Chelsea 2 x 0 Stoke - Malouda continues his run of form !

So, another weekend has passed and another win for Chelsea. At the moment we are the only team in the League that has won all their games. Let's not get overly confident though as we have had easier fixtures than most teams but it is a really good start and if we keep playing this way we've got a chance of winning again.

The game against Stoke was harder though. We started th game better than Stoke and we saw Ashley Cole miss a very good chance in the beginning. We should have scored again after Shawcross brought Malouda down in the area, but Lamps missed again. It's 3 misses now from the spot but he is allowed.

After that we might have started thinking that today was not our day but a brilliant pass from JT and a stunning run from Malouda tuned into our fist goal ! After that we saw Stoke having a few good chances but our defence dealt very well with it. Alex has had a great start to the season and let's hope he keeps on the good form.

Still on the first half Ashley Cole hot the bar with a great volley. It would have been an beautiful goal ! Second half came and Stoke had a few good chances, the better one was Whelan who hit the bar with a 35 yards shot. But the day was ours... Drogba gave Anelka a precise pass that left him near to the goal. Sorensen came out and got none of the ball, only Anelka's foot. Penalty again ! With Lampard now off the pitch after being substituted for Kalou, Drogba walked to the spot and bang !!! Another goal for Deadly Drog !!!

Great result, I don't care if it wasn't 6 x 0 again, we have kept another clean sheet. It was great to see Ramires having his debut. He didn't have much time but I'm looking forward to seeing him again.



I have to talk about two players though. First I would like to say something about Mikel. He has been criticized a few times for not doing much but I think this season he's got it ! He has had 3 very good games and his passing has improved tremendously. I've been impressed and very happy that he is becoming a very important and reliable players for us. For last but surely not least is Malouda. What a run a form, really ! Even Ancelotti had to say something about it: " He's one of the best (in the Premier League). He's intelligent, he can score, assist and he's very strong, so he has everything". I agree with every word. I'm so happy to see him doing so well. Four goals in three Premier League matches, I can't wait to see what he is going to do next... He has for sure become a indispensable player for Chelsea.

Let us know what you think !!! Comment on our post...

See you soon,

Mrs Footy

Blackburn 1 - 2 Arsenal - Theo strikes again...

Great result today against Blackburn away which is always a tough place to go. Particularly pleasing was the second half display when after getting the goal we showed good maturity by keeping the ball and in the end there weren't too many hairy moments...

First half was a very end to end game with both sides creating chances. I thought we looked quite slick up front but conceded a lot of set pieces which led to an aerial bombardment at times. However I think we dealt with the high balls in quite well, winning quite a few headers and Almunia did some good punches / catches under pressure. We were playing quite a high line in defence which allowed Blackburn's wingers (the two Diouf's) to get in behind the fullbacks on a few too many occasions. However soon after a spell of pressure from Blackburn, a swift exchange of passes in midfield led to Van Persie sliding in a through ball for Theo, who took a good first touch and slammed in into the far corner at a tight angle. Great finish and good to see Theo put in good performances two weeks in a row. That was something that was missing last season, and now he has already scored more league goals (4) than the whole of last season!

However, the game was still fairly even at this point and after a few goalmouth scrambles at our end Blackburn came back into it with a goal from Miram Diouf. The other Diouf latched on to a through ball from Samba and beat Koscielny on the left wing, cut inside and pulled it back for the Man-Utd Loanee to tap-in. A bit poor from Kos there, it looked like he tried to nip in front and steal the ball but ended up getting shrugged off - but otherwise he had a fairly good game so perhaps I'm being a bit harsh there.

Onto the second half, we came out brightly and got the second goal after a Fabregas shot rebounded off Theo's backside and fell kindly for Arshavin to complete a smart finish. It would have been easy to hit it over the bar with the keeper in close proximity but Arshavin showed good composure to pick his spot and give the three defenders on the line no chance of getting in a block. After the goal was the most pleasing part of the performance for me, we kept the ball well and didn't allow Blackburn too many chances to get back into the game. Last season we had a tendency to panic after scoring and almost invited pressure towards the end of games where we held a narrow lead, but today was different and we saw out the game quite comfortably.

Overall a very pleasing result and a good performance. The only negative was the injury to Van Persie (although apparently it's not too serious). The international break is coming up next week so lets just hope that all our players come back in good condition. Looks like some of the England players are getting their excuses in early with Terry and Lampard pulling out of the squad, expect Rooney and Gerrard to follow....

The next blog from me will be on Tuesday to round up the transfer window activity, enjoy the bank holiday : )

Mr F

The Return of Eduardo....

So the champions league draw has been made and we are pitted against Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga and Partizan Belgrade. While not taking anything for granted I think we can say the draw has been fairly kind to us, the trip to Ukraine aside. Having said that Braga have put in some good performances recently having thrashed Celtic and knocked out Sevilla.

The highlight of the group has to be the return of Eduardo to the Emirates, where I'm sure he will get a great reception. I thought he was a great player, and was just starting to break through into the first team when he got that injury. I particularly remember a two goal brace against Blackburn away that got us out of trouble that day with the game ending 4 - 2 (actually we could do with some of that this weekend!). It was such a shame that he effectively had his Arsenal career finished by a reckless tackle. He did show some signs that he could get back to his best immediately after returning from injury, but then came the diving scandal which was blown up out of all proportion by this country's ridiculous media. Compare that to the reaction in the media to Defoe's handball against Young Boys (at the same stage of the competition) where they virtually laughed it off and you start to get an idea of the huge favouritism afforded to English players in the media. Anyway, after that Eduardo seemed to lose confidence and a yard of pace and in the end it was no surprise when he was sold on in the summer. It will be good to see him back...

In other news the signing of Sebastian Squillaci has been confirmed. He is 30 years old which is a good age for us and comes with experience of champions league and 20 caps for France. I think he will add a bit more depth to the squad which can only be a good thing. It remains to be seen if he will become first choice over Koscielny, but there are plenty of games in a season so I'm sure we'll see him feature soon. From what I have heard he is a ball-playing centre back who also has a few goals in him so should fit right in. His experience in Europe should be useful when playing tough champions league away games, where naivety cost us last season. Overall it looks like a decent signing at first glance.

Anyway, let's hope for a good result (and strong referee) against Blackburn, and someone to invoke the spirit of Eduardo to score a couple and grab us the win... that would set up the bank holiday nicely : ) The transfer window closes Tuesday afternoon as well so expect some frantic activity soon.... hopefully involving a goalkeeper........

Mr F

Boring, Boring Chelsea...

What can I say? 29 goals in our last 5 games in the premier league and since we conceded a goal, I’m starting to feel a bit cocky now to be completely honest. What a great result ! I must admit I was a bit concerned about playing Wigan away. I was even more concerned when I saw how we were playing in the first 30 minutes of the games but there was no need for it.

Drogba had a excellent performance again. He didn’t get the hat trick of hat tricks but did get a hat trick of assists. Overall the team played very well. In a game where Wigan had the majority of the possession we showed our efficiency.



The first goal came at 28 minutes. Ashley Cole played a ball to Lamps who shot hard. Kirkland made a save but only to Malouda to clip the ball into the empty net.

The second goal came with 2 minutes of the second half gave an amazing 60 yard pass down the right channel for Anelka to finish off with a lovely ball on the far corner. Worth watching it again...

After we go up 2 goals we usually relax and that’s what happened. A few minutes later Malouda controlled a clearance from Cech and crossed to Drogba who kicked the ball to Anelka who jumped between two defenders and headed into the goal. He was offside, but the ref didn’t see it, and me neither at first to be completely honest.


Picture from The Sydney Morning Herald

And now for the 4th goal. Drogba walked easily past the Wigan defence and gave an easy easy ball for Kalou to finish who kicked the ball into a empty net. That was just about time for the crowd to start singing “ Boring, boring Chelsea”, like people used to sing in Mourinho’s time when Chelsea used to score a goal and park the bus as he would say. I think it has changed a bit now...

And here goes Kalou again, who got substituted in at 67 minutes. Drogba and Cole exchanged passes and Drog crossed for Kalou to head in the 5th goal.

I though it was over by now, but I guess it was time for Yossy to score his first Chelsea goal. Ferreira delivered a cross to Benayoun to sweep in from 10 yards.

What a game again ! Brilliant performance again for Drogba who got three assists and from Anelka, who after being banned for 18 games for France showed that he is still a top player that they will miss. Malouda carrying over the great form from last season. Kalou doing a great job from the bench and putting a good fight for a spot in the first team.

Congrats to our defence yesterday as well, who handled very well the first 30 minutes pressure from Wigan and gave us time to get into the game. Terry and Alex delivered some good blocks. Mikel and Essien did a great job in the midfield and linked up some important passes. Lampard as always was very solid.

Now its important to focus in keeping the good form for next weeks game against Stoke. We might have Ramires in the bench, which I’m excited to see !

Well, I guess Mr and Mrs Footy home is a happy home today, with and final result of 12 x 0 we’ll start the week with a big smile on our faces !

Arsenal 6 - 0 Blackpool - Theo, Theo, Theo

See what a little optimism can do? ; )



A great performance by the team and a comfortable win in the end - I can't remember many more relaxing games to watch recently. I know people will put a lot of it down to the early red card but we were already 1 - 0 up and threatening more at that point. I thought the red card and penalty decision was harsh, it didn't look like the defender knew Chamakh just nipped in front of him and was caught. By the letter of the law it should be a red card but I think a yellow would have been punishment enough. It was also debatable whether it was inside the area or not.

But even so it was an accomplished performance. I think the main difference yesterday was the penetration in the final third, not only did we control the game with lots of possession (like usual), we made the possession count by turning it into chances. Walcott was the main threat early on and gave the Blackpool left back a torrid time, and ended up with a hat-trick, and it could have been more. I think Walcott gets a lot of criticism (even on Match of the Day last night after scoring a hat-trick!) and didn't have a good season last time round but I really think he can be a big threat for us this season. He's such an exicting player and even makes watching England bearable sometimes....



Good to see Arshavin have a good game as well. He has come in for a bit of criticism recently and there have been doubts about his fitness but I think he showed some of the quality we know he possesses. More of the same please Andrey. Also a word for Tomas Rosicky who has been in top form in the two games so far this season. He has had terrible injury problems in the past but seems to be coming back to his best and was at the fulcrum of much of the play yesterday. He's been out for so long to have him back on form is almost like an unexpected bonus - he could prove very valuable this season if he can stay fit.

Finally onto Chamakh, who had a mixed game. I blame that mainly on the fact that I put him in my fantasy football team.... but despite some suspect finishing I think he looks very promising. It takes time for new players to settle in but I think he looks a threat up front, and was very pleased to see him get his goal after those misses, to ensure his confidence is not affected. It was nice to see crosses coming in with someone trying to get on the end of them rather than fizzing across an empty box as was the case too often last season...

So overall a good performance, but lets not get carried away, we have a tough trip to Blackburn next week and that is likely to be a much stiffer test. No disrespect meant to Blackpool, who I am looking forward to seeing more of this season, they look to attack and play good football which is not always the case with newly promoted teams. I expect there will be some transfer activity this week so keep your eye on here and we'll update with any activity involving Arsenal (and Chelsea).

Have a good week,

Mr F

Squillaci, Schwarzer and Elvis...

Good evening all....

Not sure why but I'm in a strangely optimistic mood tonight... I've read a lot of Arsenal blogs full of doom and gloom and moaning about everything under the sun but I'm still looking forward to this season... The first game wasn't the disaster some people are making out, we played out an even game with Liverpool away even we were without a lot of first team players, and it looks like some players are ready to come back. Fabregas, Van Persie, Song, Djourou and Denilson could all be in the squad for Saturday.

There have also been strong rumours today of an Arsenal bid for Squillaci, the 30 year old French centre back from Sevilla. Everyone knows we need another centre-back, and he seems to fit the bill (not to mention he looks pretty tough!) He has experience in Europe and on the international scene and could provide good competition for Koscielny and Djourou for the spot alongside Vermaelen. Also there are stories coming out that we made a second bid for Schwarzer, and I get the sense this transfer will be wrapped up sooner rather than later.

The other news is that the club have re-named the stands and are planning an opening celebration before the game against Blackpool on Saturday. It will be great to see the crowd reaction and hear the return of the north bank / clock end songs. And also the entrance song has been changed, finally the least inspiring song in football has been given the boot and will be replaced with Fatboy Silm's "Right here, right now". Much better for building up a bit of adrenaline for the start of the game.

Finally commiserations to Nasri and the Frimpster who have picked up injuries and will be out for around a month and 6 months respectively. Lets hope to see them back in action asap...

Bring on Blackpool on Saturday!!!

Mr F

Liverpool 1 - 1 Arsenal

Phew...

An exciting game to start the season, overall not a bad result. I think we played well in the first half and poorly in the second half. We started with a lot of a possession but without really threatening the opposition goal and towards the end of the first half came the red card for Joe Cole. I'm just glad that Koscielny didn't pick up a serious injury to be honest. Kos went to clear the ball and Cole jumped in and caught him heavily below the knee. I think it was a reckless challenge which could have resulted in serious injury so I think the red card decision was correct. I heard the pundits after the game saying the usual "he's not that kind of player" and " he was just trying to block the clearance" but to block a clearance you should jump in front of the player and not right at him.

We came out very poorly in the second half, Liverpool seemingly revitalised by the red card and conceded an early goal to Ngog who hit a great shot in at the near post after some sloppy play by Clichy and Arshavin. I rate Clichy highly but he really frustrates me sometimes when he's under pressure on the ball in defence and tries to be clever instead of putting the ball out for a throw. I think Alumina could have done better with the shot as well as it was near post and even though it was a good strike you would expect a top class keeper to be saving those.

Picture from The Telegraph.co.uk

After the goal Liverpool had a sustained period of pressure and it almost looked like we were playing with 10 rather than the other way round. But as the half went on we came back into the game and Liverpool drifted deeper allowing us to exert more pressure on them. Theo and Rosicky came on and we started to dictate the play without really creating much. Then Rosicky picked up the ball and played a one-two, jinked past a defender and almost scored but for a great save from Reina. I thought that was our chance gone but then a cross came in from the left and Chamakh showed something we have missed for a few seasons by getting in front of Reina and it came off his hip, against the post only for Reina to carry the rebound into his own goal. In the last couple of frenetic minutes Koscielny got a second yellow for handball which seemed very harsh considering the Liverpool player was only about 2 meters away and he barely had time to move his hands away.

Positives

- Koscielny had a good game and showed good pace against Torres in the second half. Luckily his injury wasn't serious
- We showed good persistence to keep going until the end and get the equaliser
- Lots of possession against a good team away from home

Negatives

- Came out poorly in the second half, should have controlled the game more with the extra man
- Failure to convert possession into chances, there were two or three occasions where a shot was on but the player opted for a sideways pass instead

Overall it was quite a good result considering the players we had missing and that it was Hodgsons first game in charge. We will definitely need to improve though for the games ahead. Let's hope we get a new keeper and centre back in sooner rather than later...

Mr F

A Perfect Start

So, we couldn't have had a better start to the season. With a 6x0 win over West Brom, we showed we mean business and made a point to the rest of the league.


Video highlights from BBC Match of The Day

The game started well with Malouda scoring after 6 minutes. The pace seamed to slow down after the goal, and I was worried it was going to be a Chelsea classic. We would score the first goal, try to keep the result and West Brom would draw the game in the last minute. I couldn't be more wrong !!! Just before the second half Deadly Drog's free kick extended the lead. And we know... When we go up 2x0 lately, we score a few more goals. And that's what happened...

Second half started and after a scramble in the penalty area, Drogba tapped in his second. The fourth goal came from Lampard, after a good string of passes. Deadly Drog got his hat trick after a deflected long shot and Malouda ended this emphatic win with a lovely finish to make it 6x0.

In the after game interview Malouda said that this was a good response after a poor pre season, and it was. It was good to see the team so determined after the World Cup. Quite a few players from Chelsea had a horrific World Cup with England and France and had something to prove. And they did...



Drogba - What can I say? Started the season just like he fineshed the last one, brilliant !
Malouda - Was in impeccable form last season, and it seams like he wants to repeat it !
Lampard - After an injury to his ankle with England midweek had a very good game and scored our fourth goal.
Essien - Just getting back into the game, and I can't wait to see more of him this season.
Anelka - After a disastrous World Cup, he was back. He was unselfish and with Ashley Cole did some brilliant passing to create Lampard's goal.
Terry and Alex were strong and defended well.
Mikel had a good game and seamed to really enjoy all the celebrations.
Cech was strong and we are very happy to have him back from injury.

What can I say? This was a relief, and I can see that we are up for it and we are going to try to defend our title. We are bringing some extra help with the confirmation that we signed Ramires and that he will be ready for the game against Wigan next week (one to be concerned about if you remember our away game against them last season).

Come on Chelsea !!!!

Mrs Footy

Goalkeeper required....

The season is only a few days away and still no new goalkeeper - I'm left clutching at straws like the spurious* rumour about Mark Schwarzer handing in a transfer request and setting off a bizarre triangle of goalkeeper moves... The only thing is it doesn't seem like Friedel wants to go anywhere, and Fulham say they have no intention of selling Schwarzer, and I can't imagine anyone being interested in Almunia.... hmm. That leaves us with two possible choices for the number one slot for the start of the season: Almunia or Fabianski. Its a bit like having to choose between spending an evening with Craig Bellamy or Gary Neville. But seriously even if a new top class keeper was to magically appear tomorrow it's unlikely they could jump straight into the first team, so realistically we are looking at at least a month of highly probable mishaps. Is there any worse feeling in football than seeing your well earned lead fumbled away by a goalkeeping blunder? Arsenal fans should know as we have had more than our fair share over recent seasons. But surely Fabianski's shocking mistake to game ratio will mean Almunia will get the nod. I really can't see any reason why Fabianski should overtake Almunia, they both make mistakes: but Fabianski makes them twice as often.

With regards to signing a new keeper, it got to the stage where i'm not too fussy to be honest, anyone with half decent pedigree / experience would be more than welcome. I don't buy into the Shay Given rumours at all, but maybe something will happen with Schwarzer. I am actually a fan of big goalkeepers rather than the small athletic type. When small keepers fly out to divert a top corner shot away to safety it looks very impressive, but I often think a keeper with a long reach may have saved the same shot a lot more easily, and then not get noticed as much. Also there is a clear advantage in one on one's where the huge guys can spread out and make it very difficult for the striker to find a gap past them, plus the obvious benefit in dealing with crosses / long throws (it would great if we could play Stoke without conceding 3 set pieces per game!)

In other news Wilshere and Giibs got their first England last night so congratulations to them, and Theo had a good game too. Hopefully England games over the next few years won't be as mind-numbingly dull as the last few! And nice to see Walcott actually get some credit in the papers this morning rather than the usual getting slagged off for skinning 3 defenders then failing to find Rooney in the box with a cross (usually because Rooney didn't even bother to make a run...). Anyway I feel my Arsenal bias is kicking in a bit too much now so that's a sign I should stop writing for today ; ) I'll post something before the Liverpool game on Sunday, see you later.

Mr F

*how come only rumours get to be spurious? can anything else be spurious?.... strange....

Latest Tranfer News

Chelsea has agreed a transfer fee with Real Madrid for Ricardo Carvalho. The portuguese player will join ex manager Mourinho subject to a medical.

Carvalho will sign a two year contract with Real Madrid. We have been rummored to sign David Luiz from Benfica as a replacement. Well, we almost have their best player (Ramires), why not sign the second best ? ;) He would cost a lot of money but the 23 year old Brazilian defender will be more than welcome in Stamford Bridge.

So, give me your opinions on Carvalho departure.

Thank you Carvalho for all the hard work, we will miss you !

Not a good start...

First, I should tell you that Mr Footy is away this weekend so I'm taking the opportunity to be as bias as I can, which you probably noticed by seeing who the Top and Flop of the week are...
So, we got our ass kicked by Man United? Not a good start for the season.
The game started very open with chances for both teams, the difference was, Man United took theirs.
Valencia scored the first goal assisted by Rooney (did he had come back to form today?) after a brilliant pass from annoying Scholes. Van der Sar didn't have the best game in the first half but our lack of shot accuracy let the keeper get away with it.
On the second half we saw Hernandez come in, I'm going to be honest, he scares me a bit, I think he will be very good for Man United this season. We started very well the second half and we look energetic but it wasn't enough. Hernandez scored a funny goal where he kicked the ball into his head and scored, still a goal though.
Drogba came in a I saw some of the Deadly Drog there and I hope he stays fit for us !
When I was almost giving up, Kalou scored a nice goal assisted by Sturridge which gave us hope, only to be taken away by lazy Berbatov.
I'm not too upset though, I though we played well but just a bit rusty and I think we'll be ready for the game against West Brom. I though Malouda had a good game and Ashley Cole dealt well with Valencia. Sturridge seamed lively when he came in and Essien is coming back to form ! It will all be ok, it will all be ok, I'm trying to convince myself !!! Hopefully the arrival of Ramires will give us some more pace at midfield and will have a positive impact in the team.
I refuse to give a man of the match to a Man United player so my man of the match today goes to Essien, just because he is back and I can't wait for him to start getting those long shots on target !!!
Leave your comments here and let me know what did you think of the game and what Chelsea needs to improve so we can win again!
Have a good week !!!

Community Shield Preview

Hi again,

Well tomorrow we have the Community Shield against Man United. Last year we beat them and I'm hoping to do the same again. Last year we won on penalties and it was the beginning of a promising and successful season. I'm a bit concerned though after the pre season games.

This is supposed to be a friendly game, but I doubted it will be when is Chelsea and Man United.

So, what to expect? Ancelotti has already revealed the Chelsea line up with Drogba in the bench and Alex and Cech still injured the team will be:
Hilario; Ferreira, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Essien, Mikel, Lampard; Kalou, Anelka, Malouda. No surprises there, and I'm very happy to see Essien back in the squad, I think we really missed him last season.

I am worried though. When Chelsea meets Man United on the Community Shield it tends to be a draw and penalties, and Hilario's confidence is probably not too high after the pre season games, but he did well last season when we needed him so let's trust him tomorrow. But what was the deal with those pre season games anyway? I know they are not supposed to mean much but I was disappointed. I watched the games and Chelsea didn't look very alive in any of them like it happened a few times last season. Let's hope they wake up tomorrow. We have beat Man United 3 times last season, and I'm hoping to keep the good form !

Unfortunately Ramires is not in the squad yet, and he'll be playing for Brazil next week so I'm not sure when he will be available for Chelsea, that is, if the transfer really goes through , I haven't heard anything about it for a couple of days now.

I saw Ancelotti's interview and he looks very confident on the squad and that Ashley Cole is staying. I know they guy is no example when it comes to his personal life, but he is damn good left back and that's what is important to me ! And in Carlito's word the whole speculation is "totally rubbish", so let's focus on the game tomorrow !!!

Please leave a comment and let us know what are your expectation on the game tomorrow ! CHELSEAAAAA !!!

We've got Cesc Fabregas......

Fabregas has come out to say he is staying at Arsenal this season which is fantastic news...! Its great to see that despite using every cheap trick in the book (including interviewing his grandmother!) and sinking to the lowest of the low to try an unsettle fabregas, Barcelona have failed in their attempt to sign him. I'm not naive enough to ignore the fact that Fabregas wants to return there some day but its great that he wil play at least one more season with Arsenal. Hopefully he will have a successful season and if Barcelona come stalking him again next summer we can laugh in their face if they are offering any less than £60m...... plus if we do sell we should have the whole summer to re-invest...

Finally the most boring transfer saga in history is over, Barcelona have taken a big slap in the face from Arsenal and we can concentrate on the new season ahead.... good times : )

PS Let's hope that shuts up Barca players spouting their drivel about Cesc in the papers every day!!

Ramires to Stamford Bridge

So, what about Ramires? Looks like we are close to signing him. Just thought I'd give you a quick preview...



More to come, a lot more at the weekend !!!

Great Saves

Hey,

Just thought I'd share this video with you. It happened in the game between Flamego and Vasco yesterday in Rio de Janeiro.

Emirates Cup and thoughts on the new season...

Is it me or did the players look a little bit embarrassed picking up their Emirates cup medals and trophy after the game today? I think it was a bit over the top for a pre-season tournament! Oh well I guess since its been five years we probably needed some practise....

Anyway there were some positives and negatives to take from the two games...

Positives

Wilshere - what a great prospect, I really hope he stays with us this season and is given plenty of game time. I can't think of a many players in the squad I'd rather have coming off the bench this season if we are in need of a goal. The volley from the corner showed what great technique he has, reminded me of goals from Rooney / Shearer / Scholes in recent years. Plus he is certainly not afraid to get stuck in (remember against Salgado last pre-season as well as some meaty challenges today). Very excited to see him this year : )

Chamakh - I like the look of him, well not the greasy hair gel + mullet combo thing but who cares if he plays like that this season.. Good at holding up the ball, calm in possession, seems to be fairly fast and hard working too - very promising for the new season.

Koscielny - Looked good against Milan, a number of good interceptions and classy in possession.

Frimpong - Tenacious and decent in possession, may be called upon this season since we only have one senior defensive mid in the squad

Negatives

Defending! - Similar story to last season, we get to a point where we are comfortable in the game and then switch off. I know its only pre-season but 3 - 0 up against Celtic should be game over then suddenly we concede numerous chances and they score two and could have had more. It seems the concentration levels just drop off, and is a worry for the new season. I guess its a fitness issue so hopefully it can be rectified in the last two weeks before the season starts...

Crossing - Not much to say about this really, the standard of our crossing has been terrible for almost as long as I can remember... all the hard work is done to get into a crossing position then it's hoofed off for a goal kick or straight to the keeper. Its infuriating, is it that hard to clip one into the box? why do we see them ridiculously overhit so often? Maybe the arrival of Chamakh will encourage more crossing practise in training.....

Anyway, overall it was a good warm up and I think we played quite well over the two games. We stuck to the 4 - 3 - 3 formation for both games so it looks like that's what we'll be going with for the new season, and most importantly there were no new injuries. Here's hoping we get news of a new centre back and goalkeeper this week (Mertesacker & Stekelenberg will do nicely....)

Mrs Footy's New Season Expections

Well, I've just watched Chelsea v Frankfurt and almost fell asleep... I'm trying to tell myself it's ok, just a pre season friendly. I guess I had a chance to take a look at our youngsters: Van Aanholt looked quite good, and after not such a good season with Wolves Mancienne was quite solid. Borini hasn't really convinced me yet and I need to see the others a bit more before commenting...

I'm very hopeful on Kakuta and was hoping to see him today, but for those who do not know he just won the under 19 world cup with France and did very well so let's hope Carlito lets him play a bit this season.

I'm very happy Essien is back, I can almost see the reason for signing Benayoun but come on? Is that it??? What about Aguero, Ozil, Torres, someone? Not sure we have the squad to win again next season. Our midfield is looking a bit short of creativity and I'm not sure about our ageing forwards (still love Nick and Drog but they won't play forever). I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and wait for that amazing signing I've been hoping for.

About some other teams:

Liverpool - Do they still have any players? The thing got so desperate now that they had to re-sign Aurelio. If I were Torres I would be packing my bags (to London);)

Man City - That's an interesting one. With a One Hundred Man squad can they do something next season? I think they can, but they have to sell some players soon and try to keep a squad for more than 6 months.

Arsenal - Hey Mr Footy: Goolkeeper, centre back quickly !!! Curious to see what Chamakh can do.

Man United - Looking very scary on their pre season friendlies. Macheda is looking very good (and disgusting) and their new signing Hernandez looks like a very strong player.

Tottenham - Looking the same really, curious to see how they'll manage premier league and champions league.

I think that's it for now... Looking forward to the Charity Shield next Sunday and hoping that before than I can come back here to talk about our new signing !!! :)

Introductions part 2

Hello I'm Steve a.k.a Theo a.k.a Mr Footy (just to make it clear thats not what I usually call myself... was just the best blog name we could come up with!)

I am a lifelong Arsenal fan and met Mrs Footy about three years ago, we got married this year and decided to start a blog mainly as somewhere to vent out football spleens rather than just to each other in the house.....

I would say I'm somewhere in between the "Wenger knows" camp and the "Wenger out" camp. I think it would be a terrible decision to sack Wenger and I know he has taken the club to a completely new level, but at the same time I think he has made some big mistakes.

A few other things about me:

- I like good defensive mids
- I like players who take on defenders (this may seem a bit alien to some Chelsea / Liverpool fans but it's called attacking football)
- I try to be impartial but I'm not very good at it
- I hate the "typical english approach" as applied by Stoke, Blackburn, Bolton etc (of course I would say that being an Arsenal fan)
- I hate the English football media
- Above all at the moment I hate Barcelona and their constant blatant tapping up! >: (

Welcome !

Hi everyone,

Welcome to our new blog on the Premier League.

I think a bit of an intruduction is required so let start with the Mrs Footy.

My name is Leti and I'm a Chealsea fan from Brazil but living in England. As a good Brazilian, I'm addicted to football. When I first came to England I decided to watch a season before deciding which team I was going to support. After a lot of influencing from Mr Footy and watching a lot of Arsenal games and being deeply frustrated I decided to become a Chelsea fan, because let's be honest, we are just a lot more interesting. This was 3 years ago and after watching Man United win the league twice we have finally claimed the double and are hoping to do it again this season !

Some things you need to know about me:
I love Didier Drogba
I was never convinced about Joe Cole recent form
Wenger annoys me
I hate Man United
I have a bit of a crush on Adebayor
I think the sports media focus too much on players personal lives
Not convinced about Benayoun yet (hoping to be proved wrong)

So that's a bit about me, the rest I'll tell you as we go...