What Essien Did for the Drogba Goal against Bolton

LAMPARD SWUNG IN a beautiful, curving corner into the box. Drogba’s marker was no match to him as the Ivorian climbed high to guide the ball into the back of the net. Some crazy defending from the Bolton player on the far post helped the cause.

That pretty much describes Chelsea’s second goal against Bolton. Precise and on point. But it leaves out very interesting details that happened in the build-up – how corner was won and how the move started. Essien played a huge role in the build-up that led to the corner and here we will look at how it went down.

Dissecting Lampard's Goal against Bolton

A CLOSE STUDY of the build-up play to the Frank Lampard goal against Bolton has been called up for international duty by WeAintGotNoHistory. The usual detailed analysis. Same report by the same author, yours truly. Just a different host.

Click here to read the report.

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Five Points to Ponder: Chelsea 3-0 Bolton

IT WAS A must-win game -- for the team and the manager -- and Chelsea came through with a convincing 3-0 victory over Bolton at Stamford Bridge (who knows what might have happened if the Blues lost/drew). Here are a few points to ponder on the game that took Chelsea temporarily back into top four.

Luiz vs Bolton: Delivery from Defense

AFTER A FEW disastrous weeks,  Chelsea gets a much needed win against Bolton. David Luiz opened the scoring with a beautiful strike in the convincing 3-0 victory. The defender, deservedly, will get a lot of credits for the goal but he was crucial in Chelsea's attacking build-up through out the first half. As Bolton camped in their own half, Luiz was able to pick out Chelsea's attacking players from deep position with well-executed long passes from the back. Let's look at a few of those passes.

Some Interesting Things Ramires Said to FourFourTwo

THIS MONTH'S ISSUE of FourFourTwo magazine featured a short interview with Chelsea midfielder Ramires. It was a kind of a preview for the Napoli game (the 1st leg). In the interview, Ramires talked about the main changes Andre Villas-Boas has made to the team, what it's like to play along side Juan Mata, being Luiz's buddy and why Oriol Romeu carries a piano. Parts of the interview that caught my interest after the jump.
 

Pointing Fingers: Analyzing the 3 Napoli Goals

AS FAR AS dishing out blame for the three Napoli goals in the first leg of the Champions League, I don’t think there are any major disputes. Most agree that Meireles was mainly responsible for the first, Ivanovic for the second and Luiz for the third. So a detailed analysis of the way Chelsea conceded these three goals for a purely investigative reason seems redundant. However, this blog not merely an autopsy table: it is also, as the name suggests, a chronicle of events concerning Chelsea football club. So, if you learn anything new from reading this post, great! If not, consider it as a historical piece that I might reference in the future.

Enough talk. Let’s look at how Lavezzi and Cavani managed to do substantial damage to Chelsea’s chance of advancing to the next round of the Champions League.

Dissecting the Mata Goal against Napoli (A)

IT WAS YET another defeat for Villas-Boas's Chelsea who are struggling badly; this time at the hands of the fast-paced, counter-attacking Napoli. The Italians beat the Blues 3-1 and took a huge step towards advancing to the next stage of the Champions League. Yet, that one away goal by Juan Mata still leaves the door, just a tiny crack, open for a successful overturn at Stamford Bridge. Here, we will analyse how Chelsea got that thin but vital lifeline.

Drogba Gets A Text from An Old Friend

NOT EXACTLY SURE why Drogba had to get up during this press conference or why they were cracking up. But imagination can do wonderful things.

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Chelsea Scout Notes from NAPOLI 2-1 Man City

A SCOUT REPORT on Napoli goes fishing in the WeAintGotNoHistory pond. The tactical analysis of the Napoli 2-1 Manchester City game can be found there. Same report by the same author, yours truly. Just a different host.

Click here to read the scout report.

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Dissecting the Sturridge Goal against Birmingham

AFTER A WEEK of (reported) training ground turmoil, Villas-Boas's Chelsea couldn't find peace on the football pitch, drawing 1-1 against Championship side Birmingham. The troubled water running under Stamford Bridge would have been even deeper if not for the Sturridge equalizer that has kept the Blues afloat in their hunt for another FA Cup glory. Here's a second-by-second look at the build-up to the goal.

Torture from the Bench: Bosingwa Wears Headband

I MIGHT BE able to look past his sloppy defending. Hell, if I try really hard, I might one day be able to forgive him for screwing up all the crosses. But wearing a headband above the unibrow is where I draw the line!

The game on the pitch (vs Birmingham, FA Cup) was ugly enough, we have to look at... this... THING on the bench! No matter how hard I try, I simply can't wrap my head around this one (pun intended!). It's like he wants to make us cry even when he's not on the pitch.

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Torres vs RVP: Service Received and Goals Scored

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

WITH DROGBA GONE to African Cup of Nations, Torres has gotten a string of league starts, which is exactly what some have argued the Spaniard needed in order to find his goal-scoring form. It hasn’t worked out as planned; the striker still did not find the back of the net despite starting all of the last 6 league games. He came close – his scissor-kick against Sunderland (H) was tragically denied by the crossbar – but the fact is that he still hasn't scored even when he gets regular play time.

But, hang on! This might not be all his fault. Maybe he is not getting enough service from his teammates in order to smash open the floodgates withholding the precious goals. That is exactly the argument some Chelsea fans make in defense of Torres's goal drought. Sounds reasonable but does it hold any truth?

Robin van Persie, on the other hand, has no problem scoring goals this season. The Dutch man is the league top goalscorer with 22 goals and has scored 5 goals in his last 6 league games. So, if we apply the logic of the Torres Gets No Service* argument to RVP's situation, the Arsenal man must be getting a lot of service from his teammate for him to score all these goals.

This is perfect for those who wants to make the Torres Gets No Service* argument. All they need to do now is compare and contrast the two strikers. Show that one is getting enough service which leads him to score goals while the other doesn't and fails to find the back of the net. Furthermore, the recent league fixtures of these two teams makes this kind of comparison meaningful. For example, both Chelsea and Arsenal has played Manchester United (H), Swansea (A) and Sunderland, (H) and (A) respectively, in the last 6 games. This evens out the quality and form of the opposition. 

I can blabber on forever but let's just dive in and look at the passes that Torres and RVP received in these three recent games against United, Swansea and Sunderland, and see what each of them did with the service that they got.

Pointing Fingers: Dissecting the 2 Everton Goals

I HAVE BEEN trying to avoid writing anything on Chelsea's 2-0 loss to Everton because it was such a deflating defeat. The team was lackluster and created little chances. But it turns out that the off-the-pitch aftermath of this game is even more depressing than the performance on the pitch -- dressing room unrest, manager losing players trust and so on. So, I'm going back to writing about what happened on the pitch -- namely the two goals that Everton scored.

Ivanovic: What?! Hazard to Spurs?

Eden-Hazard-to-Spurs is the latest transfer rumor that is making the rounds. Most likely, it is nothing more than a meaningless transfer rumor. But our defender Ivanovic is not taking the news well.

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Chelsea Scout Notes from EVERTON 1-0 Man City

Ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Goodison Park, I have taken a look at how Everton beat Manchester City 1-0 in their last home game. Here are the scout notes from that game.

Ivanovic Sees Piers Morgan on FSC

This post is mainly for the readers in North America who have been tortured by Piers Morgan's presence as an "expert analyst" on Fox Soccer Channel in the past few weeks. But I hope anyone who has the slightest of dislike hatred towards the know-it-all Gooner (so, basically, everyone) can appreciate it. Obviously, Ivanovic is one of us who would rather opt for hot nails being slowly pushed into our eyes than watch Mr. Morgan on TV.

Carefree, wherever you may be...  

Do It Yourself Analysis: Johnny Evans Own Goal

When reading some of the analyses I write on this blog, do you ever think -- 'Jeez, this dude sure spew his opinions in my face as if I can't think on my own!'? Has it ever crossed your mind that you can really do without my commentary as long as you have the game-play pictures in front of you?

Well, today is your day because I am going to give you raw materials to analyse on your own -- a 'Do It Yourself Analysis' if you will. I will provide you with the picture frames of the build-up to the Johnny Evans own goal against United and you will be free to dissect, analyse and commentate. You get to say whatever you want and I get to work on the scout report for the Everton game. Everybody wins! Pictures and basic instructions after the jump.

Breaking Down Mata's Goal vs Man United

A close study of the build-up play to the Juan Mata goal against Manchester United goes out for a smoke with those WeAintGotNoHistory kids. The usual detailed analysis. Same report by the same author, yours truly. Just a different host.

Click here to read the report.

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Awwwww JT Loves Rami

This was Terry's reaction to Mata's goal against United. After rubbing his hands in delight, the Chelsea captain gave a little hug to Ramires. Understandably, Lampard seems a bit jealous.

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Pointing Fingers: Dissecting the 3 Man United Goals

If you score three goals against an opposition, you should be the victor at the end of the game. No excuse. The only reason why the result might be anything other than a win is if that team displayed some terrible defending during the game. Let's look at what want wrong defensively for Chelsea in that 3-3 draw against United by analyzing the three goals the Red Devils scored in the second half.

Torres Tickles Ferdinand

Torres may not have scored against United but you can't say he didn't try. The Spaniard is willing to do whatever it takes -- even if it means he has to wiggle his tickle fingers on Ferdinand's belly. I guess we should at least give Torres a "T" for "trying."

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Chelsea 3-3 Man United: Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

Chelsea took a 3-0 lead despite playing somewhat ordinarily but gave up the lead in spectacular manner later on. The home side would have settled for a draw before kick-off, what's with all their injuries, but at the end of the day, the result was less disappointing than the manner in which they earned it.

Howard "The Black Sheep" Webb

Here is what I don't get about Christianity. God gives Adam and Eve free will -- aka ability to make mistakes -- and tell them not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. And when they inevitably break the rule, everyone has to pay for it. My theological understanding may be elementary but here's is my bottom line: you can't put someone whose basic nature is to err in charge of something and not expect mistakes. The same in true in officiating a football match.

Why Torres Thinks Meireles Is Good Looking

When asked who's the best looking teammate, Fernando Torres answers, "Probably [Meireles], he has his own style and is always trying to look good..." Most of you might be scratching you head and thinking Torres has absolutely gone crazy. Well, now you know... he has his reasons.

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Chelsea Scout Notes from MAN UNITED 2-0 Stoke

Ahead of the Sunday showdown at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United, I have taken a look at their victory over Stoke City in the previous fixture. Here are the scout notes from that game.

Mata vs Swansea: Foul and Frustraion

A report looking closely at how Mata came short defensively against Swansea files for IPO at WeAintGotNoHistory stock exchange. The usual detailed analysis. Same report by the same author, yours truly. Just a different host.

Click here to read the report.

Carefree, wherever you may be...

AVB: I've Got This!

This was the Chelsea manager's reaction to the late Bosingwa equalizer against Swansea and what, clearly, went through his head.

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Swansea 1-1 Chelsea: Deflection Earns A Draw

It was a typical game of two halves. Swansea out-passed and out-pressed Chelsea in the first 45 and Chelsea came out to actually play football in the second 45: one goal in each half. A draw at the Liberty stadium is not a terrible result but most Chelsea fans will most certainly be disappointed in their team's performance.