coolhead23

I dont understand one thing here ... when we can sack managers for non performances, get in players who ever we want without the consent of the managers, make it so obvious that Champions League has been so damn important, get in a manager who is of no good .... why cant the management tell Rafa what are the f****** priority for next season ... why is the strongest team not being played in the PL games. Winning the Champions league gave us a shot at the CL again, is the management thinking that winning Europa will help us play in CL again? Fucking bunch of Jokers!

decent team selected....however i believe it also underlines the fact that Rafa is giving more priority to the FA cup and Europa not top 4.

A look at the key players from both sides who would be involved on Friday... Courtesy: We aint got no history http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com/2013/3/28/4157346/nextgen-semifinal-preview-chelsea-vs-arsenal-march-29-2013 Jeremie Boga, midfielder Anyone who watched the Barcelona game is certainly familiar with Boga at this point. The young Frenchman turned 16 years old in January, and actually debuted for the reserve side in 2012 before ever playing for the U18 team. He's been one of the standout players in the U21 league this season, and could easily find himself in the discussion for a first team bench role before the end of the season if we see some meaningless games. Lamin broke down a goal that almost was yesterday, and like most things Chelsea do at that level, Boga was a huge part of it. Lewis Baker, midfielder Baker will be turning 18 years old in about a month, and has been in sensational form for the U21 side this season. He has been with the academy since 2005, and has been an England regular at every appropriate age group. His decision making is excellent, and he's one of the few players at that age that I've seen that is truly equally capable with the ball on either foot. He'll take the majority of the set pieces for the Blues while likely playing a central midfield role. He's also capable of playing on the wings, and has done so occasionally this season. Andreas Christensen, center back, right back Christensen joined the club this season, and has been very impressive thus far. The 16-year old has been a regular in the U21 setup, and easily had his best game of the season against Juventus. He's a big, strong kid with good pace, and he's known for excellent passing and composure. He has also moved into a defensive midfield role several times this season, but with Todd Kane on loan at Blackburn, I'd expect 90 minutes at right back from him tomorrow. Ironically, Arsenal were also chasing Christensen very heavily before he decided to join Chelsea. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, midfielder Loftus-Cheek will likely pair with Lewis Baker to anchor the Chelsea midfield, and has been featuring regularly for the U18 side this year. Ruben just turned 17 and is a bit more raw than Baker, but he's got the sort of size, speed, and strength combination that is awfully hard to find. He was called up for the England U17 game of Thursday, but was not used in the game. Alex Kiwomya, wing, striker Kiwomya is one of the more interesting players in the Chelsea system. The 16-year old is raw, but he's an elite level athlete with absolutely limitless upside. He was among the best sprinters in the world at younger age groups (and holds several British age-group records), despite often being very young for the group he was competing against. He played 23 minutes on Thursday for the England U17 side, so there's a very good chance that he will not be involved on Friday. Nathan Ake, center back, fullback, midfield I'm sure most of us are now familiar with Ake, as he has now made his senior debut for Chelsea. The Dutchman turned 18 in February, and didn't look out of place in his first start for Chelsea against Middlesbrough. He seems unlikely to make the trip though, as he was training with the Chelsea first team on Thursday. I wouldn't rule it out entirely, but I'd be surprised if he was in Italy. Islam Feruz, striker Feruz has caught a lot of eyes this season, as he has been scoring goals in bunches. The 17-year old lacks size, but he is pacy, explosive, and generally a clinical finisher with either foot. He's another that could be in line for a first team bench at some point this season, and will almost certainly be considered for a Scotland callup at some point now that the team cannot qualify for the World Cup. He generally starts up front alone, and will be a real test for the Arsenal center backs. As for our opponents on Friday, Aidan Gibson from The Short Fuse was kind enough to fill us in on some of Arsenal's key players: Hector Bellerin, right back Bellerin recently turned 18, celebrating his birthday with a fabulous winning goal against Manchester United's U-21s. Bellerin has been a mainstay of the U-21 side and the NextGen team and has been on Arsenal's bench for the 3rd round of the League Cup. Bellerin joined as a right winger from Barcelona in the summer of 2011, but has played right back for the entirety of his time at the club. Like all Barcelona educated players, he's an excellent passer, but his driving runs are what stands out; one of those runs assisted the winning goal against CSKA Moscow. He can sometimes be defensively suspect, but he's a good tackler and has lots of pace. One of the favourites to progress to the full team. Isaac Hayden, centre back/midfielder Hayden, the U-18 captain, has cemented himself as a prospect this season. Like Bellerin, he just turned 18; he's a physically strong player, with good pace for a centre back. His positioning was exemplary against CSKA Moscow, and he's showed his versatility this season, having played a lot as a holding midfielder and even as a #10 in the recent match with United. He's got a good passing range, and, for an 18 year old, he's got excellent positional intelligence; he's rarely caught out. Versatility is a plus. Nico Yennaris Yennaris will captain the side, and propelled the team into the quarter final with his winning long-range strike against defending champions Inter Milan. He's played on multiple occasions for the first team, making his Premier League debut as a right back against Manchester United. Holding midfield is his favoured position, and he's a physical force; he's a strong tackler, good interceptor and a decent passer. He makes good forward runs, as emphasised by his goal against Inter and his play in the 6-0 victory over Coventry City in the League Cup. One of the older players on the team, which makes him a natural choice for captain, but it's unlikely he'll make the grade as a first team player. Serge Gnabry, winger/playmaker Gnabry is one of the highest rated youngsters at the club, with first team experience this season. A decent comparison is with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gnabry is a strong player, but has explosive pace--he could've run long distance track for Germany, but decided on football. He's a wonderfully direct player, who has a bag of tricks. He's usually played in the wide areas, but against CSKA he played behind Chuba Akpom, and scored the winning goal, after receiving the ball in midfield, turned past his marker, played a one-two with Bellerin and then finish calmly. He's just 18, and is a standout at U-21 level; will probably feature more for Arsenal in next season's League Cup. Thomas Eisfeld, winger/playmaker One of the more well-known Arsenal youngsters, mainly because of his goal-scoring rate. He's a bit like Andrei Arshavin; he can do absolutely nothing, and then turn up and score, or make a decisive pass. He's got excellent shooting technique, with little backlift, but he does have a worrying tendency to drift out of the game, which might not translate well to first team level. He made his debut in *that* League Cup game with Reading, and was a crucial part of the turn-around. He'll be one to watch, but he could turn out like Sanchez Watt or Jay Emmanuel-Thomas: great at reserve level but lacking for the Premier League. Chuba Akpom A powerful striker with great feet. Akpom has dominated the U-21 league despite being 16 and 17 for the majority of the season. He's a good finisher, and very quick, but like some past Arsenal standouts at this level, it's unclear whether it's down to his own ability or to being stronger and quicker than everyone else in the league. He's a prototypical Arsenal striker, though; able to hold play up, link up and play one-twos, and likes to drift to the left and drive in. There's a lot of hope for him at the club; next season will be crucial for him. He's been a key man in the NextGen series, and did an excellent job against Inter on a waterlogged pitch which wasn't conducive to passing, or any, footbal

It doesnt makes sense to u, thats fine. I may have not been able to put my thoughts properly in words. U think Jose is good with youth, so be it. It is your opinion and i hope thats how it happens. I believe he is not and i want to be proven wrong when and if he comes to the bridge. Simple and sweet, win-win situation.

There is a difference between developing a raw talent/potential into something and getting someone who is already described as a upcoming potential. Just by giving Hutchinson a start doesnt mean anything (we all thought that Sam was one of the next known thing), Ozil and Khedira were already known (United were after Ozil it was just that Jose got him first), Huth is doing pretty decent in a team like Stoke. I agree he has a great eye for talent but then the one he selects are already up there. Jose is not known as someone who would develop a young player because he doesnt stick around for long. However he once had mentioned that a Manager has to keep evolving every now and then to be at the top and i hope he comes up with something different if he is returns to the Bridge.

My only worry with Mourinho is that integration of youth into the first team would go for a toss. He prefers players who are already in an class of their own and creates a team around that, very seldom has he worked towards the youth development. He would get us loads of trophies goes without saying as we have a team plus the additions that he would get but then youth mite not get that many opportunities. It would be a case where we win some lose some ... P.S: I m not against the idea of him coming back, i would be dancing with joy and celebrating it but a part of me feel it is high time that Chelsea moves out of the Mourinho shadow (which we managed to do this season) rather than going back to it.

Great article, someone making complete sense with good analysis. Had to add this quote to the main one because this is bang on! Enough said! Mail this to the board/owner/or whoever is in charge of transfers stating that big name strikers would prosper the way they are suppose to with our current system. Invest in the right place and look at the resources we have on hand before jumping into the transfer pool

With someone like this, who have doubts that the FFP would be an issues

Whether Mata is world class or yet to be one, one thing that i started admiring about him is his commitment, its just top draw, cant doubt it. That's the kind of players u want in your side who can keep pushing and inspire everyone around. I just so glad that we took him before Arsenal could take him. Hats off to u, Juan Mata :tophat:

I m more than happy that we scored 2 goals against a pathetic United side .... Atleast we tried to show some urgency in the second half.

Whats plan A?

I m not hoping anything from this tie specially after our last outing plus United would be out with their strongest team as they are left with only 2 competition. I would love to something like this though -------------Ba------------- Hazard--Mata--Moses -------------Oscar------------- --------Luiz--------------- Cole---------------Azpilicueta ------Terry----Ivanovic---- ----------Cech---------------- Very fantasy like

It is very important that we look at the resources at hand before making buys and based on that we shape out the future. When we have spend so much money in building our infrastructure, it is important that we start putting our faith into the product. Let's not go after insane signing just because Roman has the money, rather we need to do some smart buy along with the integration of the deserving youths into the first team. However first and foremost get in a manager who is given the power to run things because everything is based on his philosophy.

Well written article in the heat of the moment I guess we are all aware of this: worst sacking, getting a manager who just wanted to revive his career, bad decisions, bad management, bad tactics, etc, etc, etc .... Someone rightly pointed out in the Live match thread that the problem doesnt begin or stops at Rafa (yes we all know goes to the club management as well) but it goes deep into the players as well and i completely agree. For me the players are completely to be blamed maybe more than the manager. Arent the players being too complacent of their positions in the team or rather should I use the term "Player Power" here. One entire generation has thrived on it after Roman's takeover, the scaring thing that we can imagine is "Is it passing on to our new generation". Take Scolari's incident, Ray Wilkins sacking incident: we went into a period of mourning, AVB's incident, now the entire Rafa's fiasco. It seems the players have taken things for granted (blame goes to the club management completely), they could just say Damn it! We would have a new manager next season. Yes i agree Managers play a very important part but once your on the field the 11 men are on their own, they should be self motivated to perform on the field (after all they get payed insane amount of money). Where is the heart in these recent performances? It is not that we cant do it, we very well can ... remember Champions league campaigns run to the final at Moscow, champions last season. The argument is why we cant do it on a regular basis. When a half baked United team can keep winning titles season after season, we got a better team on paper until last season. Why cant we even put up a decent performance. I mite be on a completely wrong track here and ready to take the stick but then that what i have been feeling for some time now. Honestly i have stopped watching matches (it was suppose to be a sabbatical until Rafa is in charge), not because my love for my team has gone down or i dont support the Blues but it hurts/pains to see this team who won are the current European Champions doing a complete U turn on their performances ... like the one last nite. I hope and sincerely hope that the club management has learned lessons with the incidents which has happened this season. And they get in a manager who is given time to settle down and plan out his strategies which is strong enough to take the Blues to the next level. Importantly give him the full control. Enough said already

If this is how we are going to play, why dont we give the players from the youth team or reserves a chance. Atleast there would be some life in the game.

Seriously WTF! Are we the European Champions or just a clone of the team who won it last May.

Switch on the TV and surprise, surprise ....same old same old

Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry ©, Bertrand; Mikel, Lampard; Benayoun, Oscar, Hazard; Torres Subs: Turnbull, Cole, Ferreira, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Marin, Mata

Outcome from this match: 3 points which is right now worth in gold and more importantly Rafa still around unlike his predecessors who got sacked after the last 2 West Brom games :banghead:

Check with Emenalo for that the same Every one has hidden talents which are not visible from the outside, guess he has made the best use of his!

Honestly I would really love and wish that we retain the title but i dont think we are up for it. We are playing far too many games in and out every week which is really taking the toll on the players, i m sure it is very much visible in their performances now. (Cahill mentioning that the players are tired) I read somewhere yest that if the match against Boro is a draw then it is going to be difficult squeezing in the second match as the schedule is so god damn tight. I think we need to be realistic towards our goals for what is left in the season. I would want the club to prioritize their goals and the FA is surely not on the top rather shouldn't be on the top. Field in all the reserves players for the FA and give rest to our 11. We should try and focus our energy in getting to the top 4 which should be the most important thing for this messed up season and in the Europa if possible (i wouldnt mind if we let that go as well). For this season I feel satisfied if we are in the top 4 without any trophies/titles than playing in the Europa again next year which is seriously a disgrace for a club like Chelsea who has achieved a lot. P.S: It would surely make me jump in joy if we can be in the top 4 and clinch the FA or the Europa but that is next to impossible right now.

I completely agree with u, i would do the same had we not been in the mess which is there already .... At the start when we were acquiring points for fun, i was all of the fact that Lampard should not be given an extension but after the entire Rafa thing plus the mess which we are in i would be among the first to say that Lampard should be here for another season. Same applies to Terry for now.

Fair enough! I respect your opinion but i dont think i m wrong in any way .. possibly sentimental!

I didnt say anything about buying 2 young players, did I? I m just referring to the fact that we need good experience and leadership especially when we are in transition. Once the transition is done and we have the players to fill in the void then we can start getting rid of the dead woods ...

Point taken... And my bad that I should have added that we need to channelize their leadership and experience. However i tend to also look at the positives and all the contribution provided by them, yes they have made terrible mistakes but who doesnt. And at the time when we are still to have a steady manager, there is no one to guide the young guns who are coming (i know u mite counter it by saying that the experience guys are responsible for the exit of the manager, then it would be the board to be blamed for giving so much leverage). Do we really have a leader on the field who can replace Terry or come close to him or players more passionate than these 2. United are the best example where the manager has been able to channelize the experience of the older players to good effect despite the injuries, that is something which needs to be done. Thats my opinion!