The atmosphere was deafening. The chatter of thousands could be heard resonating through the stadium ground and they were in all kinds of languages; Spanish, English, Russian and a plethora of unidentifiable languages. They were excited, jumpy and full of anticipation. Beers were passed, and hotdogs handed out. On the pitch, when the two large Panama and England flags unfurled and the players emerged from their dressing room, the roar raised a few decibels.
I too couldn't stay down in my seat. In my mind was, THIS IS THE WORLD CUP. I excitedly chatted up with the woman sitting next to me, a Russian as it turns out, from Nizhny Novgorod. Russians turned out in droves, partly due to the cheaper tickets but to also revel in the football atmosphere.
When the national anthems of the countries played the respective fans sang to their hearts. In particular, due to the numerical superiority of the Panama fans, I could feel the plastic seats resonate; a reflection of the pride of the people of Panama whose country have long been unrepresented in the World Cup. The end of the national anthem was accompanied with more clapping and cheering and the occasional sounds of plastic horns.
Kick Off
And before long, the players went to their respective positions in anticipation of kick off. The countdown commenced with the crowd shouting with the stadium announcer; 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... PEEEEP!
The cheer rang out and reactively I let out a primal shout and started clapping wildly. The emotions were running wild. Everyone was expressing their feelings on the match as blatantly as possible; when a foul was committed, the crowd whined, murmured and some booed. When a player was clearly adjudged to be feigning a foul, the crowd murmured. I too couldn't help but talked sometimes to myself, "That's not a foul. Come on!" The crowd, it turns out, are really impartial. Everyone was in the spirit of the game in essence. And the players duly delivered.
The score line is as it has been immortalised; 6 - 1 but it was no means a one-sided defeatist style of play from Panama. The Panama players attacked from the get-go. They had their chances with their quick lightning counter attacks but at the end of the day, England's quality and really good tactics gave them a deserving win. At half-time, it was 5 - 0. After each England goal, the iconic "Football's Coming Home" song by The Three Lions played. There was only two England fans near my seats, and they celebrated wildly after each goal. They pumped their beer in the air, spilling them and hugged each other, jumping wildly as they do so. Then they would let go and sing the iconic lyrics. In truth, England had a decent shot at World Cup glory in Russia, as they had a decent team and formation plus a lot of the major contenders were eliminated early on. But, as it turns out, they were outplayed in the Semi Finals.
Half time came and a large proportion of the stadium visitors went to get a refill of their beers or buy a hotdog snack. I went out to the toilet but I also got myself an ice lemon tea and a hotdog from the counter, setting myself back by 400 roubles. Buying myself a set enable me to take back home a limited edition drink cup. There were three different kinds though for different kinds of drinks; a non-alcoholic, a Budweiser and a Russian branded beer. After getting my due refreshments, a must after such an exhilarating match, I went back to my seat to enjoy the music and crowd in the stadium at halftime.
The Panama fans did not get disheartened by each goal though. They still cheered every counter attack and possession their team had with gusto. And their team's perseverance and attacking philosophy prevailed in the end with the team scoring a solitary goal towards the end. That resulted in the stadium erupting. Even the England fans were congratulating the Panama fans. It turned out that it was the first Panama goal in the World Cup!
End
At the end, the people left the stadium with almost the same enthusiasm as when they had arrived, having seen a breathtaking and memorable match. The same official entertainers entertained; the drummers, the cheerleaders and the volunteers. I strolled past them, took photos when I had the opportunity and just soaked into the atmosphere. As I walked with the crowd, a portion of them sang out in chants and cheers. A popular one was "Ros-si-a! Ros-si-a!" After meandering with the crowd, we made our way to where Ayub was waiting, the place where we had dropped off. He had watched the match on his phone (phone data being cheap here in Russia) and with large help from a translating app, we talked about it as we drove the long journey back to Moscow.
Tuesday, 28 August 2018
Sunday, 5 August 2018
The Slightly Biased Chelsea Match Review I Chelsea vs Manchester City I FA Community Shield I 5/8/2018
Chelsea Match Review
Match Overview
The Premier League opener was between two teams bookmakers had tipped highly to be contenders for the title this season. On one side is Pep Guardiola’s dominant team who had romped to victory with a 19 points difference to 2nd place Manchester United, upgraded with the signing of Riyad Mahrez. On the other side of the pitch is the Blues, revamped under a new coach, Maurizio Sarri, with an attacking brand of football and showing off the signing they had swiped under Manchester City’s noses; Jorginho.
But it was in the end a one-sided game at the Wembley Stadium with the players in the lighter Blue shirts taking off where they ended the previous season. Guardiola’s team continued with their brand of smart movement and technically sharp players to keep and win possession as well as fast penetrative players in Aguero and Mahrez who played next to the last man.
Chelsea attempted to play their new style of play but City’s pressing and positioning of their players thwart whatever plans they may have to win last season’s champions. At the end of the day, a 2-0 scoreline is simply a good warm up for Chelsea and an ominous warning to every other teams in the Premier League on the coming of Manchester City.
The game seemingly ended with Aguero’s goal at the 13th minute. A pass by Fernandinho allowed the young Fodin to run through Chelsea’s half. He laid off to Aguero who took a touch to open up space and unleashed a shot through Rudiger’s legs beyond Caballero’s open arms.
Aguero 13’ MC 1-0 CHE
The second half followed the same script for both teams albeit with several substitutions and different personals. On the 58th minute, as if on a repeat of the previous goal, Aguero was easily fed the ball by Fodin and he took his shot early to easily increase Manchester City's lead.
Aguero 58' MC 2-0 CHE
Chelsea’s Man Of The Match
The Argentinian could not do much with the goals but he did keep out a number of others including a 1v1 against Aguero. Comparatively to Bravo who was plain embarrassing in the first half (though he did keep a cleansheet), Caballero was good, but not great.
Chelsea vs Manchester City I FA Community Shield I 05/8/2018
 |
| Picture from TalkSport |
The Premier League opener was between two teams bookmakers had tipped highly to be contenders for the title this season. On one side is Pep Guardiola’s dominant team who had romped to victory with a 19 points difference to 2nd place Manchester United, upgraded with the signing of Riyad Mahrez. On the other side of the pitch is the Blues, revamped under a new coach, Maurizio Sarri, with an attacking brand of football and showing off the signing they had swiped under Manchester City’s noses; Jorginho.
But it was in the end a one-sided game at the Wembley Stadium with the players in the lighter Blue shirts taking off where they ended the previous season. Guardiola’s team continued with their brand of smart movement and technically sharp players to keep and win possession as well as fast penetrative players in Aguero and Mahrez who played next to the last man.
Chelsea attempted to play their new style of play but City’s pressing and positioning of their players thwart whatever plans they may have to win last season’s champions. At the end of the day, a 2-0 scoreline is simply a good warm up for Chelsea and an ominous warning to every other teams in the Premier League on the coming of Manchester City.
The game seemingly ended with Aguero’s goal at the 13th minute. A pass by Fernandinho allowed the young Fodin to run through Chelsea’s half. He laid off to Aguero who took a touch to open up space and unleashed a shot through Rudiger’s legs beyond Caballero’s open arms.
Aguero 13’ MC 1-0 CHE
The second half followed the same script for both teams albeit with several substitutions and different personals. On the 58th minute, as if on a repeat of the previous goal, Aguero was easily fed the ball by Fodin and he took his shot early to easily increase Manchester City's lead.
Aguero 58' MC 2-0 CHE
Match Highlight
Chelsea played with a 4-2-1-3. Dave retained his earlier RB
position from 2 seasons ago. Rudiger fitted in at CB with David Luiz while
Alonso retained his LB position from earlier preseason games. At midfield, Jorginho
and Fabregas played from deep, aiming to dictate play with Ross Barkley
slightly ahead. The electric Hudson-Odoi played on the LW while Pedro played at
RW. Morata started the game as Chelsea’s striker again.
Generally the team was outplayed by Manchester City but it
is not an indicator of the team’s weakness as our team do have the quality and
flashes of brilliance. It is really just that Manchester City was too good.
Man Of The MatchChelsea’s Man Of The Match
Willy Caballero deservingly should be Chelsea’s MOTM with a
number of saves to keep the scoreline low.
Player Ratings
-
Goalkeeper
Willy Caballero 8The Argentinian could not do much with the goals but he did keep out a number of others including a 1v1 against Aguero. Comparatively to Bravo who was plain embarrassing in the first half (though he did keep a cleansheet), Caballero was good, but not great.
-
Defenders
Cesar Azpilicueta 6.5
The defence was easily penetrated by long simple balls from
deep from Manchester City where all of Chelsea’s defenders were defeated by
pace. Need some tinkering here…
Antonio Rudiger 7
Honestly, he was the most solid Chelsea defender in the game
but he still was not quick nor defensively smart enough to keep out Manchester
City’s attackers.
David Luiz 6
Did not impact much of the game. Beaten by pace again and
again by Aguero. His strengths were not allowed to shine and his frailties are
openly exposed.
Marcos Alonso 6
It is about time Chelsea deserves an upgrade on the LB.
Alonso is neither good at defending nor attacking. His strengths lie in his
passing and freekicks, both limited by Manchester City’s close pressing.
-
Midfielders
Jorginho 7
As the hype is, he did receive a lot of balls which he attempted
to quickly move and pass around. The problem is, Manchester City pressed so
much and so high through the middle, he really had his chances to shine
severely limited. A good welcome for him and he should know by now what simple
misplaced passes can do to your team’s fortune as he did misplace a few passes
that almost led to goals.
Fabregas 7
He did alright, with some good passes and some defense work.
But it was not enough as Chelsea could not dominate the midfield.
Ross Barkley 6
Maybe we do need a better CAM, one who is pacier and better
able to retain the ball than Ross Barkley. Don’t get me wrong, Barkley is a technically
good player and quite good at dribbling and passing but it really is not
outstanding enough for Chelsea. Perhaps Hazard should fill his role…
-
Strikers
Alvaro Morata 6
It is a curiosity to see how fast his confidence vanished
with a few misplaced touches and passes in the first half. He was a main
culprit for Chelsea losing possession but in due fairness, the quality to
service to him was not there. Chelsea were simply outplayed.
Pedro 6.5
He did try to influence play with his jinking runs and pace
but the problem is, Manchester City’s players are equally fast and up to the task
to pocket him comfortably.
Callum Hudson-Odoi 7
Much have been touted about this 17 year old wunderkid and
it is no wonder. He was visibly Chelsea’s best forward in the first half. We
all remember him outpacing Hector Bellerin, who had a 100 pace rating in FIFA
TOTS, but Kyle Walker was up to the task of containing him with some better
positioning.
Thursday, 26 July 2018
A Singaporean Road to World Cup Russia 2018 Part II
This article is about my journey and virgin
experience of watching a World Cup in a foreign country. Helming from
Singapore, this is how my experience went.
PART II: Heading to Nizhny Novgorod Stadium
The World Cup atmosphere can be felt way back in Changi Airport, Singapore on the 21st July 2018. There was a small display of football jerseys at one of the terminals and World Cup promotions could be seen everywhere we went. That day, I took an Emirates flight with my parents to Moscow with a transfer at Dubai International Airport. After checking-in our luggage, we went for our last Singaporean meal before our flight; a nasi lemak meal (coconut rice with fried chicken and anchovies) with a dollop of spicy chilli sauce and bandung (rose) drink.
Flight to Moscow
Our flight to Dubai was for 8 hours and from Dubai to Moscow’s Domodeva Airport, another 7 hours. We left Singapore at 10.30am and reached Moscow at 11.30pm (Moscow time, which is 5 hours behind Singapore). As we approached closer to Moscow, the World Cup atmosphere seemingly intensifies. The flight from Dubai was filled with World Cup fans helming from Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Egypt, Nigeria and even non-participatory countries such as Lebanon. There was a massive exchange of friendly greetings at the transit lounge back in Dubai and it served as a precursor of what to expect in Moscow itself.
Touch Down
The immigration process at Domodedovo Airport was a lengthy
and tiring one. Even after landing so late in the evening, with the volume of
passengers coming in, we had to queue for a quite a while. While we were queuing,
officers would pick off random people and bring them to a separate holding area
to be questioned. Once I got to the counter, I was asked several questions and
my photo was taken. It immediately become apparent that knowing Russian will go
a long way to surviving and communicating in Russia as the officer does not
speak English! Thankfully, immigration went smoothly.
The baggage claim area was slightly chaotic as well. Perhaps
with Changi Airport’s high standards, everywhere else may seem as such. We
could not find our luggage and waited for half an hour at the baggage claim
area before realising that someone else had taken our luggage and placed it at
a corner together with several other luggage.SIM Card
Afterwards, we went out and immediately tried to obtain a
SIM card. The nearest booth was from Megafon, one of the largest telecom
companies in Russia. It was recommended that we purchase our SIM card in Russia
itself as it is really very cheap. In the end, we got a SIM card with 10GB of
data for 1000 roubles or SG$20 (not really the best price, but it was the best
at the airport). The process is easy enough. Just provide your passport and the
money in hand and within minutes, you will have your SIM card.
Yandex Taxi
Afterwards, we used the local Yandex app, a ride-hailing app
similar to Uber, in order to get a ride back to our hotel, Hotel Voyage Park.
Yandex is honestly a lot better than Uber as it is a lot cheaper and for the
taxi drivers they are able to check if there are traffic jam according to the route.
I managed to converse a little in Russian with the cab driver and by around
1.45am, we reached our hotel for a belated sleep in.Road Trip to Nizhny Novgorod
I will fast forward a few days to the 24th of July 2018. I failed to mention in my earlier post that my parents had decided to come to Russia with me to watch the World Cup too and we had bought earlier match tickets also at Nizhny Novgorod, the England vs Panama match. Due to the late nature of us booking the tickets, we could only get category 1 tickets at USD210 each and we could not book a free train ride to Nizhny Novgorod. In fact, it was impossible to even get a normal available train there. In the end, I suggested for us to take Yandex taxi to Nizhny Novgorod. It would cost us 10 000 roubles which is about the same price as 3 train tickets to Nizhny Novgorod. The only difference is the time it would take for us to get there, 5 hours instead of 3.
I slept most of the journey as we started our journey relatively early at 9.30am. When I was awake, I talked to my Yandex driver, Ayub. Apparently, he is from Tajikistan and had come to Moscow to take his Masters a few years ago. He also speaks Russian and German fluently. The Russian countryside was also really beautiful. Once a while, we will pass a village with beautiful wooden huts and cathedrals.
At around 2.30pm, we reached Nizhny Novgorod. The city in my
opinion is rustic and laidback compared to Moscow. There are several
construction projects around but overall, the city is old and quaint. We did
not manage to explore the city as we headed straight to the Nizhny Novgorod stadium.
Nizhny Novgorod StadiumRoads around the stadium has been closed. Certain vehicles with special passes are permitted through and they are given to reputable drivers or tour buses in order to shuttle people around the cordoned off area. For example, the bridge nearest to the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin linking to the stadium was cordoned off. We dropped off a few blocks away from the stadium and walked towards it.
Finding our way is really not a problem. There were FIFA volunteers and guides every few metres who could speak sufficient amount of English. The younger generation mostly took English as a second language in school. However, due to a lack of practice, some of their English may have attrited which is why there are some communication barriers for non-Russian speakers in the streets. Some of the volunteers were dancing and when you pass them, they will high five you. A friend of mine joked that it is mandatory to return it.
The FIFA atmosphere immediately reached a new level as we got closer to the stadium. People drabbed in all kinds of flag, mostly the Panama flag, were heading towards the stadium. Music were played and there were several performances by street musicians around. Russian cheerleaders were a hit among football fans as everyone wants a picture with them. Some singing can be heard among larger groups. We went to the Decathlon outlet near the stadium and got some drinks and clothes. I even got myself a Russian scarf.
Entering the Stadium
We then made our way to the entrance nearby. At the entrance, there was a security check. Our bags and bodies were scanned, and any unwanted items were taken by the security and that included food items and drinks and flags that are political or too large. Once past security, a festival-like environment greeted us. There were FIFA souvenir shops selling World Cup goods, carnival booths with football-themed games and food and drink booths selling mainly hot dogs and beers.
At around 3.30pm, we went to our seat, which had a really
good view of the pitch. Soon, the match will start, and the cheers grew louder.
Thursday, 14 June 2018
A Singporean Road to World Cup Russia 2018 Part I
This article is about
my journey and virgin experience of watching a World Cup in a foreign country.
Helming from Singapore, this is how my experience went.
PART 1: Journey to
World Cup 2018
My journey to the World Cup in Russia started way back in
February 2018 when I received the opportunity to study in Russia during the
summer for a summer exchange. I did not think twice about accepting the offer
because I already had a passion for the Russian language and culture and the
World Cup was actually an afterthought (incredible as it seems as I am a HUGE
football fan). The World Cup in Russia for the 2018 edition takes place from 14
June to 15 July and is held in various cities across the Russian Federation.
Buying the World Cup
ticket
After realising that the World Cup was during my summer
exchange program, I quickly went to look up on how to purchase a World Cup
ticket. As ardent a football fan as I was, I was not going to miss this
opportunity and I quickly found out that one has to enter a ballot in order to
be able to purchase a ticket. I already missed the first round of balloting,
thus I have to enter the second round of balloting. The tricky bit was
selecting a perfect date and the city to watch the match because at that point
in time, I had applied to several universities, all in different cities such as
Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow and St Petersburg which had different course durations.
Furthermore, it was already towards the end of the (last) ballot draw thus I
had to make a decision quickly.
The ticket website indicated the popularity of the matches,
hence the probability of winning the ballot, and in the end, I chose a round of
16 match in Nizhny Novgorod on the 1st of July with the possibility
of watching Argentina play if they won their group. The ticket price set me
back by SGD$153 (USD$115) for a Category 3 ticket and I duly noted the fact
that a Russian citizen only has to pay about SGD$40 for the same tickets. I am
not complaining too much because after all, they are the hosts (please,
Singapore or ASEAN, host a World Cup during my lifetime), and comparing this to
a ticket for a WrestleMania match in Los Angeles or a ticket to watch a
performance at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow which is priced around that
figure, I think the World Cup is definitely more worth it.
Winning the ballot
It took several weeks for me to receive the exciting news in
the form of an e-mail confirmation that I have won the ballot. I made sure that
all my information was properly entered into the official FIFA system and read
the steps I will have to take from then on.
I had to apply for a Fan
ID using my Application ID which is a sort of pass which allows me to enter
the stadium or travel around Russia without a hassle and also allows me two
free train tickets to anywhere in Russia to watch the match.
I put off planning
for the World Cup afterwards as I concentrated on my studies and on my
application to the summer university (because if I don’t get in, it kind of
defeats my original purpose). It turns out I will study in HSE Moscow as the
university has a better ranking and summer program than the others which I have
researched on. Hence, I will have to make plans to travel to Nizhny Novgorod
and book an accommodation there too.
Settling my
Transportation
Around the end of March, I received my Fan ID via mail which
had a pass with my passport details and a rather unglam picture printed on it. It
was then that I remembered I had to book a train ticket. To my horror, most of
the train tickets for around the match period were already snapped up, thus in
a day, I decided on the time and day of departure from Moscow to Nizhny
Novgorod and back to Moscow.The website I had to apply the train tickets from allowed me to choose the seats or bed on the train and showed the timing and duration of the train journey. This is important because different trains have different duration and schedules and thus, I had to plan accordingly. In the end, I chose an overnight train ride to and from Moscow.
For the flight ticket from Singapore to Russia, I booked them according to my summer exchange period and it costs about SGD 1700 on Etihad Airways with a transfer at Abu Dhabi International Airport. (Do note that if you are a student, you can actually book using an ISIC card or through STATravel for Singaporeans which will give you huge discounts for flight tickets!)
Settling my
Accommodation
This was a particularly tricky bit because as the World Cup
approaches, the price of accommodation naturally gets inflated. For example, a
night in Nizhny Novgorod normally costs around SGD20/ night or less for a one
room apartment but due to the World Cup, it inflates to about SGD 100/ night. I
used AirBnB, aware of the risks of cancellation and such, and found the best
apartment which costs surprisingly cheap at ~SGD50/ night and is near to the
stadium.
Obtaining a VISA
For those who have not been to Russia, it is a point to note
of the ridiculously arduous process of obtaining a VISA to step foot into
Russia. Depending on the type of VISA, you will have to produce several
documents and fill up several forms and submit them at the Russian VISA office
or embassy in order to get your VISA. I applied for a student VISA which allows
me to be in Russia for 40 days and was required to fill up an e-application
form, obtain a Letter of Invitation from my host university, obtain a HIV test
certificate (which requires to be stamped AND signed) and produce my standard
immigration documents.
The Letter of Invitation is the tricky bit in the process of
obtaining a student VISA and this also applies to those who wishes to apply for
a Tourist or Personal VISA. You have to get invited by someone in Russia in
order to enter the country. That means someone in Russia has to obtain your
particulars and apply for an invitation at the Foreign Office in Russia to
create an official Letter of Invitation for you.
For those who are using a travel agency, they usually have
an office or someone in Russia who helps them to do this but if you are going
on your own, you either have to ask the hotel or the owner of your place of
accommodation for help in making the Invitation or know someone in Russia to
help you get this Invitation. Thankfully, most of the hotels do provide this
service and you have to ask them on how to go about doing this. After someone applied for an Invitation for you, it takes around 20 days for your request to be processed and for you to obtain your Letter of Invitation which will be sent to your consulate or faxed to you depending on your preference.
That said, do start your application early and work on
obtaining the documents months before you are due to travel, just in case there
is a snag in the application process.
Ready for Russia
With all administration things settled, I now only need to
pack my bags, create a travel itinerary and brush up on my Russian (which is
not very necessary, but I think this opportunity would be an awesome chance to
practice my Russian!). With great anticipation and my body burning with World
Cup fever, I await the date as my date with Lionel Messi approaches.
Total
Expenditure:
|
|
World Cup Tickets
|
SGD$ 153
|
Return Flight Tickets
|
SGD$ 1700
|
Accommodation
|
SGD$ 106
|
Russian Visa
|
SGD$ 168
|
HIV test
|
SGD$ 26
|
Total
Costs so far: SGD$ 2163
|
|
Tuesday, 5 June 2018
Chelsea Players in the World Cup
For Chelsea fans worldwide watching the World Cup, a number
of you will be watching and supporting a team just because the team has a Blues
in it. With that, here is a list of Chelsea players who will be playing for
their national teams in the World Cup in Russia.
Teams you can root for:
Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, England, France, Nigeria, Spain1) Eden Hazard, Belgium, Attacker
With a low centre of gravity, Hazard’s primary strength lies
in his dribbling and pace where he has been praised for his ability to keep the
ball and turn unexpectedly at pace, making him hard to dispossess or mark. His
understated strengths includes his passing (expect him to lay unsuspecting
rabona crosses or dummies) and timing of his runs through the defence.
2)
Thibaut Courtois, Belgium, Goalkeeper
The man who replaced the legendary Petr Cech has been a
regular and starting goalkeeper for Belgium Red Devils for the past couple of
years.
The avid basketball fan is an excellent shot-stopper with
amazing reflexes to deal with shots across goal which many would not have been
able to catch. He is an assured performer at the back who is comfortable with
crosses (no less due to his 1.99m frame) but his self-proclaimed weakness lies
in low shots aimed at his feet. Expect him to play an important role in the
Belgium’s bid for World Cup glory.
3)
Willian, Brazil, Attacker
Willian’s strength lies in his pace and especially, football
skills; a trademark of Brazilian players. Called as Chelsea’s most skilful player
by his Blues teammates, Willian can often time been seen juggling the ball and
attempting tricks on it and this sets him apart from his winger counterpart in
Chelsea, Eden Hazard.
4)
Cesar Azpilicueta, Spain, Defender
A strength of Dave is his consistency and reliability in
defence which is a required ingredient for a world-class defender. He hardly
puts a foot wrong during matches and he does have some pace to deal with pacey
wingers. He will have tough competition for a starting spot though, given the
plethora of defensive talent that Spain has, but if he plays, expect him to
play as a leftback (if the preferred Jordi Alba is injured or suspended) or as
a centreback as he has done with Chelsea.
5)
Andreas Christensen, Denmark, Defender
A successful example of Chelsea’s loan army program, the Danish
centreback came back to Chelsea and had to wait his chance to impress. Only 21
years old, his main strength is his composure on the ball which minimises the
errors made by him, and his positioning at the heart of the defence which
allows him to snuff out the opponent’s chances before it even occur. If he
regains his initial form, expect the top clubs to notice him!
6)
Wilfredo Caballero, Argentina, Goalkeeper
Willie will be expected to start for Argentina between the
posts, despite being only a deputy and (some say) FA Cup player for Chelsea.
In truth, Caballero is a great shot-stopper with excellent
reflexes which may even be better than Courtois. His weakness however, may be
in his risk taking which includes coming off his line ever too often and his
handling of the ball. Nevertheless, he is a formidable keeper and definitely an
upgrade from Asmir Begovic, Chelsea’s previous deputy keeper. Expect the same
great shot stopping and erratic punches when he plays!
7)
Gary Cahill, England, Defender
A Chelsea lion and part of the Three Lions who will be in
Russia, the Chelsea captain will be a senior team member in a relatively young
England squad.
Cahill is a solid defender good with his head, thus expect
him to contribute some headed goals but his strength lies in his willingness to
put his body in the line to clear away any danger. He will be crucial in providing
the guidance and stability at the heart of the England defence.
8)
Ruben Loftus Cheek, England, Midfielder
The Chelsea loanee currently plying his trade with Crystal
Palace, Ruben Loftus Cheek has been the surprise inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s
squad, ahead of Adam Lallana and Jack Whilshere.
Loftus-Cheek is a slightly more defensive all-rounder
midfielder. He has the height to challenge in aerial duals and is adequately
good with the ball on his feet. While he may not be a confirmed starter for
England, perhaps this experience will help to develop him better for the next
few years.
9)
Ngolo Kante, France, Midfielder
He really is everywhere isn’t he? Chelsea’s timid Player of
the Year is one of the confirmed list of players who is bound to go to Russia
even if he is competing for a squad brimming with talent from front to back. (So
much so that Anthony Martial who would walk into any of the other football side
fails to make the cut.)
N’golo is the epitome of a defensive midfielder. His small
stature might have helped him in this regard. His acceleration and pace
combined with his precise timing to intercept makes him a formidable presence on
the pitch and attackers will find it hard to get past him. A master of ‘blindside
defending’, he is adept in ‘stealing’ the ball from players feet where they
least expect by running through their blindspot. Expect to see him showcase to
the world why he is arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world right
now.
10)
Olivier Giroud, France, Attacker
The France striker has worked his way into a squad where one
might say he should have been a deputy to Chelsea star signing, Alvaro Morata. But
in the national side, he have always been France’s main striker in the past few
years.
It is no surprise why he is though. His general weakness is
his speed which makes him ill-suited to a pacey style of play adopted by most
clubs in the Premier League. However, where he lack in pace, he has abundance
of attributes which makes him a great striker. Excellent heading skills, great
control of the ball and most importantly, an eye for goal with his shooting and
positioning skills. He may or may not play all of France’s games as the squad
is already brimming with talent, but if he does, do expect some goals from him!
11)
Antonio Rudiger, Germany, Defender
The hustleman who is possibly the best Chelsea signing of
the season is also part of the Germany national football team.
He has gradually warmed the hearts of the Chelsea supporters
with his gung-ho, no nonsense defending but also his entertaining antics
outside the pitch (let’s not forget his FA Cup celebration dance, shall we?).
He has some pace and with his current form, he is possibly the best defender in
the Chelsea and maybe even Germany’s backline. Expect the same of him in the
World Cup!
12)
Victor Moses, Nigeria, Attacker
Victor Moses was the surprise find for Chelsea in their
title-winning season last season. Not for the real Chelsea supporters though,
as he has always impressed during the pre-season. Moses was initially an
attacking winger in the Chelsea side and as a result, was behind on the list
for a starting spot behind the likes of Hazard, Willian and Pedro until the
introduction of the RWB position. In his new role, he had to learn to defend
and ever since his transition, he has made the position his home turf. But for
Nigeria though, he will resume his role as an attacking winger.
As an attacking winger, he has pace and good dribbling
skills. He is more direct with his running, choosing to run directly at
defenders and thus causing them to back off and that sets him apart from his
other winger counterparts in Chelsea. If he succeed in his pressing (with the
ball), he will be through on goal but if he don’t, against a calm and composed
and better positioned defender, he may lose the ball. Expect the same style of
play out of him in an exciting Nigerian side!
13)
Kenneth Omeruo, Nigeria, Midfielder
A player Chelsea fans may have forgotten, the 24-year old
defender has been playing out on loan at Turkish side, Kasimpasa. Nevertheless,
he is still a Chelsea player and will showcase his talent this coming World
Cup.
He plays in primarily a centre-back position and is
characterised with his sturdy defending and good positioning. If he does well
in this World Cup, perhaps Chelsea will recall him on loan. However, it seems
ever more likely that he will be sold before the next season commence.
14) Michy Batshuayi, Belgium, Attacker
The spongebob-loving social media banter expert will head to Russia on the back of impressive performances for Borrusia Dortmund while on loan. Although he would most likely appear as back-up to Romelu Lukaku, he may get to showcase his talent as a sub or in an expendable match (if Belgium were to dominate their group).
Batshuayi plays primarily as a target man and tries to get into good positions to score. His hold-up play is decent and he has a strong shot. His weakness, though, may be in his overall contribution to the team as he tends to be the kind of player that other players feed the ball to and he isn't much of a dribbler. He has been scoring goals though, be it by luck or effort, so expect him to score some in the World Cup!
14) Michy Batshuayi, Belgium, Attacker
The spongebob-loving social media banter expert will head to Russia on the back of impressive performances for Borrusia Dortmund while on loan. Although he would most likely appear as back-up to Romelu Lukaku, he may get to showcase his talent as a sub or in an expendable match (if Belgium were to dominate their group).
Batshuayi plays primarily as a target man and tries to get into good positions to score. His hold-up play is decent and he has a strong shot. His weakness, though, may be in his overall contribution to the team as he tends to be the kind of player that other players feed the ball to and he isn't much of a dribbler. He has been scoring goals though, be it by luck or effort, so expect him to score some in the World Cup!
Tuesday, 29 May 2018
The Slightly Biased Chelsea Match Review I Chelsea vs Liverpool I Premier League I 7/5/2018
Chelsea Match Review
Chelsea vs Liverpool I Premier League I 7/5/2018
Match Overview
It is a 5th straight win for Chelsea in all competitions and a vital one at that as it means Chelsea are still in contention for a Champions League spot. Chelsea now sit 5th in the Premier League table with 4th placed Tottenham on 71 points and 3rd place Liverpool on 72 points although Liverpool already have played an extra match. Even then, Liverpool holds a 15-goal advantage over Chelsea which, let’s face it, is an enormous goal difference to overturn.
Liverpool maintained most of the possession at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea eager to soak in the pressure. However, once with the ball Chelsea were great in their movement and wise in their decision making. Overall, it is Chelsea’s organised system that ultimately kept Liverpool’s fearsome attacking machine at bay. After Giroud’s goal, it is only a matter of maintaining discipline and patiently waiting for the opportunity to strike. It was a tremendous team effort, in particular, credits are due for Bakayoko who played a greatly improved game today.
Liverpool came attacking from the get-go and thereafter dominated the proceedings in terms of possession. Chelsea rarely pressed but instead, invited the pressure and tried to restrict the spaces to pass and shoot. In doing so, they were compact and limited Liverpool to weak shots from afar which were easily dealt with by Courtois. Despite Liverpool’s dominance, it is actually Chelsea that seemingly have the upper hand as the chances created by Chelsea looked the more dangerous.
The attack, as had been the past couple of game was fantastic. Hazard was his usual brilliant self, and the Chelsea players that get involved with the attack really made an impact. In one particular instance, Victor Moses, always a beast when he comes hurtling at opponent’s defences, took on a defender and managed to cross an exquisite ball into a dangerous position. Sure, it took a slight deflection, but Giroud was there to anticipate the cross and the head-master from France duly headed to the top right corner of Karius’s goal. 1 – 0 Chelsea.
It is a 5th straight win for Chelsea in all competitions and a vital one at that as it means Chelsea are still in contention for a Champions League spot. Chelsea now sit 5th in the Premier League table with 4th placed Tottenham on 71 points and 3rd place Liverpool on 72 points although Liverpool already have played an extra match. Even then, Liverpool holds a 15-goal advantage over Chelsea which, let’s face it, is an enormous goal difference to overturn.
Liverpool maintained most of the possession at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea eager to soak in the pressure. However, once with the ball Chelsea were great in their movement and wise in their decision making. Overall, it is Chelsea’s organised system that ultimately kept Liverpool’s fearsome attacking machine at bay. After Giroud’s goal, it is only a matter of maintaining discipline and patiently waiting for the opportunity to strike. It was a tremendous team effort, in particular, credits are due for Bakayoko who played a greatly improved game today.
Liverpool came attacking from the get-go and thereafter dominated the proceedings in terms of possession. Chelsea rarely pressed but instead, invited the pressure and tried to restrict the spaces to pass and shoot. In doing so, they were compact and limited Liverpool to weak shots from afar which were easily dealt with by Courtois. Despite Liverpool’s dominance, it is actually Chelsea that seemingly have the upper hand as the chances created by Chelsea looked the more dangerous.
The attack, as had been the past couple of game was fantastic. Hazard was his usual brilliant self, and the Chelsea players that get involved with the attack really made an impact. In one particular instance, Victor Moses, always a beast when he comes hurtling at opponent’s defences, took on a defender and managed to cross an exquisite ball into a dangerous position. Sure, it took a slight deflection, but Giroud was there to anticipate the cross and the head-master from France duly headed to the top right corner of Karius’s goal. 1 – 0 Chelsea.
Olivier Giroud 32’
Cesc Fabregas shot a ball across goal, unable to curl it in
and players such as Bakayoko and Kante also had shots at goal. Liverpool were
menacing at the counter and attack at pace. It is really impossible to stave
off an attack like Liverpool’s whose attacking players utilise their superior
speed to penetrate defences, but Chelsea did.
First Half: 1-0
The second half was very much the same, with tellingly
similar tempo and stories as the first. Both sides had chances to score but
they were not significant enough. Despite the overall statistics favouring
Liverpool as the better team, the way the team performed, Chelsea can be
considered deserving winners for the day.
Full-time: 1-0
Match Highlight
Chelsea played with a 3-5-1-1, in a similar shape as the game against Swansea. Courtois remained as Keeper, as he has been for Premier League games, the defence is marshalled by Cahill and Azpilicueta and Rudiger by his sides. There is a change in wingbacks with the re-introduction of Marcos Alonso at LWB and Victor Moses retained his RWB position. The midfield is packed with the same midfield trio of Kante, Bakayoko and Fabregas. The attack is helmed by Giroud in attack with Hazard playing as a second striker, although during the matches, Hazard can often be found ahead of Giroud.
Chelsea played with a 3-5-1-1, in a similar shape as the game against Swansea. Courtois remained as Keeper, as he has been for Premier League games, the defence is marshalled by Cahill and Azpilicueta and Rudiger by his sides. There is a change in wingbacks with the re-introduction of Marcos Alonso at LWB and Victor Moses retained his RWB position. The midfield is packed with the same midfield trio of Kante, Bakayoko and Fabregas. The attack is helmed by Giroud in attack with Hazard playing as a second striker, although during the matches, Hazard can often be found ahead of Giroud.
This formation has been a go-to formation for Antonio Conte
since the start of the 2017/2018 season and as Conte has modelled it to do, the
structure do stifle the attacking prowess of relatively superior attacking
teams such as Liverpool and Manchester City.
Liverpool
Always a threat going forward. Pace, dribbling and passing. It
is no surprise that few had kept a cleansheet against this attacking behemoth
of a team. However, as the running joke goes, Liverpool defence is really woeful
considering their attacking talent. The team employed their favoured gegenpressing
style of play with the mentality to pressure the opponent enmasse when they
have the ball into making mistakes and that includes pressing their opponents
very high up the pitch. However, with Chelsea’s players relatively stable and
fluid with the ball, and the fact that they rarely held possession of the ball,
this style of play is not very effective.
Man Of The Match
For the third match running, I have to name Eden Hazard as
the Man-Of-The-Match. It is really, I feel, not biased at all if you looked at
the game and the player. Eden Hazard is his usual brilliant confident self, the
genius player whom does tricks, takes on players (and win them) and creates
great opportunities on the attack. He is forming a great partnership with Giroud
who also deserves plaudits for his composed and world-class performance.
A special shoutout to Bakayoko, who in the first half was a
really vastly different player from the past couple of games. He rarely loses
the ball (which he used to ALWAYS do), but instead actually gets them (which he
would ALWAYS get a foul for). He also showed his attacking potential as he drove
up the defence although short of delivering shots of his own. In there, he does
not look confident to
Player Ratings
-
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois 7.5
Not really much to handle. Although he faced many shots,
they were all not particularly hard to save due to Chelsea’s defence. However,
on many occasions, unlike Petr Cech when he was at Chelsea, Courtois often
choose to parry or palm the ball away to safety rather than catching them. That
may be dangerous but since that danger is not realised in this match, his
performance is viewed as brilliant. Good job, Basketballer!
-
Defenders
Gary Cahill 7.5
I read an interview article on Gary Cahill the other day and
I must say, I really do agree on the unfairness of the press in portraying Gary
Cahill as an able defender. I think he is a brilliant defender. Not world-class
like Sergio Ramos now or Umtiti, but still a very good defender who can walk
into the top teams easily. He is good in his challenges and has cut down on his
dramatic errors. Unfortunately, his performance may put Christensen out for awhile.
Cesar Azpilicueta 7.5
Is it just me or is Azpilicueta having a slight dip in form?
Sure, he still gives a standard 8/10 performance week in week out, but he does
not seem solid to say the least. Still, he is part of the amazing defence for
this game though!
Antonio Rudiger 8
Where was this guy last season? Oh yea, a virtual 76 rated unknown
in the Serie A. What a waste of talent he is over there. The hustleman is
becoming one of our favourite Chelsea players from the current crop of players.
His battling style of play and powerful accurate headers (one of which went in
but was offside) are becoming trademarks we like to see more of every week.
-
Midfielders
N’golo Kante 8
A slightly tepid performance from the every ground covered
Frenchman. But his high standards still prevail as time and time again he robbed
Liverpool off the ball. Without him, perhaps Liverpool may have 70+% possession.
Tiemoue Bakayoko 8
Screw the timid and lost Bakayoko of this whole season. This
Bakayoko was smart in his positioning and actually knew what to do with and
without the ball. He covered the spaces with N’golo Kante so effectively, the
defence had so much less problem. A particular memorable instance in the second
half was seeing both Kante and Bakayoko rushing straight at Firmino who had the
ball, forcing him to pass out wide. Brilliant performance
Cesc Fabregas 7
Never have I witnessed honestly, such a forgettable Fabregas performance. Forgettable in that I don't quite remember him playing in this match. I actually forgot to write about him when I posted this post up. Hmm, come to think of it, I do remember him narrowly scoring as his shot went right across goal, needing only a slight curl to bring it into the net.
Cesc Fabregas 7
Never have I witnessed honestly, such a forgettable Fabregas performance. Forgettable in that I don't quite remember him playing in this match. I actually forgot to write about him when I posted this post up. Hmm, come to think of it, I do remember him narrowly scoring as his shot went right across goal, needing only a slight curl to bring it into the net.
-
Wingbacks
Marcos Alonso 7.5
No offence to Marcos Alonso, because it is simply his style
of play. He is adept with his dribbling, no doubt helmed from his time at Real
Madrid, and possibly the best freekick specialist out there now. But when it
comes to defending, he is not great plus he is slow to either track back or
contribute in attack. In this match, Chelsea did not get a freekick in his
desired shooting range, thus, his effectiveness in this match is limited.
Victor Moses 7.5
His style of play rather suits this match. He is quite agile
and fast in the attack but rather one dimensional in his play. His defending is
not bad, rather, more average to be precise. His cross, from one of his runs
down the right, lead to the goal.
-
Forwards
Eden Hazard 8.5
World class. Brilliant. Please, Eden Hazard, do not ever
ever leave Chelsea. Screw the Garden of Eden, bring on the Pitch of Eden.
Brilliant dribbling, passing and tricks. Klopp must have wondered if only he could
add Hazard to his ranks.
Olivier Giroud 8
Although he scored a brilliant goal which not many could
have done (looking back at the angle of his heading and positional awareness),
his gameplay was rather limited. Overall, it was all the other Chelsea players
coming forward that really made the difference in attack.
-
Substitutes
Zappacosta, Willian and Pedro are the substitutes you will
need to freshen the team up against a team such as Liverpool. For one, they are
the players with the most pace in the team, which is really required to match
defensively against Liverpool’s supremely pacey attack. Many team would envy
having Willian and Pedro on the bench.
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