Stoke vs Chelsea Review

Match Summary


So the opening match of Villas-Boas's tenure ended in a 0-0 at the Britannia Stadium. An away draw is never a bad result at Stoke, and I'm sure many a Chelsea fan would've taken that result before the game.

Stoke vs Chelsea Preview

Date: Sunday 14th August 2011
K/O time: 13.30
Venue: Britannia Stadium
TV: Sky Sports

Is the Attack Overcrowded?

The classic three, but for how long?

With the arrival of Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea now have a total of seven forwards at the club for an apparent three positions in our traditional 4-3-3 formation.

Romelu Lukaku, the Real Deal?

With Romelu Lukaku set to join Chelsea pending a medical and contract agreement. I'm assessing his potential ability and how good he can be at Chelsea.

Oriol Romeu, the New Fabregas?

Blues fans will be hoping Barca don't stay too close to Romeu's heart

As a lot of you will know already, today Chelsea secured the services of Barcelona midfielder Oriol Romeu for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £4.5 million on a four year contract. Romeu is set to join the club when he returns from the U20 world cup in Columbia. What a lot of you may not know is the fact that Barcelona have secured two buy back clauses, one for €10m in 2012 and the other for €15m in 2013, but one of the main questions that Chelsea fans are asking is, will Romeu be begging to go back to Barcelona in a few years time when he's fully developed, like Cesc Fabregas is doing now? 

Yuri Zhirkov's Tale of Misfortune

Zhirkov had been dubbed 'the Russian Ronaldinho'

Yuri Zhirkov, the £18 million russion is set to leave Chelsea in the near future after he was seen in Russia at the training ground of Russian Premier League rich boys Anzhi Makhachkala today, apparently going through with a medical ahead of a £13.2 million deal. Two years after becoming the most expensive Russian footballer in the world, Zhirkov the 3rd signing of the Ancelotti era is to return to the league where he starred, persuading Ancelotti to part with £18 million. Here is his story of his Chelsea career from the promising start to the disappointing finish.

The Midfield Muddle

Last seasons dramatic slump of form during the winter months highlighted Chelsea's desperate need for a playmaking force in the centre of the pitch. With quality finishers in Drogba, Anelka, Malouda, Sturridge, Kalou and Torres (maybe!), quality balls should enhance the team further. Especially with the case of Torres, he thrived on the service he was given, and has taken a lot of time to realise he needs to create chances for himself sometimes at Chelsea. With André Villas-Boas seemingly in the market for one, I will analyse the players that are rumoured to be coming, and the ones we already have: