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Fulham 0-0 Chelsea

BlueLion.

By BlueLion.,
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chrismada9

chrismada9 1,948

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Only thing that scares me a bit is that Luiz doesn't speak English, and you could see how bad communication ended with Cech and Bran on the Liverpool game (little reminder)

He can't speak English, but Bosingwa, Alex, Ramires, Ferreira and Hilario can all speak to him in his native Portuguese. Language isn't really an issue when you have that in mind.

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Guest justin_3d

Guest justin_3d

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I have David Luiz, Lampard and Torres in my fantasy team.

Hope i can get some points from them! :)

And last I would love to see Essien-Ramirez starting then Essien-Mikel for this game.

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BlueLion.

BlueLion. 21,491

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West London derby promises drama

13th Feb 2011, In Articles, by Alex Hinsley Chelsea’s visit to Fulham on Valentine’s Evening does not necessarily pose the most attractive of billings as far as local sporting derbies are concerned.

Compared to Saturday’s rip-roaring Manchester derby – which saw a magnificent Wayne Rooney overhead kick settle a pulsating encounter – the West London clash between the defending Premier League champions and Mark Hughes’ much-improved Fulham side still proves to be a game with huge implications at both ends of the table.

The last five matches between the two local rivals have been thoroughly-entertaining affairs, and only a header from hero-turned-villain Michael Essien – who was later sent off – denied a resolute Fulham side as Chelsea won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in November 2010.

In typical fashion, Fulham – who have been the epitome of inconsistency this season – have actually found a semi-decent vein of form just prior to playing a team they have historically played second-fiddle to.

Last season’s magnificent Europa League run under Roy Hodgson – which saw them lose 2-1 after extra time in the final in Hamburg – was eventually overshadowed by Chelsea’s Double feat.

In their last ten matches, the Cottagers have lost just twice – but it is their impressive recent defensive record which makes for tough reading for Chelsea supporters.

Last term, Chelsea scored in 37 of their 38 Premier League matches, but they have already been denied by opposition shut-outs on seven occasions this season, and with Fulham boasting such a brilliant defensive record at Craven Cottage, any win by any scoreline should be seen as a credible return.

Fulham have yet to concede at home in the Premier League since the end of December, and have kept four clean sheets out of five in the league. More dauntingly, however, is the fact they have won their last five home games on the bounce, and only Peterborough have managed to breach the Fulham defence in that period – and that was a 6-2 thrashing of the League One side in the FA Cup!

A 4-0 demolition of Tottenham at the end of January underlines the form Mark Hughes’ charges are currently enjoying, and yet whilst Chelsea’s has been far from shabby when compared to their record towards the end of 2010, last weekend’s 1-0 home loss to Liverpool highlights Chelsea’s frailties.

Too many times this term have the Blues relied on Petr Cech – arguably the world’s best goalkeeper at present – to dig them out of rather deep holes. In fact, their 1-0 win over Fulham in November saw Cech produce a handful of spectacular and ultimately-crucial saves to help Chelsea crawl towards three massive points.

Branislav Ivanovic and Cech got themselves in a right royal mess last Sunday, and it was a second breakdown in communication between the two that led to Raul Meireles’ game-clinching goal.

Ivanovic may well be moved to right-back due to the arrival of David Luiz and José Bosingwa’s knock picked up on international duty possibly ruling him out of Monday’s clash – but the truth is Chelsea’s defence looks exceptionally frail at the moment, and Fulham are hardly goal-shy in front of their own fans.

The Cottagers are averaging more than three goals a game at present, and whilst Chelsea were struggling to even muster attempts on target against Liverpool, Fulham were incredibly unfortunate not to leave Villa Park with more than a nonetheless credible 2-2 draw.

Other concerns can be drawn from a strike force muted by Liverpool’s resilience; Didier Drogba was woefully out-of-sorts, Fernando Torres was undermined by thoughts of a romantic début against his old team and Nicolas Anelka was cancelled out by a stubborn rearguard action. Creativity and cutting edge were both missing last Sunday – whilst Chelsea also looked blunted by the absence of the injured Ramires.

Chelsea fans will hope that that particularly result is well out of the system, and lovers of cliché will be quick to state that form tends to “go out the window” on derby day, yet Chelsea’s recent form hardly screams out confidence. Coupled with an away record that is testament to both the competitiveness of the Premier League and a lack of confidence at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s failed title bid would at least look all the more respectable if Ancelotti’s men could muster a third successive victory away from home.

Bolton and most recently Sunderland have been on the wrong end of four-goal hidings in recent weeks, but both of those teams are hardly in the ground-shaking form which led to them being labelled the surprise packages of the season. Fulham are a different beast at present.

A rightful sense of arrogance after winning the Double last term and until October cruising to a second Premier League title might have seen Chelsea supporters pencil in three points on their fixture lists next to these West London derbies, but after an unbelievable mid-season capitulation, achieving those three points tomorrow would be a great achievement.

Not just because of Chelsea’s poor away form and stuttering confidence; not just because Fulham are in the typical bubble of form they usually enjoy prior to these clashes – but also because Tottenham won yesterday.

Sunderland gave Chelsea a stern examination a little under two weeks ago, but yesterday they seemed to lie down and allow Spurs to do their usual come-from-behind-and-win-2-1 routine. Granted Kieron Richardson nearly salvaged an unlikely draw with a late chip which clipped the crossbar, but Sunderland were a shadow of the team that contested a 4-2 cracker earlier this month.

Tottenham might be getting annoyingly predictable in the way they give Blues fans false hope – by going behind before coming back from the brink to dash any premature hopes of potential dropped points – but at least they get the job done.

And that puts pressure on Chelsea to go and make something of the other London derby; the one people don’t talk about so often. Arsenal-Tottenham, Tottenham-Chelsea, Chelsea-Arsenal – and even games featuring West Ham United – generate a lot of volume from passionate supporters, and are dates looked forward to as much as any other by football fans.

A win for either side tomorrow has massive implications for both teams – and that alone makes this a massive game.

Three points for Chelsea moves them back up to the ‘heights’ of fourth place – and a victory would come doubly important for the Blues; as it would not only see them wrestle back a Champions League place from Tottenham, but also see them move two points behind third-placed Manchester City with a game in hand to boot.

Conversely, Fulham could move as high as eighth (depending on the result of Bolton’s clash with Everton on Sunday afternoon) – should they manage to heap further misery on their local rivals.

Added pressure may come as the result of this game being the sole fixture on Monday – but there is guaranteed to be no love lost between these two ‘friendly rivals’ on Valentine’s Day.

Expect blood-and-thunder tackles and a bucket-load of passion, because the derby no-one cares about has suddenly got a lot riding on it.

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Henrique

Henrique 9,133

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EXCLUSIVE: Drogba SET TO BE DROPED!!!

Drogba set to be dropped for Fulham clash as Ancelotti looks to cater for £50m Torres

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1356701/Didier-Drogba-set-dropped-Fulham-clash.html#ixzz1DvA6suYF

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