FUnNy Video : Behind the scenes at the Training Ground

Chelsea 4 - 0 Blackpool : Blues smashed sorry Seasiders

Chelsea moved four points clear at the top of the Premier League with a comfortable victory over new boys Blackpool at Stamford Bridge. Following their solid away win at Newcastle, the Seasiders were brushed aside by the country’s most in-form team who scored all four goals in the first half. 

Come on Kalou:Salomon Kalou celebrate his first goal after just 2nd minute kick off

Salomon Kalou got proceedings under way by finishing at the back post after Branislav Ivanovic had flicked on Didier Drogba’s corner in the 2nd minute before Florent Malouda got in on the act ten minutes later, firing home after Drogba teed him up. 

Netbusters:Didier Drogba fired Chelsea's third goals

The Ivory Coast striker then got one for himself in the 30th minute before Malouda essentially wrapped up the contest four minutes before half-time, finishing good lead-up work from both Drogba and Kalou.The win maintained the Blues’ near-perfect start to the season with 22 goals in their five wins and enabled them to go four points clear of second place. 

MATCH INFORMATION:

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech 7; Ferreira 6, Alex 6 (Bruma 71min, 6), Ivanovic 7, Cole 8; Essien 8, Mikel 7 (Benayoun 77), Ramires 7 (Zhirkov 74, 6); Malouda 8, Drogba 9, Kalou 7. Subs not used: Turnbull, Sturridge, Anelka, Kakuta. Booked: Drogba.

BLACKPOOL (4-1-4-1): Gilks 7; Eardley 4 (Taylor-Fletcher 46, 6), Keinan 5, Evatt 5, Crainey 5; Baptiste 5; Grandin 5 (Harewood 60, 5), Vaughan 6, Adam 5, Varney 5 (Ormerod 60, 6); Campbell 5.
Subs not used: Halstead, Cathcart, Southern, Carney. Booked: Eardley, Vaughan.

Man of the match: Didier Drogba.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg.

Attendance: 41,761.

Champions League Preview : MSK Zilina v Chelsea

THU 16-Sep 02:40 MSK Silina vs. Chelsea 

LIVE at ESPN Channel 812 (MALAYSIA)

Blues Trio:Cole rested,Lampard out and John Terry fit for CL clash

Chelsea will be without Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole for their Champions League opener tomorrow night.The Blues take on MSK Zilina in their first group stage match but will do so without their star midfielder and left-back. 

Lampard is not back from a hernia operation whilst Cole will be rested according to manager Carlo Ancelotti."Lampard will not be available and Ashley will also stay at home. He played two games with the national team and again on Saturday. There is no problem, but it is better for him to rest,” the Italian confirmed.

Meanwhile,Chelsea have been boosted by return of Chelsea captain,John Terry.He was fit enough to prepare with the first team today at Chelsea's Cobham training complex, having sustained bruised ribs in the 3-1 victory at Upton Park, and should start against Zilina, the Slovakian champions."John Terry trained today and he will travel," said the manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

"The players we have out and unavailable are [José] Bosingwa and Lampard. José still needs some time. Frank also needs some more time before he is ready to play but he should be OK for the game [against Blackpool] on Sunday.

West Ham United 1 - 3 Chelsea: Essien Double keep Blues top of PL

Chelsea's 100% start to the new season continued against rock-bottom West Ham at Upton Park as a brace from Michael Essien and another from Salomon Kalou kept them top of the Premier League.

The Blues didn't take long time before Essien headed Chelsea in front after just two minutes kick-off.The visitors went 2-0 up in the 17th minute, though, when West Ham's England goalkeeper Robert Green spilled a 30-yard Drogba free-kick.Defender Matthew Upson tried to clear the loose ball but it cannoned back off Chelsea's Ivory Coast striker Kalou and over the head of the stricken Green.

Starman:Essien celebrate his second goals

Chelsea made it 3-0 in the 83rd minute when Essien headed home Paulo Ferreira's cross but moments later they conceded their first goal of the season when Parker calmly lobbed Cech from 20 yards.

West Ham substitute Frederic Piquionne wasted a great chance to reduce the arrears still further when he headed against the bar from just two yards.

Preview: West Ham United v Chelsea

Barclays Premier League 2010/11: West Ham United v Chelsea live from Upton Park

LIVE at ESPN Channel 812

SAT 11-Sep   21:55

In and Out:John Terry will return to captain the Blues while Lampard is out

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that England midfielder Frank Lampard will miss Saturday's match against former club West Ham United after failing to recover from hernia surgery in time.Lampard's absence is softened by the return of captain John Terry, who like Lampard, missed England's Euro 2012 qualifying victories over Bulgaria and Switzerland.

Terry has managed to recover from the hamstring problem that forced him to pull out of the England squad."John is available to play tomorrow," said Ancelotti. "Lampard needs to have more time to rest. He trained with us this week and has done very well, but he needs to have more time. Maybe he'll be involved in the Champions League next week but not tomorrow.

"I think these players needed to have a rest because they had problems. Terry resolved this problem during the two weeks. Lampard had to have the surgery. He did very well because, in seven days, he was able to train again. But obviously we want to give him more time to recover 100%."

TEAMS:

Chelsea (Possible, 4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry, Cole; Essien, Mikel, Ramires Anelka, Drogba, Malouda.

West Ham United(Possible, 4-4-2): Green, Upson, Ben Haim, Jacobsen, Ilunga, Noble, Parker, Behrami,

Dyer, Obinna, Cole
Referee: C Foy

Last season West Ham 1 Chelsea 1

French giants reveal Didier Drogba bid

Didier Drogba: £24 million moves from Marseille in 2004

Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier has confirmed that the ambitious French champions attempted  to re-sign Didier Drogba from Chelsea this summer, six years after the Ivorian quit the Stade Velodrome for Stamford Bridge.

Drogba, who cost the Blues £24 million in 2004, is understood to have rejected the opportunity to return to the club at which he made his reputation but is believed to be keen for one last chance with l’OM when he finishes his business in London.Speaking about the attempted swoop, Dassier revealed to French press:

"We even tried to bring in Drogba, but this has not been possible," Dassier said. "We'll see, you should never give up in life."

Lampard set for early return to face Hammers

Return:Lampard fit for Hammers clash

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti expects Frank Lampard to be fit for their next Premier League game against West Ham United.The midfielder was forced to miss England's Euro 2012 double-header against Bulgaria and Switzerland following hernia surgery.

Lampard was substituted during the 2-0 victory over Stoke City on August 28 after reporting discomfort.The Chelsea medical staff decided to send the 32-year-old for surgery during the two-week international break and Lampard is now expected to be fit for their next match on September 11."For sure, Frank will be fit for the West Ham game," confirmed Ancelotti.

Ancelotti also dismissed reports Chelsea postponed Lampard's operation to ensure he did not miss any games for his club, the former AC Milan boss insisted it only became clear the England international needed to go under the knife after the 2-0 victory over Stoke.

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Transfer Window Closed !!! - Chelsea squad for 2010/2011 BPL

New Barclays Premier League rules mean every top-flight club has to declare a senior squad of up to 25 players from which they can select players between now and the re-opening of the transfer window in January.

Players who are under 21 at the turn of 2011 can play without being named in the squads.Eight of the 25 need to be 'homegrown', which means they must have been trained in England or Wales for three seasons before they turned 21.

Chelsea Boss,Carlo Ancelotti stuck to his word and didn`t enter the transfer market on transfer deadline day and the nineteen players, complete with squad numbers, are as follows:-

Blues Brothers:John Terry and Frank Lampard are among of four 'home-grown' players

Senior squad

1 Petr Cech

2 Branislav Ivanovic

3 Ashley Cole

5 Michael Essien

7 Ramires

8 Frank Lampard

10 Yossi Benayoun

11 Didier Drogba

12 Mikel

15 Florent Malouda

17 Jose Bosingwa

18 Yury Zhirkov

19 Paulo Ferreira

21 Salomon Kalou

22 Ross Turnbull 

26 John Terry

33 Alex

39 Nicolas Anelka

40 Henrique Hilario

Bright Future:Jeffrey Bruma,Gael Kakuta,Daniel Sturridge and Patrick van Aanholt are among Chelsea young players.

In addition to the named line-up, Ancelotti can call upon unlimited players aged 21 or under, with the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Jeffrey Bruma, Gael Kakuta, Patrick van Aanholt, Fabio Borini and Josh McEachran  at his disposal.

Latics complete signing of Chelsea striker Di Santo

Last minute deal:Fanco Di Santo is the latest Chelsea Player moving away from the Bridge

Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo has completed his move to Wigan Athletic on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Wigan Athletic boss Roberto Martinez is pleased to have persuaded Chelsea striker Franco di Santo to join the Latics for an undisclosed transfer fee.The 21-year-old Argentinian has penned a three-year deal at the DW Stadium after spending last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers.

Martinez, told the club's official website: "Franco is an Under-20 international for Argentina with great Premier League experience having worked at a club with the calibre of players of Chelsea, and also spending a hugely beneficial year on loan at an established club like Blackburn Rovers."We all feel that Franco can fulfil his potential at our football club and he'll bring a completely different dimension to our squad with his presence, technical ability and hard work.

"We've been following Franco for a long time and, from his point of view, it's clear that he is desperate to play for Wigan Athletic and his desire and commitment is exactly the right attitude for our club."

Ivanovic suffers injury blow

Ivanovic: Injury Knock for Chelsea

Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has confirmed he is set to be sidelined for two to six weeks with a back injury.

Ivanovic, 26, had been struggling with the knock and missed Saturday's 2-0 Premier League victory against Stoke City. After sitting out that match, the centre-back was immediately withdrawn from the Serbia squad for the Euro 2012 qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Slovenia.

Speaking to skysports.com, Ivanovic revealed he had travelled to Belgrade but would not be able to join his team-mates on the training pitch.He said: "I came to Belgrade to see my team-mates, but the back injury is such that I cannot train or play."





    

Chelsea 2-0 Stoke City :Blues maintain Perfect Start,Malouda and Drogba on Target

Samba Boy: Ramires make his debut from the bench

FLORENT Malouda and Didier Drogba got the goals to keep The Blues on course in their bid to retain the Barclays Premier League title.Chelsea also missed a penalty before the break through Frank Lampard but had more than enough to take all three points.Malouda and Drogba, the latter from the penalty spot in the second half, earned the champions the spoils.

It's OK Frank: Didier Drogba consoled lampard after he missed the penalty

Chelsea extended their lead after 80 minutes, courtesy of another penalty, this time after Nicolas Anelka had beaten Sorensen to the ball and the Stoke goalkeeper had brought him down in the area.With Lampard having been substituted for Salomon Kalou, Drogba stepped up to take the spot kick and gave Sorensen no chance with a powerful right-foot shot.

There was just time for Daniel Sturridge, on his 21st birthday, to come on for Anelka and Brazilian midfielder Ramires to make his debut from the bench. And Sorensen to make another fine stop, this time from Kalou in injury time.

TEAMS:

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ferreira , Alex, Terry (c), Cole; Essien (Ramires 83), Mikel, Lampard (Kalou 71); Anelka (Sturridge 80), Drogba, Malouda.
Scorers Malouda 31, Drogba pen 76.

Stoke City (4-4-2): Sorensen; Huth, Shawcross (c), Ab Faye, Collins; Wilkinson, Delap (Pugh 83), Whitehead, (Whelan 50), Etherington; Walters, Jones (Fuller 67). 

Booked Whitehead 36, Etherington 44.

MATCH INFORMATION:

Stadium: Stamford Bridge, England
Attendance: 40,931
Match Time: 14:00 GMT
Official(s):
Martin Atkinson (Referee)

Preview: Chelsea v Stoke City

Barclays Premier League 2010/11: Chelsea v Stoke City live from Stamford Bridge,London

LIVE at ESPN Channel 812

SAT 28-Aug   21:55

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Stoke's visit, although he could hand a place to Ramires.Blues supporters have seen their team plunder 12 goals without reply in their opening two games of the season, and an incredible 29 in their last five Premier League games. Next up are Stoke, who were thumped 7-0 on their last visit to Stamford Bridge.

Salomon Kalou netted a hat-trick on that day and is in a rich vein of form, with six goals in his last five league games, but such is the champions' attacking strength that he is likely to start on the bench behind Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba. No wonder Carlo Ancelotti calls it "PlayStation football".Chelsea’s +12 goal difference is the best ever in the Premier League after two games, beating the previous best by four goals. And they have also gone 450 minutes without conceding a goal in the Premier League, an impressive seven and a half hours.

Hat-trick hero: Salomon Kalou netted a hat-trick last season against Stoke City

Chelsea’s only injury absentee is defender Jose Bosingwa while Stoke are without Mamady Sidibé and Liam Lawrence while they test Kenwyne Jones, who missed the 2-1 home defeat by Spurs with an ankle injury. If he is still missing, recent signing Jon Walters, who stoked against Shrewsbury in the Carling Cup in midweek, should continue in attack.

TEAMS:
Chelsea (Possible, 4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry, Cole; Essien, Mikel, Lampard; Anelka, Drogba, Malouda.
Stoke City (Possible, 4-4-2): Sorensen; Huth, Faye, Shawcross, Higginbotham; Delap, Whitehead, Whelan, Etherington; Fuller, Walters.
Referee: Martin Atkinson

Last season: Stoke 1 Chelsea 2, Chelsea 7 Stoke 0.

Chelsea - Champions League Draw!

Champions League: Chelsea drawn against France Champions,Marseille, Russian outfit Spartak   Moscow and Slovakian minnows MSK Zilina

The Blues, who are still looking for their first Champions League triumph, will have been delighted to have avoided Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid and are sure to be pleased with the Group F line-up.Hence,there is no re-union with former Chelsea Boss.

Marseille, who lifted the trophy in 1993, are the current French champions, but lost leading scorer Mamadou Niang to Fenerbahce over the summer.Although they were in the third tier of seeds, Spartak Moscow could prove to be Chelsea's toughest opponents in Group F.

Return: Chelsea played the 2007/2008  European Champions League final
    at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow

The Blues have unhappy memories of the Luzhniki Stadium having lost the 2008 final to Manchester United there, and will face a difficult return when they travel to face Spartak Moscow, who recently signed Aiden McGeady from Celtic.

Slovakian champions Zilina have never made the group stage of the competition before, but did so in emphatic style this time by defeating Sparta Prague 3-0 on aggregate in their play-off.

Group A: Internazionale, Werder Bremen, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Twente.
Group B: Lyon, Benfica, Schalke, Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
Group C: Manchester United, Valencia, Rangers, Bursaspor.
Group D: Barcelona, Panathinaikos, FC Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan.
Group E: Bayern Munich, Roma, FC Basel, CFR Cluj.
Group F: Chelsea, Marseille, Spartak Moscow, MSK Zilina.
Group G: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax, Auxerre.
Group H: Arsenal, Shakhtar Dontesk, Sporting Braga, Partizan Belgrade.

MATCHDAYS

September 14-15
September 28-29
October 19-20
November 2-3
November 23-24
December 7-8

Chelsea Consider Move For Monaco and South Korean star Chu-Young Park

Asian Star:Park Chu-Young in action for South Korea at 2010 World Cup

Chelsea's imminent deal for South Korea World Cup star Chu-Young Park could boost their commercial division.The Sun says the Monaco striker's representatives met with Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti, sporting director Frank Arnesen and chief executive Ron Gourlay before their opening-day 6-0 win against West Brom.

The deal could give Chelsea a chance to break into the lucrative Far East market, where Park is second only to Manchester United's Ji-Sung Park in terms of stature.Chelsea will play against a Thailand All Stars XI in Bangkok next summer as part of their pre-season preparations and may go on to tour South Korea.If Park was playing then the club could charge up to £2m in match fees which, along with increased shirt sales, would make the deal virtually self-sufficient.

Along with Manchester United midfielder Ji-Sung Park, Park Chu-Young is among the best known sportsmen in the Far East and could prove lucrative in shirt sales and other marketing ventures.And the Premier League champions also hope it would encourage sponsors Samsung - whose current deal runs until the end of the 2012-13 season - to extend their contract.

PLAYER PROFILE:

Born: July 10th, 1985, Daegy, Republic of Korea
Height: 5' 11" /180 cm
Weight:76 kg
Position: Striker/Winger
Current Club: AS Monaco

Chelsea Interested In Bayern Munich Defender and Deny Interest in Argentinean Burdisso

Demichelis: Linked with move to Stamford Bridge

Bayern Munich defender Martin Demichelis is attracting the interest of Chelsea according to the player's agent.The 29-year-old missed out on a place in Louis van Gaal's 18-man squad for the Bundesliga opener against Wolfsburg and was far from happy with that situation.He told Bild: "The truth is that a cycle is coming to an end and it's better for both parties if we go our separate ways.

"I don't think it's fair to remain with the club if all signs point to a separation."That sparked a raft of rumours linking him with a number of clubs in England, Spain and Italy, with agent Jorge Cyterszpiler a busy man.He told calciomercato.it: "I have always had an excellent relationship with Juventus. We spoke with Juve, but they are not the only club interested."There are at least four clubs in for the player, as well as the Bianconeri there are also Barcelona, Chelsea and Sevilla.

Meanwhile,Chelsea Boss has denied early speculation linking Nicolas Burdisso move to Stamford Bridge.Ancelotti told Sky Italia: "Burdisso at Chelsea? It's not true. We have three defenders at the highest level."Apart from that,Burdisso's agent Fernando Hidalgo told vocegiallorossa.it: "Chelsea's offer for Burdisso? No, I have received no proposal from the management of the London club about Burdisso."We will do everything to bring back Nicolas to Roma and we will try to reach an agreement until we'll have opportunity and time to do it."

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Transfer Rumour: Chelsea target Argentine international as Riccy replacement

Defending English champions Chelsea are hoping they can bring in Inter Milan defender Nicolas Burdisso.The Blues are still chasing a replacement for Ricardo Carvalho who left for Real Madrid earlier this summer and Burdisso’s name is the latest to be bandied around Stamford Bridge. 

On the move??? Nicolas Burdisso has many admirers in England

The Argentine international could be lured to play under Carlo Ancelotti according to reports in Italy and Inter technical director Marco Branca admitted that there was some interest in the 29-year old.“I can confirm that Burdisso has many admirers in England,” Branca said.Chelsea have been heavily linked with Benfica’s David Luiz recently but it seems the Portuguese club’s asking price of £27million has stalled any potential deal.

Wigan Athletic 0-6 Chelsea: Drogba stars as champions demolish Latics

Chelsea continued their fine early season form with a 0-6 win over Wigan Athletic, with Nicolas Anelka, fresh from an 18-match international ban, notched his first two of the campaign, with Salomon Kalou also adding a late brace.After last weekend’s utterly disastrous 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Premier League debutants Blackpool, Wigan fans would not be blamed to expect total domination from today’s opponents, and reigning BPL champions, Chelsea but the Lancashire side started out on top.

Breakthrough:Florent Malouda nets in first Chelsea goal

Anelka struck twice after Florent Malouda's opener before Kalou also grabbed a brace. Yossi Benayoun struck in injury time to make it a deadly dozen goals in just 180 minutes of Premier League football this season.Wigan simply had no answer to Chelsea's powerful running and pacy attacking play.And they stand rock-bottom of the Premier League following last week's dismal capitulation to Blackpool.Mohamed Diame's left-footed drive forced Petr Cech into the first save after 11 minutes as Wigan started well. 

Dancing:Didier Drogba joins in Nicolas Anelka's second goal celebrations

John Obi Mikel skied an effort over five minutes later before Cech held a drive from Hugo Rodallega.But after barely creating anything of note for 30 minutes, Chelsea stepped up a gear on the half-hour mark and within minutes grabbed the opening goal.It was incisive stuff as Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole combined to tee up Frank Lampard for a close-range poke that was brilliantly tipped away by captain Chris Kirkland.But from the rebound Malouda's reactions were too quick for Maynor Figueroa and he tapped home his third goal of the season. 

Jumping High:Salomon Kalou heads Chelsea to make it 5-0

John Obi Mikel's superb long pass set Anelka racing away three minutes after the restart and Kirkland got his angles wrong to allow the Frenchman to squeeze home a shot inside the far post.Anelka was offside as he nodded from a close range in his second four minutes later. But Kalou made sure that any injustice did not boil over by finishing off a sweeping move on 78 minutes from Didier Drogba pass.Kalou netted his second in the final minutes with a tidy glancing header before Benayoun hit the Latics for six with the final goal in injury time after another superb Blues moves from Chelsea right back,Paulo Ferraira.

Chelsea boss,Carlo Ancelotti said after the game, 'this is not real football, this is PlayStation'.

TEAMS:

Wigan Athletic
Chris Kirkland (gk), Antolin Alcaraz, Steve Gohouri, Maynor Figueroa (Boyce 84’), Ronnie Stam, Mohamed Diame (McArthur 80’), Hendry Thomas, James McCarthy (Watson 79’), Hugo Rodallega, Charles N’Zogbia, Mauro Boselli 

Subs - Ali Al Habsi (gk), Emmerson Boyce (84’), James McArthur (80’), Victor Moses, Jordi Gomez, Ben Watson (79’), Jason Scotland

Chelsea
Petr Cech (gk), John Terry, Alex, Ashley Cole, Branislav Ivanovic (Ferraira 63’), John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien (Benayoun 79’), Florent Malouda (Kalou 70’), Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka

 

Subs - Henrique Hilario (gk), Yossi Benayoun (79’), Paulo Ferraira (63’), Salomon Kalou (70’), Yuri Zhirkov, Patrick van Aanholt, Fabio Borini

MATCH INFORMATION:

Venue: DW Stadium
Crowd: 14,476
Referee: Mike Dean
Yellow cards:
WA - Mohamed Diame 59’
CH - Branislav Ivanovic 37’, John Terry 61’

Preview: Wigan Athletic v Chelsea

Barclays Premier League 2010/11: Wigan Athletic v Chelsea live from DW Stadium

 

LIVE at ASTRO SUPERSPORT3   817

 

22 August 2010 at 0015

 

Chelsea front man,Didier Drogba scored the first hat-trick of the BPL season in Saturday’s 6-0 win over new-promoted West Bromwich Albion, taking his tally to seven goals in three League games. Chelsea, meanwhile, have scored 23 goals in their last four outings and have gone 406 minutes since they last conceded a League goal, at Spurs in April.Wigan, though, beat Chelsea at the DW Stadium last season when the visitors had Petr Cech, their goalkeeper sent off before losing 3-1. The 8-0 final day win was adequate revenge for Chelsea, who have won eight and lost just that one game in 10 League meetings with Wigan.Chelsea miss Jose Bosingwa while Wigan miss Gary Caldwell, who is banned and also injured.

Chelsea's new signing Ramires has trained with the squad but will not be involved in Saturday's clash at Wigan.Manager Carlo Ancelotti expects the £17million Brazilian midfielder to feature for the first time in next weekend's game against Stoke.The highly rated midfielder has been called 'the new Michael Essien' by fellow Brazilian,Alex.Alex also stress that box-to-box midfielder will give Chelsea an edge and advantage to retain the BPL crown,FA Cup and also the hunt for Champion League trophy.

Chelsea Captain,John Terry insists retaining the double must be Chelsea's "minimum" target this season. Captain Terry maintains that focus must continue if Ancelotti's men are to stay one step ahead of the chasing pack.

TEAMS:

Wigan Athletic (Possible, 4-5-1): Kirkland, Boyce, Alcaraz, Gohouri, Figueroa; McCarthy, Diame, Moses, Watson, Rodallega; Boselli.

Chelsea (Possible, 4-3-3): Cech; Ferreira, John Terry, Alex, Cole; Mikel, Essien, Lampard, Malouda; Anelka, Drogba.

Referee: Mike Dean.





  

Alex hailed fellow Brazilian as 'the new Michael Essien'

New Signing:Alex delighted to be joined at Chelsea by Ramires

Alex is delighted with Chelsea's capture of former Benfica midfielder Ramires.Ramires, who finalised his £18.2million move from Benfica last week, has been described by Carlo Ancelotti as "the future for Brazil and Chelsea".Alex believes the 23-year-old has a similar style to midfield powerhouse Essien, who has recently returned from a serious knee injury.

"I was talking with Jose Bosingwa and we were saying how Ramires is a lot like Michael Essien," Alex told the club's official website. "He's not as strong as Essien but he has the same style on the pitch."He goes forward very quickly, then he comes back and marks very well. He's a very good player."It's very important for me and the team that the midfielders go to shoot and arrive at the goal but then get back to mark. He's almost the same as Michael Essien like that, so I am expecting a lot of goals, which is important for us."He will get to play with Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and Frank Lampard, we have a very good midfield group and he will do a great job for us."

Chelsea 6 - 0 West Bromwich Albion:Drogba treble leads Chelsea beat West Brom

Enjoy:Florent Malouda celebrates with Chelsea players after his tap in gave Chelsea the lead.

Double winners Chelsea fired an early warning to their Premier League title rivals as Didier Drogba,last season top scorer scored a superb hat-trick as the Blues cruised to victory and flew to the top of the table,  in their opening-day thrashing of new boys West Brom at Stamford Bridge.It took Malouda just six minutes to score the Blues' first goal of the season, capitalising on a error by Albion's former England keeper Scott Carson.

The chance arose after the home side had pieced together the first fluent attacking move of the afternoon that came to an abrupt end when Malouda was tripped just outside the Albion penalty area.Didier Drogba fired a powerful free kick through the defensive wall, Carson failed to hold the shot and Malouda finished from close range after the keeper had blocked John Obi Mikel's initial follow-up.That was precisely the start the visitors didn't want as they began their attempt to establish themselves in the top-flight after years of flitting between the top two divisions.

Double:Didier Drogba smashed in a wonderful free kick to double the lead

They proved to be fleeting moments and with Chelsea in complete control, it was only a matter of time before the champions scored a second.Lampard came close with a 40th minute free kick that Carson again parried only for France international Malouda to head the rebound over the crossbar.Yet that proved to be only a brief reprieve for Albion with Drogba firing another free-kick through a leaky defensive wall seconds before the half time interval to deplete what remained of the visitors' confidence.It was, though, 2-0 just before the break.

Drogba added his second from another set-piece, this time from close range after John Terry's header had been cleared off the line following a Malouda superb corner.After that,Frank Lampard struck next in the 63rd minute from first choice England left back,Ashley Cole passing, five minutes before Drogba completed his hat-trick with a deflected shot and flew into the bottom corner past a wrong-footed Carson. and finally Malouda wrapped up the win with another goal in the final minute came from a beautiful through ball from Anelka.

TEAMS:

Chelsea (4-3-3)Petr Cech; Paulo Ferreira (Branislav Ivanovic 59), Alex, John Terry (c), Ashley Cole; Michael Essien, John Mikel Obi, Frank Lampard (Yossi Benayoun 63); Florent Malouda, Didier Drogba (Salomon Kalou 69), Nicolas Anelka.
Scorers Malouda 5, 89, Drogba 45, 55, 67, Lampard 61.
Booked Ferreira 57.

West Brom (4-2-3-1): Carson (c); Jara, Tamas, Ibanez, Cech; Mulumbu, Brunt; Morrison, Dorrans (Cox 67), Thomas (Barnes 83); Bednar (Miller 67).

MATCH INFORMATION:

Stadium: Stamford Bridge, England
Attendance: 41,589
Official(s):
Mark Clattenburg (Referee)

Preview: Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion

Barclays Premier League 2010/11: Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion live from Stamford Bridge, London, England. 

LIVE at ASTRO SUPERSPORT

15 Aug 12:30 am

 

Premier League new-promoted side West Brom have a challenging debut on the opening day of the campaign when they travel to West London Chelsea.Petr Cech and Alex have both overcome calf injuries in time to be fit. Full-back Jose Bosingwa is out with a knee injury while the Blues will give a late fitness test to Frank Lampard, who picked up an ankle knock while on England duty in midweek. Didier Drogba (groin), will also be fit to take on the Baggies after he had to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench in last week's Community Shield.

Return:Chelsea duo,Petr Cech and Alex back from injuries

Meanwhile, Roberto Di Matteo has admitted he could not have been handed a more daunting introduction to Barclays Premier League management as he prepares to face the champions at Stamford Bridge. Di Matteo, who is set to hand debuts to left-back Nicky Shorey and central defender Pablo Ibanez, has a decision to make over who will start in goal and who will lead the attack. England international Scott Carson, who will again skipper team this season, faces a challenge from Welsh international Boaz Myhill following his arrival from Hull City.

Carson is expected to get the nod to start at Stamford Bridge with Ishmael Miller poised to lead the attack as a lone striker ahead of Roman Bednar.In addition,midfielder Graham Dorrans is winning his fight to recover from a groin strain and he has been able to return to training and manager Roberto Di Matteo is optimistic that he will be available.

Possible starting Line-Up:

Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Essien, Mikel, Lampard, Kalou, Anelka, Drogba.

West Brom: Carson, Jara, Olsson, Ibanez, Shorey, Mulumbu, Brunt, Morrison, Dorrans, Thomas, Miller.





     

Official:Chelsea complete £17m capture of Brazil international Ramires

Samba Boy:Highly Rated Midfielder finally complete Chelsea move

The Blues have landed the Brazilian midfielder after courting him for several weeks in a deal that is thought to have cost the Premier League champions around £17illion.Ramires, who played for his country at the World Cup earlier this summer, has been a top target of Carlo Ancelotti during the close season and he has finally got his man on the eve of the new domestic season.Ramires, 23, admitted he was delighted to make the move to Stamford Bridge after he completed a medical successfully and was granted a work permit.

"Every player in the world would love to play for Chelsea and it's a great opportunity that was given to me, I will give my best to repay this chance, and I am very happy," he said on the club's website.Manager Carlo Ancelotti added: "He is a fantastic player, a fantastic midfielder, he is very young and will be the future of the Brazilian national team, and I hope he will be the future of Chelsea."
The deal, however, appears to have gone through too late for him to play against West Brom in the first game of the season on Saturday.He will begin training with his team-mates next week.

 

Player Profile:

Date of Birth: 24 Mar 1987
Place of Birth: Rio De Janeiro, RJ
Nationality: Brazil
Height:    179cm
Weight:   65kg
Position: Midfielder
Ex-Clubs: Benfica, Cruzeiro, Joinville.

Ricardo Carvalho set for Real Madrid move in €8m(£6.7m) deal

Reunion: Ricardo Carvalho reunites with Former Chelsea Boss at Real Madrid

The 32-year-old’s departure completes the clear-out at Stamford Bridge this summer - unless Real can convince Chelsea to sell an unhappy Ashley Cole also - and reunites him with his fellow Portuguese, and the man who brought him to England in the first place, and whom he shares an agent with, Jose Mourinho. Carvalho is understood to have signed a two-year contract with an option for a third year. Mourinho had insisted that he needed an additional defender when Madrid returned from their pre-season tour in the United States on Monday.

Ex-Chelsea duo:Both players make their ways to different club

Carvalho, 32, admitted his desire to reunite with Mourinho last month saying: 'If there was a possibility to sign for Madrid, I would go there right now swimming or running. Chelsea have a commitment with me to let me go this summer, for reasons which those responsible at the club and I know.'The departure of Carvalho means they have another slot for a foreign signing on their squad roster, with Benfica defender Davide Luiz high on Carlo Ancelotti's wanted list.

Official: Portuguese International signed a two-year contract with Fluminense

BYE2 Blues : Deco is now Fluminense's player

The ex-Chelsea midfielder,Deco was officially presented by Fluminense's club president Roberto Horcades,to the media and fans on Monday.The athlete marks his return to Brazil after 13 years playing in England, Spain and Portugal. "The reason I decided to return to Brazil is because there are no more challenges in Europe. I had one more year on my contract with Chelsea, but I wanted a new challenge. For this reason, I signed with Fluminense," said Deco.

"I've never played a professional game at Maracana. It will be a dream come true. I intend on doing with Fluminense what I did in Europe," added he.The 32-year-old is aware that it will take some time to readjust to the Brazilian style of soccer. The athlete signed a two-year contract with Fluminense. His first potential game with Fluminense, according to team trainer Ronaldo Torres, could be in the cross-town classic against rival Vasco da Gama on August 22 in the 15th round of the Brazilian Championship.Deco will wear his customary jersey number 20.

Community Shield Final Score: Chelsea 1 - 3 Manchester United

It's OK JT: Former The Blues,Gianfranco Zola shake hand with Chelsea players.

Wayne Rooney put his World Cup torment behind him to set Manchester United on their way to an impressive Community Shield 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Wembley.Wayne Rooney set up the first goals from Antonio Valencia after 41 minutes with a nice low pass crossing helpless Hilario.New Red Devils boy,Javier Hernandez's or his nickname Chachinto scored second goals after 76 gave United control in the third curtain-raiser between the two clubs in the last four seasons. Dimitar Berbatov, on as a late sub, lobbed in United's third in stoppage time.

Take it!!:Salomon Kalou pulled one back to make it 2-1 at 84 minutes

Salomon Kalou had pulled one back for Chelsea six minutes from time when Edwin van der Sar could only parry a shot from Daniel Sturridge during a late rally by the champions who have now lost five straight pre-season games.Valencia struck first after a brilliant move saw Paul Scholes find Wayne Rooney with a raking pass. Rooney crossed superbly for Valencia to strike. Valencia then turned provider for Hernandez to score, with the ball going in off his face.He did not disappoint either, doubling the score with a bizarre finish as he met a low cross and sent it into the net via his foot and face.

Chelsea rallied in the closing stages after Sturridge and Didier Drogba came on but the champions, who beat United on penalties to lift the Community Shield last season, failed to impress.Coach Carlo Ancelotti will want to see them sharpen up next week before they began the defence of their title against West Bromwich Albion.

Match Information
Stadium: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Attendance: 84,623
Match Time: 15:00 BST / (GMT 22.00) Kuala Lumpur Singapore
Official(s):
A Marriner (Referee)

THE RED DEVILS vs THE BLUES : Community Shield match preview

Battle:Can The Red Devils win it this time???

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed his starting XI for Sunday's Community Shield.There is only one change from the side that lost their final pre-season friendly at Hamburg.Hilario will start in goal replaced for Ross Turnbull, with the same outfield players from Wednesday night's game taking to the field against Manchester United at Wembley's new artificial pitch.Blues boss Ancelotti revealed Didier Drogba would be on the bench, while number one Petr Cech, defender Alex (both calf) and full-back Jose Boswinga (knee) are all out. 

Sir Alex Ferguson has promised Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen at least 45 minutes each, but elsewhere he is being forced to improvise. Patrice Evra, Michael Carrick, Rio Ferdinand, Gabriel Obertan and both Da Silva brothers will all sit out Sunday's game.For Manchester United, all eyes will be on Mexican striker Javi Hernandez, who has impressed in pre-season. Chris Smalling also looks like he will be thrown in for his first competitive start since his £10 million move from Fulham.

Teams:
Chelsea (4-3-3): Hilario, A Cole, Kalou, Terry, Malouda, Lampard, Essien, Mikel, Anelka,Ferreira,Ivanovic.

Probable teams:
Manchester United (4-4-2): Van der Sar, Evans, Smalling, Vidic, O'Shea, Valencia, Fletcher, Giggs, Nani, Hernandez, Rooney.




    

'Fabio Coentrao Chelsea transfer rumours totally rubbish'

Highly Rated: Fabio Coentrao in action for Portugal in 2010 World Cup

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has called suggestions he was eyeing Benfica left-back Fabio Coentrao as a replacement for Ashley Cole as "totally rubbish".There have been reports the Barclays Premier League champions and FA Cup winner would be prepared to sell England's international Cole to Real Madrid, with Portugal counterpart Coentrao drafted in.But Ancelotti dismissed this out of hand, saying: "It's not true, totally rubbish." 

Cole has reportedly been unsettled at Stamford Bridge following recent revelations about his private life but Ancelotti has repeatedly insisted he has no intention of selling "the best left-back in the world".

But Ancelotti recently stated: "Everyone can forget the idea he will leave the club. There is no price that will make us sell."Michael Ballack, Joe Cole and Juliano Belletti have left Stamford Bridge, while Yossi Benayoun is the only senior arrival at the club after joining for an undisclosed amount from Liverpool.

Treble this season..!!!!Chelsea Boss think his squad can win it this season.

Happy moment:Last season double winners aim to make treble this season

Carlo Ancelotti has delivered a warning to his rivals at home and abroad by claiming he is a better manager a year on from taking over at Chelsea and, as such, can steer the club to the first Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League Treble in their history.The Italian enjoyed a hugely successful first season at Stamford Bridge, winning the title and the FA Cup, and ahead of the new campaign, which begins with tomorrow's Community Shield contest against Manchester United at Wembley, feels sure there is more to come – not only from his squad, but also himself.

"I had doubts last year, when I started, but now I have more knowledge about the team and club and about the atmosphere in England and the teams here and so I think we will start the season in a different situation," said Ancelotti, who had managed in Italy for 14 years before his arrival in England last June, most notably at Milan where he won the Champions League twice and Serie A once. "I think so [that he is a better manager]. Last year was a fantastic experience for me and I have improved because of it."

Benzema bait!!!!Real Madrid offer Benzema to lure Chelsea’s Cole

Real misfit: Benzema could be heading to Stamford Bridge

Real Madrid have offered striker Karim Benzema to Chelsea in a bid to lure England first choice left back,Ashley Cole to the club.New Real boss Jose Mourinho is very keen to get Cole to the Santiago Bernabeu so has thrown in £30million-rated Benzema plus cash for the England left-back.Chelsea have been in the market for a quality striker this summer and Benzema could prove to be that player they are after but only if Carlo Ancelotti is prepared to lose Cole.

Benzema struggled under Manuel Pellegrini last season following his move from Lyon and faces a tough task trying to oust Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting line-up.But Mourinho may struggle to prise Cole from Stamford Bridge, with Ancelotti saying earlier this week that the 29-year-old would not be leaving under any circumstances. 'Ashley Cole is and will remain a Chelsea player,' he said. 'Everyone can forget the idea he will leave this club. There's no price that will make us sell.'

Zenit St Petersburg keen on Chelsea’s Yuri Zhirkov

Zhirkov in action for Chelsea against AC Milan

Zenit St Petersburg are set to offer Chelsea’s Yuri Zhirkov a path back to Russia by offering £21million.Zhirkov joined the Blues last summer from CSKA Moscow for just under £19million but endured a torrid run with injuries and managed just 10 league appearances. Zhirkov only make 27 appearances for Chelsea and never score in all competition except for friendly against AC Milan in last season tour.

The 26-year old has not been a favourite of Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti because of first choice England left back,Ashley Cole indicating a move may be on the cards but in the players view, he will remain at Stamford Bridge.“I can say that I am a Chelsea player and it’s a great honour to play for the club,” he said.“The competition in our club for places is great. But I really want to play and will do everything I can to break into the team.”

Hamburger V Chelsea Goals & Highlights [2-1] 04.08.2010

Hamburg 2-1 Chelsea - CHELSEA'S nightmare pre-season continued

RETURN..Chelsea top scorer last season,Didier Drogba

Chelsea named a strong starting eleven for their friendly match against Bundesliga side Hamburg in their final match before Carlo Ancelotti's side prepare to face rivals Manchester United in the Community Shield on Sunday with with John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, John Obi Mikel, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda all also featuring from the start, while Didier Drogba played the second half, his first pre-season outing following hernia surgery.

Lampard put the Blues ahead in the 24th minute, tapping Michael Essien's unselfish square pass into an empty net, but Mladen Petric capitalised on a mistake by Yury Zhirkov, on at left-back for Ashley Cole, to beat Ross Turnbull with 18 minutes to go.And with the match seemingly destined to end in a draw, up popped Heung Min Son to grab a winner for the home side with less than five minutes to go. The 18-year-old took he chance expertly, collecting the ball inside the Chelsea penalty area, before calmly slotting the ball underneath Turnball, and into the net.

Hamburg (4-4-2): Rost; Diekmeier (Benjamin 45), Demel (Rincon 55), Westermann (c), Demel, Ze Roberto, Petric (Choupo-Moting 81), Jarolim, Tesche (Gacar 45), Pitroipa (Elia 67), Guerrero (Castelen 67), Van Nistelrooy (Son 81).
Goals: Petric 71, Son 86
Chelsea (4-3-3): Turnbull, Ferreira (Bruma 67), Ivanovic (Carvalho 53), Terry (c), Cole (Zhirkov 61), Essien, Mikel, Lampard (Benayoun 61), Kalou (Drogba 45), Anelka (Kakuta 67), Malouda.
Goals: Lampard 23
Booked: Terry 41

Ramires poised to complete Chelsea transfer for £17m

Ramires in action for Benfica

The president of Portuguese champions Benfica has admitted that his club can do little to keep hold of Brazil midfielder Ramires, who is a major target for Chelsea.Luis Felipe Vieira has confirmed that around 80 per cent of the sporting rights for the 23-year-old South American are not owned by the club, meaning that a deal could be sanctioned against Benfica's wishes.Vieira told The Sun: "Ramires staying at Benfica does not depend solely on us. There is a partnership and we must respect it.

"If there is a good proposal we will do everything we can to make it work for us."We are prepared for all eventualities and have options to fill all the positions."Ramires has only been with the Lisbon Eagles for one season, having made his name in his homeland with Cruzeiro.He was recently a member of the Brazil national team squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa, appearing as a substitute in all three group games, before starting in the 3-0 win over Chile in the last 16.