PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: NORWICH CITY V CHELSEA - PART TWO

Posted on: Sat 05 Oct 2013

Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton look at the past and the present to complete their preview of Sunday lunchtime's game...

WE HAVE HISTORYChelsea are unbeaten against the Canaries in the last nine league and cup matches (seven wins, two draws).
This is a fixture that has been played only since 1962/63 and not in the top flight until a decade later. The Canaries were in the Southern League until 1920/21 when they became founding members of Football League Division Three South. They were eventually promoted to Division One for the first time in 1972.
Their only trophy up to that point had been the nascent League Cup, won in 1961/62 and it was for the quarter-final of the same competition that Chelsea travelled to Carrow Road on Wednesday 17 November 1971.
The visiting Cup Winners Cup holders were in unpredictable form, though. Defence of the UEFA tournament had ended feebly with two draws against Atvidaberg and the away goals rule swinging progress the way of the Swedish part-timers.

MOURINHO: FEELINGS GOOD

Jose Mourinho says that Eden Hazard will be assessed for selection ahead of Sunday's trip to Carrow Road.
The manager also expressed his delight at the team's performance in midweek, telling journalists at his weekly pre-match press conference that his players are starting to show the desired mentality ahead of what will be a tricky test against Norwich.
The Portuguese started by giving updates on our injured trio, starting with Hazard.
'He trained so-so today. He's better, but let's see tomorrow if he can be for the team. In this moment I'm not sure if he can play.
'Marco van Ginkel was today with us for the first time, but of course in the medical room. He's started his recovery process now.
'Fernando (Torres) is calm. We have 15 days without matches, and after these 15 days he'll be close to a return, if not to play against Cardiff or Schalke then for the Manchester City game.'
Mourinho reiterated that it was the right decision from the FA not to punish the Spaniard further following his red card last weekend, again reminding the journalists in attendance that the physical nature of the English game is what makes it so popular.
'The ban for Fernando was more than enough because the second yellow card came from a simulation. The FA defended the principles and the values of English football.'
Torres's place in the starting line-up on Sunday could well be taken by Samuel Eto'o, who is yet to find the back of the net for the Blues. Mourinho understands that the Cameroonian is adapting not only to a new league but also to a new style of play.
'He's come back to the top level of European football and he needs a little bit of time to find that sharpness.
'He's playing a lot and he's getting his form. He understands where he is, for an experienced player like him the Premier League is a different picture.
'Players transform themselves over the years; they become stronger in some aspects and they lose some other qualities in other aspects.

PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: NORWICH CITY V CHELSEA - PART ONE

The run of four away games in a row comes to an end this weekend. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton turn their attention from Europe to East Anglia…

TALKING POINTSAnother lunchtime kick-off followed by another two-week break is not what textbooks might suggest to get the football juices flowing. The possibility of putting pressure on leaders Arsenal, who face Man United's conquerors West Brom later on Sunday, very much is.
Norwich are pleasant and challenging hosts but the Blues have departed with all the points on five of our last six visits. Incrementally the Mourinho master plan is falling back into place but still no centre-forward has scored a league goal this season (and they have not quite flowed in from other departments till Tuesday).
The defence is looking mean and well drilled and creativity is abundant in midfield. Yet a team aiming for win top honours needs someone up among the golden boot contenders and the team's confidence would be hugely enhanced by a spree from the strikers.

KEY STATChelsea have managed five clean sheets in our first 10 games this season.

Sadly, in-form Fernando Torres injured his knee in Romania and has been ruled out for approximately three weeks and was, in any case, suspended from this match after his red card at Tottenham.
The FA's new review procedure ignored the media lynch mob pursuing the Spaniard over the clash with Jan Vertonghen, for which he was punished with a yellow. The panel's remit was published before the start of the season: if any official has seen the incident in question it is considered dealt with and cannot be reassessed.
Tuesday's performance and the result in response to the Basel setback had Mourinho saying his team is making good progress towards qualifying for the Champions League knockout phase.
The Portuguese also reserved a special hug for Andre Schurrle during the game and hailed him as 'the man' afterwards. The German looked delighted - another example of how the manager gets inside his players' heads.


With Samuel Eto'o looking more embedded game-by-game and involved in two of the goals in Bucharest, the new boys are beginning to have a big impact on the season. With injuries mounting that will have to continue apace.
The Steaua match brought our first away Champions League victory since the same 4-0 scoreline against Nordsjaelland a year ago. It is also the highest margin of victory for Mourinho's Blues since we won 4-0 in the FA Cup in February 2007 - against Norwich City. It is hopefully a sign the ruthlessness is returning to the Blues.
Julian Draxler's winner for Schalke in Switzerland has given them maximum points and group leadership. Our back-to-back matches with the Germans will go a long way to deciding the final standings, especially if Steaua can take points off Basel in their encounters.

DUO HAIL RUTHLESS DISPLAY

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Posted on: Wed 02 Oct 2013

Andre Schurrle and Juan Mata reflected on a job well done after we beat Steaua Bucharest 4-0 in Romania to secure our first victory in this season's Champions League.
In what was undoubtedly our best performance of the season thus far the Blues dominated the game from start to finish, scoring two goals in each half to get our campaign up and running ahead of back-to-back matches against Schalke.
Schurrle produced his best display in a Chelsea shirt to date, laying on the first goal and proving a real handful for the Steaua defence with his pace and inventiveness wide on the left.
'It was very important, we lost the first game against Basel and this was a must-win game,' said the German. 'We created chances and scored four goals which was very important. We played with confidence and were always looking to finish. It was a deserved win, 4-0 was a good result because we scored goals but I think we could have scored more.
'I always want to start and to play, the manager knows that. It's good for me that I started and I hope I played well, but the most important thing was to get the three points because we needed them, that's all that counts. I try to give my best on the pitch and show my qualities, that's all I can do.'

Jose Mourinho had indicated Mata would start 72 hours ahead of the game on the strength of his impressive displays against Swindon Town and Tottenham Hotspur, and the manager was rewarded for his faith by another encouraging showing from the Spaniard.
Mata, playing in a central role, was at the heart of everything we did in the final third, particularly in the first half, and he believes the result will serve us well looking further ahead.
'I think after the defeat against Basel, which was a painful defeat, we needed to win today,' he explained. 'From the first minute you could see we wanted to win. We scored twice in the first half and another two in the second half, I think we played really well and it's going to be better in the future because this result gives us confidence.'
After being left out of the squad for the recent win over Fulham, our Player of the Year for the past two seasons has responded in the perfect manner, and he is looking forward to playing a crucial part over the remainder of the campaign.
'I just keep going, train well and prepare for every game,' he said. 'I just have to do my best in training and in games. It's important to play with the ball and without the ball, but I'm very happy and looking forward to playing a lot of games throughout the season.
'I try to improve every season, my first and second seasons were fantastic but I want this one to be even better so I will try to improve, score goals, assist and do what I have to do.'

MATCH REPORT: STEAUA BUCHAREST 0 CHELSEA 4

Posted on: Tue 01 Oct 2013

Summary The Champions League campaign is on a steadier footing after a thoroughly deserved away win in Romania.
Ramires scored in each half, with an own-goal sandwiched between the Brazilian's strikes. Frank Lampard completed the scoring in the closing stages.
Jose Mourinho's men were 2-0 up and comfortable just before half-time with the third goal scored shortly after the interval. Steaua had the occasional chance after that, but on a night when the Blues continued the bright passing and movement seen in the second period at White Hart Lane, it was always likely a fourth would come and so it did with two minutes left on the clock.
With the Chelsea Under-19 side winning by the same scoreline in the same city against their equivalents from Steaua, it has been a good visit to Eastern Europe for the west Londoners.
Team NewsJose Mourinho was true to his word at the weekend and selected Juan Mata from the start. With Eden Hazard out injured, the substitute who replaced him during the Spurs game, Andre Schurrle, kept his place, as did Fernando Torres up front.
Oscar completed the attacking quartet with Ramires remaining alongside Lampard behind them. That midfield pair and the defence were the same as in the impressive second half at White Hart Lane.
Steaua made two changes from their away defeat in the first group game. Lucian Filip played in midfield in place of Mihai Pintilii and Federico Piovaccari was preferred to Pantelis Kapetanos as the striker.
First halfJose Mourinho had more or less labelled this a must-win match even at this early stage of the competition, and it was easy to see why given the pressure that would have built had we not done so ahead of back-to-back matches with Bundesliga side Schalke.
It was also easy to see Chelsea winning on our return to Bucharest given the balance of the opening minutes of this game.

Almost from the off Schurrle embarked on a weaving run that resulted in Mata with the ball at his feet and the keeper to beat. But realising he didn't have the room to work it over Tatarusanu only a couple of yards in front, the Spaniard intelligently spun and laid the ball back to Schurrle. Agonisingly the winger's shot hit a defender with the goalie struggling to regain position.
The bright start was countered by an injury to Fernando Torres who had been struggling since an early challenge. Samuel Eto'o stripped and was ready to come on as Torres had treatment off the pitch, but our no.9 decided he could continue.
Only a couple of minutes later his time was up, as the fourth official's number board signalled the introduction of Eto'o just 10 minutes in.

FA STATEMENT ON TORRES

The Football Association has today (Tuesday) released the following statement:
'The FA will take no action against Chelsea's Fernando Torres in relation to an incident involving Tottenham Hotspur's Jan Vertonghen which occurred in the 50th minute of their match on Saturday 28 September 2013.
'One of the match officials saw the coming together of the two players, albeit not in its entirety.
'In these particular circumstances, in line with The FA's policy on when retrospective action may be taken, reviewed this summer by the game's stakeholders (the Premier League, the Football League, the Professional Footballers' Association, the League Managers' Association, Professional Game Match Officials Limited and the National Game), no action may be taken.'

PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: STEAUA BUCHAREST V CHELSEA

Jose Mourinho takes his men to Romania as Chelsea take on Steaua Bucharest in a UEFA Champions League Group E fixture on Tuesday evening. The game between the two clubs will be held at the National Arena.

Overview
Bucharest come into this game after their 3-0 win over ACS Poli Timisoara in the domestic competition. Federico Piovaccari, attacking midfielder Nicolae Stanciu and Adrian Popa were on the scorsheet during the Romanian champions' latest victory in the league.
Laurentiu Reghecampf's men saw them lose their opening fixture in the Champions League to Schalke. The Romanian outfit lost 3-0 away from home to the Bundesliga side and will be looking for their first win against Chelsea on Tuesday evening.

TOUCHDOWN IN ROMAN

Posted on: Mon 30 Sep 2013

A first team squad of 20 players has landed in Bucharest ahead of tomorrow's Champions League group stage game.
Eden Hazard, Marco van Ginkel and Kevin De Bruyne are the three players missing from the squad list for the competition announced at the beginning of the month. Hazard joins Van Ginkel on the injured list while De Bruyne is not selected.
There was steady rain at the airport on arrival and the travelling party will train this evening in the national stadium in the Romanian capital, the venue for the meeting with Steaua Bucharest, as it was for our Europa League away tie last season. Prior to training Jose Mourinho and one of the players will talk to the media at approximately 4.30pm UK time, with coverage of the conference available via the @chelseafc Twitter account.
There is a change to today's journey from previous European away games, with the Chelsea Under-19 squad travelling on the same plane as the senior players.
Dermot Drummy takes a party of 17 to face Steaua's equivalent side in the new UEFA Youth League, kick-off for Tuesday's game at 2pm UK time with live coverage on Chelsea TV.
The Under-19s also train today in the venue for their match, the 1000-capacity Mogoşoaia Stadium on the outskirts of Bucharest. It is part of the National Football Centre, the training base for the Romania national team.

TOUCHDOWN IN ROMAN

Posted on: Mon 30 Sep 2013

A first team squad of 20 players has landed in Bucharest ahead of tomorrow's Champions League group stage game.
Eden Hazard, Marco van Ginkel and Kevin De Bruyne are the three players missing from the squad list for the competition announced at the beginning of the month. Hazard joins Van Ginkel on the injured list while De Bruyne is not selected.
There was steady rain at the airport on arrival and the travelling party will train this evening in the national stadium in the Romanian capital, the venue for the meeting with Steaua Bucharest, as it was for our Europa League away tie last season. Prior to training Jose Mourinho and one of the players will talk to the media at approximately 4.30pm UK time, with coverage of the conference available via the @chelseafc Twitter account.
There is a change to today's journey from previous European away games, with the Chelsea Under-19 squad travelling on the same plane as the senior players.
Dermot Drummy takes a party of 17 to face Steaua's equivalent side in the new UEFA Youth League, kick-off for Tuesday's game at 2pm UK time with live coverage on Chelsea TV.
The Under-19s also train today in the venue for their match, the 1000-capacity Mogoşoaia Stadium on the outskirts of Bucharest. It is part of the National Football Centre, the training base for the Romania national team.

MATA: HARD-FOUGHT POINT

Posted on: Sun 29 Sep 2013

Juan Mata was part of a much-improved Chelsea performance after half-time at Tottenham and he spoke afterwards about the 1-1 draw.
The Spaniard was introduced at the interval as a replacement for John Mikel Obi, with Jose Mourinho asking Ramires to drop deeper and Mata playing predominantly wide on the right, and it was his free-kick John Terry headed in for our first away league goal of the season and the equaliser following Spurs' first-half opener.
Mata's contribution at White Hart Lane, following on from his midweek performance in the cup match at Swindon, led Mourinho to announce after yesterday's game that the player would start away to Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday.
'Obviously everyone wants to play but as I said last week, I am a professional, I respect all of my team mates and what I want to do is enjoy it on the pitch, and I think against Tottenham I did that,' Mata said.
'We needed to improve and we tried to, and when I came on I just tried to give my best for the team. It is what I did since I came and it is what I am going to do until the end. I am happy with the second half, but it wasn't enough to win.
'Last season we won here and this season we wanted to win again, it wasn't possible but the team showed that we can fight until the end.'
Having levelled the score and gone close to taking the lead, Chelsea's task became a lot harder following the sending-off of Fernando Torres.
'I don't know [about the red card] but Fernando is not a player who goes to hurt,' said Mata.
'In the first half we had some problems, in the second half we had chances to score more goals but at the end we played 10 minutes with 10 players which is very difficult against Tottenham, but we kept compact and we fought until the end to get this point.
'It was a tough game so I think a point is not bad from here, and maybe they played better the first half and we played better the second half.'