SuperFrankie FPL 2019/20: Gameweek 1 Tips and Lineup

Hey guys, it's been a wonderful preseason and it is time to get back to enjoying the weekends again with some awesome Premier League football! As with the start of the Premier League, so will the new season of Fantasy Premier League football kick-off where wannabe managers from all around the world gather to pit their wits and footballing know-hows in a game that would determine who is this season's FPL goat. In this blog series, I will be sharing some tips and each Gameweek's lineup that I personally put out there to compete against my friends and the footballing community in general and once the Gameweek concludes, I will be posting about how I fared. Last season, my team did fairly well, finishing in the top 500 000 globally, which is impressive considering there were more than 5 000 000 players.

Rules of FPL:
The rules of the game can be found at https://fantasy.premierleague.com/help/rules. Here is a summarised version of the rules.
1) You are given $100m to create your team. (Frankly speaking, in reality this would probably only get you 1 world-class player). You have to use this initial sum to select a team with 2 goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders and 3 forwards.
2) After selecting your players, you have to choose a formation and pick the 11 players that would earn the points for the Gameweek. The remaining players will be put alongside Alexis Sanchez and their points are not counted towards your points.
3) After each Gameweek, you will be able to make strategic transfers in your squad. You are given one Free Transfer per week but if you want to make more transfers, you will have to pay for 4 valuable points per extra transfers.
4) You will then choose your Captain and Vice Captain from your starting 11. Captains will earn double points. Vice-Captains will earn double points only when the Captain does not play for the Gameweek.
5) There are also 4 Chips that you can use to obtain further advantages for your team. Chips are Power Cards, something like how Man City has a load of extra cash to spend over their rivals. They are Free Hit, Wild Card, Triple Captain and Bench Boost.
- Free Hit allows you to make unlimited transfers for one Gameweek, afterwhich your team will be reverted back to what it was before
- Wild Card allows you to make unlimited transfers for one Gameweek, afterwhich your team will not revert back to what it was before
- Triple Captains gives captains triple points (compared to double)
- Bench Boost allows your bench's points to be included in the tallying of points for that Gameweek
6) Scoring: The full list of points each player can earn is in the website. Basically, if your team players are scoring, assisting and keeping cleansheets, you are the goat.

SuperFrankie FPL Gameweek 1

Forward

To keep things interesting, I will first look at my forward line. In FPL, forwards are usually players who are known to play exclusively up front, i.e strikers. I say this because players who are traditionally known to be wingers or midfielders would be classified under Midfielders despite blatantly playing in a Striker role for the entire season. (Mo Salah is a prime example.) Strikers can score a lot, but they earn 4 points per goal compared to 5 for a Midfielder and 6 for a Defender and with the set-up and pace of the Premier League, the midfielders usually have almost an equal opportunity to score as a striker. Hence, my strategy is to go light on the Forwards department and invest in the Midfielders department because they can potentially earn a lot more than a low-scoring Forward. For Gameweek 1 I went with Jota and King with Wickham in reserve.
King is almost a no-brainer to pick, not because of his prowess or anything but mainly because Bournemouth will be playing against newly-promoted side Sheffield United. It is almost tradition that newly-promoted sides do not fare as well in the Premier League as their more established counterparts in the top-flight mainly because the level of football in the Premier League is leaps and bounds higher than in the Championship. The rare occasion that they do well, such as Wolves the last season, is because of shrewd signings (I still can't believe that Patricio and Moutinho signed for the club) and a genuinely incredible coach. Looking at Sheiffield's team, with a lack of top-level players, it would be an upset if Bournemouth do not run riot against this side. Hence, King is my first-choice striker.
I am abit skeptical about Jota because my choice of him is on the back of last season's performances. Jota and Jimenez strike up an incredible partnership last season in an incredible Wolverhampton squad under Nuno Espiranto Santo. It is true that Jimenez gets the plaudits for actually scoring, but Jota is the other goal threat who is just as likely to contribute in attack in this formidable team. I wanted to go for Jimenez, but for lack of funds, Jota is an able replacement.
Wickham comes in as one of my reserves which I would most likely never use because I need to use funds for my star-studded first team squad. At only $4.5m, he is one of the cheapest strikers out there.

Midfielder

This is where I stacked my team with the high scoring players. Midfielders have the advantage of more points when scoring goals compared to Forwards but they also get 1 point extra if the team keeps a cleansheet. Hence, they have more chance to score points compared to other players in the squad. For my Gameweek 1 Midfield, I have Salah, Mane, Pulisic, Fraser and Lucas Moura.
Last season, a confirmed starter for me was Salah and Mane unless one of them was rested or injured. They brought great dividends for me as they are the two incredibly high scoring midfielders out there. If one did not score, it is almost certain the other would and Liverpool raked in the number of goals and assists scored which is primarily shared between the two. Although Mane did not play in Liverpool's preseason, hence the risk involved in having him in the squad, if he does, the reward is many times fold. From Klopp's recent interview, a Mane start seems to be very well on the plate.
Salah on the other hand is almost certain to start and score. The match in in the Community Shield shows that he is still in top form and still go about creating chances with his terrifying pace and confidence in front of goal.
Pulisic is a wild card that I have. I watched all of Chelsea's preseason and he is a player that I think will do extremely well in the league. Slightly underrated due to his age and relative obscurity in the PL, he is known for his pace and ability to run at the defenders. He was a great outlet for Chelsea in their preseason and would certainly rake in the assists, if not the goals.
Lucas Moura is another player I chose because of the opposition Spurs are playing against; Aston Villa. Lucas Moura and Son is perhaps the two most promising attacking talent in the Spurs squad, capable of making the difference in the team with their speed and attacking play. Unfortunately, Son is out of my budget, hence Lucas Moura is a decent replacement.
Finally, Fraser. Fraser is the number one player you should have in a player due to the value he would give your team. He is low priced, yet high scoring. A decent player with incredible pace, he is perhaps the main attacking threat in the Bournemouth team, hence his high assist and scoring rate for a Midfielder. He is a good player to have for the long run.

Defender

Defenders are tricky. It is almost impossible to predict if your team would concede a goal or not, hence it is harder for defenders to score based on the number of cleansheets. Another way for Defenders to rake in the points is when they provide the assists. Hence, top FPL teams would normally choose Defenders that could rake in those assists; Fullbacks. In my squad, I have Zinchenko, Digne, Robertson, Reid and Prodl.
Zinchenko had a pretty great preseason, starting the matches under Guardiola and seems to be a confirmed starter until Mendy is fit enough for a start. It is either him or the other Fullback that likes to go forward, Kyle Walker but Zinchenko is slightly cheaper at $5.5m.
Digne is a player that I overlooked last season. I have seen Everton play and I did not really fancy them much and Digne did not impress in the matches that I watch him play. However, he seems to always come up with the cleansheets and assists. I am putting him in solely because he could potentially continue with his form. But I am not very positive about my decision as my decisions are usually based on watching the players play. When LaPorte eventually recovers form his injury, I will be definitely replacing him for LaPorte. It never hurts to have a Man City confirmed starter defender in your squad.
Robertson is another player that should be in most FPL teams. Robertson and Alexander Arnold are the two fullbacks for Liverpool that provides the assists. Although it is Van Dijk that really does the most of the defending, but since all Defenders gets the same points for a Cleansheet, might as well have a Defender that could also score the occasional assist.
The other two Defenders, Prodl and Reid are only there to allow more funds for the first team squad. To be fair, I have heard of these players through FIFA as they have decent gold ratings but am not really sure they actually start for their respective teams.

Goalkeeper

This is a lowscoring affair that is riskiest among the other positions. Last season, I eventually settled on Ederson for the most of the season because he is not only a confirm starter but he is in a team that is so good at closing down players and retaining possession that Man City concedes so few goals. This time round however, I decided on Heaton and Patricio.
To be honest, I tried rotating a few players last season, including Patricio and Steele, and they did not fare well compared to Ederson. Heaton however, despite playing for lowly Burnley, was earning lots of points due to the number of saves that he had. I expect him to do that again with Aston Villa, and from his last preseason match, he seems to be in his goat-like possessed form that would prevent Aston Villa from being raped.
Patricio is another great keeper who can dish out the saves. I highly rated him before he came to Wolves, as I saw him play for Portugal and he is outstanding. He could get the many saves to earn the extra point, but he could also get the cleansheet from an improving Wolves squad.

Final Squad

Chelsea Match Review I Chelsea vs Tottenham I Premier League I 28/2/2019 I 2-0

Chelsea Match Review
Chelsea vs Tottenham I Premier League I 28/2/2019
Fulltime Score: 2-0

Match Overview

A few talking points were playing out on the back of this crucial North London derby. First, the controversy with first choice keeper, Kepa, who had famously refused to be substituted in the Carabao Cup Final against Manchester City. And second, how will Chelsea respond on the back of recent disappointments in their results?

Ultimately, Chelsea responded well and continued their playing form against Spurs. Their defeat in the Cup Final was a dignified one, having had probably the best of chances to win the match and having played well, hence Chelsea brought with them a certain swagger into this match. Sure, Spurs are a top 6 side but they are no Manchester City, hence Chelsea had an easier time playing against.

The team came off the blocks with some scintillating football and were the dominant side in the opening 30 minutes. The first half, however, ended 0-0 with Higuain hitting the crossbar with an awkward but accurate shot and Harry Winks similarly doing that from distance.

First Half              CHE 0-0 TOT

In the second half, Chelsea continued their pressure although some of the earlier half sharpness has dulled. Nevertheless, Pedro eventually got the goal. The goal started with Chelsea’s captain Azpilicueta dribbling with the ball and beating his marker. The simple pass fed Pedro who ran towards goal and shot quickly through the legs of Hugo Lloris.

Pedro 57’             CHE 1-0 TOT

The second goal however, came from a farcical mistake from Kieran Trippier and Lloris as they misunderstood each other’s intention. Upon detecting pressure from Willian, Trippier attempted to pass the ball to Lloris. Unfortunately, Lloris had come off his line to collect the ball. The ball rolled into an empty net.

Trippier OG         CHE 2-0 TOT

After the goal, it was a matter of playing down the minutes with the team defending well and chances far between.

Fulltime                CHE 2-0 TOT

Match Highlight

Sarri employed his favoured 4-3-3 formation. As widely speculated, Kepa lost his place in the lineup as a show of his authority in the squad with Caballero coming in to fill his boots. Kovacic starts the match in place of Barkley and Pedro started the match instead of Willian. Alonso got the nod ahead of Emerson who had done well in past matches. Other than that, the rest of the squad are in Sarri’s first choice squad.

Unlike Sarri’s trademark all-out possession dogma, he seems to be favouring defensive solidity rather than simply ball possession. Since the 6-0 drubbing, Chelsea have not pushed as aggressively in the opponents half as before which usually opens themselves to the quick counterattack. Instead, they stayed in their half and soak in the pressure somewhere in the halfway line.

The match incredibly, had very little shots, only one on target by Pedro with Tottenham failing to register a single shot on target.

Man Of The Match

Chelsea’s Man Of The Match has to go to Pedro.

For a person seemingly on the deproving side of his football career, he showed his fans exactly why he had been an asset and a former Barcelona man all these years. Other than his goal, he linked well throughout the match with the attackers but also helped tremendously in defence such that one might be forgiven to think that he is a natural defender. In this match, he showed his dribbling skills, shooting boots and god tackling reminiscent of Pedro of two seasons ago.  

Player Ratings

-          Goalkeeper

Willy Caballero, 6

Really had nothing to do all match as he did not have to muster a single save. He was beaten by the trajectory of Harry Winks shot in the first half though he was saved by the bar. He was composed though with dealing with crosses and half-attempts at a goal.

-          Defenders

Cesar Azpilicueta, 7

Solid performance defensively and attacking-wise. He created Pedro’s goal, but was also tremendous in maintaining Chelsea’s solidity at the back.

David Luiz, 8

Incredible performance the past two matches. Luiz was everywhere in the defence, heading balls clear, tackling at the right time and being no-nonsense with the way he deals with dangerous situations.

Antonio Rudiger, 7

Good at applying pressure where required. Maybe not as great at winning the ball as his fellow CB, but they make a good pairing.

Marcos Alonso, 8

What a rebound in performance. I have always been a critic of Alonso since he came, but this performance showcase something he might actually be good at, defending. He won many balls and is speed was not exposed in this match. It could be due to the overall team’s performance and tactical plan.

-          Midfielders

Jorginho, 6.5

As usual, his contributions to the match is often quiet but he is an essential part of the team. He is the man in the middle who ensures the team is able to play effectively. He lost a couple of balls but he did recover some too. Overall, good performance

N’golo Kante, 8

This guy has grown from strength to strength over the years. His dribbling and passing skills has improved significantly, making him almost the complete midfielder.

Mateo Kovacic, 7

Great composed performance at the Bridge, especially in the opening 30 mins. His dribbling skills and ability to control the ball in tight spaces is a valuable asset in retaining possession and launching attacks.

-          Forwards

Pedro Rodriguez, 9

Attack wise, brilliant. Defence wise, also brilliant.

Gonzalo Higuain, 7

Relatively quiet match although he looked like almost scoring in the opening minutes of the match. He seems to be building a chemistry with his surrounding players, giving them instructions and being part of their intricate play.

Eden Hazard, 8

The guy’s an asset to the team and utterly undroppable. Chelsea without Hazard will lose much of its essence, really.

-          Substitutes

Willian, 8

Came on with energy. Caused Trippier to panic and score that own goal.

Loftus-Cheek, 8

Little to show, but I am surprised he is not starting matches, especially as he shows signs of footballing brilliance.

Giroud, NA

Played too little to judge.

Chelsea Match Review I Chelsea vs Manchester City I Premier League I 11/2/2019

Chelsea Match Review

Chelsea 0 - 6 Manchester City I Premier League I 11/2/2019

Match Overview

On the back of a 5-0 thumping of bottom-of-the-table Huddersfield, Chelsea entered this match on a positive note with talks of a growing partnership between Hazard and Higuan and the team finding the motivation to win and kill matches.

But in the space of 25 mins, all of this came crashing down when Gundogan nets City’s fourth goal of the match in the first half. It did not, however, started off badly. Chelsea started the game with energy and vigour. There were sharp and incisive movements and the players came off the blocks trying to find for a goal. But, within 4 minutes, after a flurry of chances in the opening minutes from both sides, Raheem Sterling scored the goal.

Raheem Sterling 4’           MC 1 - 0 CHE

A large reason for the loss is in the style of play employed by Chelsea. Chelsea played with their now distinctive slow build up play which was easily exploited by Manchester City and before long, they have lost the plot in an embarrassing 6-0 loss. Aguero’s first goal was sumptuous. Right after a howler where he mis anticipated a brilliant cross across goal only to kick the ball wide off an empty net, he scored a rocket from outside the box past Kepa’s outstretched hand.

Aguero 13’                          MC 2 – 0 CHE

Aguero’s second goal was the result of a really sloppy play from Barkley. Barkley attempted to head back to Kepa for a goal kick but was not aware that Aguero was still lurking behind the Chelsea’s defence. Being a Chelsea header, he was not offside and thus easily scored his second goal of this match.

Aguero 19’                          MC 3 – 0 CHE

By now, it was certain that there are fundamental flaws in Chelsea’s gameplay. Gundagon found himself some space just outside the box and thus, as with the quality of Man City players, aimed a lethal accurate shot beyond Kepa’s reach to make it an embarrassing 4-0.

Gundagon 25’                    MC 4 – 0 CHE

When things seems like it could not get worse, Azpilicueta tripped and conceded a foul in the penalty box. To be honest, Chelsea were closing the gaps better in the second half, thus it felt like the match may just end 4 – 0, which was bad enough. Unfortunately, the penalty came and Aguero wrong-footed Kepa to make it 5 – 0 and a hattrick for the night.

Aguero 58’                          MC 5 – 0 CHE

The last goal from Man City was not as spectacular as some of their previous. Somehow, Sterling found space and thus duly shot and scored from close range.

Sterling 80’                          MC 6 – 0 CHE

Match Highlight

Chelsea opted for Sarri’s favoured 4-3-3. With the addition of Higuan, Hazard could once again return to his favoured left winger position. Other than the usual Kovacic-Barkley and Pedro-Willian selection dilemma, Chelsea started with their regular first team squad. Only Hudson-Odoi and Cahill were announced to have had some slight injuries although Cahill has, for some time, not featured in Sarri’s Chelsea side. Hence, the disastrous performance is all the more shocking as this is the reflection of Chelsea’s best available side.

The first half was characterised by a ruthless clinical display from Manchester City. Manchester City dominated the possession with their usual passing and excellent pressing which forces Chelsea to give in possession rather cheaply, particularly due to the slow build up nature of Chelsea’s game which has come under many criticism. Sarri has a right to say that the players were not playing his favoured style of play. To be honest, Sarri’s Napoli were good and dominant precisely because of their fast passing and organisation of the players. It is not their dominance or ability to retain possession that won them games or admirers. Guardiola himself said that then-Napoli’s style of play was even able to confound his Manchester City’s ultra-organised style of play. This style of quick passing was not able to be replicated by the current Chelsea squad. Instead, while some of the ‘symptoms’ of Sarriball is in place, the objective was not met and what ensured was a slow passing, uncreative team easily exploited by an organised opponent.

Man Of The Match

Gonzalo Higuan was in a weird point of view, Chelsea’s Man-of-the-Match. It can be seen quite clearly now the quality of this striker. He is no dribbler or passer like Morata, but he is what Chelsea has been lacking, a brilliant shot-taker. His shots are powerful and curling. If just given the right space, he will unleash an almost unstoppable shot only few keepers can stop. Unfortunately, one of that keeper is Ederson who made such a brilliant save which would have saved Chelsea’s blushes.

Unfortunately, despite Higuan’s rather tepid and average performance, the other players were just too woeful to be considered to be the Man-of-the-Match.

Player Ratings

-          Goalkeeper

Kepa Arizabalaga, 6

In all the goals, except for the penalty, he could not have done any better. He was on full stretch for all the goals and reacted brilliantly. Unfortunately, the shots were too brilliant for him.

-          Defenders

Marcos Alonso, 2

Awful display again. I have been talking about the overratedness of Alonso since he signed for Chelsea and a need for a better leftback. Only now are Chelsea faithfuls fully realising the liability he poses to our defence. Unfortunately, I also doubt Emerson’s ability to fill this role. This is a position Sarri needs to strengthen to keep his team forward.

Antonio Rudiger, 3

It is funny when you cannot find a fault in his play yet the team concedes 6 goals. Unfortunately, Rudiger just does not possess that steel or physicality like Arsenal’s Kolasinac, whom I highly rated.

David Luiz, 3

Similarly, he does not seem to have a fault in his play yet the team still concedes 6 goals. It could be perhaps not be his individual fault but the style of play Chelsea are currently playing which exposes such lapses in defence.

Cesar Azpilicueta, 2

He has been quite absent in his play for some time. Not much presence in defence nor attack.

(Sub) Emerson

Finally took off the awful Alonso but he did not contribute much to the team to be honest.

-          Midfielders

Barkley, 1

Really terrible game he is having. To be fair, with the dominance of Manchester City, Barkley’s strengths are just not accentuated. Unfortunately, I really believe that Barkley is a huge reason for Sarriball not being able to come off as he is just too slow with the ball and his passing and ball control is just not good enough for such quick passing tactics.

Jorginho, 2

He is playing in a team vastly different from what he is supposedly supposed to be playing like. His previous Napoli team could work off in tandem with nicely synchronised passes that confound opponents but this team rarely could string a couple of passes nicely together. Chelsea team has good dribblers and individuals, not team players.

Kante, 5

He was to be honest, quite good, and probably the only player able to disrupt some momentum in Manchester City’s tactical juggernaut. Incredible player.

(Sub) Kovacic, 4

Why did he not start this match? Chelsea needed that just little more ball retention and he could have provided for them. Instead, Sarri opted for his long range shooter, Barkley, hoping to score that rare wonder goals.

-          Forwards

Eden Hazard, 5

He is truly a world class player. His dribbling in the first half at times almost beat the entire Manchester City defence. Unfortunately, he cannot just do everything by himself. I actually have the suspicion that he is just not made out for Sarriball due to the nature of his style of play. In some of Sarri’s earlier games where Hazard was still recovering from his World Cup exertions, Chelsea actually played a brilliant quick passing game between Ppedro, Willian and Morata.

Higuan, 5

Excellent shooter. No chances. Wasteful night let down by entire team.

Pedro, 3

Pedro seems way past his prime now. Dribbling still good. Yet, he is no longer that player beater that he was. He was not able to cut in nicely nor outrun most of the opponents defenders…

(Sub) Loftus-Cheek, 3

Actually, made more of an impact than Pedro. Unfortunately, still did not find the missing piece of puzzle to unlock Manchester City or salvage a respectful goal even.

Chelsea Match Review I Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest I FA Cup I 5/1/2019

Chelsea Match Review

Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest I FA Cup I 5/1/2019

Match Overview

After a disappointing result against Southampton in the Premier League, the Blues take on Nottingham Forest in the 3^rd Round of the FA Cup. And as it transpired, it was a walk in the park for the Blues with a 2-0 win courtesy of two goals by often-maligned Alvaro Morata.

As expected, Sarri fielded a largely B team for Chelsea in the wake of a tight schedule. Out of his regular Premier League starters, only David Luiz, Ross Barkley and Alvaro Morata retained their place primarily due to a spate of injuries. This match, however, offers to showcase the talents of Chelsea’s youngsters, Hudson-Odoi, Ampadu and Christensen, and even, if the rumours are true, the final match for Cesc Fabregas.

Like a trademark Sarri side, the team retained the majority of possession although much less than what they normally would have, especially against a side who is not as technically gifted as most Premier League clubs. A similar problem of creating clear cut chances seemed to plague Chelsea in the first half, but it got better in the 2^nd half. After the two goals, Chelsea (and Nottingham) set back to play down the minutes.

Match Highlight

Sarri again started with his favoured 4-4-2. Ampadu was placed in the midfield position where Kante would have normally played in. Otherwise, the other players retained their expected starting spots.

The first half was full of action for Chelsea. Like most Chelsea fans, we were eager to see the likes of our youngsters play due to a lack of chances offered in the other competitions. In particular, we wanted to watch Hudson-Odoi on the back of a supposed 30million pound move to Bayern Munich. And impress, he did. He was electrifying on the wings, never rarely put a foot wrong and constantly gave out dangerous crosses. His speed, dribbling and great passing decisions were a delight to watch and all Chelsea fans would be begging for him to stay on with Chelsea.

The talk of the first half was Cesc Fabregas penalty miss after Loftus-Cheek was brought down in the penalty box by a late challenge. Fabregas attempted to dummy his shot, and it did trick Steele into going down quickly. But he took to long to actually make his shot in which Steele then had time to regain his footing and dive to his right to parry Fabregas penalty shot away. What a miss to end his Chelsea career!

First Half              :               0 – 0

Chelsea started the same way as they started the first half, pressing and trying to create chances. Nottingham Forest too, had more chances, although not as clearcut, as the game began to open up. It was Hudson-Odoi that eventually did open up the play. He took on a defender and zipped down the right wing before unleashing a dangerous low cross for Morata to smash in.

Alvaro Morata   49’          Chelsea 1 – 0 Nottingham Forest

Right after scoring though, Morata missed an absolute sitter, with him right in front of goal, but he somehow shot right up and out. To be fair, he was offside, but if he was not, people may talk about this for ages. Right after his sitter though, Hudson-Odoi again zipped down the right wing and delivered a high cross this time which evaded and nicely reached Alvaro Morata. Morata calmly headed past Steele who was not ready for such an early cross.

Alvaro Morata   59’          Chelsea 2 – 0 Nottingham Forest

After the goal, Chelsea seemingly played at a lower pace and tempo. Fabregas came off for Dave (to a standing ovation), and then Morata came off for Ngolo Kante. The team shape was mixed, I couldn’t really make out a solid shape for who plays where, but Emerson was pushed up front as a left winger while Hazard became a false nine. The game then closed down to a rather easy win for Chelsea.

Full Time:            Chelsea 2 – 0 Nottingham Forest

Man Of The Match

Wonderkid Callum Hudson-Odoi. He is truly worth the 30million euros or more.

His pace was absolutely brilliant but his all-round footballing abilities coupled with a sound footballing brain is what makes him stands out. It was no surprise that he had two assists in this match and he clearly outshone all the other players on the pitch.

Player Ratings
       -          Goalkeeper
Willy Caballero, 6

Didn’t have to make any saves in the first half and had quite a quiet second half with easy long distance shots at him, many of which didn’t even find its target. Nevertheless, had a cleansheet to his name.

-          Defenders

Davide Zappacosta, 6

Started the first half brilliantly by unleashing a couple of great long distance shots. Played in some good crosses as well. Played an overall decent game.

Andreas Christensen, 6

Had one nervy moment in the second half. But otherwise solid in his defending, winning most of his aerial duels. May want to improve on his forward passing abilities if he wants to nail a starting Sarri side.

David Luiz, 7

Continuing his rich vein of good form the past few weeks, he was brilliant at stemming the Forest attacking players flow just when they started to gain possession. Great at tidying things up and of course, his passing range is always a joy to watch.

Emerson, 6

Played a decent game at left back before being put in the Left Wing position. Generally had no trouble defensively and offered some help offensively. Became quite quiet in the 2^nd half.

-          Midfielders

Cesc Fabregas, 7

Not really his night as he missed that penalty but he didn’t have, by any chance, a bad game. His passing vision and range is still amazing and he could have gotten a few assists. Unlucky night, and Chelsea will miss their wizard dearly if he were to leave.

Ethan Ampadu, 5

Didn’t really do much to affect the game, but didn’t do anything bad either and apparently that is his trademark; playing simple passes and keeping the ball moving. He is still young, but I’m rather hoping that he will develop a niche in order to be a useful player for Chelsea.

Ross Barkley, 5

Had a rather quiet match. Didn’t have the same link up play as he did with the main team. Couldn’t unleash his deadly shots due to the compactness of the Forest defence. Just an average performance for the England International.

-          Forwards

Callum Hudson-Odoi, 9

Brilliant. Pace, dribbling, passing and decision-making. If he stays and develops, he could just be Hazard’s replacement.

Alvaro Morata, 7

A curious performance. On the back of his brilliant match against Southampton, (in which he did not score), he seemingly came back with a lacklustre attitude. You can see him practically sulking, even after he scored two goals. Which is ironic.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 6

Had a decent start but had to come off really early in the first half due to an injury. Couldn’t really show much but he had some good forays into the opposition’s territory only let down by some heavy touches which may have been induced by his injury.

-          Substitutes

Eden Hazard, 6

Came on around the 44^th minute for the injured Loftus-Cheek. Had a really quiet game throughout, rarely affecting play. It almost seems as if he wanted to conserve energy for matches ahead and hadn’t thought of playing at all today.

Cesar Azpilicueta, NIL

Couldn’t really see him play much. When he came on, the tempo of the game was beginning to drop off. But he did his job in keeping a cleansheet, of course.

N’golo Kante, NIL

Similarly, didn’t really play much to be able to assess his gameplay. Came on when the match tempo was already low and the players already wanting to finish the game off.

Chelsea Match Review I Chelsea vs Southampton I Premier League I 3/1/2019

Chelsea Match Review

Chelsea vs Southampton I Premier League I 3/1/2019

Picture from Highlights Football

Match Overview

What a game it was at the Bridge as our boys utterly dominated Southampton from the kick-off. As expected, Chelsea had the large share of possession but that is not to undermine the rather unexpected gutsy and commendable efforts by Southampton to hit on the counter and attack. We were very unlucky, of course, as we failed to score in the game despite some really good football and performances from back to front and we did deserve to go in front. We even had a goal wrongly flagged offside. But in the end, it was a disappointing 90 mins with the match ending 0-0 and Chelsea losing points in the fight for the Top 4 position against relegation-threatened Saints team.

Chelsea came into this match with a spate of injuries, coming into the busy January period with a game every 3 days. As our forwards Giroud, Pedro and Callum Hudson-Odoi were injured with varying degrees of chance of recovery, Morata got to start the game and tonight he did show how good he was or should have been. Fabregas and (forgotten) Drinkwater too was injured although Loftus-Cheek seemed to have recovered to make the line-up (and replace Willian who got injured :0).

Match Highlight

Chelsea played in Sarri’s favoured 4-3-3 with his favoured starting line-up all season. In the first half, Hazard came close to scoring when put through on goal and shot straight at Gunn who had an excellent match between the Saints posts. Morata had a couple of decent chances denied by Gunn too. Chelsea was at the front foot front the start, coming close to scoring and maintaining the characteristic high line. Willian came off injured, which lengthens Chelsea’s forward injury list, for Loftus-Cheek. In the end, we enter the first half break feeling like we should have been 2 goals up at least.

In the second half, we continued where we left off, attacking and trying to open up the Saints defence. With the introduction of Fabregas, for Barkley which was quite a surprise as we often thought of him as a Jorginho like-for-like replacement, Chelsea hit another gear. In fact, one of his first few touches led to Morata scoring, albeit deemed wrongly offside, which calls into question the need for VAR in the EPL. As the minutes ticked down, Chelsea grew more desperate and increased their frequency of shots, Alonso came close twice, shooting from range, only for Gunn to easily deal with it.  The match ended 0-0 in a match which I felt we played one of our best football in the past few matches.

Man Of The Match

I think, incredibly, Alvaro Morata deserves the Man-of-the-Match award for this game. His overall game play was fantastic. He was very involved in the build up and also contributed defensively. His desire to score was very apparent and he also managed to show off some flicks and tricks. He did score, and perhaps if it was not wrongly flagged offside, he would be the clear MOTM.

Player Ratings

-          Goalkeeper

Kepa Arizzabalaga, 7

Largely undisturbed by the Southampton’s attack. I think he only had to make one save all game, in the second half. But he is an assured presence at the back as always and him trying to build up play quickly to encourage his team to attack is a welcome sight.

-          Defenders

Cesar Azpilicueta,7

Reliable as always. Didn’t put a foot wrong and was quite involved in the attack. Might have gotten an assist from his trademark Dave-Morata combination in the first half.

Toni Rudiger, 7

Solid as always. It is no wonder that he has become one of Chelsea’s main 2 CBs. He is quick, has decent passing range and he is a tough fighter. 

David Luiz, 8

A few matches has gone and David Luiz has come to the fore as a really great and decent CB. His long range passing is as great and spectacular as ever and at the back he is a tough defender to fare up against.

Marcos Alonso, 7

I still have my reservations against Alonso. Although he had a good match today, I see that in the long run, he is not the perfect LB we need. Offensively he is good, often wanting to link up play with the attackers so very much. He also has quite a good scoring boot with some fans deeming him capable of playing as a striker. But he isn’t really good with the ball at his feet nor defensively nous…

-          Midfielders

Ngolo Kante, 7

Had a good match as always. Always playing that one two with the forwards and a vital cog in linking up play, If Yoshida hadn’t slide in on him near the end of the game, he might have a clear shot at goal.

Jorginho, 6

A little underutilised in this match as Southampton packed the midfield in an attempt to stifle Chelsea’s gameplay. But the forwards cutting in more than made up for this. Not really his fault that he couldn’t stem his trademark authority on this game.

Ross Barkley, 6

Not his greatest match although he was decent in our build up play. Overall decent, lost some opportunities but gained some. Fabregas actually fared better when he came on in his position. But we can foresee that he is a quality and good player.

-          Forwards

Willian, 7

Great start in the first half. He was absolutely devastating. Southampton packed the midfield but Willian continuously drifted in and dribbled through the Southampton’s defences. A pity that he had to come off really early.

Alvaro Morata, 9

Great overall performance. Gone is the usual pouting striker who goes down easily and seem disinterested in his gameplay. This is a really energised and awesome performance from him. MOTM in my opinion and really should have gotten that goal. He had a couple of chances and perhaps should be more lethal. Overall, good performance. Just unlucky and we will need him for next few games, looking at our injury list.

Eden Hazard. 8

Hazard being Hazard, his game is always at a high level. His dribbling-mesmerizing. His passing-incredible. His link-up play-phenomenal. He was instrumental in Chelsea’s attacking play, trying to penetrate the packed Southampton defence.

-          Substitutes

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 7

Was drafted in early after Willian got injured in the first half. Had a really decent game. Linked up well in attack, great dribbling skills. I see a Pogba likeness with Loftus-Cheek and perhaps he will grow to Pogba’s stature in the coming years.

Cesc Fabregas, 8

The Wizard, he wears a magic hat. Shows that he really needs to pen a new contract quickly. His passing and vision is still phenomenal. Opened up Southampton’s defence so many times with his passing. Could have gotten an assist. Gives a run for money on all the midfield spots to be honest.

Chelsea 2018 New Year Flashback!

What a year it has been for Chelsea FC! As a Chelsea fan, I watched with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation at the many changes that happened throughout the year. Indeed, it was a time of transition, marked by the sacking of Antonio Conte as our head coach and the appointment of Maurizio Sarri as his replacement. Of course, in between this transition, after a largely disappointing season in which we finished 6^th (and out of the Champions League) we also had the chance to watch 14 of our players play in the World Cup and shine they did! So here is a recap of our season and highlights!

Sacking of Antonio Conte

Let’s be honest, towards the end of his tenure, Conte had become a hugely unpopular figure among the players. Looking at past interviews and comments from the players (past and present), a number of reasons cropped up. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, he did not maintain a good channel of communication with his players. This was often cited by the likes of Willian, David Luiz and Diego Costa and even subtly hinted by the other players such as Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas (where they avoided directly answering questions on the players relationship with the coach). It appears that he is the kind of coach who analysed games and his team on his own and then force his ideologies onto his players through a tough regime.

This brings to his second failing, his unwillingness to compromise. It is well-known that Conte’s training sessions are unforgiving. Morata and Christensen once said that after Conte’s training, the players had to recover for the entire day or they will have trouble with fatigue and fitness for the next training or match. Essentially, the players had no free time for themselves, especially with the added fixture of Champions League football in 17/18. Coupled with a strict diet regime at the club and punishment of being dropped from the squad if they do not do as Conte please (See David Luiz and Diego Costa), it is no surprise that players such as Willian wanted to leave Chelsea If Conte isn’t sacked.

Finally, the transfer of Diego Costa in 2017. Diego Costa’s transfer came as a shock to all Chelsea fans worldwide. Everyone could see how good Diego Costa is. A target man. A hardworker. Like Drogba, but more technical and faster. But essentially, he is a strangely good and nice guy on and off the pitch. Just listen to Chelsea players talk about him, read about his charitable deeds or follow his Instagram stories. It is only the media that seemingly stereotype him as the pantomime villain of the EPL. Conte’s decision to drop Costa was a slap in the face to all Chelsea fans and perhaps the last straw to a growing toxic relationship. (Other smaller reasons include Jose Mourinho’s influence and largely disappointing transfers.)

World Cup

As a Chelsea fan, it was a great time to watch the World Cup. I actually did go to Russia to watch two matches, England vs Panama and Croatia vs Denmark. Owing to Eden Hazard playing for Belgium, I chose to support them last year. Of course, this Belgium team is at its peak of a golden generation. From front to back, the team is loaded with world class players. I initially thought, from watching the Qualifiers, that this team just couldn’t gel, but from the first match on, I was proven wrong. Roberto Martinez had found just the right formation and tactics to fully utilize the mammoth strength of this crazy talented squad. Thibaut Courtois and Batshuayi plays too. Victor Moses and the forgotten Kenneth Omerou plays for Nigeria, although they exited early in a tough group. Rudiger and Dave too, exited early with Germany and Spain’s surprising early exits. (Though it is tough to see them play in their teams…) Other players include, Gary Cahill, Andreas Christensen, Willy Caballero, Loftus-Cheek, Willian, Kante and Giroud. Kante and Giroud went on to win the coveted World Cup. In particular, Loftus-Cheek stood out as a promising youngster, Willian showed the world that he is still a phenomenal player (his play with Brazil was really good), Kante proved why he is a much-loved defensive enforcer (he really ruined Belgium’s smooth style of play, although Croatia seem to get the better of him) and Giroud has the funny accolade for not scoring a goal as the main striker in a World Cup winning team.

Overall, Chelsea players showed their incredible worth and talent in this World Cup, in particular Eden Hazard where he truly shone as probably the best player in this WC edition.

Appointment of Maurizio Sarri

Much has been speculated about his appointment before Sarri was officially appointed as head coach. His style of play has gained a fearsome reputation, Sarriball as they call it, a fast-paced vertical passing style of football. He came in late on, with much of his main squad unavailable due to World Cup commitments. But his first few matches brought to light a much different style of playing as compared to the largely defensive Conte’s side. Chelsea immediately came playing with a large number of possession, although to its effectiveness, it is yet to know. The message he brought are also positive and reassuring. Thrown away was Conte’s need for ‘suffering’ and came Sarri’s message to ‘love football’.

Sarri’s transfers were also really reassuring. His first transfer was Jorginho, a technical passer. Jorginho’s strengths lie in his fast decision-making, knowing when to receive and pass. He does not really have the vision or passing range as Fabregas, but he is more fast and defensively nous compared to his compatriot. With these attributes, he is able to dictate the pace of the game really well. Sarri also brought on Kovacic on loan from Real Madrid. This was a true icing on the cake. Kovacic is an extremely talented player, very technical and forward looking. His dribbling is a joy to watch. His only flaw lies in his shooting capabilities, where he is woefully bad at. Kepa Arrizabalaga too was drafted in as a replacement keeper for Courtois. The past matches has seen him in good form and I do rate him very highly. He is agile, quick and overall really solid between the posts, perhaps a contrast to 2018 Thibaut Courtois.

With his new style of play, some players benefitted while others didn’t. The more technical players with good passing abilities clearly benefited. David Luiz, for example. Victor Moses was dropped from the squad altogether as he was deemed not good enough as a defender yet not good enough as an attacker. Christensen, although solid, does not have Luiz’s range of passing. Fabregas was a weird choice out. He is amazing in Jorginho’s role, if not better. But he does eventually need to make way for youngblood which is a shame as he is a really good player. Some standouts in Sarri’s era includes Loftus-Cheek, who has grown to be a really confident player, good in dribbling. Ross Barkley too came with new skillsets that shone; he has a lethal shooting boot and dribbling wise he is not too bad himself. Hudson-Odoi is the hugely talented new star. One can see that he can become a world class talent, but he is not there yet and Sarri’s choice to not play him is understandable. Perhaps a loan out to a top side would do him good.

Retirements & Departures

A number of Chelsea Legends recently retired from football. King Drogba hung up his boots after his stint as player-owner at Phoenix Rising in the US. John Terry officially hung up is boots after his contract with Aston Villa ended.  He is now the assistant coach of Aston Villa. And Joe Cole too has retired at the age of 37 after playing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies since 2016.

Prominent exits in 2018 includes main goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. I know and saw many Chelsea fans deriding him for leaving us and calling him a snake. But I just want them to remember his prominent role in the 2017-18 season where he made many spectacular saves in which we won by 1 goals and that eventually adds up to our PL title. His decision to leave is rather not straightforward, with him citing family reasons, although there seems to be more to it. (Perhaps Conte). Whatever it is, he is having a tough time at Real Madrid and we wish him all the best for his upcoming season.

Looking on

There are still many matches to look out for. As of Gameweek 20, we are 5 points above Arsenal who is in 5^th place but 11 points off Liverpool at the top of the table. It seems quite unlikely we will be Champions this season, though we should be able to get in the top 4. Other things to look out for also includes the European Cup and FA Cup which we are still inside. Thus, we Chelsea fans wish them all the best and hope for a great 2019 ahead!

A Singaporean Road to World Cup Russia Part III

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.