EPL Round 1 - August 20, 2006 - Chelsea FC v. Manchester City [R]

[GPK]

http://www.premierleague.com/en/images/club_normallogos_180x160/chelsea_crest.jpg http://www.premierleague.com/en/images/club_normallogos_180x160/mancity.gif

4:00 PM GMT
11:00 AM EDT

US TV: Live FSC; SDD FSE 5:10PM
UK TV: Live Sky Sports 1
CN TV: Live FSWC

Tickets-On general sale to non-members 4 tickets per person (http://www.chelseafc.com/article.asp?article=301353&Title=Tickets&lid=Navigation+-+Tickets&sub=Tickets&nav=&sublid=)

Live on Big Blue (http://www.chelseafc.com/article.asp?article=103464&Title=Big+Blue+Radio&lid=Navigation+-+TV+and+Media&sub=Big+Blue+Radio&nav=&sublid=)

ChelseaFC.com (http://www.chelseafc.com/index.asp)

News on Soccernet (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/team?id=363&cc=5901)

TEAMtalk-Chelsea (http://www.teamtalk.com/teamtalk/News/Story_Listing/0,7759,1773,00.html)

BBC-Chelsea (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/default.stm)

Latest Chelsea News From Google (http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&ie=UTF-8&q=Chelsea+)

Other Fixtures - US TV

Saturday, August 19, 2006

07:45 ET Sheff Utd v Liverpool - Live Setanta, SDD Setanta 6:30PM
10:00 ET Arsenal v Aston Villa - Live Setanta, SDD Setanta 8:30PM
10:00 ET Everton v Watford
10:00 ET Newcastle v Wigan - Live FSC
10:00 ET Portsmouth v Blackburn
10:00 ET Reading v Middlesbrough - SDD FSC 2:15PM
10:00 ET West Ham v Charlton - SDD Setanta 12:30PM
12:15 ET Bolton v Tottenham - Live FSC

Sunday, August 20, 2006

08:30 ET Man Utd v Fulham - Live Setanta

[GPK]

http://www.premierleague.com/en/images/club_teamkits/H_Chelsea.gif http://www.premierleague.com/en/images/club_teamkits/A_ManCity.gif

[Dear_Claudio]

Hopefully I can secure the TV for this one. I hate Sunday games.


Not even going to predict a match against Citeh when we're in this type of 'form'.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Has there been any news about Ballack's injury status?

[babyfood]

let's play safe and play our most successful formation 433.. try not to experience 442 with new players and drop points before their form is better.

Robben--Sheva*--SWP
-----Lamps--Essien
---------Diarra*
Bridge*--JT--Ricky--Geremi
---------Carlo
subs: Kalou, Ferreira, Drogba

*It's very likely that Drogba will play in 433 instead of Sheva atm (because he is familiar with the system), yet Sheva's form is better.
*Maka is still injured, is it too early to play Diarra as starting DMF? Essien is probably Jose's choice, but his best position is CMF. Oh and I also assumed that Ballack is injured.
*I hope Jose gives Bridge more chance, if he cant perform then we should really go for Ashley Cole and Tweedy.

However, give the injury players in midfield (Ballack, Maka) and inexperienced player (Diarra, Mikel).. we may be forced to play 442.

------Sheva--Drogba
Robben--------------SWP
-------Lamps--Essien
Bridge--JT--Ricky--Geremi
----------Carlo
subs: Kalou, Diarra, Ferreira

[nicephoras]

At this point, I'd think Kalou starts over SWP, at least in Mourinho's mind.

[tptp]

let's play safe and play our most successful formation 433.. try not to experience 442 with new players and drop points before their form is better.

Robben--Sheva*--SWP
-----Lamps--Essien
---------Diarra*
Bridge*--JT--Ricky--Geremi
---------Carlo
subs: Kalou, Ferreira, Drogba

*It's very likely that Drogba will play in 433 instead of Sheva atm (because he is familiar with the system), yet Sheva's form is better.
*Maka is still injured, is it too early to play Diarra as starting DMF? Essien is probably Jose's choice, but his best position is CMF. Oh and I also assumed that Ballack is injured.
*I hope Jose gives Bridge more chance, if he cant perform then we should really go for Ashley Cole and Tweedy.

However, give the injury players in midfield (Ballack, Maka) and inexperienced player (Diarra, Mikel).. we may be forced to play 442.

------Sheva--Drogba
Robben--------------SWP
-------Lamps--Essien
Bridge--JT--Ricky--Geremi
----------Carlo
subs: Kalou, Diarra, Ferreira

very thorough and pretty spot on...agree with the swp/kalou switch and do obi mikel and hilario round out your bench?

[babyfood]

At this point, I'd think Kalou starts over SWP, at least in Mourinho's mind.

I think SWP will perform better as a winger in 442 while Kalou will fit better into 433. I am not sure if it's too risky to start Kalou because he doesnt have any experience playing in the Prem, but it's true that SWP is a more dynamic sub who can provide impact, late in the game.

As for Jose's preference, I think he may even drop Drogba for Kalou in 442, with SWP on the wing.

very thorough and pretty spot on...agree with the swp/kalou switch and do obi mikel and hilario round out your bench?

Hilario will be the sub GK, and I am not sure about Obi Mikel. He hasnt shown he is match-fit enough to be one of the five subs on the Chelsea bench.

Question: is Huth still a Chelsea player?

[Middle Of The Shed]

Question: is Huth still a Chelsea player?

At this present time, yes he is.

On CTV tonight they had him as one of our four centre backs.

But I don't think he wasn't there last Monday for the squad photo, and I'm not sure he's even been training with the team.

[Dear_Claudio]

I doubt he can play, though. If he could, he'd have been transferred already.

[bluemen groupee]

Question: is Huth still a Chelsea player?He is, but I'm not sure he's match fit. I think he's recovering from an injury from the WC (hence his flunking the medical).

We're short on defenders, but from what I hear, Gallas may be easing into match-readiness. Should make the bench at least, imo.

[bluemen groupee]

However, give the injury players in midfield (Ballack, Maka) and inexperienced player (Diarra, Mikel).. we may be forced to play 442.

------Sheva--Drogba
Robben--------------SWP
-------Lamps--Essien
Bridge--JT--Ricky--Geremi
----------Carlo
subs: Kalou, Diarra, FerreiraIt'd be a major surprise if Ferreira doesn't start. He's ahead of Geremi on the right and possibly on the left, in Jose's eyes.

[lobomojo]

It'd be a major surprise if Ferreira doesn't start. He's ahead of Geremi on the right and possibly on the left, in Jose's eyes.

Don't know about that seemed to favor Geremi at the end of the year and for what ever the pre-season is worth I would give the nod to Geremi at the moment. Just wish he would give Brige a run of matches to prove himself to Jose.

My guess:

-----Carlo
Geremi--Carv--Jt---Bridge
--------Diarra----
---Essien-----Lamp
Drogba---Sheva---Robben

Hilario, Kalou SWP, Paulo, Gallas

[yasik19]

i just want it to be Sunday already. First, i will watch Chelsea beat Man City, then i will be off to my bro's wedding, so a long day for me that has to have a positive start. Thus, we must win.;)

[nicephoras]

Sounds like a full day. I've got an entire weekend of football ahead of me - two games in two days. :)

[BridgeMonkee]

The way we're playing at present I'd settle for a draw in this one. Essien is about our only midfield player who is playing well at the moment and he has a broken wrist. Lampard and Robben are presently very ordinary, Ballack has a hip injury, Joe Cole is injured, Makalele not match fit....Diarra, Kalou, SWP and Obi Mikel yet to be proven.

Get the ball to Shevchenko and hopefully we'll get some goals.

S L O W start to the season methinks.

[leftwing]

The way we're playing at present I'd settle for a draw in this one. Essien is about our only midfield player who is playing well at the moment and he has a broken wrist. Lampard and Robben are presently very ordinary, Ballack has a hip injury, Joe Cole is injured, Makalele not match fit....Diarra, Kalou, SWP and Obi Mikel yet to be proven.

Get the ball to Shevchenko and hopefully we'll get some goals.

S L O W start to the season methinks.

hope you're wrong here. A draw at home to City would be a bad sign. They really look like mid-table at best to me, maybe relegation bound. We have made our bones by beating these type teams at home with regularity. I'll say 1-0 to us.

[Middle Of The Shed]

The way we're playing at present I'd settle for a draw in this one. Essien is about our only midfield player who is playing well at the moment and he has a broken wrist. Lampard and Robben are presently very ordinary, Ballack has a hip injury, Joe Cole is injured, Makalele not match fit....Diarra, Kalou, SWP and Obi Mikel yet to be proven.

Get the ball to Shevchenko and hopefully we'll get some goals.

S L O W start to the season methinks.

It will be a slow start, I think that's inevitable. However it would be nice for us to grind out a win and from there hopefully we'd slowly build up enough momentum.
What I'm hoping for is that over the next few days all the players involved in internationals treat it as a game to get them better conditioned and prepared, and of course NO injuries! ;)

[nicephoras]

Sheva's not playing, which is good, and all the friendlies are at least close to London this time around. But we can do with fewer injuries, that's true.

[Middle Of The Shed]

Yeah, glad Sheva isn't being risked.
Speaking of these friendlies tonight this leads me onto the question, why are there meaningless international friendlies the same week as the Premiership starts, it boggles the mind.