What a game! I don’t think it has sunk in yet. Chelsea are Champions of Europe! Here is a video of the celebrations:

Enjoy and the post match report will be posted tomorrow.

Chelsea Talk

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This week Chelsea’s Brazillian defender David Luiz declared himself “100%” fit to play in tonight’s final of the Champions League against Bayern Munich. The adventurous centre- half has been out with a hamstring injury sustained during Chelsea’s FA Cup victory over Tottenham, and had originally hoped to recover in time for the dramatic conclusion of the semi final tie against Barcelona. Following an intensive programme of treatment, it appears all is now well.

“I took treatment on my hamstring every day, in the morning, in the afternoon and evening. People don’t know that but I was always hopeful and now I’m so happy because I am 100 per cent. I can do all the movements and I am so happy for that.”

Luiz is without question one of Chelsea’s most exciting prospects. Having exploded onto the scene under former Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti, he has shown the Premiership a unique, modern method of defending. Carrying the ball forwards from defence with such deft determination, it is often overlooked how surgically nimble and strong he is in the tackle – to say nothing of his match saving bursts of pace.

And yet he has not been without his critics. Described by an amateurish pundit as like a ‘player being controlled by a child on a PlayStation,’ he fell foul of the press for much of this season. Many of his more prominent detractors, former English defenders themselves, seemed to have a something of a fixation on errors Luiz made during the first half of the season. Those same commentators barely mentioned Terry’s numerous blame shifting slips when he was beaten for pace, or Cole’s constant lack of consistency in defence, or Sturridge’s utter selfishness & phobia of passing to rivals for his position.

But rather than becoming unsettled and looking elsewhere, he responded with a smile and a laugh – and continued with his game, with assurance and serene confidence. It is a remarkable sign of the character of the man, and something I experienced personally having spoken with him at length in a hotel shortly before the now legendary Barcelona game in Camp Nou. There was perhaps one slight outburst of frustration during the death- throes of the ill fated Villas-Boas reign, loyally defending the manager and calling for team unity amidst a clear division in the Chelsea side. The fallout of that Shakespearian saga is perhaps yet to be revealed, and best addressed in another article. But nevertheless, it does show that his commitment to the side, the club and the fans is utterly dependable, something that cannot be guaranteed in this era of transition.

Chelsea now finds itself on the precipice of total victory – the success of “the project,” the achievement of a decade of effort and investment firmly within reach. Few players get a chance to write themselves into the history books, and most of them are goal-scoring forwards. But with all the gripping drama that has so vividly captured our imaginations in English football this year, what price on Luiz being the hero of Munich? Gomez, the Bayern Munich target man – no doubt Luiz’s number one adversary for this final, has been indomitable this season. Yet I remain convinced his touch and short game leaves the door open for the likes of the quick footed Brazilian centre-half.

I can picture the scene now – Chelsea weather an early barrage from the wings and go a goal down. Luiz takes charge from the back, and furiously charges up the pitch, the “moving microphone” bobbing up and down in full swing. With the ball at his feet, he rounds one, he rounds two, he rounds three Bayern players! In a flash, he slots the ball through to Fernando Torres, who lashes it in to the top corner. Or better still – he could spend the game thwarting a world class predator, and clinching a tense 0-0 game in the 89th minute with a typical, curling screamer into the top corner. A captain in the making, what a player to have in defence – at just 25 years of age. His future is bright, and hopefully, Blue.

Chelsea Talk – By Keith Stanfield

Keith Stanfield is a Violinist and Former International Footballer for Western Samoa. For more information visit www.keithstanfield.com

Keith Stanfield

The time has almost come for the Champions League Final 2012. The build up has been great and I can not wait until tomorrow when Chelsea take on Bayern. Roberto Di Matteo has selections problems with Terry, Ramires, Meireles and Ivanovic all suspended. David Luiz and Gary Cahill both look set to start in the final after training for the last few days.

The back four pretty much picks itself. Bosingwa will fill in for Ivanovic and will need to have his wits about him to keep Ribery out. Then as I said before, Luiz and Cahill will be the two centre backs with Ashley Cole at left back.

Presuming they setup in the usal 4-2-3-1, I would play Mikel and Lampard behind the defenders. They have both been superb during the last few matches. Mikel looked like he could go in the summer a couple of months ago but he has stepped up his game and will now stay on at Chelsea. It would be great if he can carry on the form he has shown in the last few games in the most important game of the season.

The three attacking players that I have heard will play are Kalou, Mata and Bertrand. The only surprise for me was Bertrand but that could be quite a good idea. Bertrand is very good at going forward and has one of the best crosses in the Chelsea squad. He can track back as well and will offer good protection for Cole. RDM has supposedly tried this combination in training today.

Finally the front man and I am afraid there is only one choice and this means Torres misses out but Drogba on is day is UNPLAYABLE. He is really that good and is key in Chelsea’s success.

We all know that Bayern’s front line with Robben, Ribery and Gomez are very good and have scored over 70 goals this season. Attacking wise Bayern Munich are amazing however their defense is not so good. The left hand side of Bayern’s defense has been hurt with their CB and LB being suspended. If Chelsea can get at their defense I think they can do some real damage.

I hope that Chelsea start the game like this and get at Bayern because they are beatable!

So as above my starting eleven for Saturday will be:

(4-2-3-1 formation)
Cech, Bosingwa, Luiz, Cahill, Cole, Mikel, Lampard(c), Bertrand, Mata, Kalou and Drogba!

What do you people think?

Chelsea Talk

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With 4 UEFA Champions League titles, Bayern Muenchen are favorites ahead of the final match this Saturday. Not to mention that this match will also be held at their home ground, Allianz Arena.

Bayern, like Germany national team, are tournament-specialist team especially in penalty shoutout. Victory against Madrid in penalty drama was the proof of how strong they are in knockout phase of any tournament.

Composition of Bayern players in each line is quality. Mario Gomez this season successfully scoring 12 goals in the Champions League and would still increase his tally if he could score goals in the final. Don’t forget the ability of players like Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Thomas Mueller, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Phillip Lahm, and Manuel Neuer. They are great players and it is an almost perfect squad for any team.

It’s not just their regular starters that have quality. Look at their bench: Ivica Olic, Hans-Jorg Butt, and Daniel Van Buyten. It is believed that they are on similar level with Real Madrid and Barcelona in terms of big name players. No wonder they are called FC Hollywood.

The Worrying Factor

But that doesn’t mean Bayern will win the UEFA Champions League final easily. With such strength, they were unable to destroy the superiority of Borussia Dortmund in both Bundesliga and DFB Pokal so this must be their major concern. Also the fact that they were defeated in the German Cup final with an awful 5-2 scoreline despite playing against 10 men Dortmund at their home ground.

They also have to play the final without some important players like Luis Gustavo, David Alaba, and Holger Badstuber due to suspension. As Daniel Van Buyten has not fully recovered from injury, this will force Jupp Henyckes to play Anatoliy Timoschuk as central defender, which isn’t his best position. Manuel Neuer blunder against Dortmund which resulted his club conceded 5 goals is also another worrying note for the Bavarian side.

In addition, Bayern also have another problem internally which is the conflict in the team. The rumour that Ribery punched Robben’s face in the dressing room after they beat Madrid at the Allianz Arena suggests that the relationship is not good among the players. So did the statement of captain Schweinsteiger who said that he wanted Jose Mourinho to manage Bayern one day. This implies that Schweini is not fully respect and trust Jupp Henyckes capabilities. As a captain he should have supported his manager instead of hoping to be trained by another manager.

Indeed, Bayern is one of the strongest teams in the UEFA Champions League historically. They not only have 4 titles but also recorded 4 times as Runner Up. This means that they often lost focus in the final game which cost them defeat. Probably the most memorable moment in the history of Bayern was when Manchester United beat them 2-1 on disastrous injury time, after they were leading the game 1-0 in entire 90 mins.

The Chelsea Factor

Bayern had only faced Chelsea twice in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final leg in 2004/2005. In Stamford Bridge, Chelsea beat Bayern 4-2 (Joe Cole 4, Lampard 60&70, Drogba 80; Schweinsteiger 52, Ballack 90pen) and Bayern successfully fight back in Olympia Stadium (Bayern home stadium at the time) with  score of 3-2 (Lampard 30, Drogba 80; Pizarro 65, Guerrero 90, Scholl 90 +5). Chelsea won in aggregate with 6-5. Interestingly, both Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba who successfully scored twice in those games are still playing for Chelsea. Furthermore, Chelsea are also the team who won against the defending champions Barcelona in the semi-finals.

Bayern are very strong and remain favorite for the final. Nevertheless, Chelsea are still having big chance to win it as there are so many flaws in Bayern this season. Also The Chelsea factor itself will be a massive obstacle for Bayern to win the UEFA Champions League.

Bayern Munich is a strong team, but they can still be defeated and must be defeated.

Keep The Blue Flag Flying High!

By Gila (Twitter: @GilaChelseaFC) – Many thanks for your views on the Champions League Final!

Chelsea Talk

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John Terry Celebrating after scoring his 7th goal against Blackburn. 7 goals in one season is a record for Terry. Chelsea concluded their season with a 2-1 home win against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. Goals came from Captain John Terry and Raul Meireles. The Blues rested many of their star players for Champions League final which will be played on 19th Saturday.

As the day gets nearer, we are getting more nervous and excited. As we all know, the Champions league has been a high priority for Chelsea. They won the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup in 1970-71, 1997-98 and UEFA Super Cup in 1998. The closest they came to wining the UEFA Champions League was in the season 2007-08 where they were runners-up.

Again this 2011-12 season, Chelsea has the opportunity to lift the trophy and make history. To do that, Chelsea must beat Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena on 19th May. And that is going to be a challenge and a difficult task but not impossible. As Chelsea is preparing for their biggest and the most important fixture of this season, they would be without Branislav Ivanovic, Raul Meireles, Ramires and John Terry as they will be serving suspension. The situation got worse when the club feared; they might have to play in Munich without Gary Cahill and David Luiz who were out with hamstring injuries for almost a month. If Luiz and Cahill were not fit for Saturday’s game, Chelsea will be without their first choice centre-backs as well as the right back.

In which case, Di Matteo admitted he would be forced to complete his bench with youngsters.

‘That’s the worse-case scenario,’ he said.
‘We will take some reserve-team players onto the bench, into the squad, and just figure out what to do.
‘I’ve been trying different options in training and different solutions just in case.’

After yesterday’s training session, it looks like Roberto Di Matteo might not have to deal with ‘worse-case scenario’ after all. It was good news for a lot of Chelsea fans, as both Gary Cahill and David Luiz came back for the training and completed it successfully. The two centre-backs have been determined to make a full recovery in time to play in Munich. Gary Cahill believes his race to be fit for the Champions League Final is being won. After yesterday’s training session he said: ‘It was nice to be back out there, running and playing football. I was doing a bit of everything.

David Luiz and Gary Cahill after training session; They both are determined to play in the Final

‘I worked on my sharpness at the weekend without the lads and it felt really good, so for me to get the full week in before Saturday will be positive. We have three sessions now before Saturday and we will do what needs doing. Hopefully I can kick on from here. ‘I’m just happy that the injury healed quickly. We’ve worked really hard every day.’

We are all very happy to see our defense duos back in the training and doing what they are best at doing.

David Luiz is thrilled at his come back and he can’t wait to play in the final.

‘I was so happy I came back to training and I did 100 per cent of the session, and I did all of the movements. All the players in the world want to play in the Champions League Final and I am counting the days.’

So are we. The news of the defensive pair becoming fit and playing in the final has given a major boost to our confidence and we are feeling much better.

Ramires will be our biggest miss considering his performances for us and it was ‘Thanks to him’ that we are in the final today in the first place. His presence will be missed because of his energy, his pace and his capability in both attack and defense. Since we will have to build our squad for Munich without him, there is the possibility of seeing both Torres and Drogba together in Munich. With suspensions and mounting injury worries Di Matteo thought he would have one last look at how they worked together as he used the strikers together for the last 21 minutes of their win over relegated Blackburn at the weakened.

“I tried a few things to just have a look and see how it could work out,” he told Chelsea TV. A hint, that he may be tempted into playing them both against Bayern at the Allianz Arena. A lot of fans including myself think of it as risky. If we look at their past performances together, they have started together on five occasions, but having never scored a goal in any of these or the 19 other times they have been paired in a match as substitutes indicates they are not well suited together.

Champions league final is not the place to do any experiments or tests. We can’t afford to take any risks. If Di Matteo did start Drogba and Torres together, I assume Torres will be taking Ramires’s place in the wide. It is the more logical thinking as we have seen Torres playing good in that position with his crosses and attacks. We shall see what Roberto Di Matteo decides soon. Whatever happens, I trust him to take the best decision for the club, players and the fans. He has already proven it.

Bayern Munich is one of the strongest sides in Europe and they have quality players. The combination of Arjen Robben and Frank Ribbery on the wings has proven to be a constant threat for the opponents. Bayern will come strong in the attack and Chelsea will have to be solid in the defense and good in attack as well. The fact that Bayern Munich lost 5-2 to Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup just before the final will have their confidence shaken. As Chelsea are the underdogs all the pressure is on Bayern Munich which won’t make it any easier for them. The only advantage they have is home to which RDM said: ‘Maybe, because of the environment and the pitch it could give them an advantage, but on the other side they have a bit of extra pressure playing at home, so I’m not sure if it is or isn’t an advantage.’ I agree with him. And we being Chelsea will do everything in our power to make sure we give them a hard time.
3 days to go and we will be at the Munich for the Match of the season. Our players will be ready for the performance of their life. And right now we have only one thing in our minds, which is to beat Bayern Munich at their home ground and lift the Champions League trophy for the first time and make history. I trust in RDM and the players. We have the quality and the capability to WIN it and we wouldn’t let anything/anyone come in our way.

My line-up for Chelsea Vs Bayern Munich is:
_____________________CECH_____________________
_____________CAHILL__________LUIZ_____________
BOSIGNWA________________________________COLE
_____________MIKEL__________ESSIEN_____________
KALOU________________MATA_____________LAMPARD(C)
____________________DROGBA____________________

Sources: Dailymail.co.uk, Chelseafc.com and Skysports.com

By Aminath Siyadha Salim (Twitter: @Siyadha) – Many thanks for your views on the Champions League Final

Chelsea Talk

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As the Champions League Final 2012 nears closer, we have continued the build up with an article from Tom Miles about who he thinks will start.

With many players out of the Champions League Final, there seems to be a lot of talk about who will play and who won’t play. For me I think we will continue to play our 4-4-1-1 / 4-2-3-1 system as I believe this has been the most successful way of playing. When we have reverted to the 4-5-1 it appears little chances have been created and there seems to be a lack of movement.

With only two recognised central defenders being eligible for the game and both recovering from hamstring injuries they have both declared themselves fit. I believe it may be too much of a gamble to play both and I can see the management playing either David Luiz or Gary Cahill partnering Jose Bosingwa at centre back, where he was so fantastic in the memorable match at the Nou Camp. Due to the possibility of moving Bosingwa into a central defensive position means there will be a right back missing and with Branislav Ivanovic suspended and Ramires who played there in Barcelona also suspended we may be forced to look at long serving Paulo Ferreira, who has only played a handful of games this season. Another possibility may be Sam Hutchinson who was supposed to be the first player since John Terry to burst through the youth academy on to the first team scene before he was forced to retire from the game. But 18 months later he is back and has played a couple of games lately. At left back we expect no change with Ashley Cole seeming fit and ready to play.

In midfield both Raul Meireles and Ramires are suspended so the central midfield pairing we expect will be John Obi Mikel who has hit great form under Di Matteo and Frank Lampard who will be determined to win it after the pain of Moscow. This could be Frank’s last chance for silverware. On the right hand side of midfield without first choice Ramires, Saloman Kalou looks set to play, despite being used on the left more. Without any other recognisable right-sided midfielders Kalou will surely be playing down the right. On the left we expect Daniel Sturridge a man who’s form has slightly decreased since the sacking of AVB but with only Florent Malouda another candidate for the position he looks struggling for fitness as he picked up an injury in the 2-1 win over Blackburn.

In the role between midfield and striker we expect Juan Mata to play in there. The system was brought in to support his style of play and give him the freedom where he is most comfortable so the former Valencia man looks set for his first champions league final. Playing as a lone striker we fully expect Didier Drogba to play, in all big games especially champions league Didier Drogba always tends to rise to the occasion. Also in all the big games Di Matteo has managed in, Drogba has been included in the starting eleven so it clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed by the management.

I think for us to be successful in Munich we will need a huge team performance. Discipline will be absolutely key as we are playing an away game in effect and there will be a lot of pressure on us. Also the wide players must be fairly disciplined because they need to get forward and give options but if they also need to get back and help out the full backs. We are also effectively playing an away game as the final is at the Allianz Arena (Bayern Munich’s ground) so we must keep tight and compact for the first 20 minutes at least.

There has been a lot of talk about how it will be very hard for Chelsea with the suspended players but equally Bayern Munich have some key players out for example Badstuber who has been fairly key for them this year, Alaba who was arguably Bayern’s biggest threat going forward at Bernabau and Luiz Gustavo who has featured on a regular basis for Munich this season.

By Tom Miles (Twitter: @xMiles10) – Many thanks for your views on the Champions League Final

Chelsea Talk

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Reasons why we should keep him

• His love and desire for the club is fantastic, all the players are on side and are playing with their hearts and with the fans in mind. During his short spell he has united a group of players that were “supposedly” at fault for numerous sackings.

• During his short reign “Robbie” has adopted a 4-2-3-1 system which has paid off mainly due to playing Juan Mata in his preferred position of just behind the striker and not out wide where he had been less effective. He has also scouted opposition very well for example against Benfica he spotted the weakness of the Brazilian left back Emerson and subsequently made the players aware of this.

• Di Matteo is clearly a fan favourite and if he was appointed it would be a popular decision amongst the fans so this would relieve some pressure. As opposed to if it was somebody new with no premier league experience of any sort. Also Di Matteo has already managed us for the second half of the season which has included big games against Barcelona, Tottenham and Liverpool.

Reasons we shouldn’t keep him

• Although Robbie has done a fantastic job from time to time we have not played to our full ability for example we have had fairly lacklustre performances against Wigan, where we controversially won, Fulham, where we didn’t show up and arguably Fulham deserved the three points. If Di Matteo was to get the job on a permanent basis and he continued to show slight inconsistency could this have an effect on our league position.

• Di Matteo has played fairly according to the opposition in his tactics despite preferring the 4-2-3-1 we have switched to 4-5-1 when necessary and I believe we need a playing philosophy for example City have played a 4-2-3-1 this season which has hugely benefited them in the fact that the four attacking players can express themselves and there will be enough back to do the defensive work. Barcelona have a way of football they stick to and maybe to become a successful premier league team we may need our own style which we will stick to and teams can play according to us.

By Tom Miles (Twitter: @xMiles10) – Many thanks for your views on Roberto Di Matteo

Chelsea Talk

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The Champions League Final is coming around very quickly. Saturday is almost upon us when Chelsea take on Bayern Munich in Germany and I can’t wait. I have been looking at a couple of videos around the net and the best I found was this.

The video has been put together by Martin Johansson and was taken from You Tube.

So have a watch and enjoy the build up to the Champions League Final 2012.

Also look out for more Champions League build up everyday this week!

Chelsea Talk

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Not a Chelsea related video but funny none the less! This was Paul Merson in the Sky Sports News studio during the City game!

Chelsea Talk

On Sunday, it could be Didier Drogba’s final home game for Chelsea as he hasn’t signed a new contract yet.

Across the social networking sites yesterday, Chelsea fans came up with a tribute for Drogba in the game on Sunday. They have asked everybody to spread the word.

So on Sunday at 3:11PM against Blackburn, could you please show your appreciation to Didier Drogba for everything he has done for the club. Even if he is not playing which he probably won’t still give your appreciation.

Thank you

Chelsea Talk