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Chelsea FC – Juan Mata Taking Them to the Champions League
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.
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Chelsea FC – Eden Hazard, Juan Mata & Oscar Make Frank Lampard Look Good
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.
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Chelsea FC – Fernando Torres Blaming the Wrong People
It hasn’t been easy for Fernando Torres since becoming a Chelsea player. Names circulating about him, as the team seems to be on a constant lookout for someone who’ll replace their very expensive failure. The Spaniard isn’t giving up, but he’s clearly not too pleased with himself or with what the club is doing in order to help him score in the rate he used to for his previous teams, which seems like something that happened in a different era, to a different player.
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Chelsea FC – Juan Mata & Eden Hazard Need Better Midfielders
If it wasn’t for Petr Cech, Chelsea wouldn’t have just left Wembley as the losing team but also as a humiliated one. All the talent in the world, mostly presented with the likes of Juan Mata and Eden Hazard, can’t make up for the shambles of a defensive midfield currently deployed at Chelsea, giving them less than the chance they deserve when they’re up against a quality side.
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Chelsea FC – Fernando Torres Being the Difference Twice in a Row
While goals haven’t been exactly plentiful for Fernando Torres since becoming a Chelsea player, it’s the consistency aspect of his game that’s been most lacking. Suddenly, with the season reaching its most crucial stage, the most criticized man in the English Premier League manages to string two impressive displays in a matter of days, once again raising (false?) hopes that he’s somewhat recovering from yet another funk.
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Chelsea FC – Eden Hazard Playing Like He’s Just Arrived
When the season had just begun, Eden Hazard looked like the next great thing for Chelsea and the English Premier League, but a few things went wrong along the way. Now, months later, with the goals of the team slightly different, the Belgian star is playing the kind of football that earned him so many compliments in the early goings.
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Chelsea FC – Demba Ba Rises Above Managerial Hate
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.
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Chelsea FC – Fernando Torres Isn’t the Only Problem
There are a few reasons to Chelsea not really living up to the preseason expectations, that go beyond the fact that this was in less than perfect thinking by Roman Abramovich and others when building the squad, but Fernando Torres and strikers in general not scoring goals seems to be the main one.
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Chelsea FC – Frank Lampard And the Non-Existent Midfield
You can’t win in the Premier League without a strong midfield, regardless of the flair your side possesses. An aging Frank Lampard playing next to John Obi Mikel hasn’t been the answer all season, and it wasn’t once again for Chelsea facing the best midfield unit in the top flight.
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Chelsea FC – Both Demba Ba & Fernando Torres Were Useless
Another match, another loss, and another press conference in which Rafa Benitez has to make up some excuses for his team, while Frank Lampard can’t stop scoring, Juan Mata keeps playing like the best on the pitch while his striker, Demba Ba and Fernando Torres, hardly make any sort of impact.