REACTION: WINNING WITH OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

Carlo Ancelotti was pleased with his side's output in a narrow win despite failing to control the game against an impressive Porto side.
The Italian oversaw a sixth straight win under his leadership at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, but found it hard going on a greasy surface against the spritely Portuguese champions.
'I think that in the first half we found it difficult because we wanted to pass the ball in the centre and they were very close, in the second half after scoring we had some opportunities to score a second goal,' he analysed. 'At the end we were not able to keep the ball and control the game.
'[I was] not anxious but we had a difficulty to control the Porto attacking. They played very well, but it is normal to have a difficult game because these games have a lot of balance. It is good for us to win.
'We can play better, not always can we play our best', he continued. 'Sometimes we have to win without playing well. This is another important thing for the team, it is impossible to play well all the games. Sometimes we can win with other characteristics.'
Porto could have had an equaliser, with Cristian Rodriguez, Hulk and Silvestre Varela all going close, but Ancelotti insisted he was not surprised with the visitors' quality, and had praise for goalscorer Nicolas Anelka.
'I am not surprised because I know very well Porto and I know they are a very good team, they like to play football and did so tonight very well. It is not a surprise.
'Anelka is a great player, with Drogba and without Drogba. He can play alone in the centre of the attack and also together with Drogba. I am very happy for him because he is doing very well now.
'I think that the attacking play was good in the first half. We had a problem to maintain control in the second half.'
With Atletico Madrid drawing 0-0 with APOEL in the other game in Group D, our position has been strengthened further, and Ancelotti believes the win will help contribute towards a continued positive atmosphere among the squad.
'I think Chelsea and Porto have a lot of possibility to win this group but we have another five matches and I think that Atletico Madrid have a chance to create difficulties for us.
'I think it was important to win to maintain a good confidence in our play and a good atmosphere in the dressing room. I know very well it is impossible to win all the games. It will happen that we cannot win.'
Six games in though, all is well, and Blues fans will be keen to ensure Sunday's visit of Tottenham in the Premier League is not one of those games that we cannot win.
You can watch tonight's match again on Chelsea TV from midnight.

PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V PORTO

For the sixth consecutive season, Chelsea begin on the Champions League trail. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton put the team under starter's orders.

TALKING POINTS
The eight-month march to Madrid for the Champions League final begins with familiar visitors. Portugal's most successful team have lost on both their previous trips to the Bridge and a repeat, achieved without the in-form Didier Drogba, would maintain the feelgood factor generated by 100 per cent success in the Barclays Premier League.

If Chelsea manage to win the trophy after five semi-final and one final appearance, Carlo Ancelotti would become only the second manager to scoop the silverware twice with different teams. 

KEY STAT Porto have never kept a clean sheet on English soil in European competition.

Porto are third after four games in Portugal's Liga Sagres, which they have dominated the past four years. They have won both their home matches at the fortress Estadio do Dragao with ease.

Away, as is generally the problem with Porto in Europe, is a different matter. A 3-1 win at feeble Naval followed a listless 1-1 performance against tiny Paços de Ferreira. A curious facet is that both concessions were goals gifted to the opposition by Porto players.

The return of three wins and one draw so far will satisfy the directors at Porto, who rang the changes with seven out and eight in this summer. Manager Jesualdo Ferreira, 63, shipped out three important players for big money: left-back Aly Cissokho (€15m) and playmaker Lucho Gonzalez (€18m) and powerful striker Lisandro Lopez (€24m).

One of his less-heralded replacements has immediately made his mark, however. Columbia international striker Radamel Falcao (pictured below) has scored four goals in four games. Short, prolific wherever he has played (which means the Americas prior to his summer transfer to Portugal), the 23-year-old has stepped into Lopez's big boots with aplomb.

Porto will look to him for inspiration to overturn a dreadful winless record in the country. In 13 visits to England stretching back 35 years, Porto have lost 11 and drawn two. Chelsea have won five of our seven opening night fixtures in this competition. Last season's victims were Bordeaux, slaughtered 4-0.

A less welcome memory of last season's competition is the dreadful refereeing of the semi-final against Barcelona by Tom Henning Ovrebo and his linesmen. A legacy of Chelsea's frustration that evening is that Didier Drogba and José Bosingwa, both currently in fine form, are ruled out of this match. Despite his extraordinary performance that night, Ovrebo is booked to handle the group stage game between Juventus and Bordeaux this week.

Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira, Hilario, Deco and José Bosingwa will all be facing their former club. Porto are the only Portuguese opposition Chelsea have ever faced and in the two home and away meetings, the spoils have mostly gone to the hosts.

Chelsea are currently equal second seeds in the Champions League. The 32 clubs in this season's competition with their coefficients (based on the last five seasons in Europe) are listed below:

Barcelona 121.853
Chelsea 118.899
Liverpool 118.899
Man Utd 111.899
AC Milan 110.582
Arsenal 106.899
Sevilla 100.853
Bayern Munich 98.339
Lyon 91.033
Inter 87.582
Real Madrid 78.853
CSKA Moscow 71.525
Porto 68.292
AZ Alkmaar 64.826
Juventus 63.582
Rangers 56.575
Olympiacos 52.633
Marseille 48.033
Dynamo Kiev 46.370
Stuttgart 45.339
Fiorentina 42.582
Atlético Madrid 41.853
Bordeaux 40.033
Besiktas 32.445
Wolfsburg 21.339
Standard Liege 21.065
Maccabi Haifa 17.050
FC Zurich 14.050
Rubin Kazan 9.525
Unirea Urziceni 8.781
APOEL 4.016
Debreceni 1.633

This season's Champions League features 18 domestic league champions (including Porto), six runners-up, five third-placed finishers and three fourth placed teams.

All four teams in Group D have blue somewhere in their first choice strip. The pitting of Atlético into the same fray as Chelsea means that for the third successive season the Blues have the chance to sample the host city, in this case Madrid, ahead of the final.

Atlético's clash with APOEL, champions of Cyprus, will give us some indication of the strength of the unknown quantity from Nicosia.

Cypriot football appeared to be on the rise after Anorthosis Famagusta became the first team from their island to make the group stage of this competition a year ago. However, both sides are currently mid-table in the Marfin Laiki League after hesitant starts to the season.

The Spaniards are in an even lowlier position, having similarly lost and drawn their opening two games. They currently languish in one of the Primera's relegation positions.

Other Group D fixture
Tue 7.45pm Atlético Madrid v APOEL

For more briefing, click on the tabs above.

Seat-only tickets in hospitality areas are available for the game from £65. Call 0871 984 1955.

FLORENT MALOUDA: HEART AND ENERGY

Florent Malouda insists Chelsea's determination to win on Saturday will further induce the side's confidence as we prepare to begin the Champions League campaign.
The Frenchman scored his first goal of the season in a tough game against a sturdy Stoke side, as eventually Chelsea's 'heart and energy' proved too much for the hosts, and knows it stands us in good stead for tomorrow night.
'It's a wonderful feeling when you can win in the last minute of injury time,' said Malouda. 'We celebrated together because we had to dig deep in our hearts to find the energy to take that victory. It means a lot for us.
'It was a really tough game. We had to fight all over the pitch to win every ball and we were trying to play good football.
'We were waiting for that goal and in injury time it came. It is a real pleasure because we made a lot of effort and to win in this way gives us a lot of confidence.'
The winning goal, which secured the Blues a second stoppage time triumph after Hull, was the culmination of a dominating second half which saw Chelsea practically camped at the top of Stoke's box.
With only a narrow channel of space between Malouda and the net, the shot was an inch-perfect drill between the Stoke defence following some clever football from Chelsea.
The ball went from Michael Essien to Nicolas Anelka before our number 39 pulled it back for Malouda, who was just inside the box. Substitute keeper Steve Simonsen could only watch as Malouda's shot flew into the back of the net.
'I was expecting the ball from Nico and I just tried to put it on target because there were so many players in front of goal.
'In the end I was just happy to see the net moving. I think it surprised the keeper, he never saw the ball coming and he couldn't stop it.'
Stoke were more involved in the game during the first half, but after taking the lead they were forced onto the back foot by Chelsea.
Didier Drogba's exquisite equaliser was the perfect remedy for going a goal down as the Blues went in at half time, and once the second half began, it was Chelsea all the way.
'We play against teams who are making a lot of effort to stop our game,' explained Malouda. 'So in the first half they have to produce a lot of effort and in the second we are always pushing and they are playing deeper on the pitch. We knew that it would be hard for them in the second half.
'That is when we have the time to play and try to score. Of course we will try to improve the way we start games, but it is a good feeling that even in the last moment we can reach the victory.
'It was a difficult start after the international break, but as a team we reacted and showed the quality of our strikers, especially Didier who scored that wonderful goal in the first half.
'We have the quality, the energy and the heart to reach these results.'
And Malouda knows what the win proves to other sides: 'It proves we have ambition.
'We didn't start very well, we conceded a goal but we had to be patient, use the pitch a bit better and do the right moves at the right time. We deserved that late goal and it keeps us at the top of the league.'
Now it's time for European football to begin, and with his first goal for the 2009/10 season scored, Malouda is ready for Porto.
'It's always good to score because Chelsea is a big football club and we have to perform every time.
'We always play against big teams, the Premier League is tough and so is the Champions League, so we always have to play our best.
'Scoring gives me the confidence to work harder, now we will start the Champions League and there will be a lot of games, so it is good to have this confidence boost now.'

REACTION: LATE AND GREAT

Carlo Ancelotti was delighted with his side's never-say-die attitude after watching them earn a last-gasp winner at Stoke on Saturday.
It had looked as though we would have to settle for a point, the first time the maximum three would not have been achieved under the Italian, before Florent Malouda fired a low shot into the corner after four minutes of injury time inside the Britannia Stadium.
Having seen his side huff and puff for the entire second half in search of a winner, Ancelotti felt we were deserving of the win, our tenth straight in league action.
'I think that we got what we deserved, we tried to attack all the time and in the end we won the game, so I am very happy,' said the manager.
'It was a difficult game after Stoke scored first, but we had very good direction. At the end of the game we did very well, we had good pressure and good play, and we deserved it.
'This victory is very important because we started a very important period with the Champions League and we are now at the top of the league which is important. We have to continue and we have confidence with our play and there is a good atmosphere in the dressing room.'
Ancelotti also explained that we had not been caught cold by Stoke's physical and tenacious style, which earns them so many points at home.
'We expected it because we know them, Ray Wilkins and Paul Clement know this team and we were not surprised, we were ready for a physical game,' he said.
Opposition manager Tony Pulis was also impressed with Chelsea, and praised his own side's application.
'I thought we defended really well, they had lots of possession and they throw bodies forward. We've given them a game and mad them work for their result today,' he said.
'We haven't got the quality Chelsea have got, but our attitude and commitment will take us a long way.
'When you play against the best teams they wear you out, they keep the ball and your players have to work harder, and that's why a lot of late goals are scored in games.
'It's because players get tired and switch off. It's not unusual. The top four or five score a lot of late goals in games.'
Our late winner was laid on by sub Nicolas Anelka, who Ancelotti explained, had been rested after some heavy exertion on international duty, the same as Ricardo Carvalho and fellow second-half sub Michael Essien.
'They rest because they did two games on Wednesday and Saturday with their national team, and I had the possibility to change players and maintain a good condition and prepare them for the next game against Porto,' said the 50-year-old.
'It is normal that when you come in as a fresh player, other players are tired and they can do the difference. I think Kalou worked very hard for 60 minutes which was important for the team.'
You can re-watch the full 90 minutes exclusively on Chelsea TV from 6pm on Sunday.

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PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: STOKE CITY V CHELSEA

Domestic football is welcomed back with open arms after a highly eventful two weeks. With Chelsea aiming to maintain a 100 per cent start, club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton stake out Stoke.

TALKING POINTS
It's fifth hosting first, but not as many imagined it. Tony Pulis has masterminded Stoke City's best sequence on home soil since the days of his managerial namesake Waddington. All but three months of that 1973-75 spell was achieved with the talented former Chelsea midfielder Alan Hudson wearing the red and white stripes at the old Victoria Ground.

Stoke's new Britannia Stadium, perched on the Trent and Mersey Canal, can be a pleasant place to walk to. Last season's jaunt was a memorable one, not least because it produced several rare sights including a José Bosingwa left-foot scorcher into the net and, equally fascinatingly, the vision of a freeloading Potters fan tumbling (unharmed) from his vantage point in a tree behind an open corner of the ground. Perhaps the surprise of the first prompted the second.

The Blues' raiding right-back also set up a second for Nicolas Anelka to complete the scoring after Stoke, out-passed and outmanoeuvred for most of the match, rallied briefly.

KEY STAT Chelsea are looking to equal our club record 10 successive league wins, originally set between November 2005 and January 2006.

City have only lost twice at home in the league since that match, contributing greatly to their easy survival in the Barclays Premier League come last May, as well as providing their high placing this season - they have not yet won on their league travels.

Their goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson currently tops the clean sheets list with three. Chelsea are second top scorers this season with 10 goals, however, and have not lost at Stoke in the league since … 1975, towards the end of that record City streak.

Last September in this fixture, Chelsea were pursuing what would become a record-breaking sequence of away wins in the top flight and were well drilled in avoiding the throw-ins that had undone the likes of Arsenal when facing the Potters. Other teams got wise to Rory Delap's fierce barrage and it is now a less decisive weapon.

Prior to the two-week break for internationals, the Blues looked irresistible under Carlo Ancelotti. Statistics over recent seasons suggest that, despite the number of players travelling the globe to represent their country, Chelsea actually fare pretty well in the return to domestic action.

In the last two seasons there have been 12 games following internationals, and all but three have been won. The remainder were drawn, and all were home matches. However, when it is considered that all three stalemates were nil-nils, and two were struggling Newcastle and workaday Blackburn, perhaps we underestimate the effects at our peril. On the positive side, our record away win against Middlesbrough, 5-0, was recorded after one of these breaks.

Stoke bought sensibly in the summer, including our former centre-back, Robert Huth (pictured below). The Germany international made his Blues debut aged 17 back in 2002 and is warmly remembered at Chelsea principally for three reasons. Firstly, the lusty oomph applied by fans to his surname when it was announced in the team line-up; next the hammer thump he applied to long distance free-kicks; and finally his roguish transportation of several million pounds of footballer around the Stamford Bridge pitch on a groundsman's vehicle the day Chelsea were presented with the Premier League trophy.

Alan Shearer might be able to remind Chelsea's forwards that he is no respecter of reputations - as is they have forgotten.

If selected, he will need to be on his mettle. Chelsea are a more attack-minded force so far this season than last, attempting 109 shots (35 on target) over the first four league games, compared to 66 (20 on) at the start of 2008/9. The fit-again Didier Drogba has made a significant difference.

None of last season's top four have been shunted to Sunday this weekend. Liverpool have not suffered defeat to Burnley at Anfield since 1974. Arsenal return to Eastlands, scene of a classic 0-3 capitulation last season in which Chelsea's summer recruit Danny Sturridge earned and converted a late penalty. The last time second-placed Spurs earned all three points at home to United was in 2001.

Barclays Premier League fixtures
Saturday
Blackburn v Wolves 3pm
Liverpool v Burnley 3pm
Man City v Arsenal 3pm
Portsmouth v Bolton 3pm
Stoke v Chelsea 3pm
Sunderland v Hull 3pm
Tottenham v Manchester Utd 5.30pm - ESPN
Wigan v West Ham 3pm
Sunday
Birmingham v Aston Villa 12pm - Sky Sports
Fulham v Everton 4.15pm - Sky Sports

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Receive team news and follow the match via SMS alerts with Chelsea Mobile.

ANCELOTTI: POSITIVE EXPERIENCE

he international round of fixtures gave Carlo Ancelotti a rare chance to return to Italy for a few days but the Chelsea manager was soon back working at Cobham last week.
Today (Thursday) he welcomes most of his squad back too and with domestic football starting up again this weekend, Ancelotti has compared football in England with his homeland.
'There are differences,' he said, 'but everyone has their own way to prepare for a match. The difference that I see here in England is that there isn't so much pressure on the matches.
'People go to the stadium to see a spectacle. In Italy unfortunately it isn't like that. People there don't have this sense for spectacle. In Italy we still have violence, so I hope that in Italy it will change soon, and that people go to the stadium to see an exciting match, like in England, and to support their team - not using violence and racist taunts towards the players.
'It is something nice and interesting to see here [in England],' he added. 'I like it because all the stadiums are full and work very well. It's a very positive experience.'
On the pitch, Ancelotti's comparison identifies areas where each style of football wins out over the other.
'On a tactical level there is much more intensity in the game in England, but less tactical skills in comparison to Italian teams. In the Italian league the tactical system is very competitive there. Here, physically the rhythm is different.'
You can watch Carlo Ancelotti's press conference live on this website tomorrow (Friday).

GILES SMITH’S MIDWEEK VIEW

Giles Smith is in relaxed move in this week's column, anticipating watching plenty of quality football this season and next summer.


It's odd to think, but the World Cup in South Africa next year could very easily go ahead without the presence of two of the best players in the world. More than that - THE best two players in the world, according to some analysts.

Argentina, who just lost 3-1 at home to Brazil, are making a 24-carat hash of qualifying from the South America group, meaning that Lionel Messi, our friend from Barcelona, could well spend next summer watching the tournament on telly with the rest of us.

Well, not actually WITH the rest of us. He'll have his own telly, I'm fairly sure. But you know what I mean.

And Portugal, too, will be lucky to get anywhere near the competition on their present form in Group 1, so Cristiano Ronaldo, also, may be prevented from sharing with the globe his unique blend of talent and charm on what certain binding laws relating to the practice of journalism in the United Kingdom oblige me to describe as 'the biggest stage of all'.

Now, I don't know about you, but I occasionally detect, in the coverage of the pricey Real Madrid star's plight in this particular area, a certain tone. And I'm not sure it's a tone you would automatically describe as sympathetic. Indeed, when people contemplate the possibility of a Ronaldo-free South Africa, it's often hard to make out exactly what they're saying, on account of the Muttley-style sniggering and the pausing to pat mirthful tears from the corners of their eyes with a wadded hankie.

Here's my view, though. It's the World Cup that we're talking about. The whole point of the World Cup is, by definition, to bring together the best the world can offer at that point. Consequently, it stands to reason that any genuine football fan, with the game's best interests at heart and with a sincere desire to see football represented in the brightest possible light in the summer of 2010, would actively want as many of our time's finest footballers as possible to qualify for the tournament. Unless, of course, we're talking about Ronaldo, in which case, tough.

Still, if there's an overarching footballing lesson to be learned from the prospect of a Messi/Ronaldo vacuum at the heart of 2010, it is surely this: that football isn't about individuals, it's about teams. I've always clung to that belief. And since Fifa slapped Chelsea with a two-window transfer ban, I've clung to it harder than ever.

Frank Lampard, as ever, got it right this week when he spoke about how the ban could have the opposite effect from the one that is clearly intended - in other words, it could make the team stronger. Adversity, a general sense that backs are to the wall, a lingering feeling that something not quite right is afoot, and even the unprecedented security of players in their jobs (knowing that nobody is coming in for a while) - all of these things could work like cement on an already rock-solid squad morale.

In fact, I'm almost looking forward to it - especially when you factor in a break from being groundlessly linked with Franck Ribery in the tabloids, which I suspect all of us could do with.

As for fans of long-standing, well, a year-long stop to transfer activity (assuming it survives the club's appeal) is so much water off a broke duck's back, frankly. Some of us are veterans of the Eighties, when the club went (count 'em) FOUR ENTIRE YEARS without signing anybody of any description. Nothing to do with a heavy-handed and misguided Fifa disciplinary board on that occasion, and everything to do with the club having available funds of approximately 65 pence.

Imagine the impact of that, though, on the players: four years without having a single new boy wind up, tease about his trousers, make sing songs in front of everybody else, etc. No wonder dressing-room morale in those days was permanently lower than a dachshund's stomach.

What different times these are, though - and what a different sort of squad we have. And just to return to the 2010 World Cup for a moment, though: for me - and I say this without any undue prejudice or partisanship, and purely as an objective observer of the game with no axe to grind - the best two players in the world, as of the time of writing, are Frank Lampard and Michael Essien. Essien has already qualified, and Lampard is about to.

Meanwhile, the best left-back in the world is Ashley Cole, and he's in the same position, vis a vis South Africa, as Lampard. So is the best captain and centre back in the world, John Terry. True, the best goalkeeper in the world, Petr Cech, may have some trouble getting there. But I don't think South Africa has anything to worry about, best-players-in-the-world-wise. And neither do Chelsea.

PAT NEVIN: FUTURE CONCERNS

Many, many words have been written about events concerning Chelsea FC in the past five days. Now columnist and former player Pat Nevin discusses a few possible scenarios.

Happily all goes well in general according to the reports of our Chelsea stars on international duty at the moment. The African stars in particular have much to cheer about with Essien's Ghana, and the Ivory Coast featuring Kalou and Drogba all playing well and their countries either qualified or looking set fair for World Cup qualification.
So with Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley and Joe Cole along with Michael Ballack also looking dead certs for an exciting summer in South Africa, the club should be a cheery place when they all finally make their way back to the Cobham training ground. With any luck the rest of the international games this week will go just as well and vitally for Chelsea with no serious injuries to our lads.
This is now of course bordering on imperative with all that is hanging over the club at the moment. The African Cup of Nations was always something that every Chelsea fan has had in the back of his or her mind since the start of the season at least, with the certain loss of some of our key men for a month.
Serious as that is, along with the European bans still to be served after the extraordinary events in the Barcelona game last season, it all pales in contrast to the latest judgement to be handed down on the club from the governing bodies of the game.
The club is of course arguing vehemently against the severity of a two transfer window ban, but if in the fullness of time it must be served then it is impossible to imagine how it can be coped with.
If no signings can be made in January, I think with a fair wind and no injuries the squad can cope, but it will be horrendously tight with Kalou, Drogba, Essien and Mikel all missing for a month or so.
For me the bigger concern is actually the start of next season. If the squad cannot be strengthened in the summer, then all those above who will have had little or no rest at Fifa's World Cup, will be expected to keep going with absolutely no chance of a rest at any point. Squad rotation will be bordering on impossible for Ancelotti because there is nothing surer than the fact that some important Chelsea players will get injured at the World Cup and others will be jaded, if not down right exhausted, in the aftermath.
I wonder how Fifa would feel if some of these guys took it easy at the World Cup, or whisper it quietly, decided against going altogether in order to be faithful to the people who pay their wages week in week out? I think the tournament would be a considerably weakened event without a few of our best lads in it.

I doubt if that will happen, and sincerely hope it doesn't because international football is important not only to the sport, but to each country, its citizens and of course the players themselves who see it as the pinnacle of their careers, if of course they do well.
This is not the right time or the right forum to discuss the rights and wrongs of the 'tapping up question', but suffice to say that if Chelsea are found guilty and forced to serve the entire ban, I just hope the governing body has the intention of treating every club the same from now on and indeed retrospectively.
Looking further into the future I just hope two things do not happen. Firstly that Chelsea are forced to play players who are not fit and as such endanger their safety further because there are no available replacements.
The answer is of course that youngsters could be used in their place. That is all right up to a point, but if youngsters are thrown in too early out of necessity and they are not ready there are dangers for them too. They could struggle to get over disappointments if they do not perform well, but more than that if they are not physically ready, it could actually be dangerous for them to play against players as powerful as you come across in the Premier League.
What a shame it would be that if in the act of trying to safeguard the future of young players around the world, Fifa's actions actually led to the injuries of some youngsters from Chelsea.
Let's hope that does not come to pass, and that no players are injured, be they youngsters or international captains. Which I must admit is a dreadful link to last week's competition. I asked how many international captains are currently in the Chelsea squad?
As usual with these questions and the knowledge of you lot, there was a bit of debate about the right answer. Sheva (the Ukrainian skipper) had left within hours of me asking the question. And of course Essien captains Ghana when Appiah is not available, whilst Petr Cech has also been known to don the armband for his country on occasions.
The obvious ones which everyone got were of course John Terry, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba. The winner chosen at random turned out to be Chris Pearson from Colchester who got everything right, and he will receive his prize in the post soon.
Last week many of you sent in great questions, so this week I will use one sent by Shalom Ndiku, age 21, a Kenyan Chelsea fan studying in South Africa and a supporter of the Blues since 2003. No prize for him I am afraid but he does get his name on the official Chelsea website I suppose.
He asked, which current Chelsea player scored two goals in an FA Youth Cup final, but his team still lost 3-2?
If you think you know the answer, send it to me at pat.nevin@chelseafc.com and the winner who will be picked by my glamorous assistant, will receive a copy of the book Roy Wonder, the story of the great Chelsea striker Roy Bentley.

APOEL FC TICKET NEWS

Ticket sale dates for Chelsea's Champions League away clash with APOEL FC have been announced.
Seats for the game, which takes place on Wednesday 30 September, go on sale to supporters on the Uefa Away Scheme on Friday 11 September until Sunday 13 September at 2pm.
Season ticket holders can then purchase a ticket on Monday 14 September until 5pm on Tuesday 15 September.
After that, members can buy a seat for the game on Wednesday 16 September.
Tickets for the game are priced at £27 and Chelsea has received an allocation of 1200 seats for the match.
There are travel packages available through Thomas Cook

ESSIEN SHOOTS TO SOUTH AFRICA

Michael Essien became the first Chelsea player to actively qualify for the 2010 World Cup Finals, scoring in Ghana's Sunday win.
The Chelsea FC midfielder fired in at the near post on 53 minutes in a home game against Sudan, adding to a strike by fellow central midfielder, Inter's Sulley Muntari.
The final score was 2-0 which, with Benin and Mali drawing 1-1 earlier in the day, meant that Ghana's four wins out of four was enough to make them the first nation to emerge from the African qualifying competition.
In the 2006 World Cup, Ghana's first, they were the African nation that progressed furthest.
'It was so important to win, regardless of how we achieved the result,' Essien is reported to have said after Sunday's game. 'It is still special for us professionals to return home and bring joy to the people of Ghana.
'The side did not feel under pressure because we are used to playing in front of packed crowds like the one in Accra tonight. We did not let them down. It's a fantastic feeling to be the first African country to qualify for the first World Cup to be staged in Africa.'
Nigeria still have work to do to join Ghana following a late equaliser in their Sunday game.
With John Mikel Obi playing the full match, the Super Eagles drew 2-2 at home to Tunisia and remain two points behind the North Africans with only the top side going through. There are two matches left to play for each country, the next for Nigeria in October.
On Saturday, a big win for Ivory Coast left Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou needing just one point from six available to join Essien in South Africa.
Also on Saturday Brazil qualified but without injured Alex in their squad. Australia, Japan, The Netherlands, North Korea, South Korea and hosts South Africa are the other sides so far guaranteed participation.
Read Michael Essien's monthly blog on Chelsea FC.com

LIVERPOOL TICKET UPDATE

There have been further announcements made regarding Chelsea's Barclays Premier League clash with Liverpool.
Tickets for the game, which takes place at Stamford Bridge on Sunday 4 October, go on sale to members with 11 loyalty points or more tommorow (Tuesday).
These tickets are available from 7am online or 9am through the box office and call centre.
If you wish to receive all ticket news first, direct to your mobile, subscribe to the Chelsea SMS Alerts service.

WORLD CUP: DROGBA DELIGHT BUT DRAWS IN EUROPE

The participation of several of the Chelsea squad in next summer's World Cup Finals remains in doubt after weekend qualifiers.
Portugal's struggles took a slight upturn in fortune with a 1-1 draw away to group leaders Denmark, but the side coached by Carlos Queiroz still have much to do to make South Africa.
The Chelsea three of José Bosingwa, Ricardo Carvalho and Deco all played the whole game and Deco had a chance to score after Niclas Bendtner had given the home side the lead.
It took a late equaliser from debutant Liedson to earn the point that keeps Portuguese hopes alive. They are seven points off the top and three behind second-place Hungary where they travel to play on Wednesday. The top team in each group goes to the Finals automatically with the second-place sides entering a round of play-offs.
Petr Cech was beaten twice as Czech Republic were held to a draw at neighbours and group leaders Slovakia. The Chelsea goalkeeper had a busy night in a game that featured another equaliser inside the final 10 minutes. Slovakia were down to 10 men when they surrendered the lead.
Miroslav Stoch was on the Slovakian bench but was not called into action. The match was refereed by Tom Henning Ovrebo, the name at the centre of much controversy when Barcelona visited Stamford Bridge last season.
Slovakia have a seven-point lead over the Czechs who are five points behind second-placed Northern Ireland who have played a game more.
France are now struggling for automatic qualification after a 1-1 home draw against Romania. Nicolas Anelka played the full game but Florent Malouda was not named among the subs.
A single point won leaves the French four points behind group leaders Serbia. The two sides meet in Belgrade on Wednesday.
In the African World Cup qualifiers it is going far more smoothly for Ivory Coast who are now just a point away from a place in South Africa.
Didier Drogba scored twice in a 5-0 win over Burkina Faso, one of the goals direct from a free-kick. Salomon Kalou played the whole game, Drogba the first 84 minutes. There are two games to go for the Ivorians who have a 100 per cent record.
In friendly fixtures on Saturday, Frank Lampard was typically reliable from the penalty spot in England's home match against Slovenia, scoring a first-half opening goal in a 2-1 win.

The Chelsea midfielder was one of six England players substituted in the game with an important qualifier to come on Wednesday. He played the first-half only.
Ashley Cole and John Terry lasted the full 90 minutes, at the end of which Cole was named man of the match as he took his excellent club form onto the international stage.
Terry had a different central defence partner in each half and was not powerless to do anything about the away team's late consolation goal. When the game was still goalless, the captain headed a corner powerfully against the crossbar.
Michael Ballack played 80 minutes in Germany's 2-0 home friendly win over South Africa and hit the post with a header as well as having a hand in the first goal.
Yury Zhirkov was not fit to play in Russia's 3-0 win over Liechtenstein.
Chelsea reserve team midfielder Conor Clifford played for Republic of Ireland Under 19s in their opening match in a four-nation tournament but were denied a single-goal win by a late Dutch equaliser

UNDER 21 FIRSTS FOR STURRIDGE AND BRUMA

Daniel Sturridge and Michael Mancienne were Chelsea representatives in England Under 21s win in Macedonia on Friday.
The match was the start of a qualification campaign for the 2011 European Championships and although another Chelsea Academy product, Jack Cork, was on the bench, he was not called into action by Stuart Pearce.
England were a goal down at the break, Sturridge (pictured), who was starting his first game at Under-21 level, having had a first-half shot saved.
England equalised through West Ham's Freddie Sears and then a penalty was won when Sturridge and substitute Jack Wilshere linked up inside the area and the Arsenal youngster was fouled.
Sunderland's Lee Cattermole scored from the spot. Sturridge had previously made one sub appearance for the Under 21s. Mancienne now has 17 U21 caps.
Friday also saw a big moment for 17-year-old Jeffrey Bruma who made his debut for the Dutch Under 21 side, the defender playing the whole of a 2-0 home win over Finland. That too was a European Championship qualifier. Previously Bruma had played at Under 19 level.
Anton Rodgers, son of former Chelsea coach and now Reading manager Brendan, this week played in a tournament for Republic of Ireland U17s.
The midfielder who is a first year scholar with the Chelsea Academy scored in a 4-1 win over Romania in Poland on Friday, Ireland having lost 2-1 to both Sweden and Russia. Rodgers was substituted at half-time in the Sweden game. He had been brought on in the second half against Russia a day earlier.

COLE AND FERREIRA IN COBHAM ACTION

COLE AND FERREIRA IN COBHAM ACTION

Posted on: Fri 04 Sep 2009

Joe Cole and Paulo Ferreira's rehabilitation from knee injury took another step towards completion today (Friday) when they successfully came through a training ground match.
Cobham has been stripped of international footballers this week but the two much-capped players took part in a 60-minute game alongside and against a mix of Chelsea reserve and youth team squad members. Ross Turnbull and Hilario were the goalkeepers.
The outcome was 2-1 with Cole and Ferreira on the losing side, although the England midfielder did score his side's goal, netting after Ross Turnbull had done well to parry an Adam Phillip shot.

A personal duel between Cole and Turnbull was a sub-plot to the game. In the first-half Cole struck a post in following-up after another Turnbull save and after he had equalised, he saw an effort tipped onto the post by the recently-arrived keeper, Austrian striker Philipp Prosenik turning the rebound wide.
Early in the game Hilario tipped over a lob from Fabio Borini, but the Italian centre-forward continued on from his scoring form in the reserves this week by netting both the winning side's goals.
His first was slotted home after good work from Kaby and the winner, after Cole's equaliser, came after Hilario had initially halted the striker's run, but Borini emerged with the ball to finish.

Paulo Ferreira naturally was at right-back and looked full of running while in front of a watching Carlo Ancelotti, Cole played centrally behind the strikers.
'It's nice to be playing football again,' said Cole after the match. 'But I am under no illusions and this doesn't mean I am declaring myself fit. I am going to take every day as it comes and this game was part of the rehab. I am just trying to keep the knee strong and keep going forward.'
There will be action from the game in Inside Cobham on Chelsea TV at 6.30pm.

STATEMENT ON FIFA SANCTIONS

Chelsea Football Club has issued the following statement:
Chelsea will mount the strongest appeal possible following the decision of FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber over Gaël Kakuta.
The sanctions are without precedent to this level and totally disproportionate to the alleged offence and the financial penalty imposed.
We cannot comment further until we receive the full written rationale for this extraordinarily arbitrary decision.



The statement is in response to the following decision by FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber announced today (Thursday):
On the occasion of its last meeting held on 27 August 2009, the Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) was called to pass a decision in a contractual dispute opposing the French club Lens to the French player Gael Kakuta and the English club Chelsea.
The French club had lodged a claim with FIFA seeking compensation for breach of contract from the player and requesting also sporting sanctions to be imposed on the player and the English club for breach of contract and inducement to breach of contract respectively.
The DRC found that the player had indeed breached a contract signed with the French club. Equally, the DRC deemed it to be established that the English club induced the player to such a breach.
As a result the player was condemned to pay compensation in the amount of €780,000, for which the club, Chelsea, are jointly and severally liable, and sporting sanctions were imposed on both the player and Chelsea in accordance with art. 17 par. 3 and 4 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.
A restriction of four months on his eligibility to play in official matches has been imposed on Kakuta. Chelsea are banned from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for the two next entire and consecutive registration periods following the notification of the present decision.
Furthermore, the club, Chelsea, have to pay Lens training compensation in the amount of €130,000.

THE THURSDAY INTERVIEW: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DEBUT

Ten years ago this month a Chelsea team took to the Champions League stage for the first time. Chelseafc.com talks to members of that side about the mood and ambition at the time.

As Chelsea's name sat there proudly in the pot of eight top seeds at the Champions League draw last week (a position denied to such as Real Madrid, Inter and Juventus); and as we look at a list of Uefa rankings that show the club as the second most consistent side in European competition over the past five seasons, how easy has it become to forget that a mere 10 years ago we were excitedly pulling up a chair to Europe's top table for the very first time?

Yet September 1999 was indeed when Stamford Bridge hosted full blown Champions League football for the first time.

Thrilling progress during the Hoddle/Gullit/Vialli era led up to a third-place Premier League finish the campaign before and with a two-legged qualifier safely negotiated against Skonto Riga (or 'the Skontons' as TV pundit Barry Venison memorably referred to the side from Latvia), our name was pulled out with three others in the group stage draw. First game up…AC Milan at home!

'Your mind is half and half because one half wants the easiest group to go through but the other half wants to play the big ones, because that is what Champions League is all about. So yes it was special to get Milan.'

Those are recollections of Gustavo Poyet whose header against Leeds has put Chelsea into the Champions League qualifier in the first place. He describes the home match against Skonto Riga as feeling like a cup final knowing what the rewards were.

'All the time through your career you have thought you are able to play against the big teams and having the chance to bring Milan to Stamford Bridge was immense for all the players as well as the fans.

'It was a challenge to go on the pitch and see if we were able to compete with them. It was a big, big task and 0-0 here and 1-1 away meant we were at the same level.'

The Bridge at last decked out in the Champions League logos we had seen all over other English grounds for years before; the anthem played to a heaving stadium; legends like Maldini, Costacurta and Albertini plus big new signing Shevchenko in red and black; enthralling pass and move football; Gianfranco Zola hitting the post. It was a brilliant introduction for Chelsea to what the best of this competition was all about.

One player in blue that night did not find it new at all.

'I was used to it for sure,' nods Marcel Desailly, twice a winner of the European Cup who was lining up against his former team; but it was special for Chelsea.

'When you talked with Dennis Wise and others, they had never experienced that type of game and it really had some emotion.

'In the ground it was electric, but the type of atmosphere where you are feeling the people ready to support but at the same time you feel the crowd really anxious about how we are going to approach the evening.'

In the dressing room however, confidence was not lacking.

'We really believed that we could qualify from the group,' says Desailly. Opponents to come were Hertha Berlin and Galatasaray.

'We were coming into it having won the Cup Winners' Cup two seasons before and also we had won the Super Cup against Real Madrid,' points out Poyet.

Of course for us this was an extra step and I remember waiting the whole summer to play in it. We knew that we had the quality so we needed to get through the group and go from there.'

Fans happy that the team had not looked out of depth as they left the Milan game could have been forgiven for thinking the highpoint of this debut campaign had now passed. They were wrong.

'Halfway through the group stages we were in a difficult position because we needed to go to Galatasaray which is always a difficult place to go and to Milan before playing our last home game,' Poyet recounts. 'And we did it, with a 5-0 win and a 1-1 draw so it was an amazing second part of the group.

'Oh yes, I remember winning 5-0 in Turkey when Zola and Flo scored a lot,' smiles Desailly. 'What an experience! When you see the atmosphere, it was a great result.'

Berlin were then beaten 2-0 in the final home game with Didier Deschamps and Albert Ferrer netting their only Chelsea goals meant top spot in the group and access to what in those days was a second group stage.

Well into our stride by now, Marseille, Feyenoord and Lazio were not enough to prevent further progress into the knockout stages, even if the Italian club did inflict a first ever home defeat in Europe, despite a great Poyet goal.

'I think the memory of the game was the celebration really,' says the executor of a sweet 30-yarder. 'I don't know why I put the captain's armband over my head. The goal was not a header so I still don't know why. I remember first the goal and then the silly celebration!'

On to the quarter-final and can it really be that in 2009 drawing Barcelona in the Champions League results in the odd stifled yawn?

Imagine telling that to the thousands leaping around inside Stamford Bridge as Zola and Tore Andre Flo, outstanding as a strike pair through out, made it 3-0 before half time.

That Luis Figo pulled back a crucial away goal, and then an unusually cautious Chelsea had been seven minutes from going through at Camp Nou before total capitulation in extra-time, is a story too famous to need much re-telling.

Dejection is the word Desailly uses to describe his mood when it ended this way. Poyet just remains puzzled.

'The manager Luca Vialli decided not to play me in either leg against Barcelona and he needed someone to mark Pep Guardiola who was the central midfielder in the second game. Playing in Spain I had five consecutive years against Guardiola so 10 times for sure we had marked each other. For manager to pick somebody else to do that job in that kind of game was very disappointing.

'I will never agree with that decision but you have to be fair with the manager and with the team and it did work in the first game at home. Unfortunately it didn't work in the second one where we were destroyed.'

Our time to beat Barcelona would come in later years, but the 1999/2000 team had still announced Chelsea's arrival on this stage in superb style.

'In that period we were having difficulties away from home in England with the smaller teams because that was all about fighting spirit, English style, and the team tactically and technically was having much more ability to compete in the European game,' explains Desailly.

'We had a lot of players who were clever tactically. It was the good and the bad at the same time.'

'That Chelsea team was almost unique,' suggests Poyet. 'I don't think it happens in too many teams that so many players go on to become coaches and managers. It has been amazing and is maybe why that team is special, because we understood the game in such a way.

'The atmosphere in the stadium was unbelievable. Every European night at Stamford Bridge was special. At that time we were more a cup team than a championship team,' he adds, 'able to beat anyone on the day. We were winning cups every year. What was difficult for us was the consistency that you need to win the Premier League.'

And indeed as the team progressed in Europe, it did take over the season in most hearts and minds, even if the FA Cup was also won at the very end. Poyet admits this.

'Football players are human as well and of course if you are playing in the Premiership on Saturday and on Tuesday you have Milan or Barcelona or Lazio, in your mind all the time is the Champions League, even if you don't want it. Especially your first participation. If you play every year it becomes normal.

'For us I remember at the weekend everyone saying let's win this league game and after two or three goals we can relax and think about Tuesday.'

The birth of Champions League Chelsea was an important step forward for the club and an anniversary worth noting. But does it seem a whole decade ago to those who lived it close up?

'It is unbelievable how old we are!' exclaims Poyet. 'Times go past and you don't remember how long has gone.'

'Really? You are telling me it is 10 years ago?' Desailly queries before laughing out loud. 'It feels like it was yesterday. Amazing!'

1st Stage Group H
Chelsea 0-0 Milan	15 September 1999
Hertha Berlin 2-1 Chelsea	21 September 1999
Chelsea 1-0 Galatasaray	28 September 1999
Galatasaray 0-5 Chelsea	20 October 1999
Milan 1-1 Chelsea	26 October 1999
Chelsea 2-0 Hertha Berlin	3 November 1999

2nd Stage Group D
Chelsea 3-1 Feyenoord	24 November 1999
Lazio 0-0 Chelsea	7 December 1999
Marseille 1-0 Chelsea	29 February 2000
Chelsea 1-0 Marseille	8 March 2000
Feyenoord 1-3 Chelsea	14 March 2000
Chelsea 1-2 Lazio	22 March 2000

Quarter-Final
Chelsea 3-1 Barcelona	05 April 2000
Barcelona 5-1 Chelsea	18 April 2000

	Apps	Goals
G Ambrosetti	1+4	1
C Babayaro	13	1
S Dalla Bona	0+1
E de Goey	14
M Desailly	14
D Deschamps	13	1
R Di Matteo	3+6
A Ferrer	13	1
T Flo	13+1	8
J Harley	1+2
J Hogh	1+3
B Lambourde	0+2
F Leboeuf	12+1	1 pen
G Le Saux	2+1
J Morris	5+5
D Petrescu	11+2	1
G Poyet	9+3	1
C Sutton	2+4
E Thome	1
D Wise	12+1	4
G Zola	14	3

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SQUAD NAMED

The squad list for the group stage of this season's Champions League has been announced.
Clubs are allowed to submit an A List and a B List, both equally eligible for selection for games. Regulations mean the A List consists of the majority of the first team squad while young players who have been at Chelsea for a period of time make up List B.
The squad lists are:
A List
Petr Cech
Branislav Ivanovic
Ashley Cole
Michael Essien
Ricardo Carvalho
Frank Lampard
Joe Cole
Didier Drogba
John Mikel Obi
Michael Ballack
Florent Malouda
José Bosingwa
Yury Zhirkov
Deco
Salomon Kalou
Ross Turnbull
Daniel Sturridge
John Terry
Alex
Juliano Belletti
Nicolas Anelka
Henrique Hilario
Sam Hutchinson
B List
Rhys Taylor
Jeffrey Bruma
Gaël Kakuta
No club may have more than 25 players on List A during the season. Eight places on List A are reserved for 'locally trained players'.
A 'locally trained player' is either a 'club-trained player' or an 'association-trained player' and no club may have more than four 'association-trained players' listed among the eight.
A 'club-trained player' is a player who, between the age of 15 and 21, and irrespective of his nationality and age, has been registered with his current club for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or of 36 months.
In the case of Chelsea, an 'association-trained player' is a player who, between the age of 15 and 21 and irrespective of his nationality and age, has been registered with another club affiliated to the FA for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or of 36 months.
These regulations mean Chelsea's A List will contain 23 players for this season's group stage.
A player may be registered on List B if he is born on or after 1 January 1988 and has been eligible to play for Chelsea for any uninterrupted period of two years since his 15th birthday.
Following the submission of these lists, a club may register up to three new eligible players for the remaining matches, such registration completed by 1 February.

History of Soccer

Soccer is the most popular game in the world and millions of people watch the game and enjoy it but they are completely oblivious when it comes to knowing the history of the game. Nobody knows the exact date when the game was played but centuries ago around 1000BC, the Japanese are thought to have played a similar type of game. The Greeks and the Chinese are also thought to have played a similar game to soccer.

In the 1300s, during the reign of King Edward, anyone caught playing soccer was put behind bars as it was thought unsafe and a public bother. The ban was lifted in 1681 and soccer earned was allowed to play in England and in the 1800s, the game became so famous that they had soccer competitions once a year. After that major leagues started forming across the globe and soccer turned into a spectator sport. Soccer made its first appearance in Olympics in the Summer Olympic Games in 1900 where an English club team emerged winners.

Nowadays, the championships are played by national teams rather than clubs and this is one factor which has boosted the number of soccer fans as they cheered on their country. Today, soccer is mostly watched on television and millions of dollars have been spent on the game. The most popular leagues are the English Premier League, La Liga in Spain, Serie A in Italy and Bundas Liga in Germany. Soccer players have become superstars and are among the highest paid sportsman in the world.

NEXT FIXTURE

Saturday September 12

Time	Match
15:00	Blackburn RoversvWolverhampton Wanderers
15:00	LiverpoolvBurnley
15:00	Manchester CityvArsenal
15:00	PortsmouthvBolton Wanderers
15:00	Stoke CityvChelsea
15:00	SunderlandvHull City
15:00	Wigan AthleticvWest Ham United
17:30	Tottenham HotspurvManchester United

Sunday September 13

Time	Match
12:00	Birmingham CityvAston Villa
16:15	FulhamvEverton

Champions League - Rankings: Chelsea charge

Normally we take into account domestic and Champions League performances, plus the relative difficulty of each team's league, to find out who is the best team in Europe.
But with the Champions League group stage yet to start, this week's ladder of the continent's finest have been calculated purely on domestic performances.
That means Barcelona - last year's European champions - sit proud atop the fledgling table, alongside fellow big-hitters Chelsea , Juventus and Real Madrid.
All four teams are yet to drop points in their respective leagues, although the inclusion of the two Spanish outfits after having played just one game perhaps paints a distorted picture.
Equally, Olympiacos, who will face Arsenal once the group stage starts up, have played just once so far this season, so they claim joint fifth spot, along with Scottish champions Rangers, who won their third consecutive game of the new SPL season at the weekend.
Manchester United, yet to fully find their stride this season, take seventh place after their victory over Arsenal on Saturday with French champions Bordeaux joining them after a solid start to their Ligue 1 campaign.
Arsenal find themselves in joint 14th place after that defeat to United at Old Trafford, but they are in good company down there, with Italian champions Internazionale, who thumped city rivals Milan at the weekend, level on points.
Liverpool's patchy start to the new season is reflected in their position in our Power Rankings - Rafa Benitez's side lie in joint 21st with Milan.

REVELATIONS IN BLUES NEWS

Ray Wilkins looks ahead to the Carling Cup clash with neighbours QPR in tonight's Blues News at 6.30pm.
Our assistant first team coach understands the history between the two teams and knows QPR's turnout for the game will be at capacity. He also reveals Chelsea's tactics for the Carling Cup campaign.
'We are going for all four competitions and the Carling Cup is big for us,' said Wilkins. 'We might even use some of the younger players.'
After that, John Mikel Obi previews the international break and his upcoming fixture against Tunisia with Nigeria.
Youth team manager Dermot Drummy talks about his Academy squad training alongside the likes of Joe Cole and Paulo Ferreira, who remain at Cobham while their teammates head out on international duty.
And there is a full training ground report as well as footage of England's preparations as they head towards tomorrow's clash with Slovenia.

After that, there's full coverage of tonight's reserve match against Portsmouth, with pre- and post-match analysis, player interviews and expert opinion as the game unfolds.