Was everyone wrong? Is Fernando Torres not just going to stay at Chelsea, but actually deserving to stay at the club? After two goals in the span of five days that are of the most important for the team all season long, the usually disappointing Spanish striker has helped his cause to earn a spot on the team for another season, showing he deserves to play next to Juan Mata and Eden Hazard in the future. More
No titles yet for Rafa Benitez, but at least he made it out of the huge minefield that was trying to keep Chelsea in the top 4 club and qualify into the Champions League. His rough start meant there will be no Premier League title, but despite the lack of ownership support (as always at Stamford Bridge) and quite a lot of fans making their displeasure with him filling the position being heard, the “Spanish waiter” did quite a good job in keeping the ship on the right course, with a chance to add a European trophy to the cabinet. More
All the flair and creativity in the world coming from Oscar, Juan Mata and Eden Hazard can’t be enough on their weaker matches, which can be expected in this never ending season for Chelsea, can’t make up for a striker that seems lost, dazed & confused on 90% of his appearances. Rafa Benitez loves rotations, and was burnt by using Fernando Torres instead of Demba Ba. More
From the moment this long and exhausting season began, Juan Mata was there for Chelsea, more times than anyone else. Through the ups and downs of Oscar, Fernando Torres and Frank Lampard, the Spaniard, who barely has a place on his own national team, came up with the big goals, big assists and big matches to make sure this won’t be the season the team falls to previously unknown depths. More
Scoring goals through penalty kicks doesn’t make you a brilliant scorer, but compliments have always been easily showered on Frank Lampard, even when he doesn’t deserve them, and most of the credit in his “better” performances this season for Chelsea have come thanks to the creative trio in front of him, consisting of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata. More
They talk of a magical trio, but in the truth it’s just two players – Eden Hazard and Juan Mata that are truly special. Oscar still has some consistency and physicality issued to tend to before he can be considered as good, giving Chelsea a truly unique threesome that plays behind a striker, Fernando Torres, that can’t seem to provide the right kind of outlet to his talented teammates. More
When Rafa Benitez put Fernando Torres, along with Marko Marin and without Juan Mata or Eden Hazard in the lineup, you knew Chelsea weren’t taking their Premier League match as seriously as they should, knowing that two days later it’s FA Cup replay time, and while one competition sends a team to the Champions League and the other to the lesser European stage, the Spanish manager chose the alternative horse to bet on. More
There’s nothing Rafa Benitez can do to end the hate and protest directed at him (for fear of the owner) but win a league title or the Champions League, but that won’t happen this season. All he can do is win matches and finish in the top 4, and with Demba Ba scoring again, that shouldn’t be too difficult of a task to accomplish. More
No matter how many chances he gets, it seems that anything Fernando Torres had going for him earlier this season and then again from time to time has almost been depleted, with both Eden Hazard and Juan Mata, despite countless tries, failing to make the broken Chelsea striker to work like before. Luckily, Oscar does have some football to overcome his physical adaptation to Europe. More
After becoming a villain in the minds of ball-boys across the United Kingdom, it was time for Eden Hazard to come back and do what he was brought for; play and score for Chelsea, and maybe even more for Rafa Benitez, who needed 3 points more than anyone would like to admit. More