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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 – Eden Hazard Turns The Ship Around
It’s hard to imagine how gloomy the situation would have been if Rafa Benitez wouldn’t have made the changed that he did early in the second half, and Chelsea wouldn’t have forced a replay. But Eden Hazard did come on, and Juan Mata did play wonderful football, and eventually, there were a few centimeters away from a huge win.
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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 – Juan Mata Makes All the Difference
For about 55 minutes, Juan Mata was denied space and freedom, and Chelsea looked like a team that might lose to a league one side in the FA Cup replay. But then he scored, and floodgates opened for Chelsea, and Mata helped Frank Lampard look better than he really is, and gave Rafa Benitez a few more days of relaxation.
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Chelsea FC – Eden Hazard Gets a Near Perfect Comeback
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.
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Frank Lampard Continues to Get Lucky
If Chelsea do want to finally start some new era without the relics of the past, the wise thing would be to let go of Frank Lampard. Don’t let the goals distract you from the fact that Lampard hardly does anything on the pitch anymore, and his winning goal for England in the friendly match against Brazil doesn’t change his age or diminishing abilities.
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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.
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Chelsea FC – Juan Mata Isn’t Enough With Terrible Defense
An easy match and suddenly, another disappointing result. Juan Mata continues to be the only stable thing in the Chelsea strutcture, as their defense, without the leadership of John Terry, continues to give away goals and points while Rafa Benitez is off to a worse start for the Blues than Roberto Di Matteo had through his first 12 matches.