PATIENCE PAYS OFF

The emphasis is on full-backs to provide attacking width this season and on Saturday they began smashing in goals too.

Ashley Cole became the first Chelsea defender to find the net this season with a fine move and finish for the third goal of an entertaining game. Following scoring success away at West Ham and Sunderland in past seasons, this was his first in front of the home fans at Stamford Bridge and continued a good start to the season for the left back and for the team.

'The other goals have been quite easy so this one felt a little bit special to score here and I am glad the way it went in,' acknowledged Cole after the 3-0 win over Burnley.

'When you play with people like Lamps he always knows where you are so I gave him the ball and carried on my run. I don't normally hit them as good as that, they normally go over, so I am very pleased that I hit the target and it is my aim this season to score more goals.

'The performance was up there with our game at Sunderland this season but this was our best home game,' he continued. 'We moved the ball very quickly and we had a lot of movement which always kills teams. We had a lot of chances and if we had scored in the first five or ten minutes then there would have been a lot more goals.'

Missing early opportunities was the one flaw in the display also highlighted by John Terry, who saw a shot of his own saved by keeper Brian Jensen.

'First half we had a lot of chances and maybe should have scored a couple earlier on,' the captain said, 'but they are a tough team and they made it difficult. They had a chance first half as well, which we are a little disappointed with, but overall I thought our football and the chances we made were fantastic.

'Their goalie is very good. We came up against him in the Carling Cup last season and he did very well then. He did very well again and kept them in it the first half because we could have been three or four up, but we kept our patience and kept going and it paid off.'

'When a lot of teams come here they seem to sit back,' added Cole, who was preceded in scoring by Michael Ballack and first Nicolas Anelka, 'but Burnley came at us a bit and it helped us and to get the goal just before half time gave us confidence. They had to come out a little bit more and create chances and spaces for us.

'This is my fourth season here now and it feels as if we are getting more close and more of a family and the spirit is better than I have ever seen it here. We are hungry to win, we didn't like losing last season and hopefully this season can be our year.'

With the side moving to the top of the table this weekend, Terry echoes that sentiment.

'We go away with the national sides now and four wins out of four is important. When you look at the overall performance, the midfielders are doing a lot of work for the team, Ash and José Bosingwa can bomb on and create chances, and I think all over the pitch we are working hard for each other because we are desperate to win the Premier League.'

SHEVA'S GOODBYE

Having agreed to return to Dynamo Kiev this weekend, Andriy Shevchenko has given a final goodbye interview to Chelseafc.com.

The 32-year-old opted to end his three-year stay at Stamford Bridge, the last of which was spent on loan at AC Milan, in favour of a return to his first club and the increased likelihood of regular football.

Looking back at his time in London, Shevchenko was able to acknowledge that he only rarely hit the heights of his earlier career, but his effort was never lacking.

'I think it is a good decision for me to go back to Ukraine, my home country where I started my career and to finish there,' he began.

'I always tried my best for Chelsea and it is only my decision to leave because I want to play regularly in games. I thank the club and Roman Abramovich very much, and everybody who has worked at the club and the players, I have many good friends here and a very good relationship with them and Carlo Ancelotti.

'I have big respect for him, he is not like a manager but a friend and he understands my decision, it is best for me.

'I feel when I played for Chelsea I received big support from the fans. I will remember for all my life this club and I hope I can come to the stadium and say "goodbye" to the fans, I want to send a message to thank them for their support and to enjoy their football and watching their team, I send my best thoughts for the team and hope that Chelsea wins many titles.'

Sheva, the club's record signing when he arrived in the summer of 2006, scored a number of memorable goals while with us, notably an FA Cup quarter-final winner against Tottenham and a late equaliser against Aston Villa on Boxing Day 2007, yet it is experiences away from the field that he will remember best.

'The best memories are the relationships with the players and the fans because it was three hard years and some games I played okay but many games I was out injured and every time I came onto the pitch I tried my best,' he explained.

'I know I scored some fantastic goals here, that Tottenham one was one of them, and it is another great memory for me. English football is one of the best leagues in the world and has wonderful fans with a very good attitude to football, so I will remember it well.'

In total Andriy made 77 appearances in Chelsea colours, scoring 22 times. Everybody at Chelsea wishes him well back home in Ukraine.

MY WEEK AT WORK: FLORENT MALOUDA

n the first of a new series, Florent Malouda takes a look back at the last seven days in his life to report the standout.

Each week we will be asking somebody from the club to cast their mind back and tell us what has grabbed their attention.

First up is the French winger, who is none too keen on a team-mate's clothing…

The best goal I have seen this week…

Was in the Champions League, there were a few good ones but I can't remember who, so I shall say my old team Lyon's home game against Anderlecht, the goal from Michel Bastos. This week Lisandro scored a hat-trick for them too, and there were a nice couple in there.

The best training performance…

Hmm can I say myself?! My self every day, I am the best trainer I have ever seen! Every day we train hard so it is difficult to pick one player in particular for this one.

And the worst…

Everybody has those days but this week nothing stands out from anyone. Some days things just don't work and you have to forget about it, but nobody stands out in the last few days. It can happen though!

Funniest moment…

Again, it's been quiet. Billy McCulloch is quiet at the moment so nobody is standing out. He is keeping everything for when we are in the hotel, so maybe over the weekend there will be something.

Worst clothing this week…

The worst clothing has to be Riccy Carvalho. He has had some jackets, I don't know where he gets them from but I don't want to go shopping in the same places!

I remember the fluffy one he had, I saw it on the cover of the magazine. He must have killed a dog or something. We should have to sign a document to avoid these kinds of things.

My favourite sound this week…

Boom Boom Boom from the Black Eyed Peas, it's nice.

Best food this week…

A fresh crab salad I ate at Marco after training at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. I went back that night to eat the same thing it was so good!

Best entertainment…

I have been a few times to the cinema lately to watch a few movies, so I am in that mood. The last one was G-Force 3D with the kids, which was a nice movie about guinea pigs.

The news story that stands out is…

The strange story with Calum Davenport, the West Ham player who was stabbed. It is incredible, I don't know how he is now but I hope he can recover quickly from that because it is really bad news, and a very strange incident.

And a special mention goes to…

That has to be my hairdresser, my designer. It looks like everybody likes this one so I will give her some encouragement!

TERRY EUROPE’S BEST

John Terry has been named Club Defender of the Year by Uefa at the Champions League draw in Monaco.

It is the third time the Chelsea captain has been handed the accolade, which was judged on performances in last season's Champions League and presented by Paolo Maldini.

He also won it last year and in 2005. Gerard Piqué (Barcelona) and Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United) were the other nominated defenders.

'What I try to do is come in to training and work very hard every day,' Terry said when asked what was behind his success. 'And not to be able to get my hands on the Champions League trophy, that is enough motivation for me. That is something I am aiming to do with Chelsea.'

Petr Cech was nominated for the Club Goalkeeper award which went to Man United's Edwin van der Sar.

Votes were cast by the coaches of the 16 teams that reached the knock-out stages of the competition. Best midfielder was Xavi and best forward was Lionel Messi, both of Barcelona.

SIGNING SESSION TOMORROW

Michael Ballack, Branislav Ivanovic and Yuri Zhirkov will help celebrate the launch of the new third kit with a signing session tomorrow.

The Stadium Megastore will host the trio of stars for two hours from 3pm on Thursday afternoon, where they'll meet fans and leave their mark on the new third kit.

This will be the first opportunity for fans to meet Zhirkov, who signed for the Blues in the summer, and it will also be Ivanovic's first signing session inside the Megastore.

Anyone planning to attend the Megastore signing should arrive early to avoid disappointment; we can also not guarantee everyone will get to meet the players.

Fans should note that only the new third kit will be signed by the Chelsea players.

Drogba Targets Improvement

Didier Drogba has warned Chelsea's rivals that the side will improve further under new boss Carlo Ancelotti.

The Blues are currently favourites to win the Premier League after three wins out of three in the top flight.

While the Blues have adapted well to Ancelotti's diamond and 'Christmas tree' formations, Drogba believes there is more to come.

He said: "The team is still improving, but we are not there yet. The good thing is we are winning at the moment and in the next weeks I hope we will get even better.

"We are starting to play the way the manager wants, even if he is still saying we can improve and we do have to improve.

"It is nice to win the games when you start like this and better for you to work during the week because you have a smile.

"There are a lot of teams involved at the top of the league at the moment but this is just the start.

"The picture will be better in two months and we will really see what is going to happen during the season."

STURRIDGE IN FOR RESERVE KICK-OFF

A new season brings a new coach and reserve team starts for Ross Turnbull and Daniel Sturridge.
The Barclays Premier Reserve League South gets underway tonight for Chelsea with a home match against last season's champions Aston Villa. Chelsea TV cameras will be there providing live coverage.
Steve Holland, who replaces Paul Clement (now a permanent member of the first team coaching staff) as reserve team manager selects Sturridge in an attack with last season's top scorer Fabio Borini. 
Sam Hutchinson, who made his second first team appearance at the weekend, is able to resume as reserve team captain, a position he held until his injury problems and there is good news regarding other players recently injured.
Gael Kakuta is back following the nasty ankle injury he suffered in February and will be joined in midfield by Michael Woods who also saw last season curtailed; in his case by knee surgery.
Dutch Under 19 international Jeffrey Bruma, usually a centre-back, looks set for a midfield role tonight.
Chelsea lost twice to Villa last season, each time by a narrow margin. At Griffin Park it was a 1-0 defeat and away a side containing Michael Essien went down 4-3 in a thrilling encounter.
The Chelsea line-up tonight is:
Ross Turnbull, Nana Ofori-Twumasi, Carl Magnay, Sam Hutchinson (c), Ben Gordon, Jeffrey Bruma, Michael Woods, Gael Kakuta, Fabio Borini, Daniel Sturridge, Jacopo Sala.
Subs: Rhys Taylor, Nikki Ahamed, Daniel Philliskirk, Adam Phillip, Gokhan Tore.
Aston Villa include former Norwich and Ipswich keeper Andy Marshall, recently signed from Coventry.
The Villa line up is:
Andy Marshall; Eric Lichaj, Shane Lowry, Moustapha Salifou, Ciaran Clark; Nathan Baker, Marc Albrighton, Isaiah Osbourne, Andreas Weimann, Chris Herd, Barry Bannan.
Subs: Matthew Roome, Elliott Parish, James Collins, Dominik Hofbauer, Gary Gardner.

Anelka Loving Blues Life

Nicolas Anelka admits he is ready to pledge the rest of his career to Chelsea.

The French star joined the Blues in January 2008 and last season he topped the Premier League's goalscoring charts.

Having already moved eight times in his career, the 30-year-old is now looking to stay put at Stamford Bridge.

"Before I came to Chelsea, I have always stated I wanted to play in a big club," he told L'Equipe.

"Today I don't want to move anymore. I am very happy here, to play and score for the club.

"I love Chelsea, I love the players I play with, I love playing in the Champions League and I want to stay here as long as possible. Now we will see what will happen."

WE WILL BE STRONGER

After two well-worked goals yesterday afternoon, Nicolas Anelka insists his understanding with Didier Drogba will only improve as the season progresses.
Sunday's game proved Chelsea's strike force are one of the most proficient in the league, as they set-up each others goals in the 2-0 win over our neighbours.
Now, with only three games of the season played, Anelka knows there is plenty more to come from the two front men, especially as they are still settling into Carlo Ancelotti's system and style of play.
'We wanted to play together and when we are on the pitch, I want him to score and he wants me to score,' said Anelka.
'We put the team first and if we can set-up some goals for each other, it is good.
'We are playing well, we have to know the system better, but game after game we will be better. We will have more games and we will be stronger.'
Ancelotti always had faith in his strikers and their abilities to play alongside one another and Sunday's fixture showed the Italian how their two styles can combine to create a danger to any defence.
But, describing Anelka as the 'complete striker', Ancelotti admitted Chelsea played better once our number 39 moved into the centre, just behind Drogba, than when he was out on the right.
Anelka himself is happy to play in any offensive position, although he knows that no matter where he plies his trade, being in a team like Chelsea can only help you succeed.
'It [the position] is not the same every time, last season I started up front alone, then I was on the right, now I am in the middle,' he explained.
'But when you play with a lot of big players you learn quickly, everybody is helping everybody and it is easy.
'He [Ancelotti] puts us on the pitch and we try to do our best, we want to play together, we like to play together and we are happy.'
Last season's Golden Boot winner will have his sights on the same award once more, but after our third win in a row, he knows the team's overall performance is more important than individual goals.
'Of course, it is always good to win a game, even better when we win against Fulham, because it is a derby and we enjoyed the game.
'We are strong; we know if we score first we have a good chance if winning games. Against Fulham we didn't concede any goals, we scored first and we looked strong.
'For me, it is always important to score, but I am very glad because first we won, although I always try to do better than last season.'

Ancelotti Delighted By Start

Carlo Ancelotti was delighted after Chelsea maintained their perfect start to the campaign with a 2-0 win at Fulham.

The Blues dominated throughout but had to wait until the 39th minute when Didier Drogba scored from a Nicolas Anelka assist.

Drogba then repaid the favour when he passed to Anelka who made no mistake on 76 minutes to seal the win.

Ancelotti told Sky Sports: "We have started very well because we have won all the matches.

CHELSEA TV EXCLUSIVE: DEFENSIVE LINES

Ricardo Carvalho is hoping for a more enjoyable day on Sunday than the last time he played at Craven Cottage while also anticipating a good test against an old colleague.
Fulham's new signing from Newcastle, Damien Duff, was part of the Chelsea squad that won back-to-back league titles with Carvalho and our central defender, who is looking to return this weekend having been rested at Sunderland, rates the winger as still a threat.
'It will be difficult because Duffer has got quality and he can change a game,' Carvalho told Chelsea TV's Inside Cobham programme, 'but you have to prove you are stronger than Fulham and fight them. After that our qualities come and you are better than them.'
Unfortunately last December Chelsea couldn't prove superiority over our neighbours who fought back with a late Clint Dempsey equaliser to draw 2-2.
'It was my first game after two months out injured,' recalls Carvalho.
'Alex got injured when we were losing already 1-0 and I came on and after that we scored two and were winning 2-1. Then in the last minute there was a corner and no-one was marking the man and it cost us two points.
'Afterwards Scolari was asking who should mark that man and I said I don't know, I was with my man.'
So far this season it has been early rather than late goals breaching the Chelsea defence, happily not costing any points.
'The goals have been a little bit lucky for the opponents,' Carvalho believes, 'but in the Hull game we also had luck because we scored in the last minutes but we deserved it because we created more chances.
'But of course we have to start the games better than we are.'
Chelsea TV will show the Fulham game in full from midnight on Sunday.

PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: FULHAM V CHELSEA

From the longest away trip to the shortest. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton prepare for derby Sunday.

TALKING POINTS
Since Fulham's elevation to the upper tier in 2001 Chelsea have failed to score just twice against our SW6 neighbours.

Yet the issue the Blues have with scoring goals at the moment is not so much whether, but when.

Chelsea have ceded first strike to opponents in the last four matches and gone on to win three, beginning with last season's FA Cup final, and draw one: the Community Shield clash with Manchester United, won on penalties.

That is a turnaround from the period of management under Luiz Felipe Scolari. Up to mid-January 2009 under the Brazilian, Chelsea had only conceded goals in seven Barclays Premier League games. In all but two of those (Spurs and Arsenal) the opposition scored first. More tellingly, on only one occasion did Chelsea recover to win the game. That sequence ended with a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage in which Fulham led and then came from behind to grab an ill-deserved point.

There was no such trend under Scolari's temporary replacement, Guus Hiddink, and the same ability to respond to adversity has shown itself under Carlo Ancelotti's new system.

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce was as impressed by the Blues' organisation as he was by the at-times mesmerising passing and movement.

'They have very good players and the system they played - there has been much talk about it,' he said. 'We found it very, very difficult to play against.

'It seemed at times as if we'd had a man sent off, we found it that difficult.'

The beauty of the diamond when it functions correctly is that it allows such fluid movement that there always seems an extra man available.  

KEY STAT Frank Lampard needs one goal to become our clear fifth all-time scorer ahead of Jimmy Greaves's. They both have scored 132 goals.

A small sideshow of the Sunderland game was Frank Lampard equalling the prolific but too-short-lived Greaves. It seems amazing that a midfielder now has the 150 of legends Roy Bentley and Peter Osgood in his sights. Stamford Bridge immortality awaits.

Fulham's midweek business was a step towards qualification for the Europa League at home to Russian side Amkar. Chelsea's two extra days rest might have counted for more had this weekend's match been a Saturday kick-off.

Two Chelsea old boys may be involved on Sunday: new signing Damien Duff - twice a champion, with warm memories of the Blues and the affection of Stamford Bridge supporters; and first team coach Ray Lewington, who was the diligent fetcher-and-carrier for fellow midfielder Ray Wilkins after the pair broke through the Chelsea junior ranks in the mid-Seventies.

There are some intriguing other matches this weekend, not least the visit of Tottenham, who have, undeniably, started brightly (and whom Chelsea face in three weeks' time) to West Ham.

Don't expect much from Wigan, whose chairman Dave Whelan is renowned as part of the Fergie fan club: all four of United's visits has ended in an away win. Meanwhile, Portsmouth have not beaten Arsenal for 51 years, and rapidly-imploding Villa have beaten Liverpool just twice in ten years.

Barclays Premier League fixtures
Saturday (all 3pm)
Arsenal v Portsmouth
Birmingham v Stoke
Hull v Bolton
Man City v Wolves
Sunderland v Blackburn
Wigan v Man Utd
Sunday
West Ham v Tottenham 1.30pm - ESPN
Burnley v Everton 3pm
Fulham v Chelsea 4pm - Sky Sports
Monday
Liverpool v Aston Villa 8pm - ESPN


For more briefing click on tabs above.

GOAL-SCORING DELIGHT

A converted penalty in the 61st minute against Sunderland saw another milestone reached for Frank Lampard, adding to a long list already in the bag.
Jimmy Greaves scored 132 goals during his four years at the club, a tally equalled by our vice-captain on Tuesday evening as he put the Blues ahead at the Stadium of Light, making him the fifth-equal highest scorer ever to wear a Chelsea shirt.
'I'm delighted with that,' said Lampard. 'Jimmy is a goal-scoring legend and I'm sure he did it in a lot less games than I did.
'I'm very pleased to be up there with him and just want to keep on scoring goals for Chelsea, especially important ones that help us win games.'
Chelsea's Player of the Year is no stranger to breaking records, and becoming our highest scoring midfielder ever is already one on his list, but, forever the team player, there are more important achievements Lampard wants to accomplish.
'Personal ones [achievements] are nice, but not as important as silverware,' explained the two-time FA Cup and League title winner.
'When you look back on your career you look at what you won as part of a team. I'm much more proud of winning Premier Leagues and FA Cups with Chelsea.
'Although the records I've gained and am getting now was something I never thought of when I joined Chelsea. Getting Player of the Year and scoring records are very nice for me personally.'
Chelsea were first to concede on Tuesday night, against the run of play, and were forced into another comeback under Carlo Ancelotti's guidance.
It's the third time in a row the Blues have been first to go behind this season, initially the Community Shield, then Hull before Tuesday's eventual 3-1 win.
However, Chelsea were dominant on Tuesday and it only seemed like a matter of time before we would come back and close the gap, a point Lampard agrees with.
'They [Sunderland] had one shot in the first half and it was deflected into [Darren] Bent's path and he took it well. But other than that we dominated the game.
'We lacked a little bit of the killer touch in the first half but in the second we certainly had that.
'It was as good a performance from an away team for a while because we moved the ball and created chances. We were fantastic.'
Steve Bruce's Sunderland were simply outplayed on Tuesday evening, but regardless of the final score, they put in a spirited performance in front of their home fans. Now for Lampard, League success is the objective.
'Hull was a very difficult game and Sunderland was potentially very difficult too. Steve Bruce was always going to have them flying.
'It's a long way to go [in the League] and it's just a good start. Of course you want to get your noses in front early on and if we can get a good start and not have the mid-season we had last year then we'll have a great chance.'

Wembley Stadium - The Heart of English Football

It's not that long ago, really, that the only football matches played at Wembley were England internationals and FA Cup Finals. Then the League Cup Final, in 1967, between QPR and WBA was played at the stadium instead of being a two-legged tie.

Now, of course, football matches held at Wembley Stadium are no longer such a novelty - and they are also, thankfully, a much better experience for the spectator.

Now I'm not deriding the old Empire Stadium, as it was officially known, as it hosted some wonderful matches during its three quarters of a century. But even its most ardent supporters must admit that it was showing its age - to such an extent that more than just a 'facelift' was required to bring it into the twenty first century. When it was changed into an all-seater stadium, some of the seating put in had awful views and no leg room and, if you wanted to go to the toilet you had to be prepared to miss a good part of the match. Walking round the concourse beneath the stands really was like going back fifty years.

Not any more! The 'new' Wembley - or the 'almost new' Wembley now, I suppose we should call it, is a magnificent experience.

Let's face it, anyone who has been to Old Trafford, the Emirates Stadium, Eastlands or similar state-of-the-art football grounds, will have high expectations nowadays. Grounds such as these have set remarkably high standards - there can't be any European countries with as many wonderful stadiums. And Wembley loses nothing in comparison with any of them.

One of only five stadiums that FIFA has given a Five Star rating, Wembley is the second largest ground in Europe. Only Barcelona's Nou Camp holds more spectators than Wembley's 90,000 and I know where I'd rather be watching a match in the pouring rain! All seats at Wembley are undercover and the leg room now is such that you don't have to sit with your knees almost touching your nose all game.

And as for the toilets - well, I'll just say that I've been in Five Star hotels with less impressive facilities. And, with over two and a half thousand around the ground, you've almost got time to nip to the loo while a substitution is being made.

A lot was made of the inadequacies of the Wembley pitch for a while - the FA Cup semi-finalists in 2009 being especially critical. By the time the end of season round of Play Offs, internationals and the FA Cup Final itself came round, though, it had begun to look as if the initial teething problems had been dealt with.

The 'new' Wembley Stadium had to accept a good deal of criticism in the construction days. Spiralling budgets and missed deadlines led to an undisguised skepticism from many journalists and football supporters.

Now that people have been to the stadium, though, and enjoyed matches there, there can be little doubt that the whole experience has been a massive success.

If you've not been to Wembley yet, then take in a match as soon as you can. It would probably be best to use public transport to get there - Wembley Park and Wembley Central Underground stations and Wembley railway Station are all an easy walk away - and as soon as you see that magnificent arch towering above, you'll know you're in for a wonderful experience.