EPL Round 2 - August 23, 2006 - Middlesbrough v. Chelsea FC [R]

[GPK]

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

8:00 PM GMT
3:00 PM EDT

US TV: Live FSC & FSE; SDD 8PM FSC
UK TV: From Midnight on Chelsea TV
CN TV: Live & SDD 8PM FSWC

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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

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

2:45 ET Watford v West Ham - Live FSC
3:00 ET Tottenham v Sheff Utd - Live Setanta

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

2:45 ET Aston Villa v Reading
2:45 ET Man City v Portsmouth
3:00 ET Charlton v Man Utd - Live Setanta
3:00 ET Fulham v Bolton
3:00 ET Blackburn v Everton

[nicephoras]

No live coverage in the UK is teh lame. :(

[adri]

So Ballack and/or Maka may be back for this one. though i would think Jose will keep the XI about the same as vs Man Citeh.

---------Cudicini-----------
Paolo-Carvalho-Terry-Bridge
-----Essien--Lampard------
SWP----------------Robben
---Shevchenko---Drogba---

the fullbacks were solid, & Sheva & Drogs need more time...really the only question is weather to start Wright-Phillips or have him on the bench. i say start, not that he didn't have a crap game vs. Citeh, but i think it's inportant to give his a chance while J.Cole is still out.

so who play's leftback for boro now that Q left for Fulham?

[srd....]

No live coverage in the UK is teh lame. :(

i know bud,extended highlights interactive (match choice) on sky sports 1 at 10:30.

[nicephoras]

Yeah, I know. Might just wait until midnight for the Chelsea TV replay.

[lobomojo]

No live coverage in the UK is teh lame. :(

The Shed Bar often does a closed feed for away matches

[Dear_Claudio]

so who play's leftback for boro now that Q left for Fulham?
Boro signed Julio Arca from Sunderland, and they also have Pogatetz.

Keep the same line-up except drop SWP for either Kalou or Ballack. Would decrease the width but Shaun has lost himself.

---------------Cech---------------
Ferreira----Carv----Terry----Bridge
-----Essien------------------------
---------Ballack--Lampard---------
----------------------------Robben
-------Drogba------Sheva---------


Bridge and Robben could really do something if given the chance. Robben may be selfish, but he seems to really link well with some guys. His work cutting in and involving Essien was very good yesterday, he always did well with Crespo last season, and the combo with Bridgey... well, we saw that yesterday:cool:

[nicephoras]

Robben wasn't especially selfish yesterday. I also don't expect SWP to start unless we play with only one striker in a 4-3-3.

[nicephoras]

The Shed Bar often does a closed feed for away matches

True, but I don't really have the luxury of getting there from the office at 7:30. :)

[lobomojo]

True, but I don't really have the luxury of getting there from the office at 7:30....

:( What kind of heartless bastards do you work for and why have you not used your expertise to make all CFC matchdays bank holidays?:D

http://www.azstarnet.com/ss/2004/05/26/23454-1.jpg

[okocha1]

SWP shouldn't be dropped, it will lower his confidence even more. I say give him another run out, maybe he will find his form. I think the major difference is that he is cutting inside from the right instead driving down the biline and whipping in crosses. His tracking back and defensive ability will be great in handling Stuart Downing, who along with the Middlesborough contingent, will have something to prove as they lost woefully to Reading. Southgate will immediately be looking to make a statement and uplift team spirit. I'm not overly worried, but I think we will need to be even more ruthless and take the game to them to win comfortably, as they have very dangerous players in the forward positions. Viduka, Yakubu, Morrison, and Downing can be very tricky customers when on form. I will go for a 2-0 win with Sheva opening his account.

[bluemen groupee]

SWP shouldn't be dropped, it will lower his confidence even more. I say give him another run out, maybe he will find his form. I think the major difference is that he is cutting inside from the right instead driving down the biline and whipping in crosses. His tracking back and defensive ability will be great in handling Stuart Downing, who along with the Middlesborough contingent, will have something to prove as they lost woefully to Reading. Southgate will immediately be looking to make a statement and uplift team spirit. I'm not overly worried, but I think we will need to be even more ruthless and take the game to them to win comfortably, as they have very dangerous players in the forward positions. Viduka, Yakubu, Morrison, and Downing can be very tricky customers when on form. I will go for a 2-0 win with Sheva opening his account.

I was just remarking in another thread about how well Bridge and Robben linked up on that third goal against City. SWP could be better if he had better support from Ferreira, me thinks. He needs better balls into space for him to chase down, not hard passes directly at him with a defender on his back. SWP's first touch does leave something to be desired.

[yasik19]

always a tricky fixture and we still owe them one for last year.

[fbinjamil]

SWP shouldn't be dropped, it will lower his confidence even more. I say give him another run out, maybe he will find his form. I think the major difference is that he is cutting inside from the right instead driving down the biline and whipping in crosses. His tracking back and defensive ability will be great in handling Stuart Downing, who along with the Middlesborough contingent, will have something to prove as they lost woefully to Reading. Southgate will immediately be looking to make a statement and uplift team spirit. I'm not overly worried, but I think we will need to be even more ruthless and take the game to them to win comfortably, as they have very dangerous players in the forward positions. Viduka, Yakubu, Morrison, and Downing can be very tricky customers when on form. I will go for a 2-0 win with Sheva opening his account.

The only time Chelsea lost a competitive game by more than one goal under Mourinho was at the riverside last season. Shaun losing his confidence is a small price to pay for three points up there. Chelsea, Liverpool, Man U and Arsenal all droppedpoints there last season.

[Dear_Claudio]

I can fix SWP right now:


"Look, son, your team wears blue. When you see a player wearing a different color you dribble AROUND them, not into them."

Problem solved. He looked dreadful at times. He has the pace and dribbling ability to get out wide and to the byline and cross into Drogba and Sheva.

[sydneymuganzi]

you say,we should play SWP even if he's crap,so that he can get a game,before Joe comes back? This team isn't about pleasing SWP,its about winning.He's got to play for his place.

[Dr_Intoxicated]

you say,we should play SWP even if he's crap,so that he can get a game,before Joe comes back? This team isn't about pleasing SWP,its about winning.He's got to play for his place.

To be fair I think the original poster was not implying we do it just to please SWP, but he will only improve if he is given games so this is an ideal opertunity to help him and thus the team down the line.

[nicephoras]

To be fair I think the original poster was not implying we do it just to please SWP, but he will only improve if he is given games so this is an ideal opertunity to help him and thus the team down the line.

Agreed. This is Boro, not Barcelona. If we're going to give players time to play themselves into good form, these are the games to do it.

[okocha1]

I was just remarking in another thread about how well Bridge and Robben linked up on that third goal against City. SWP could be better if he had better support from Ferreira, me thinks. He needs better balls into space for him to chase down, not hard passes directly at him with a defender on his back. SWP's first touch does leave something to be desired.


Exactly what I was thinking. I think if he were playing with Geremi who is more attacking and can spot where to pass those balls into open space it would be great. So many times we had SWP recieved the ball with his back to his marker instead of facing the marker and taking him on. Ferreira who isn't the best passer did howevere, put him in over the top for that one cross, which wasn't very good. There doesn't seem to be any understanding between the two and they often failed to link up. Since City weren't getting any joy from the left they decided to attack the right. I think SWP was really frustrated, yet when he received the ball he would run at his defender and try to cut inside. Still for me, the more SWP bombs down the line, exploding past his marker, and whipping in crosses the better. I think if Ferreira is going to be so deep when we attack he should at least try to whip in crosses from deep as he has a decent enough cross when given time. Ideally I would like to see both fullbacks overlapping, and if Geremi hadn't been injured I think that we would have seen him play instead.

[lobomojo]

The problem was not SWP getting the ball, it was SWP always running with his head down trying to bull the ball through 1, 2 usually three or four players rather than say passing or using his Speed to go wide.

Assuming Mak is out I would give Kalou a run out to see what he can do, not sure about his finishing yet but already think he has better vision than SWP.

When Mak is ready put Ballack out on the right like Eng and scousers do with Gerrard, Essein is too good to leave out.