr Cech a few minutes later but we were in the game now and competing. Frank tried again to stamp his authority on the match from twenty and odd yards his shot cannoned back of the cross bar.
Ramires was having a very unlucky night as his runs were either stopped by a poor pass, an offside flag or in this case a deflection for a corner, Mata swung it in and this time Branislav Ivanovic popped up to direct a looping header back across goal and in. 1-2. The whole place exploded. Try telling anyone in blue that the Uefa Cup doesn’t mean anything.
Benfica immediately punted the ball up field and Ivanovic was still buzzing, still drunk on the moment but Gary Cahill was alert and both blocked the shot and cleared in one movement without fouling the striker. It was a tackle every bit as important as the goal.
Poor Benfica, if only they could shoot.
The final whistle was moments behind the chance and we had the final piece of the jigsaw. Chelsea are only the fifth and the first English club to have won all three European trophies. Uefa Cup winners 2013.
John Terry supermaned into his kit to collected the trophy with Frank Lampard. John is in danger of becoming a mascot on European final nights. Next year he’ll perhaps get to play.
Spare a thought for Béla Guttmann the Hungarian coach who won back-to-back European Cups with Benfica and was refused a pay rise, his response: “not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever win a European Cup,” that was in 1962. Thank the baby cheeses too, that Eddie McCreadie had no Hungarian blood.

Thursday 16 May
Frank Lampard signed a one-year extension to his contract meaning he will be with us for many more late runs from midfield and so say all of us. It seems he was holding out for a deal that matched his current wages and has been rewarded.
Back at the awards dinner and Juan Mata scooped both player and players’ player of the year. Nathan Ake got best sprout and Oscar won goal of the season for his hit against Juventus a long, long time ago.

Friday 17 May
Thibaut Courtois and Atlético Madrid pulled off the shock of the season in Spain by beating Jose Mourinho’s Real in the Copa del Rey final. Jose was sent to the stands, Ronaldo was sent off for a petulant kick and Courtois pulled off exceptional saves from Ozil and Higuain in extra-time.
The bonkers idea of a play-off with Arsenal to see who finishes third has been fleshed out. The wonks at the Premier League have clearly lost the plot completely; Villa Park would stage the match on Sunday 26 May should we finish level on points, goals and etc. Content to ignore results between the two sides as a way of deciding the issue the league have forgotten that the Chelsea team will be completely exhausted, not only from a 69-game season but the flight back from the United States where we play Manchester City the day before.

Saturday 18 May
The Bantams made the leap into League One by overpowering Northampton Town at Wembley. Bradford City have been to Wembley before this season – you might not remember the League Cup final but they played Swansea City and got a bit of thrashing so this seemed like justice.

Sunday 18 May
Chelsea 2:1 Everton
That last game for both managers on a day of retirements and resolutions. We secured third spot with this win with Arsenal also winning to keep Spurs in fifth. Poor old Tottenham…
The afternoon started with a glittering early break with Demba Ba’s shot rebounding to Mata, the little Spaniard applied his twentieth finish of the season. 1-0.
The first-half was pretty much all Everton after that: Steven Naismith equalised, 1-1, and the Toffees could have had four before the break with a mixture of poor finishing, Petr Cech and their shooting boots being half way to the beach let them down.
We didn’t go completely quiet. Frank Lampard managed to smash wide the best opportunity and Nathan Ake had a chance to put the gloss on a great personal performance and season, only his shot was just too high.
Oscar took the second-half to his own, playing his 79th game of the season the young Brazilian was full of running and broke forward constantly pinning Everton back.
Fernando Torres took the opportunity to finish on a high as he rifled in Victor Moses’ knockdown. 2-1.
That was that, somehow the chances Everton spurned late on never felt like they would go in and the season was done.
Elsewhere, Romelu Lukaku scored a second-half hat-trick as Steve Clarke’s WBA drew a quiet end of season match with Manchester United 5-5. Alex Ferguson bowed out. Also departing this footballing life are Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen, David Beckham, Stiliyan Petrov, and Mark Halsey. We wish Petrov and Halsey a long life and hope we have heard the last of Beckham.
Earlier at Wembley our near neighbours Brentford slipped at the final hurdle and so Yeovil Town will play in the Championship next season. What is that you say? Brentford always seem to screw up promotion.
In Belgium, Thorgan Hazard (Eden’s brother) guided Zulte-Waregem to within a win of the title as they needed to beat Anderlecht on the last day but managed only a draw. It has been a phenomenal season for the younger Hazard.
Spare a thought for Benfica as Porto confirmed their Portuguese league title.

The players paraded the Uefa Cup on the traditional post-season lap. Frank Lampard said thank you almost as if he had forgotten that he will be here next year and the stands reverberated with Jose Mourinho’s name.
In 2009 the stands shook to the name of Guus Hiddink, the players bought him a gold watch as a memento. Rafael Benitez didn’t show his face and the guys will send someone down to the garage for flowers after next week’s implausible games against Manchester City.

Everton shouldn’t be underestimated, even though they won’t finish iin the top 5.
To look at Everton, you could make the argument that this is the best side that they’ve had in a long time under Moyes. Yet because of their budget, it’s very hard to compete when the teams around you are in better financial positions. To look at their situation compared to Tottenham, you could see Spurs making one or two big signings before next season, whether Gareth Bale stays or goes, but you can’t really say the same for Everton, unless they sell Baines and Fellaini.
However, this season, it’s not as if they haven’t developed a strong group of players that can win matches. Kevin Mirallas looks an inspired signing and may be the only player in that Everton side that is capable of creating his own instances of individual brilliance. Seamus Coleman will remain, though it remains to be seen whether he’s best suited further forward or as an attacking option coming from further back. Leon Osman has stepped in to prove what a valuable commodity he is in midfield. And Darron Gibson and Ross Barkley look as if they may be able to anchor the midfield even if Fellaini leaves.
All that underlines the talent that is there, though none of the names truly leap off the page. Given that this is Moyes last match in charge, I would tend to imagine that they’ll be looking to send him off in style with Moyes’ first win away over a “big four” side.

Kevin Mirallas is the player I most fear on their squad, but Victor Anichebe has started to deliver on his potential.
As I mentioned, Mirallas’ arrival at Everton has been a rather inspired signing for the Toffees. Even though I think his best position is as a second striker, he’s also more than capable of playing wider and coming inside to create the spaces needed to be a threat. He’s been very dangerous in playing through the channels to latch on to balls played through the lines, and he’s also more than capable of putting the fullback on his heels and creating chances by running at him. He’s also one of the few Everton players with genuine pace to leave defenders trailing and has the ability to finish his chances in one-on-one situations.
If he does have a drawback, it’s that he has been slightly prone to pick up knocks that put him on the sidelines. He’s made 32 appearances this season, but there are quite a few that he started but finished early due to picking up some kind of injury. However, when he’s on his game and fit, he can cause trouble to any side.
The other big development this season is the emergence of Anichebe as a reliable striker. It won’t show up in the stat sheet, but his ability to play a more physical hold-up game than Nikica Jelavic while scoring the same amount of goals has been vital for the Toffees. Anichebe was one of the players that tending to get lost in the shuffle at striker, with Moyes preferring others ahead of him. This season, he’s started to show a bit more of what he’s capable of doing, and it’s been vital since Jelavic has really not had a good season.

Looking to the future of Chelsea, I’ll be interested to see how the new manager shapes the future of one or two of the players.
Let’s face it. Chelsea essentially have three players that want to play the same position. Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, and Oscar all three want to play behind the striker in that number 10 role. Of the three, only Hazard is just as effective out wide as he is in the middle because of his abilities on the ball to put the fullback under pressure. Neither Mata nor Oscar is as effective playing wide because it does limit their influence, and after the season Mata had, it’s hard to see moving him elsewhere.
That leaves the new manager to decide what to do with Oscar because he clearly is more effective in central areas. For me, I still think that long-term, he is the successor to Frank Lampard. He does have that touch of pace, but he’s also got the ability to pick out any pass and generally finds similar spaces between the lines that Lampard does, though not with the ability to arrive late in the box. Given that he’s more effective when he sees the play in front of him and his positional sense, I think the time would be right to move him a little deeper in order to accommodate all three players and possibly field a more attack-minded player on the right side.

What will the striker situation look like next season?
Whether bringing back Romelu Lukaku or buying someone, Chelsea need a third striker going into next season. The real question will be, what do you do with the two existing ones and will they be happy if a big name comes in?
For all the criticism of Fernando Torres, I think he’s had a pretty good season. He broke the 20-goal mark for the first time in three seasons, and I think has started to adapt to a style of play that is not always designed to get the best out of him solely.
From going back and watching clips of his goals for Liverpool, it was amazing to me how many came from raking balls over the top or through the lines that set him free. Most of them weren’t quite as route one as the Benfica goal, but many from similar types of play. Chelsea doesn’t play that way. Because we tend to try to press the issue more than Liverpool did, the spaces behind are much less and he’s had to adapt in different ways. I think it’s more telling that even though his goal totals don’t leap off the page, five other players finished with double-digit goal totals, which accounts for something.
As far as Demba Ba is concerned, I think he’s a bit of a work in progress. This is the first top side he’s played in during his career, and I think he also has some adapting to do. Too often, he looks to make the central run for the ball played over the top and doesn’t always create space for others around him. However, his finishing is out of this world at times, and I think he’s got a role to play in the squad.
If another striker comes in, I could see Lukaku going back out on loan one more season. Despite showing some very good things at West Brom this year, there were still a few times when you wondered why he was in the position he was. However, most of his issues are things that need match time to hash out, and I think if his return means that he’ll see bit-part duty, it may be best to send him back to West Brom for one more year.

Farewell, Rafa. I may not care much for you, but I do respect the job you’ve done.
I may not be the greatest fan of Benitez, but I will acknowledge that he has maintained the progression of the side. While it’s the great “what if” to ask whether Roberto Di Matteo could have done the same, it’s important to look at a recent interview with Sports Illustrated here in the U.S. and the fact that Benitez mentions rotation and the lack of it under Di Matteo. He’s right. Di Matteo in his time at Chelsea generally played the same 13 to 14 players with very little rotation in the starting 11. That’s not conducive to a campaign that easily could reach 70 matches if your ambition is to compete for everything, so for that, I think Benitez’s insistence on rotation has kept the squad relatively fresh with one or two blips along the way.
Judging Benitez on lack of title contention also may be a bit harsh. Last season, Chelsea finished 25 points off the top of the table in 6th. This season, the gap currently stands at 16. The improvement has been slow, but you have to consider that we were more than just four players away from challenging last season and bringing in Hazard, Oscar, Victor Moses, and Cesar Azpilcueta narrowed that gap. But I’d have to say it would be very optimistic to suggest that title contention was in the future.
So I will say farewell to Rafa, but I will acknowledge the fact that he did a fairly good job. He didn’t put in a world-beating performance, but for the manager that nobody wanted and nobody liked, he has also not torpedoed the side or made it any worse for the wear in his time here.

Him

As we prepare to play our 69th and final game against Everton on Sunday, everyone will look back on another season of ups and downs that has become almost the norm for the past 10 years. I heard that our Europa League triumph on Wednesday was our 11th trophy in 9 seasons with 10 different managers over-seeing that success. Its not a bad record if we’re honest and only the most pig-headed of fans would turn around and say its not. I was glued to twitter on Wednesday night following the game as best I could as I’m currently in Africa for 4 months due to my work commitments. however, the distance did not dampen my passion or excitement from what was, by all accounts, another highly charged and emotional final which had us all on edge right until the last minute when Ivanovic rose Salmon-esque at the back post to loop THAT header past a helpless Artur in the Benfica net.

Credit has to go to the players first and foremost because of the gruelling season they have gone through. We will play 69 matches this season, a trip to Japan and a (pointless) trip to the USA after the Everton game, not to mention the possibility of a “3rd place play-off” against Arsenal, should results go that way on Sunday. We’ve got a relatively small squad which was made more difficult in January with the Sale of Daniel Sturridge to Liverpool. Our first XI is strong with quality all over the pitch but beyond that we struggle to find any real match winners to come off the bench. This has to be a task of the new manager coming in to sort out immediately. With the future of Frank sorted for at least one more season (Which we’re all delighted about) whoever comes in must look at Essien, Lukaku & Cortuois and bring them back into the fold or move them on and replace them with real quality. I personally would like to see all 3 back at the bridge next season and given a real go of cracking the first team, especially the goalkeeper. I feel that Petr Cech has had no real quality back-up since Carlo Cudicini left and with all due respect to Ross Turnbull, He’s not a goalkeeper you would put in a top team. I sense, from Twitter & what I’ve managed to read since I’ve been out here that everyone is looking forward to next season and what it might offer.

Now I feel obliged to talk briefly about Rafa Benitez. I don’t like the bloke, I don’t really rate him as a man-manager (from what I’ve seen) and I don’t think he has done himself ANY favours over the past 6 months he’s been in charge BUT history will be written that he won a European trophy whilst managing our club and I don’t think we can rip out that particular page out just because of what he did and said in the past whilst managing another side, who at the time were our main English rivals in Europe. Factor in the fact Mourinho always had the upper hand on him when it came to the press and the affection of the neutral supporter, his frustrations were obviously going to be a broad swipe at the club. We were the “new kids on the block” so-to-speak. We were successful immediately with some of the best players in Europe wearing blue. I’ve sat through banter and abuse from friends and complete strangers (Like I’m sure we all have), Man Utd have a song of our “hollow” title successes and we all know ALOT of people dont like what the club stand for. He wasn’t to know that 7 years down the line he’d be asked to manage Chelsea. Nobody knows what is going to happen in the future and if we did, I’d certainly be out of a job because the situations I’m employed to deal with wouldn’t be there. I think, from my point of view anyway, is that as difficult as it is to say, credit where credit is due for Rafa. He was employed with the minimum pre-requisite of achieving Champions League football next season & maybe win a trophy as a bonus. Well he’s got both those boxes ticked and in turn made us the 1st club to win a Champions League trophy followed by the Europa League. I appreciate that probably 95% of people who read this will disagree with what I’ve said & probably give me a torrid time on twitter. I’ve given the bloke credit, not endorsed his appointment, management style or decisions. He’s been in charge of the club we all support and love and for that reason, petty arguments, speeches and comments all should be pushed to the back of our minds (I didn’t say forgotten about) We love having our backs to the wall don’t we?! Us against everybody else? I’d still support Chelsea if Piers Morgan himself was put in charge (Well, actually maybe not Piers Morgan but you know what I mean!)

I’m sat here wondering one last thing; For those who read this and are lucky enough to be going to our final home game this season… Can you find it in yourself to applaud Rafa if he chooses to take part in a lap of honour around the pitch?! Then think about this; how would we look if we jeered him?

Thanks for reading.

You can follow me on Twitter -> @_Chrishamilton

The stats reveal that six of the last 12 league meetings between these two sides have ended in a draw, with both sides securing three wins apiece.

However Everton have won only one of their previous 20 Premier League trips to the Bridge, and since the start of 2009-10 the Toffees have won only three of their 20 top flight away games in London (D11, L6).

Throw in the fact that Chelsea are unbeaten in their seven league matches (W5 D2) and you can see why they are odds-on to win this despite the fact that the visitors will be desperate to give David Moyes a winning send-off in his last game as manager

Frank Lampard became the highest goalscorer in the history of the club (203) with his brace against Aston Villa, and looks decent value at 7 with Coral and Stan James in the first scorer market.

He has been absolutely outstanding all season, and the standout 3 on offer with Stan James about him netting anytime looks huge given that he is as short as 2.25 in a place.

The last three meetings in the league between the two sides have seen nine goals netted (average of 3), so backing over 2.5 in this encounter also makes plenty of appeal at 1.73 with BetVictor.

In the correct score market I am going to suggest a small punt on Chelsea winning 3-1 – the same as when they last met in the league at Stamford Bridge.

That outcome is chalked up at a best of 15 with Stan James.

Him versus Queens Park Rangers

In his final press conference as Chelsea’s Interim manager Rafael Benitez dodged questions on whether he would participate in the end of season ‘lap of honour’, however this shouldn’t be an issue and Benitez should able to show off his Europa League trophy.

Having arrived to a ‘difficult’ atmosphere, it appears leaving might pose the same complications, Benitez believed he would be able to turn the Chelsea supporters, only to discover during a midweek FA Cup match that this would not be possible.

Since that vital moment, things changed for Chelsea, and the team cemented Champions League football and became only the fourth club to win every major European honour by winning the Europa League against Benfica.

That achievement is as much Benitez’s as it is any Chelsea players, John Terry was happy enough to go up and lift the trophy with Frank Lampard, and he played no part in the final, so why not let Benitez have his moment?

To suggest this would be Benitez ‘proving the fans wrong’ would be incorrect. A table showing points accumulated since Benitez took over shows Chelsea in 5th place, behind all of the top four rivals, we have scrapped into the top four under Benitez.

However, I will never lay all of the blame at Benitez’s door, the Chelsea board should have known the hatred for him from the fans and never appointed him, fans should never be blamed for showing passion, something Benitez claimed we had a lack of.

The bad atmosphere clearly had an impact on the early period of Rafa’s reign, but the players seem to enjoy playing under him, especially the Spanish and Brazilian contingents. I also believe the ‘old guard’ have grown to Rafa and wouldn’t have minded if he took over full time, but he was never a fit for this football club.

Benitez’s main counter attacking tactic in the Europa League final was to pinpoint the Benfica left back and had Ramires on that right wing to not only provide support for the defence and midfield, but also to provide an outlet.

The winning goal came from Ramires winning a corner in the last seconds on that left hand side, and by making no substitutions during the game, clearly Benitez believed his original plan was going to pay off, and it did.

Benitez should be allowed to celebrate our success and to say goodbye, not to the fans, but to the squad which he has led to the Europa League trophy and has grown fond of, and a squad that has grown fond of him.

A lap of honour, however, is where our celebration for winning the Europa League should end. We only entered the competition because of our failings in the Champions League, so winning the trophy can hardly be described as a success.

Benitez has to be given credit for even trying to win the tournament, which most Premier League managers have gladly sacrificed for a better league position.

Although Benitez took this approach for his own gain (not that I blame him, I would do the same in his situation), as he knew he wasn’t staying on at Chelsea and needed to raise his profile since his failings at Inter Milan, he still put us in a position to win another trophy, something some clubs can only dream of.

This is why, Benitez should be part of the lap of honour, he knows he is not welcomed, and he isn’t asking for fans to worship the ground he walks on. Benitez should be given the opportunity to enjoy some light relief from a long season, which has seen him win another European Trophy.

Benitez and Chelsea will go their separate ways come Sunday evening, there is no need to boo, to chant anti-Rafa songs, and we can all (hopefully) enjoy three points, another trophy and create an atmosphere that will lead the team to even more success next season.

Tweet me your thoughts @DeanMears

Frank Lampard in action against Aston Villa

Frank Lampard scored twice against Aston Villa at the weekend to become Chelsea’s all time leading goalscorer. He has scored 13 times against Aston Villa in his career, more than any other opponent.

Lampard has 15 goals this season from 71 shots at goal. He’s hit 67.8% of those on target and needed just 4.7 shots and 131 minutes per goal. Only Chicarito, Daniel Sturridge and Robin van Persie have scored more frequently while on the pitch this season, while of the 25 players to have hit ten or more goals this season Lampard has the 6th best shooting accuracy.

Eden Hazard contributed both assists for Chelsea against Aston Villa, the second time he has provided more than one assist in a game this season. He also now leads the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for dribbles completed with 56.

He’s formed an impressive partnership this season with Juan Mata, with Mata having made 1114 passes this season, the fifth highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index and the most by a player outside of Manchester City or Arsenal.

While much of the talk around the Chelsea squad this season will be around the midfield creativity of Mata and Hazard, Petr Cech has again proved the difference that a top class keeper can make. Cech has made an incredible 191 saves this season, the 4th highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Compare that to Manchester City’s Joe Hart, who has made just 123 saves, and De Gea and Lindegaard’s combined saves for United of 158.

Everton will have a new manager at the helm next season after David Moyes confirmed he will take over as Manchester United manager next season. He can instantly endear himself to the Manchester United faithful by beating Chelsea in his final game at Everton.

His penultimate game in charge saw Everton beat West Ham 2-0 thanks to goals from Kevin Mirallas.

Mirallas scored twice and set up an incredible six goal scoring chances in the game – no other player has scored two plus goals and created so many goal scoring chances in a game this season.

Everton’s dominance of attacking possession was such that they had three times as many touches in the box as West Ham in the game, and 28 shots at goal, the most they have had at Goodison Park this season. Steven Pienaar was at the heart of that, completing 48 passes in the opposition half, the second highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for last weekend.

While Pienaar’s attacking play is rightly praised, one part of his game that may surprise some is his tough tackling. Pienaar is one of 25 players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to have attempted over 100 tackles.

Most impressive defensively this season, however, has been Phil Jagielka, who has contributed 335 times defensively this season across tackles won, interceptions, blocks and clearances – the 6th highest by a defender in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

Frank Lampard, Arsenal

As we are all well aware, our great Vice-Captain, midfielder Frank Lampard, broke Bobby Tambling’s all-time goalscoring record for the club on Sunday while spearheading a come back against Aston Villa at Villa Park, virtually securing our place in next seasons Champions League.

The Chelsea fans rejoiced, the media went crazy, but super cool Frank simply re-in acted his trademark salute to the skies, in tribute to his Mother who sadly passed away in 2008. He went on to state that ‘it means everything to me‘ and nobody, not even his critics can ever doubt that statement.

A random fact about Lampard that you may not be aware about, our goalscoring machine is actually a very intelligent individual, recently signing a contract to release his own series of children’s books entitled ‘Frankie’s magic football’, he also scored abnormally high in an IQ test with club doctors.

Frank started his career as a fresh faced youngster at West Ham, enjoying a loan spell in Wales with Swansea along the way. Rated highly, the then 22 year old made his dream move to Chelsea in 2001 for fee of £11 million after West Ham sacked both his father, Frank Senior (Assistant Manager), and his uncle Harry Redknapp (Manager). When you consider what Lampard has given Chelsea not even taking into account his 203 goals, you can say that the fee of £11 million is a true bargain.

With Chelsea, the veteran terrace hero has won the Premier League 3 times, the FA Cup on 4 occasions, the League Cup twice, the Community Shield twice, the Europa League and who can forget him finally receiving his deserved and biggest achievement to date, the UEFA Champions League last season.

When you consider that Lampard has made over 400 appearances in a blue shirt, you might say that this particular achievement is his greatest. Many players have been and gone during his 12 years as a Chelsea player but super Frank has continued to feature on a regular basis and not only feature, but remain a key player and a real center piece with the rest of the team being built around him. With billionaire owner Roman Abramovich hungry for success, it was fair to say that many players would not make the grade, but I’m certain that even up until this season, Frank Lampard would be the first name on that team sheet regardless.

Growing up, youngsters who enjoy football need a role model. Lampard certainly hasn’t avoided his controversial moments but on the pitch he has always been the best possible role model and player to imitate, even to this day. A gentleman on the pitch, Lampard will always be that player who stops to pick an opponent off the ground, or the one to always makes sure he shakes the officials hands regardless of their decisions during the game, the type of man who will always genuinely appreciate the supporters coming to watch him and make a point of this by going over to clap them after every match.

In a football sense, Lampard simply has to be considered as one of the best all-round midfielders to ever grace the beautiful game.  I’m not talking about his achievements now, they go without saying, but watch this player from a football sense, watch him tactically. It’s difficult to find anyone better. His movement, positioning, decision making, his timing of runs, these are all his best traits that often get overlooked. His pace has slowed down over the years so these skills have become even more essential for him. I touched upon this a moment ago, but is there any other player in the world who is better at arriving in the box at that inch perfect time to slot home a  sublime finish? I think not.

Good on the ball, clear vision for a pass, a great right foot, hard in a challenge, strong, ability to read the game, I could go on and on, but he’s one of the best at it. These are just some of the reasons why he is one of the most loved players to ever wear the badge on his chest. Respected, loved, admired, Frank Lampard is a true Chelsea legend in a time where the word ‘legend’ is one of the most over-used in football, but this man fully merits the title. There are not too many true players like Lampard around today, players who play for their pure desire, passion and love for the game.

I will take this opportunity to remind everyone of his dedication to his national side as well, something that other players may take too lightly, not Lampard, close to reaching 100 appearances for England, he shows his pride every time he pulls on the shirt of the three lions.

With the announcement that Super Frank has signed a new contract, I can’t wait to see him continue to deliver in a Blue shirt.

Written By Simon Phillips @CFCneteditor

Chelsea struggled to establish themselves in the match as Benfica took control of the first half. Jorge Jesus’ team caused Chelsea’s defence a lot of problems but they couldn’t carve any clear cut chances. The Chelsea defence was frantic and desperate at time. Frank Lampard’s swerving shot from distance was a rare highlight in a worrying first half.

But The Blues were much better in the second half. Mata spent much more time on the ball and Azpilicueta and Ashley Cole were getting past the halfway line. Benfica almost went ahead when Oscar Cardozo’s header was ruled out for offside. But Chelsea did break the deadlock just before the hour mark (although you won’t have seen much of it thanks to a Dutch TV director). Petr Cech’s long throw found Mata who flicked it on to Torres superbly. The striker was always going to beat Luisao for pace but it looked as though the chance may have gone as Torres stumbled past Artur. But he kept his composure and slotted home giving Chelsea the lead.

The lead lasted just eight minutes. Azpilicueta handed Benfica a penalty which Oscar Cardozo fired home, injuring himself in the process. Frank Lampard almost popped up with winner with another long range drive but it rebounded off the crossbar with venom. Two minutes into stoppage time, the game was heading into another extra-time in a European final for The Blues when we won a corner. Juan Mata, who set up Drogba’s header in the Champions League final, curled the ball to the back post. Ivanovic, fixated on the ball, intent on making up for missing last year’s final, leapt and sent the ball to the far corner with a looping header. With less than a minute to go, another European title looked certain. If not for the last ditch defending of Gary Cahill there could have been another late twist. But it was not Benfica’s night. It was Chelsea’s. Europa League champions.

I don’t normally do Stats in match reports, but here are The Stats.

• Chelsea are the first team to hold both European titles at the same time.
• Chelsea are the first team to win both European titles consecutively in reverse order (Champions League followed by Europa League).
• Chelsea are only the fourth team to win the Champions League, Uefa Cup/Europa League and Cup Winners’ Cup.
• Fernando Torres and Juan Mata are the first two players to be reigning champions of the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and Europa League.
• Only Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Peter Osgood have scored more European goals for Chelsea than Fernando Torres.
• Fernando Torres’ goal was the first time Chelsea have lead in a European final. (Champions League or Europa League.)
• Juan Mata has assisted Chelsea’s last three goals in European finals.

@JonathanCDavies

Luiz celebrates last minute free kick winner against Basel

Just under a year ago, Chelsea won their first Champions League trophy with a heroic win over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. A year on, and Chelsea find themselves in yet another European final. Unfortunately, this isn’t the final they would have liked to have found themselves in. However, we’re in it to win it.

Chelsea came into the 2012/13 Champions League campaign as holding champions, and found themselves in a tough qualifying group – consisting of Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk and Nordsjaelland. However, few people had predicted Chelsea not to proceed to the knock-out rounds of this prestigious tournament.

After losing a 2-0 lead against Juventus in a 2-2 draw, Chelsea responded with a 4-0 win over the arguably weakest in the group, Danish side FC Nordsjaelland. Chelsea lost the first game in Donetsk 2-1, but rebounded with a 3-2 victory. A horrendous 3-0 loss away to Juventus saw Roberto Di Matteo sacked, and put Chelsea’s Champions League dreams in serious question.

Chelsea, now under Rafa Benitez, responded with an impressive 6-1 home win against Nordsjaelland, but a Juventus win against the Ukranian’s left Chelsea finishing the group in a disappointing third place.

Chelsea made it through Sparta Prague, Steaua Bucharest and Rubin Kazan before the semi-finals against FC Basel, where the first game saw the teams’ level at 1-1 due to an arguable penalty decision given the Swiss outfit’s way. However, Chelsea responded with a stoppage time winner to secure the all important two away goals. Not giving in, Chelsea earned a 3-1 win at home in London, to see the tie finish 5-2 on aggregate, and give them a place in the Europa League final.

Benfica crashed out in the Champions League quarter-final last season to fellow Europa League finalists, Chelsea, after Raul Meireles banished any hope of a Portuguese comeback with a goal in stoppage time to secure a 3-1 victory on aggregate for the blues.

Benfica were placed in a group alongside Barcelona, Celtic and Spartak Moscow, where they finished a disappointing third place. They drew their first game away to Celtic, and then lost 2-0 to the team from Catalonia. Another loss followed away to Moscow, but they got revenge as they won 2-0 at the Estadio da Luz. A 2-1 home win against Celtic put some hope into the Portuguese team’s European dreams, but a rather slow 0-0 draw away to Barcelona saw them slump into the Europa League.

After beating Bayer Leverkusen, Bordeaux and an impressive win against Newcastle United, Benfica found themselves in the semi-final against Turk-side, Fenerbahce. An away loss in the first leg didn’t stop Benfica, as they won 3-1 at home, securing their spot in the Amsterdam final.

Many think the trophy already has Chelsea’s name written on it, but Benfica will want this more than anything. “It’s a step for Benfica to reach their first European final for 23 years. The results we have got so far have taken us to the final. As always, we have a lot of respect for Chelsea, but we are very confident we can win it”, says Benfica’s coach, Jorge Jesus. For Chelsea however, it is a chance to give a little bit of success to their fans, after a very disappointing season, seeing them win no trophies of the nine potential awards. It’s also something Rafa Benitez would be keen to place on his infamous CV.

After injuries away to Aston Villa, Chelsea are unlikely to include captain John Terry, who famously missed the final last year, and Eden Hazard. Demba Ba is illegible to play in the Europa League as he featured for Newcastle United, so Fernando Torres will get the nod to start up top. Fernando has scored 8 goals in Europe this season, so I don’t think any Chelsea fans will be too disappointed with that.

Benfica are one point behind Porto in the Primeira Liga, with 29 games played. Chelsea will have to keep an eye on deadly forwards Lima and Oscar Cardozo, as between them they have scored an impressive 59 goals between them this season. Ex-Chelsea player Nemanja Matic joined Benfica as part of the David Luiz deal, and will prove to be a handful for Chelsea’s defence.

It is a shame that a ridiculous decision by UEFA to only give each club an allocation of 9,800 in a 60,000 seat-stadium overhauls this tie. It has been said by the Chelsea supporters group that UEFA should expect 30,000 Chelsea fans in Holland, no matter if they have a ticket or not.

All in all, Chelsea will be expected to win this one, but must be careful as the Portuguese are desperate to bring some silverware home for their fans. After securing a top four finish on Saturday, Chelsea should be running on adrenaline in this one, and I’m sure David Luiz and Ramires will want to put in a good performance against their old club.

Come on the Chels!