With the PFA Player of the Year, or POTY, nominations being announced, a lot has been told about the players who might end up picking up the award at the annual gala ceremony. 2 players from Manchester United and Chelsea are joined by players from Liverpool and Tottenham this year.

Let’s have a look at those who have been considered for this prestigious award, in alphabetical order.

Eden Hazard

One of the most hyped transfers the English Premier League has seen. Considering that this year is his debut season, Eden Hazard’s been quite impressive for Chelsea, both domestically and in Europe. 30 million pounds were thrown out for him and at the age of 22, people expect him to become much better. He has 9 goals and 9 assists to his name in the Premier League with 3 more in domestic cups.

His turn of pace, acceleration and trickery have caught the eye of the Chelsea faithful who were in desperate need of someone who could do that. Gone are the days when Robben and Duff would weave their magic on the wings. Hazard could emulate the kind of role the wingers played in Chelsea’s success.

However, one problem the Belgian has faced this season is his consistency. He started off brightly, breaking records here and there. As the season dragged on, Hazard lost his shine and Chelsea began to plummet. Though he somewhat regained his form, this inconsistency could rule him out of the POTY and put him in as a serious contender for Young POTY.

Gareth Bale

A late goal by the Welshman against Norwich at the end of January rescued Tottenham a point to take back home. Since that day, he has netted 11 times in just 720 minutes. With 17 goals to his name in the EPL, he’s just short by five from the top of the goal-scoring charts. There was a time when his ex manager wanted to exchange him and 5 million pounds to sign Downing, but Bale has literally proved everyone who has ever doubted him wrong.

With the loss of players like Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart, Tottenham needed a hero and the Welshman stepped up in dramatic fashion for his Portuguese manager. With other new recruits by his side, Tottenham were turning their fortunes around and challenging for a Champions League spot. It took just a run of few games for the English media to fall in love with him and christen him the ‘Welsh Ronaldo’.

Problem with him however is that he had a very quiet start to the season. 9 goals in the first 19 games would have easily ruled him out of a chance of winning this year’s award. This, combined with his reputation for diving and simulation, might just push him further away from the podium on the 28th of April.

Juan Mata

The Chelsea faithful never thought they would ever see someone like Gianfranco Zola again. Then Andre Villas Boas signed the Spaniard from Valencia for 28 million pounds, and Chelsea’s romance with beautiful football was rekindled. Without him, Chelsea would have had a much more embarrassing season than they have endured so far.

His touch is by far one of the best you could see. Small, quick and skilful – all packed together in 1.74 meters. As of now, he leads the Premier League table of assists, and could add more before the season ends. Chelsea’s reliance on the Spaniard has stretched from notching important goals and assists and helping Fernando Torres regain his scoring form.

Play-makers usually weave their magic and create opportunities, but in comparison to the other nominations, Mata is  lacking in the goals department.  While most of the nominees are well cemented at the top spots of the goal-scoring list, Mata balances this with his number of assists. Moreover Chelsea seem to suffer when he isn’t playing extraordinarily.

Luis Suarez

Whatever you might think of him, you can’t deny what he does on the pitch. With immense versatility and capable of  playing in the No.10 and No.9 role, the Uruguayan has garnered the reputation of being a poacher, one who makes sure that a 50-50 chance ends up in the back of the net.

As seen against Chelsea, he scored the goal that gave Liverpool a very important point. He can turn matches around in a split second, something Liverpool survive on. His ability to create and score has made sure that Brendan Rodgers always has a plan B. With 23 goals scored and 5 assists to his name, Suarez ends up as one of the favourites to pick up the award on the 28th.

Once again, there’s always a bad side to the nominees. Suarez’s reputation is one of the worst in the Premier League. From simulation to scandals, he’s done it all. His recent appetite also includes a certain Serbian, something the PFA might think twice about.

Michael Carrick

“It’s hard to believe it’s not Scholes, it’s Carrick, you know “ serenaded the United away section at Loftus road. Though he might not be as loved as the Ginger Prince, Carrick has turned into a favourite for football-watching neutrals. At the age of 31, he’s playing at his peak and the nomination for this award has been longtime coming.

He is arguably the best passer in the league. He has tremendous vision to increase or decrease the width of play. Apart from that, his defensive contributions to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have turned him into an instant favourite at Old Trafford. He has been one of the biggest reasons why United have been able to churn out results at the business end of the season.

Why he doesn’t stand a fair chance in winning this award? He does not score. We live in a world where the quote – “Strikers win games and defenders win Championships”  is often forgotten. He does not have the ability to turn the game around under his belt. If previous winners could give a hint towards who would bag the award, Carrick could already be out of the race.

Robin van Persie

Another big favourite to grab this award. Following his move from Arsenal to United, van Persie has been a vital cog in Sir Alex’s strategy of grabbing the title back from their noisy neighbours. He can score and assist as well, and the current holder of the award will probably end up as an English champion at the end of this season.

He boasts 21 goals and 8 assists. 2 goals behind Suarez and 3 assists in front. Saying that the Dutchman has had a huge impact in this year’s title race would be an understatement. He has been pivotal in most of the big games they have played, and was very reliable throughout the season. He has had 5 match winning goals, which means that he has been directly responsible for 15 points that United have gathered.

However, he’s lost his goal-scoring touch as the season comes to a close. Since the middle of February, he has suffered an embarrassing goal drought. Moreover, he does not display the versatility the other nominees show. It could bite him hard when the prestigious night arrives.

Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio celebrates after the Barclays Premier League match against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on April 14, 2013. (Getty Images)

Paolo Di Canio’s return to the English Premier League might have been clouded over doubts of his love for Mussolini and fascism, but the Tyne-Wear derby might just be the highest point in his sparkling managerial career.

A well-known figure in the English Premier League, Di Canio arrived from Lazio for 1.5 million and played a pivotal role in helping West Ham United secure European qualification. He was awarded the FIFA Fair Play award in 2001, and his goal against Wimbledon was voted as the Premiership’s goal of the decade by a Sky Sports News poll.

At Swindon, Di Canio helped achieve promotion to League One and caused an upset by beating Wigan in an FA Cup tie. However, his erratic behaviour as manager always found the headlines as he once subbed a goalkeeper just 21 minutes into the game. That’s not all; his antics in the technical area saw him sent to the stands after kicking one of his own players.

The good side of him however is usually overshadowed. He was willing to pay around 30,000 pounds out of his own pocket to keep loaned players at the club and once worked into the night alongside 200 volunteers to clear a snow-covered pitch of County Road. He resigned as manager of Swindon town as a request for new ownership of the club was turned down by the Football League.

There are many reasons why you would think that the Sunderland board took a chance with sacking Martin O’Neill and signing someone as controversial as Di Canio. However, one can also notice that the English Premier League has lacked passion in the technical area for a long time now.

Jose Mourinho was probably the last manager to have showed this much emotion on the touchline. Andre Villas Boas looked set to continue that trend, but even he has mellowed with time. Di Canio’s knee-sliding celebration has more than confirmed that passion in the sidelines is back, which can be doubled if Mourinho chooses to return to the Premier League once again.

Paolo Di Canio holds up 3 fingers after the third Sunderland goal during the Barclays Premier League match against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on April 14, 2013. (Getty Images)

To anyone who has seen Di Canio manage a team for the first time, it was something out of the ordinary. People who have followed him from the days of Swindon however, would beg to differ. Characters like Di Canio are needed in the Premier League. He is someone who would get as excited over a 5-a-side, under-12 tournament, as someone would at reaching the Champions League final.

Di Canio radiates confidence. As the Tyne-Wear derby was coming to a close, Alan Pardew hung his head in shame as Di Canio jumped for joy, making it seem like he had scored a hat-trick.

Apart from the passion he brings to the Black Cats, Di Canio is a motivator. He preaches football in every sense. During O’Neill’s last two games in charge, speculation was rife about his departure in the North-East. Against Norwich the team was uninspiring, and they barely made an effort against Manchester United. It was almost like they were waiting for someone new to come along and show them the path. They looked uninterested and laboured throughout the games as O’Neill looked on helplessly from the sideline.

This is where Di Canio can stir things around. With players like Adam Johnson, Danny Graham and Stephane Sessegnon, this club could end up somewhere in the mid-table under the Italian next season. Di Canio is strict and sticks to basic principles in his coaching methods.

Goalkeeper Simone Mignolet recently revealed how Di Canio was trying to bring the team confidence together. This is what he said about his methods: “He wants us to be all together as a unit, so if we go out on to the training pitch, he wants us to go out all together and if we eat, he wants us to eat all together and I think that’s a good thing.

“He wants us to do everything together, just the same as his tactical work he does on the pitch. He wants us to move as a group, as a unit and he wants us to win games not by individuals, but as a whole team.”

This reminds you of the classic Mourinho method, where players loved each other and the manager like they were a second family away from home. Most importantly, Di Canio knows what it means to play for the shirt. He knows how the fans feel and he connects himself with that.

Di Canio and Mourinho are rather similar. Sunderland fans chanted the iconic Di Canio chant against Newcastle. First created by the Lazio fans, it was also heard during his time at West Ham and Swindon. At Chelsea, Mourinho too had a chant to his name. And during their post-match press conferences, they both went on to tell the fans to sing the names of the players instead of theirs.

On the outside, managers like Mourinho and Di Canio look like the last people on earth who would think about being humble, but when they do, it really makes a good impression.

The Italian went on to say that he could lead Sunderland to the top of the Premier League one day, but the players need to keep their heads down and keep themselves in the division first. They have two massive six-pointers against relegation-threatened Stoke City and Aston Villa in their remaining fixtures. For Di Canio and his boys these are the must-win games. Nothing other than 3 points will do.

Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio (c) celebrates with the team after their third goal against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on April 14, 2013. (Getty Images)

The other games involve matches against the top-side of the table, namely, Everton and Tottenham. These will be tough fixtures and Sunderland must look to steal at least a point or cause an upset. Then there is Southampton as well who are 4 points above Sunderland.

If they do avoid the drop, the next season brings fresh possibilities. Di Canio will obviously have a larger transfer kitty than that he had at Swindon, plus he would have time to experiment with his team. This would show the better side of Di Canio’s managerial prowess as opposed to now, where he has been asked to lead a team out a crisis.

Signing any player or any manager involves a risk, a risk of the player being injured on debut or a manager not picking up a single point in a run of 10 games. However, the risk of signing the enigmatic Paolo Di Canio might just pay off for Sunderland in the long run.

“The Premier League loses Balotelli, and gets Paolo Di Canio,” was what one banner read at St. James’ Park. And this could very well turn out to be the quote of the season if Sunderland manage to survive the drop.

Date – 29th of March 2013

Kick-off – 6:00 PM (CET)

TV – Eurosport

Tournament – NextGen Series

Aston Villa‘s win over Sporting Lisbon sets up an all-English final with Chelsea as the NextGen series comes to a close. Chelsea were forced by Arsenal into extra-time after the Gunners came back from a 3-1 deficit. Chelsea won the game with a late winner from captain Lewis Baker.

Aston Villa were also taken into extra time after regulation time ended at 1-1. They, however, scored two goals against a defiant Sporting side as they cemented a berth in the NextGen final.

Chelsea’s expected lineup tomorrow (4-2-3-1) - Beeney; Christensen, Davey, Ake, Wright; Loftus-Cheek, Baker; Hunter, Boga, Kiwomya; Feruz

News – Chelsea should have Nathan Ake back as he made the trip back to Italy after training with the first team for a potential spot in the squad that lost to Southampton, but will be without Nditi who picked up an ankle injury.

Dermot Drummy might entertain the idea of bringing in young Conor Hunte, who played a pivotal role in Chelsea’s revival against Arsenal after being 1-0 down. John Swift is another player who could be considered after providing the match-winning assist against Arsenal.

If Nathan Ake returns, then Daniel Pappoe will be on the bench after starting against Arsenal and not putting in a decent enough show for the boss. Mitchell Beeney had a good game despite a few eye-popping mistakes. Jamal Blackman could also be considered for the game after putting in a good show against Juventus.

Aston Villa’s expected lineup tomorrow (4-4-2) – Watkins; Kinsella, Lewis, Donacien, Webb; Grealish, Lyden, Carruthers,  Barton; Robinson, Burke

News - Villa will not have the services of top-goalscorer Michael Drennan up-front. Tony McAndrew will pair Burke once again with Robinson.

Captain Carruthers should retain his position once again and look to control the midfield alongside Lyden against Chelsea’s talented Loftus-Cheek and Baker.

Grealish will also get the nod from the gaffer on the left-wing. He made his presence felt against Sporting and won’t hesitate to do the same again in the final. There were also concerns about goalkeeper Watkins’ fitness. He has however shaken of those concerns and will look to start the match.

Chelsea will play attractive football, as they did against Arsenal in the second half. The major problem all 4 teams faced was to get used to the poor state of the pitch. However, after their semi-final ties and a few training sessions there, they should be buzzing to face each other. From the start of this season, Aston Villa have shown immense work-rate, and that won them the game against Sporting. Unlike Chelsea, who completely shut down Arsenal in extra-time, Sporting Lisbon were constantly threatening Aston Villa.

For Chelsea, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Lewis Baker will be decisive while Villa will be resting their hopes on Robinson and Carruthers to turn up along with Watkins manning the posts.

Last season saw Inter Milan beat Ajax in a thriller which ended in a penalty shoot-out in favour for the Nerazzurri. This time we have two teams who out-classed the teams that made it last year. It definitely will be a better end to this year’s NextGen series.

Chelsea strolled into the finals after brushing aside Arsenal deep into extra-time. Arsenal remain unchanged from their CSKA tie while Chelsea made a few tweaks to the lineup that thrashed Juventus. Arsenal however looked dominating in the first-half, barely giving Chelsea any chances. The talented Akpom gave Arsenal the lead in the 16th minute.

A renewed Chelsea side came out on the poor pitch of Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia at half-time. They showed more urgency, and pressed higher up the pitch. 53 minutes in and Chelsea were awarded a penalty due to a miss-timed tackle from Gnabry. Baker’s spot-kick was saved but Feruz scored from the follow-up in the 52nd minute. Boga then went past 4 Arsenal players to tee up a shot for Lewis Baker, whose shot squirmed through the keeper’s hands. With Arsenal’s lead falling apart, the game looked decided when Boga scored in the 65th minute from a beautiful pass by Kiwomya.

However Arsenal were not going to drop their heads. Akpom scored again, deep into regulation time, with substitute Ansah leaving his mark on the game. Gnabry then scored a minute later to make amends for his penalty give-away. With extra-time looming, the young players were feeling the fatigue slowly creep in.

The game became slower and slower, as the managers started scribbling down names of their penalty takers. The magic and trickery of John Swift saved Chelsea’s night, as he slashed the ball through the middle of the box after going past a defender. Baker tapped the ball in with composure and the 20 travelling Chelsea fans celebrated with them.

On to the talking points -

English youth academies, a failure?

When the topic of English football is brought up at a foreign football pub, then the first thing they criticize are the English youth academies. A misconception prevails in the footballing world that English youth academies are just not good enough. It’s not only about the players that step up and make it to the first team, it’s also about the talent that is present in the team and the possibility of them becoming future world-class players at any club.

NextGen started off with almost every top European youth academy participating. However in the closing stages , the last 4 teams could have been all English, if Sporting CP had not defeated Tottenham.

On the way to the finals, Aston Villa defeated the famous Ajax academy, which produced the likes of Luis Suarez and Wesley Sneijder. Chelsea defeated Barcelona‘s La Masia graduates with just 10 men and Arsenal defeated Inter Milan who have produced Mario Balotelli and Leonardo Bonucci.

With Aston Villa’s win over the famed Portuguese academy that produced Cristiano Ronaldo, they now face Chelsea on the first of April, but how many critics could still say that the philosophy employed by the English clubs in running the youth academies is a failure?

Chelsea have a problem on their flanks

Two of the goals Chelsea conceded were due to poor recovery from flanks. Both the teams love to attack and their philosophy is based on attractive passing football. This involves the full-backs pushing high up the field and coming back in time to take up their defensive duties. This has been a frequent problem for the U-21′s and U-18′s, as they end up giving away poor goals from the flanks.  Dermot Drummy had even spoken about this problem to Chelsea TV, and the club might be looking at this.

This problem stretches into the first-team as well. Ashley Cole might have been the best left-back in the world at a point of time, but he has lost his shine as well. Ryan Bertrand is decent, but there is much doubt on his credibility as a starter. On the right they thankfully have Azpilicueta and Ivanovic as cover, more than enough for a few years.

Chelsea definitely have different philosophies of playing football in their teams. This is not really common as the U-21 and U-18′s are supposed to be playing the same football as the first-team to ensure that the transition of players is easier. If a stable manager is to come in next season, Chelsea could have their tactics revolve around the same attractive passing football the U-21′s flaunt every game.

Arsene Wenger has future world-class players on hand

The last thing that would concern an interim first-team manager at Chelsea is what happens in the youth academies. However at Arsenal, they have Arsene Wenger, a man who always has youth at the back of his mind. He has closely followed the NextGen series, not just due to Arsenal players but also those of other clubs and he could possibly be looking at a treasure trove of talented youth players.

At the end of the day, both sets of teams that played had talented players, and if given a chance, they are more than willing to prove themselves on the big stage. Arsene Wenger is planning to overhaul his entire squad, and if he wants to, he could have give some of the youth players a big chance. As Brendan Rodgers said, older players, upon facing a barbed wire, look for holes. If they don’t find one, they turn back. Young players on the other hand try to go through it.

Wenger could also reinforce Arsenal’s youth academy by raiding the youth academies of other teams and developing the players further at Arsenal.

Players know how to step up on the big stage

For Arsenal, Akpom looks like he could soon make a transition into the first team. The striker gave it his all against Chelsea and had an immense work-rate. He would defend, pull defenders out of position, find space in between the center-backs and also score goals. He was a major force in their comeback and he definitely has the talent to make it big one day.

For Chelsea it has to be Lewis Baker. Boga, Loftus-Cheek, Feruz and Kiwomya might have played their part, but the Chelsea captain was by far one of the best players on the pitch. Other than scoring the decisive goal, he had tremendous composure in both the halves, which was doubled with a rejuvenated Loftus-Cheek coming on in the second half. Chelsea would want to keep hold of him for as long as they can.

NextGen Series is the next big thing

Never has there been so much pressure on young football players. On the sets of “Being Liverpool“, a documentary on Liverpool’s starting days with Brendan Rodgers, Gerrard revealed how youth players of today are more well known than the one’s back in the days. He went on to say that no one knew about him until the day he made his debut, but today everyone knows who are the players coming up and who has the potential to make it big.

The pressure on those young shoulders is immense. Yes, as Carlton Cole said, they are pampered, but the amount of expectations riding on them is doubled. They have to perform for their club, their country, their coaches, their fans, themselves and to make sure they can live the English dream.

NextGen gives these young players a platform. Every top youth academy participates and every youth player that has the potential to make it big plays in front of the camera. There isn’t going to be a bigger chance for them to leave a mark, and they know that. Added pressure is not something they need, but something they’ll have to go through.

The NextGen series hasn’t hit the popularity it expects, but one day that’ll change. With over thousands of scouts watching each game, fans will turn to the games as well.

Match stats:

Chelsea 4-3 Arsenal

Arsenal

Iliev, Bellerin, Hayden, Hajrovic, Angha (Ormonde-Ottewill, 67), Olsson, Ebecilio (Maitland-Niles 105), Yennaris, Eisfeld (Ansah 67), Gnabry, Akpom

Subs not used: Vickers, Iwobi, Mugabo, Jebb

Goals: Akpom (2), Gnabry

Booked: Hayden, Gnabry

Chelsea

Beeney; Christensen, Davey, Pappoe, Wright; Loftus-Cheek (T Musonda 70), Boga (Swift 75), Baker; Kiwomya, Feruz, Nditi
(Hunte 40)

Subs not used: Killip, Dabo, Conroy, Colkett

Goals: Feruz, Baker (2), Boga

Booked: Christensen, Pappoe

Arsenal players during training before the match

For those of you who don’t know what the NextGen Series is, it is a competition featuring 24 elite youth academies from around the world. It gives the young world class players a platform to perform in front of thousands of scouts from top European clubs.

Venue - Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.

Date – 29th of March 2013

Kick-off – 10:00 PM

TV – ESPN

Tournament – NextGen Series

Chelsea lock horns with Arsenal tonight at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia to book a final berth with either Sporting CP or Aston Villa, which is to be played in the same stadium on the first of April.

Chelsea came 3rd in their group while Arsenal came 2nd, with the clubs’ respective highlights being a 6-0 drubbing of Molde and a confident 3-0 win over Marseille.

As the teams proceed through to the next round, Chelsea saw off a much hyped Barcelona side with 10 men on the field and an unbelievable 2-0 scoreline. Arsenal on the other hand brushed aside Inter Milan with talented Yennaris scoring the lone goal. Chelsea then saw off Juventus with a dominant display at Griffin park, with a 4-1 scoreline while Arsenal’s Gnabry scored in the 65th minute to give the young Gunners a 1-0 win over CSKA.

Chelsea’s expected lineup tonight is – Blackman; Musonda, Davey, Christensen, Wright; Baker, Loftus-Cheek; Boga, Nditi, Kiwomya; Feruz.

News - Chelsea will be without Nathan Ake who trained with the first team under Rafael Benitez’s orders.

Arsenal’s expected lineup tonight is - Iliev; Bellerin, Hajrovic, Hayden, Angha; Yennaris, Olsson; Ebecilio, Gnabry, Eisfeld; Akpom

News – Chuba Akpom is expected to come back into the squad after fighting off concerns over a serious groin injury.

The Chelsea players to watch out for:

Andreas Christensen -

16 years old and being a regular in the U-21 side says a lot about a player’s ability. There’s a chance he could start at right-back instead of Musonda (who covers for recently loaned Todd Kane), but due to the absence of Nathan Ake, he could get his physical presence back into the middle. One of the best headers in the team, he makes good decisions while under pressure.

Others in the role – Alex Davey

Lewis Baker -

Baker captained the team against Juventus and scored two scintillating goals as Chelsea dominated possession in the middle of the park. He has been on quite some form for the U-21s this season and might be given a senior contract as he turns 18 soon. He’s equally adept on both feet, has brilliant composure and has first say on all set-pieces.

Others in the same role – Alex Kiwomya , Ruben Loftus Cheek, Jeremie Boga.

Islam Feruz -

He is the lone man up front and considering the fact that former Chelsea boss, Roberto Di Matteo once debated on bringing him in the first team and replacing Fernando Torres, says a lot about his ability. He has an eye for picking up spaces in between the centre-backs and spearheads every counter-attacking move produced by Chelsea.

The Arsenal players to watch out for:

Hector Bellerin -

He featured for Arsenal in the 3rd round of the League Cup. His footballing education comes from the famed La Masia. His runs down the flanks and passing capability is vital to the U-21′s tactical approach. He turned 18 recently and was the brain behind the lone goal scored against CSKA Moscow. Arsenal youth coaches have high hopes of him making the transition into the first-team.

Others in the role - Isaac Hayden.

Thomas Eisfield -

It’s tough to choose a man in midfield due to the presence of captain Nico Yennaris, but for me, Thomas Eisfield has the potential to make it to the first team. He has been pivotal to their presence in the NextGen series and also played against Reading in the historic League Cup tie which featured 12 goals. He can shoot and he can pass from any part of the field. He will be decisive in their game against Chelsea.

Others in the role – Nico Yennaris, Serge Gnabry.

Chuba Akpom -

Another 17-year-old who has been one of the best players in the U-21 league. He has pace and is well built, something frail defenders do not like. He has the ability to drive players out of position , something midfield players like. He can also switch positions with the left-winger, which makes him quite versatile. He was pivotal in Arsenal’s victory against Inter Milan.

It most definitely is the London derby in Italy, with many fans travelling to support the young boys and hoping they get back on Saturday to watch their first-team play. Both the teams love to attack, which makes it a great spectacle for neutral fans. Moreover, this is the opportunity to expand your knowledge about your club’s youth players, who hopefully will make it big one day.

The entire world stood still for 90 minutes. To watch and take in every breath of the spectacle that was to ensue. Manchester United vs Real Madrid at the Theatre of Dreams. It couldn’t get any better. However, the 200 million people who watched the game were left with a bitter taste in their mouth after a controversial red card, which pretty much ruined the game.

So, what are the top 5 Champions League related controversies of the past few seasons?

Liverpool went on to win the Champions League on penalties despite being down 3-0 at one point.

Mourinho’s Chelsea and Bentiez’s Liverpool were ready to lock horns for a place in the final that was to be held in Istanbul. Liverpool went on to achieve European glory by beating AC Milan, in what was to be a night that went down in the history books as the “greatest European night ever”.

However, few would remember that Liverpool reached that final in controversial circumstances, and on another day, there was a slight chance that there would have been a different finalist. Benitez’s team was firm in defence, repelling attack after attack from Mourinho’s Blues. However, 4 minutes into the game, Baros tested Cech, who palmed the ball away. The ball went only as far as Luis Garcia, who tapped it in. Referee Lubos Michel awarded the goal for the Reds, despite William Gallas hooking the ball away from goal, and claiming it as a clearance. Liverpool went on to win the game, and more importantly for some, won the bragging rights.

Mourinho called it the “phantom” goal. A goal that should never have stood, and a goal which should never have had such a big impact on the Chelsea players emotionally.

The King’s Cup was in the bag for Madrid, but the world was to witness another El Clasico, as the teams were drawn together for the Champions League semi-finals.

Mourinho had deployed Pepe in central midfield to break down Barcelona‘s quick passing moves, and assist the other midfielders in white in getting forward as fast as possible. However, everything came crashing down when Pepe was red carded by referee Wolfgang Stark in the 61st minute, for what largely looked like a cynical challenge on Dani Alves. Studs up and coming in with quite a force on an opponent’s knee is more than enough to warrant a red card. However, slow-motion replays showed the bitter truth of how Pepe was solely going for the ball, and despite going studs up, barely touched the Brazilian defender. The damage was done though, as Barcelona went on to score 2 goals and claim an emphatic victory away from home.

Dani Alves rubbed further salt into their wounds, by coming back into play 2 minutes after being stretchered off, complete with a smile on his face.

Peek-a-boo!

Mourinho pretty much called this loss the most beautiful he had ever suffered. A 3-1 lead at the San Siro ensured that Inter were in total control of the tie. However, while visiting Barcelona’s backyard, they had no idea what they were set to endure for 90 minutes.

Thiago Motta was red carded by referee Frank de Bleeckere for hitting Sergio Busquets in the face. The foul plummeted Busquets’ fame, when it was shown that he was playacting, but he showed absolutely no sign of embarrassment as Motta was forced to leave the field.

Mourinho was forced to play Eto’o as a left-back, as he devised a plan to stop Barcelona from having any chance at goal. However, there was no end for the controversy, as Pique scored at the 84th minute, despite some calling it an offside. Moreover, Bojan struck for Barcelona as extra time was coming to close. The goal was however cancelled out by the referee, as the ball had struck Yaya Toure’s arm.

A 2-1 victory at the Emirates pretty much inspired every team in the English Premier League, as it proved that the best team in the world was not unbeatable. Arsenal however suffered a horrific start as they visited Camp Nou, as Fabregas’s horrible backpass put Lionel Messi through on goal, and the rest was imaginable.

However, structured, inspired and tough defending from the Gunners ensured that Arsenal somehow still looked like the favourites when Busquets scored an own goal, to shift the aggregate score to the Londoners’ favour.

However, the game was decided when Robin van Persie was shown the red card for kicking the ball away by referee Massimo Busacca. The Dutchman pleaded his case, letting the referee know that he could not hear the whistle due to the tremendous atmosphere at Camp Nou. The Catalans went on to win the tie and the Champions League as well.

The most predictable list ever, isn’t it? I have had my fair share of emotional moments as a Chelsea fan, but this however stands out, because never had the world been this unfair, and never had I felt this cheated.

Chelsea became the first team to deny Barcelona any goals at home that season. They were perfectly engineered by Guus Hiddink to hit the Catalan club on the break and make the best of their opportunities. Michael Essien gave Chelsea a thunderous start by scoring from a beautiful volley. However, the rest of the opportunites could never be taken, as the referee on that night, a certain Tom Henning Øvrebø, turned down 4 stonewall penalties appeals, which could have won Chelsea the game.

Iniesta brought out the horror in a nightmare of a night for Chelsea fans by scoring an away goal in the last minute of normal time. Chelsea however pushed on, and deep into added time, had another clear penalty appeal turned down, leading to Ballack’s reaction, which later became viral over the Internet.

2007 was a revelation for Football Manager lovers everywhere, as the game introduced over a 100 new features. Diagrams, figures, charts were all introduced as the scouting feature was improved. This was what attracted me to the game. Being a Chelsea fan since 2001-02, I felt more connected to the club as I managed Chelsea and led them to victories after victories. FM 13, however, left me a bit frustrated. The training left me very disappointed as the game was very hyped before its release. Here’s how it looks like on FM 12:

Most of the users put the workload on “Very High” and additional focus area on “Attacking Movement” during pre-season when they were newly appointed. This ensured that their tactical bar filled up, so that the players were more adapted to the manager’s tactical approach and players would soon gel together. However FM 13 changed it to this -

This would only let us change the focus, and like most people, I kept it on attacking movement. This made it harder for users to realize whether the players are getting used to the tactics or not. This awkward tactics interface is the only downside for me. Other than that this game is as enjoyable as its ancestors. I don’t exactly consider myself as really good at this game, but I think I’m good enough to share some of the tips I have picked up over the years of gaming. Tips that I have shared with absolutely no one. Bradford City might have reached the FA Cup final this year, but in my FM11 save, they won the Champions League in 2016.

Here are some of the tips for Football Manager 13 for a top flight club- 

1) It takes time

Managing a top flight club seems easy, but it can be tougher than you expect. Getting used to it and making your team win takes quite some time. I usually play FM by picking up small teams, which makes the game more exciting; but if I do take the big ones, I pick Chelsea. Why? Decent transfer budget, quality players, good scouting network and great facilities for youth players. I ended pre-season by losing against some Mexican team that even the Mexicans haven’t heard of. But now, I find myself on the top of the table. 17 points above Manchester City, with a game in hand.

I have won every trophy put forward and find myself in an unbeaten streak spanning over 42 games in my first season. Time is money and over here, it’s the difference between a win and a loss.

2) Choose your transfers carefully and make the best out of your youth

You don’t have to buy Ronaldo because you find it funny. I’m being serious here. If domination is to be achieved then you have to use youth and make transfers only on players you find that are really important and provide depth. Depth is the most important factor in achieving success. FM 13′s fatigue system ensures that players are more tired than they would be in FM 12. For example, in FM 12, after a game the player could achieve 100% fitness in maybe 3 days; but in FM 13, the player will not achieve that in maybe even an entire week. Depth in each and every position along with usage of youth academy players is vital.

This is a screenshot of the lineups I used against the 2 teams. To make it clear, Falcao is the only player I’ve brought in. The reason being, he took an entire chunk out of my transfer budget, leaving me unable to increase depth in defense.

I had to play United on the 12th after a week long rest. Fair enough, I’ll field the toughest side I can field. I did so as well, ensuring a good 2-0 win, with just one yellow card. I had to play Newcastle 2 days later, and I had to ensure 3 points so as to increase my lead on the top of the table. However, I was left with no choice but to field youth players whose loans I had cancelled at the start of the season. That’s the first thing one must do. FM 12 was all about loaning players to clubs to ensure their development. This is where I reveal my “Three Tier System” . I have never told this to anyone, but I guess some do follow it.

Whenever I acquire a young player, let’s say a 16-year-old whose worth around 1-2 million, I loan him to any small club out there, preferably in England – so that he can pick up the language and increase his adaptability – and in the 3rd division. He becomes their star players, wins the Player of the Year award and bumps up his market value. I then loan him next season to a second division team. He becomes their star player, and bumps up his market value. I then loan him to a Premier League team, that is if I’m playing with Chelsea, for just 6 months. When he comes back, I give him cameo appearances in the first team. This ensures the following 3 things -

a. His market value increases. If you have a stingy board which doesn’t bump up your wallet every season, selling players could help.

b. He develops into a world class player. One for the future.

c. You have a systematic approach to loaning players. Keep notes and track every loan you make. Don’t just blindly accept loan offers. Write them down always.

Now that you’re done applauding me, let’s go back to the screen shot. I had 8 youth players against a Newcastle team that fielded 11 internationals. I still managed to churn out a 2-0 win and this is why I like FM 13. This is not possible in FM 12. Playing more than 3 youth players almost usually ensured a loss in FM 12.

3) Keeping notes on handling backroom advice 

“Make notes? Should I actually take this game this seriously? “

Its common if you feel those kind of thoughts running through your mind. I felt the same before I realized the amount of impact it could make. Its pretty much the difference between a good manager and a world class manager. I have deleted all my notes and imported them out, so that I don’t let my secrets out. In all, I had about 47 notes this season, most of which I’ll probably delete at the end of this season.

This note is an example. This kind of note stays for 3 seasons max, as the tactical approach is bound to change. The first game that I played against United ended in a draw. We were good at headers, but light on converting them into goals. I realized that width was lacking in my game. I quickly made a note on this and set it to remind me 4 days before the next United game.

I clearly noticed that Rafael was a weakness on the flanks, and I had to use Marin, who barely cut inside and was willing to play wide and put in crosses. Then I had Hazard, who loved to cut in and score goals. I also needed Cahill, who was my top scoring defender at the time and was brilliant at defending set pieces. I was reminded well before the game, and I made the appropriate changes. Hazard and Marin proved decisive as Marin assisted once and Hazard scored twice.

Now keeping notes is not something I usually do with top-flight clubs but with smaller ones, especially those battling relegation,  notes are the fine line between winning a game or grabbing a draw.

Now I usually ignore everything on the training workload. This is case, I hand out my training routines, and if you don’t like it or get to stressed out that you don’t have anything to do, then you can put in your resignation. On a serious note though, if I experiment with their training levels midway through the season, I’ll cause fatigue problems. Experiment only during pre-season. You should also accept everything that comes under individual training. There’s only good in accepting it.

If there is anything about prospects, scout them all. Its not going to harm you anyway. I usually scout anyone recommended, who is below 22 -23 years of age and relatively unknown.

Never change team statuses. It damages the morale of the team. Just ignore it, you don’t have to tell him in training that he is actually in the reserve squad despite being classed as a first team player in his contract.

Match interaction highly depends on you. It depends on how you want your manager to be seen in the view of the public. I barely interact and mostly send my assistant manager to pre-match and post-match press conferences. Moreover, I don’t usually talk to my players in private. Maybe telling them about their good play, or warning about bad play and asking John Terry to tutor someone, is the only reason I might venture into this feature. Otherwise, I ignore it.

Result?

 As I said, it depends on how you want your manager’s personality to look like in the media.

4) Working on your tactics and players

Its ideal to have two, maybe even 3 or 4 tactics under your belt. Smaller teams, and sometimes even big teams, deploy man marking. If I was to change my outlook in the second half, it could be devastating for them as they would be way to slow to react. However, the question arises: when do I change my tactics?

There are two parts to this answer -

1. At the Start of the game

2. In between a game

For the first part, after 6 games or so, I introduce by secondary tactic. That is the 4-1-2-1-2. This ensures that you don’t have a fixed approach to the game, hence making it more difficult for your opponents to read the game week in and week out. Plus whenever fatigue hits my attacking midfielders, and I have to play an important game, using the 4-1-2-1-2 can be vital as I have a higher need of deep midfield players rather than the attacking ones.

The second part highly depends on how the game is going when it is a 0-0 draw. Before I give the half-time team talk, I roll back through the replays and analyze the situation I have in my hands. If the reason of not scoring was down to the fact that I created loads of chances but could not finish them, then I move around my strikers or change my wingers to get what I want. But if my team was able to create barely any clear cut chances and were dominated in the opener, then I switch to the 4-1-2-1-2. FM 13 logic is simple. More players you have in the middle of the park, the more you dominate the game and the lesser chance your opponents have of reading the game, and shutting you down. However, if these players play wide, then you are creating a hole for yourself to fall into.

The two strikers upfront are vital. I usually sit with Torres and Falcao; but if it’s a small game, then keeping an eye on fatigue, I play Islam Feruz. 17 years old, an eye for goal and bags of potential.

I have given him 3 appearances in the league. This was only due to the fact that I have a big European game coming up in the next 3 days or so, and I needed to rest my strikers or wingers. Yes, Feruz can play on the wings as well.

The thing is, turning around your tactics midway through a half can be disastrous for your opponents, both real and computerized. Plus ensuring that talented youth players get their chances here and there can be good for the manager and the player himself!

That’s it. These are my 4 very important tips for managing a top-flight club. You can always hit me up with questions and queries. I’ll be more than happy to answer to the best of my knowledge !

Philippe Coutinho was signed by Liverpool for a rumoured fee of about 8.5 million pounds and the Merseyside faithful are longing to see what the young South American has to offer.

He was signed by Inter at the age of 16 after coming up the ranks in the famed youth academy of Brazilian giants Vasco Da Gama. He impressed earlier on, but failure to cement a spot in the starting 11 over other players, who had vast amounts of experience, saw the young Brazilian being loaned to Espanyol in Spain. He played under current Southampton manager, Mauricio Pochettino, scoring 5 goals in 16 appearances, earning plaudits along the way.

His return to Inter should have seen him earn a spot in the first team; however, he once again found himself warming the bench and scored thrice in 10 games. Liverpool seem to have a pattern in how they pick up bench-warmers with little experience, and mould them into better players. Coutinho is a proper No.10 and, in all honesty, Liverpool have lacked one since the days when Ajax legend, Jari Litmanen, graced the fields of Anfield. Everyone’s been saying that his main role will be right behind the striker, where Rodgers has experimented with Henderson and Allen. However, neither have yielded good results.

He might not be the strongest player on the pitch, but his agility and pace is something Liverpool can take advantage of. His ability to find space and open up defenses with his through balls are his strongest point and that’s what Liverpool need. One problem he faces, though, is that he likes to drift left whenever the chance arises. This could be good news for Brendan as he could use him as a left winger, where Suso and Sterling have been rotated so far. This gives Liverpool some extra depth along with quality. He doesn’t hesitate at all while approaching defenders and this could help him on the wings.

He could be the heart of Liverpool’s creative tank, as Cazorla is for Arsenal, Mata for Chelsea and so on. However, there’s a hint of a possibility that Anfield might once again see another Aquilani and Joe Cole, but the  Brazilian is quite young and could easily turn into a world-class player. Liverpool have most definitely landed a bargain.

Analyzing this tactically , I would say this would be a very strong Liverpool team without any injury concerns -

I have gone with a solid back four of Enrique, Carragher, Agger and Johnson. The full-backs have to provide width as the midfielders should be playing somewhat compact to keep up the intensity of tiki-taka. I have chosen a pivot of Gerrard and Lucas; this can be turned into an Allen-Henderson partnership or a mixture of the two. Then, as one of the three midfielders playing behind the striker, I have Suarez, who plays in the hole behind the striker, making forward runs whenever needed, and is equally adept at playing as an out-and-out striker, just like Rooney. Then you have Sturridge or Borini upfront. Both of the players can play on the wings, which bumps up the versatility in the attacking third even higher.

Then comes Coutinho on the left wing and Sterling on the right. Due to the presence of tiki-taka, we can safely say that an exchange of positions will always be present. This destroys man-marking and then comes the area where chances will have be created. Coutinho will play a huge part in this, and it all comes down to whether he can adapt to the Premier League and deliver the goods.

Lucas Piazon

Jhon Pirez

An unorthodox 4-2-2-1(1), the one in bracket stands for a second striker role. We have Lucas Piazon upfront. The next “Kaka” has been loaned to Malaga till the end of summer, but one must keep in mind that he has been compared to Kaka mainly because he looks like him and very less for their nature of play. Piazon is more than adept at playing upfront, which he did in the absence of Feruz for the Chelsea’s reserves and U-21. He has also been the false 9 before Chelsea grabbed Islam from Celtic. In a second striker system, this could help the team beneficially if they played with wingers.

The second striker is Jhon Pirez who has been loaned to CD Leganes, in the Spanish third division. I have just watched a single game of his, due to lack of television coverage, and he doesn’t look like his future will be at Chelsea. However he has sometimes played as the second striker behind Roberto Perez which has helped Perez become their third highest scorer. Playing as a second striker gives the team the opportunity to convert into a 4-2-2-2 or a 4-2-3-1 with Piazon moving back into the No.10 role where he picked up an assist for Chelsea against Villa’s demolition.

Amin Affane

Amin Affane has been loaned to Roda JC, in the Erdevisie. He plies his trade in the left wing and has pin point crossing ability. He is not the type of play who cuts in as his composure in front of goal is not really good. He has notched up 14 appearances this season which include 6 substitute roles. In that, he has grabbed 1 goal and 6 assists, mainly coming from accurate through balls and crosses. I fully expect Affane to breakthrough into the Chelsea first team, some day or the other. His crosses can be very dangerous for forwards and midfielders with a good height. He and Pirez could be dangerous together.

Ulises Davila

Next we have Ulises Davila. His romance with Chelsea feeder club, Arnhem Vitesse has gone on for too long in some people’s opinion and was loaned to CE Sabadell in the Segunda Division in Spain. A loan move to an EPL club next year is on the cards. His favored position is the No.10 role but on the wings he is very good at cutting in and providing width. He has featured twice in the Copa del Rey and scored once while picking up 4 goals and 5 assists in the League. He is very talented at picking up through balls and has a high work rate. This also makes him a midfielder who is willing to come back and defend.

Anjur Osmanovic

Now we move on to the pivot role. Our attack minded pivot player is Anjur Osmanovic, currently loaned to Larje Angereds IF in the third division of Nordvästra Götaland. Both he and Affane very produced by its famed youth academy. Osmanovic is a complete midfielder, who can play as a CDM and CAM, except on the wings. Think Lampard, with more pace and spatial awareness. He can move forward and assist in counter-attacks and make his presence felt whenever needed. However, I don’t think the 18-year-old he has enough potential of breaking through into the first team.

Billy Clifford

Billy Clifford has been with Chelsea for 2 years and was loaned to Colchester this month. He has bagged 2 assists and 2 goals in the U-21 Premier League. He is more than capable of playing the anchor duty and can defend as well. He can get forward for counter-attacks and can drift wide to provide cover for full-backs who push forward for width. Chelsea at this point would be well off with having Clifford in their team with the absence of Mikel.

Todd Kane

Back in defense, we have Todd Kane at right back who is currently loaned to Blackburn rovers, where he has 10 appearances in the U-21 and has picked up 1 assist. He loves to get forward and drill crosses in just like Azpilicueta and has a lot of pace in him. If width is to be provided than Kane is very reliable.

Tomas Kalas

Tomas Kalas is another player who is in between the Chelsea -Vitesse romance, where he has even featured in the Europa League and picked up 2 goals and 1 assist out of 20 appearances  in the Eredivisie. Kalas provides stability at the back with his well built body and is definitely the biggest prospect at Chelsea. His aerial ability will be a good trump card while attacking corners.

Kenneth Omeruo

Kenneth Omeruo is a natural right-back who has been loaned to ADO Den Haag in the Eredivisie. However he is capable of playing in the middle as well as his physicality and pace is a good mixture. He could be the Luiz of the team, being the more attack minded of center-backs.

Sam Hutchinson

Sam Hutchinson remains the only player left and I had problems fielding him. His natural role is at center-back and he has featured for Chelsea on the right as well, a couple of times however, for Nottingham Forest (where he is currently on loan), he has played on the left sometimes and picked up a goal in 5 appearances.

To summarize, this team can end up in mid-table in the Spanish La Liga, but in the EPL you could possibly see a relegation fight. This side is comprised of players who are very talented and some who are not up to the level.  A 4-4-2 can also be played with the bigger striker blowing down defenders and the quicker one finding space and using his trickery to score.

Nothing much can be done other than starting a new save on Football Manager and taking out your frustration by winning everything and buying Falcao. However, one can analyze and field 2 separate teams consisting of our loan players. Yes, 2 full fledged teams without any substitutes with formations suited to their abilities. In the first part, we see the stronger of the two teams.

A classic 4-3-3 with the possibility of playing a False 9.  4-3-3′s are usually employed to compact the play in the middle and control possession. Think Barcelona.

Our talisman is Lukaku. The strongest striker out on loan from Chelsea at fellow English Premier League team, West Bromwich Albion. Lukaku is your typical Drogba when you see his physical appearance, but he can also use his pace along with his build to power past defenders and drag them out of shape.

Kevin de Bruyne has been loaned to Werder Bremen after having been acquired from RC Genk. He is most comfortable in central midfield, but in recent games has been fielded on the left where he can provide assistance to Nils Petersen. Petersen, who is on loan from Bayern, frequently shifts positions with Bruyne. This destroys teams that deploy the man marking system and this, combined with Bruyne acting as False 9 and dragging center-backs away, has been pivotal in Bremen’s 3 match winning streak, which was recently broken by Hamburger SV’s 3-2 win.

Lukaku is more than adept at playing on the wings and using the same shifting policy can be very useful for the manager.

Next up is Gael Kakuta. He is a natural right winger who can easily play on the right as well, provided that he is allowed to cut in. This cutting in strategy can work well when de Bruyne comes in and drags defenders away. Graphically showing this-

The same goes for Thorgan Hazard. In the Jupiler league where is playing for Zulte, he has drifted a lot to the No.10 role and Kakuta’s area of deployment. He could easily fit into this and can cut in as well, hence giving the team a solid attacking approach.

Next we have our pivot comprising of Essien and McEachran. Essien is a mixture of Ramires and Mikel. Under Mourinho at Madrid, he has played at right-back and this can help him cover the flanks as Ramires does for Chelsea in the pivot. His strong build also helps him come back and form a 3-man defense with the center-backs. McEachran is versatile and might not be the best defender but could give a younger and much more attacking version of Lampard. He could join in the No.10 role with Thorgan and assist in attacks.

Then we have our defense. Chalobah and Bruma are more than expected to get loans into English Premier League teams next year. A very solid defensive partnership, with Chalobah being the Luiz. He loves to get forward but not very deep. He can be a good center-back option as well. On the left we have Aanholt, the first understudy of Ashley Cole. Very attacking, good pace and threatening with his brilliant crossing ability. On the right, we have Wallace. I haven’t watched many games except one where he performed quite well. He has a tendency to cut in while going forward and reminded me a lot of Bertrand as he can be used on the wings.

To summarize, I’m confident that this team can survive relegation and end up mid-table in the English Premier League with a decent manager. A 4-2-3-1 can also be played provided that the concept of False 9 is always practised as the kind of players present make it very easy to implement.

Juventus custodian Gianluigi Buffon has signed a new two-year contract extension, which will keep him at the club until 2015.

The 2006 FIFA World Cup winner is the current captain of Juventus after joining them in 2001 from Parma. The transfer fee of €52m that was spent on him remains the highest-ever paid price for a goalkeeper. Over the years, he has been highly regarded as the best goalkeeper of this decade.

Buffon had this to say at a press conference in Turin:

“I remember my first day and the fact that I was asking myself if I was up to the standard of a club like Juventus,” Buffon told a news conference in Turn. My rapport with the fans has been important. I also enjoy a good relationship with the management and coaching staff. I would have turned down offers from other teams. For me Juventus has become a way of life. Above all I would like to win the trophies that have eluded me in my career so far. Starting with the Champions League. We want to reclaim the Italian title. We’ve shown we’re back as a competitive force in Europe. That’s what matters.”

He has reportedly taken a 1.5 million euro cut from his 6 million euro-a-year deal.

Only Chelsea fans, like me, realized that this could actually turn out much more tougher than it looked like on paper. The European Champions had to face the Italia Champions, the Ukrainian Champions and the Danish Champions.

Shakhtar Donetsk had already qualified before the last game as Chelsea had to win and desperately needed Juventus to lose. Shakhtar lost to an offside own goal against Juventus as Chelsea’s 6-0 thrashing of Nordsjaelland ended in disappointment.

Shakhtar forced opposition goalkeepers into picking the ball out of their nets 70 times and had their own keeper picking it out only 24 times last season. Domestically, the Ukranian Champions have been on the rise since a long time, but their emergence as one of Europe’s elite was a slow and steady process.

Rinat Akhmetov is the world’s 26th richest man, as listed by Forbes. He also owns the most expensive apartment in the world and is the President of Shakhtar Donetsk

We have our Russian Oligarchs, Arabian Sheikhs and American Tycoons ready to splurge the money to see their team emerge victorious. But do they love their club as a fan does, or is it all just a side-show, entertainment outlet for them? Rinat Akhmetov on the other hand loves Shakhtar Donetsk and is not just someone who’s playing around with the extra money he has to show-off in front off his other friends at a game of golf. As a kid, he was an avid fan and when the opportunity of taking over the club came in October 1995, he did not hesitate. The previous president was killed in a bombing assassination at the Donbass Arena. A glitch in the traffic signal ensured that Akhmetov could not reach the Donbass Arena to meet his fate as well. Since then, the son of a local coal miner has invested heavily in the club.

His arrival to the club sparked a change.  The club’s youth academy might not have been the best but money could buy a decent scouting network, and if you were to add a few more extra bucks, you could set up a very extensive scouting base. Thus began the Ukranian’s relationship with the Brazilians. Players were brought in from time to time, or as Akhmetov called them, “raw talent”. He proceeded to polish them at the club and then sell them to top European clubs for high fees. To capture them in the first place, he offered them high wages and bonuses that they would not get anywhere else.

Their first Brazilian signing took place in 2002 and moved to Marseille in 2008 after being well polished by Mircea Lucescu. A more famous Brazilian, Elano, moved to City and 17 million euros was procured from Real Zaragoza over the sale of Matuzalém.  Ilsinho as well played for Shakhtar before moving to the better parts of Europe.

Willian has been linked to a number of Premier League clubs for millions of pounds

Top clubs like to experiment with Brazil but not splash out a lot of money unless the player in question can play in Europe. This helps them avoid a flop buy as Brazilian players are more likely to suffer from home-sickness. There are 8 Brazilians in the squad at the moment along with one naturalized player. Bringing in Samba boys would help them get used to the European style of play with their own kind.

The fact stands though, that if you are a Brazilian and play for Shakhtar, then you are eyeing a bigger move elsewhere. Shakhtar’s involvement in Europe and their brilliant results inflate the transfer fees of these South American players. This in turn benefits the club, who rake profits in millions as well.

This might change though as some Brazilians tend to stay longer at the club then they usually did. If Shakhtar are to play good football and win trophies in Europe, South American players will have little reason to leave.

However, it’s still hard to believe that something like that could actually reap so much. Little do some know that some people have even gone the extra mile to keep the plan intact. Coach Mircea Lucescu went on to learn Portugese just to give the team-talk more efficiently  This might have gone down well with the Brazilians but the Ukranian players were frustrated. Lucescu however was having none of that and refused to apologize or change his ways. “They are special” is all he could say.

The Brazilian imports have changed the way Ukranians now view the area surrounding the Donbass Arena. Brazilians have even gone on to bring their families and set up small Brazilian colonies.

Business models in football clubs usually revolve around spending truckloads of money, getting success and injecting more money to cover losses.

Some clubs though, bought players, made profits, bought more players and made even more profits. This however ensured that few clubs did not have any luck in getting a shot at the title. Arsenal are a prime example. Porto however have sold players who have gone on to become famous. Shakhtar are on the track of doing just that.

This isn’t the first time that certain nationalities have dominated certain clubs. The Dutch contingent was strong at Barcelona and the French found it easy at Arsenal. Could the Brazilians have a higher impact in Ukraine?

Eden Hazard took the English media and football by storm, after the highly rated Belgian made an expensive switch to the south west London outfit. He spearheaded Roman Abramovich’s initiative of building a successful future generation at Stamford Bridge. It has been a tale of so far so good for the 22-year-old, who despite facing exits from the Club World Cup and Champions League, has a lot to look forward to.

The summer transfer window of 2012 brought joy and disappointment to clubs across England, but behind the scenes there were two formidable Manchester clubs and one London club waging a war against each other to bring one man under their roof. One man, who could change their fortunes by one touch of the ball.

After much speculation and a lot off arrogance sprinkled lavishly with absolutely no sign of humility, Eden Hazard announced his arrival to the home of the reigning European Champions. 32 million pounds was thrown out by the Russian oligarch, and somewhere in the corner of the world, Platini flung his French toast in utter frustration.

Chelsea were weak and frail after Drogba’s departure to China and under the new policy of playing ” beautiful football”, Hazard brought in the swagger Chelsea were to flaunt in the first few weeks under Di Matteo. He ended up grabbing assists after assists, as defenders couldn’t control the urge of tackling him in the penalty box.

Then the winter slump began and “poor, same old” Chelsea began to lose its wheels. Hazard however proved to be the silver lining along with fellow team-mate Juan Mata. With the Belgian’s form not being as explosive as it was before, his trickery and turn of pace provided odd entertainment to the Chelsea faithful. It had been a long time since Arjen Robben and Damien Duff had introduced themselves at the Bridge.

Chelsea dominated under Mourinho and in recent years by asserting their physicality on their opponents. Well built defenders along with solid rocks in the midfield was combined with an even more aggressive talisman upfront. Carlo Ancelotti brought a little bit of Italian flair with him, but King Carlo (as he is affectionately known by the Chelsea faithful) did not survive long enough, after going trophy-less in the 2010-2011 season.

Eden Hazard however, reminds the Chelsea fans of a very cheeky, improved version of Joe Cole. Reminded in such a way that he is the player who just does not look like he belongs to the team. One moment you see 9 players playing aggressive football, and then you have Joe Cole performing roulette after roulette. Hazard reminds you of the exact same. Just a little more cheeky with a better turn of pace and acceleration.

Comparisons against another transfer signing by rivals, Manchester United, were rife at the start of the season. With time passing by though, the sane United fans have even scoffed at themselves for comparing the contributions of Shinji Kagawa to that of Eden Hazard.

What separates the best from the others is the ability to step up in big matches and Eden Hazard definitely has the caliber to. He just needs to put his head down and work hard to squirm out better results for himself and the team.

Hazard set the standard for players entering into the English Premier League from other domestic leagues around the world in 2012. The possibility of becoming the best foreign import ever is also on the horizon, as the young Belgian is definitely on the right path.

3rd January:

Dear Diary,

This sucks. I had a feeling that my pocket was a few million lighter and I was absolutely correct. Dasha had told me that Emenalo had come by earlier when I was away and taken the 7 million lying on the dresser. Without my permission. I’m sure you remember what happened to the last person who did something without my permission. He apparently doesn’t like the Russian weather.

The excuse he gave to her was even more infuriating. He apparently wanted to buy some kind of sheep. Not a flock of sheep, but just one for 7 million! He even said something about Drogba. I have a funny feeling about all this. When I told him about getting Rafa a new striker, I had a feeling that he’s looking into some advanced kind of sheep that can replace Fernando. Don’t think any kind of terrestrial animal can do a worse job than him! I hope Dasha isn’t fibbing and buying some more of that Polish make-up. Everyone knows the Russians are best in making petroleum products!

First thing, tomorrow morning, I need to talk to Emenalo and his latest fad in investing more money than he will ever earn on domesticating animals. Someone has to get that Brazilian, Luiz-wannabe’s head straight. Russian oil money doesn’t grow on trees. Does he really need a side-business worth 7 million when he is already earning a fat pay-check for stealing youngsters and luring them with candies from other youth academies?

4th January:

Dear Diary,

Well, how was I supposed to know that Emenalo was actually heeding my own advice of buying a new striker when his impeccable Brazilian accent went right through Dasha’s Russian brain? Saying Ba thrice in a row gives you no other hint than referring to a catchy nursery rhyme. For a moment, I thought Drogba was returning but even I couldn’t dream of a fairy tale like that.

I should probably go and console Fernando before Ba shows up in the training ground and scares the Macarena out of him. He must be practising his shots again. God knows what for, but his confidence should be quite high since Rafa told Petr to let all the shots go in. Even then there were a few mishaps as Marin was injured for another 6 months from a wandering ball hitting him on his mythical hamstring. Might have to a order a Russian hamstring for him as these Chinese ones never work when needed.

Apparently, African strikers perform well at Chelsea and I hope that Demba Ba is another Drogba. Oh and that reminds me, I need to talk to Fernando about his contract extension as well before I finish this fine bottle of imported vodka.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and is not to be taken seriously.

Chelsea cruised into the next round of the greatest cup competition in the world, the FA Cup, as defending champions. A 5-1 thumping of Southampton was highlighted by the performance of debutant Demba Ba, who grabbed two goals.

Here’s his first goal in the Chelsea jersey.

The build-up was smart and to the point. Here, Hazard has the ball at his feet at the moment with Ba lingering around the penalty box. Ramires has acres of space to run into and in this game, he was the attacking pivot player. Luiz on the other hand, gets into the middle of the pitch to provide cover for the defenders as Mikel does. Moses needs to wait as Hazard needs to make the decision of tearing down the left flank or cutting in. According to that, Moses and Mata would do the exact opposite. Cole on the other hand, needs to go back and cover the left flank in the defensive third.

First to notice is Moses. He made the right decision and drifted a bit to the middle. This helped him act as a pivot player and also have the chance of drifting right and covering the right flank if Hazard changes his mind. So in this specific frame, Luiz  and Moses are pivot players, while Mata gets the No.10 role, Ramires gets the wide role on the right and Hazard gets the left.

Ramires put himself in the perfect position to cover the right flank. Ba might be offside, but he seems to have a plan. The dotted lines show the trajectory of the pass Hazard sends to Mata.

Take your time as you look at the frame above. First off, Moses makes it obvious that he is drifting into the centre as Hazard  retreats back. Ramires moves into the centre but at the same time, keeps the option of drifting to the right open. Ba keeps himself well offside as Mata’s  movement is shown by the dotted lines.

Mata is smart enough to know that Ba has done that on purpose, as he has full trust in the Spaniard’s ability to get past the defender. The circle marked Torres is the position where Fernando would have put himself if he was playing. The poacher’s instinct is ever-present in Ba, whereas it has just disappeared for Torres.

Here’s the second goal -

Moses has the ball at his feet and is looking to give it to Ramires who has made the run inside. Mata has the option to run in the middle whereas Ba has the option of drifting left but won’t do it. Torres  on the other hand, would have done it. Hazard  can cut inside as well.

Moses  gives the ball to Ramires. Cole needs to get back and defend. Ba and Mata can get inside the box, while Hazard asks for a pass and gets it. The black arrow shows his intended movement which resulted in a pass from the Brazilian.

Moses takes quite some time to get up and should drift down the left flank. Mata has the opportunity of getting inside the box whereas Ramires  can move front or go back and defend. Ba has revved up his engine and is looking to move into the space ahead of him as Hazard looks for the correct moment to give him a through ball. He can even continue down the right flank.

Take your time and look at the frame above. Ba has made the run and Hazard has picked him out. Both Mata and Ramires  have entered the box and this gives Chelsea a greater chance of picking up a rebound and scoring if Ba hits the keeper. Moses is asking for a pass and Hazard  has noticed it.

This is where we understand the difference  between a direct and indirect approach. An indirect approach would have seen Hazard play a high lofted ball to Moses, whose trajectory can be seen in the dotted curved line. The direct approach sees the ball played to Ba, which ended in a fine goal.

Did you enjoy seeing him play and score these 2 goals? Can he keep Torres on the bench?

The posh Cobham locality, which houses the Youth Academy players at Chelsea Football Club

Scott Sinclair, Gokhan Tore, Fabio Borini and Miroslav Stoch. What do all these players have in common, other than the fact that they have turned into a decent footballing stars? They were all part of the Chelsea Academy, once upon a time. Buying our way out has been a policy since the Russian oligarch took over, but when Ruud Kaiser was brought in by Jose Mourinho, the Dutch man revolutionized the way Chelsea’s youth academy worked. Along with the appointment of Piet De Vissier as head scout, potential stars have walked up to the Cobham training ground. Piet De Vissier was responsible for bringing the Brazilian Ronaldo to Europe and he also was the one who advised Fernando Torres into convincing Mata to join Chelsea.

According to me, these are the top 5 academy prospects at Chelsea -

NOTE – Some players have been left out, as they have either made quite a few starts in the first team or were part of multi million money deals that brought them to this club. These players include Josh McEachran, Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Lucas Piazon and Romelu Lukaku.

He moved for a fee of 1 million pounds from Lens, along with his brother who moved for quite a larger fee of 32 million pounds. Not much was known of him as he had nothing in his CV to boast off, other than the fact that his older brother, Eden, claimed that Thorgan was the better among the two.

He has two appearances for the Chelsea U-21 team, and the game against City drew gasps from all corners of the world. A number of clubs were interested in snapping him up on loan and Chelsea never looked reluctant in letting him go. He moved to Zulte-Waregem on a season long loan finally, after another appearance for the Chelsea U-21′s in their opening fixture of the NextGen series.

The young Belgian can play anywhere in midfield, but just like his brother, he is a natural left winger. His passing stands out as his strongest plus point. He definitely is much better than his brother at that after watching quite a few replays of him at his former club. Despite logging very few minutes for the first team, he is always the creative spark of his side. Moreover, his willingness to defend is much higher than the likes of Mata, De Bruyne, Oscar and Hazard have at the moment. A mixture of Moses’ defending and Mata’s sublime through balls could be envisioned for the future.

Thorgan, as of now, is one of the important players in Zulte, and his presence can help them push for the title. Another loan  at a higher-placed club is possible next year.

Tomas Kalas is a defender who is versatile enough to play as a center-back and as a right-back. He joined Chelsea in January 2011 before leaving to join Chelsea’s affiliate club, Vitesse Arnhem, in the summer of 2011. He earlier was an integral part of Chelsea’s youth and reserve teams. He made his reserve team debut against Aston Villa before moving to the Netherlands.

In the first season, the young Czechoslovakian impressed, as he became the first name on the team-list. His second season found him at right-back as both clubs agreed that he needed another season to aid his development.  His speed, stamina and strength on the right showcase him as a typical English defender that lives on bacon and eggs.

With fellow Chelsea team-mate Patrick van Aanholt joining him as a left-back, both of them have marauded down the flanks to attack for Vitesse. Tomas even has a senior team cap for his country in his name, with Petr Cech proudly showing him around.

Rumours are arising that he won’t be at Vitesse at the end of this season, and could be on the loan list of quite a few Bundesliga teams. A move might definitely be on the cards, as Chelsea are only concerned about his development. A time will come though when he turns out to be quite a gem, and Chelsea will be lucky to have got their hands on him, as at the moment, he is destroying the Eredivisie at the tender age of 19.

This is what Piet De Vissier had to say about Kalas - “Kalas played last season as a central defender and already enormous progress has been made. At right-back, he is doing that again. His attitude, concentration and drive are pluses. He’s a winner who will bend over backwards to do the maximum possible.”

Chelsea were under heavy criticism after poaching the young defender from the infamous Feyenoord Academy. After a few stints as a left-back and in the midfield for the Chelsea U-18′s and U-21′s, the young Dutchman finally found his place in the center of defense.

Nathan isn’t the most physical player on the pitch but is dominating in the air and very comfortable on the ball. He also loves to attack when on the flanks or in midfield. At the age of 17, he hasn’t seen any kind of loan moves that have taken him away from Chelsea. He was recently awarded his first senior cap, as he came on for Juan Mata against Norwich in the 90th minute. A loan move is very much plausible as Chelsea want him to mature and gather as much as experience he possibly can. Rumours are rife that he could also join Arnhem Vitesse with a few other Chelsea players.

The Dutch contingent at Chelsea is strong, but Nathan can be highlighted as one of the most exciting prospects from them.  Nathan has also represented and captained Netherlands at the U17 level. He successfully helped Netherlands in defending the European Championship in 2012 after a victorious campaign in 2011. He currently captains the U-19 team.

Piet De Visser chased Lucas Piazon from the tender age of 15 before finally helping Chelsea land him. It looked like Nathan Ake was about to move to City but Frank Arnesen, another head scout at Chelsea, intervened at the correct time, to convince Feyenoord.

After a ravaged childhood, which included running away from war-torn Somalia and seeking asylum in the United Kingdom, he was discovered by the Celtic youth coach, John Simpson. His debut came at the age of 14 in Tommy Burns’ memorial match. Despite Manchester City trying their best to lure him to the club in 2012, the young Scottish international joined Chelsea in the 2011-2012 season. This incident left Neil Lennon furious, as he had lost a gem of a player that was saved from the clutches of deportation by the club. The agents were blamed for mishandling him, and Chelsea were in the spotlight once again, for “stealing” young talents.

Islam scored on his debut for the Chelsea U-18′s against Portsmouth. He went on to win a cap in the reserves and netted 6 goals for the youth team. 2 of those came against Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup final first leg. Chelsea won the cup for the 2nd time in 3 years. He also scored twice for the reserves against Norwich, which propelled him to further stardom as it hit the back-pages of major newspapers.

He scored twice against Molde FK in the NextGen series, as Chelsea thrashed them 6-0. The two goals reminded one of a vintage Didier Drogba, and the young man is definitely capable of replacing him one day.

A loan move has never come into question, as the Chelsea reserves and youth team survive on him. With the inclusion of Lucas Piazon in the first team, reserve team coach, Adi Viveash, has very few capable players to step up when it matters and deliver with quality. One that stands out is Islam Feruz.

Nevertheless, a loan move to another league will do him good. Chelsea have always had levels on loan move for a young player. First level involves them going to leagues around the world, and the final being to a team in the English Premier League. If Roberto Di Matteo once upon a time considered  Feruz good enough to replace Torres in the starting lineup, then his quality and talent at this young age can definitely improve any side.

Nathaniel Chalobah captained the youth team to a successful FA Cup campaign last season, and this year finds himself at Watford, under the mentor-ship of Chelsea legend, Gianfranco Zola. He had no previous senior caps and this was his first loan move. 6 months was later changed till the end of season, this January.

He has so far scored 2 goals and has 17 appearances to his name. With Chelsea and England, he has always played in the center of defense, but with the quality at the back increasing for his club, he was moved into midfield. He is very athletic and aggressive in attack. His strongest plus point remains his composure on the ball and ability to make decisions on and off the ball. He has turned into a box to box midfielder for Watford under Zola’s instructions and has a heavy presence in each of their attacks.

In my opinion, he has been one of the best academy products, with Ryan Bertrand and Josh McEachran in a close second. Chelsea might just take a risk and send Chalobah to a Premier League team next year. Logging minutes in the top-flight will certainly help him out and Chelsea could just about have another John Terry on their hands. Academy players speak highly of him, and he is supposed to be very inspirational in the dressing room.

Gianfranco Zola recently praised the young Englishman and believed that he was the next big “thing” -

“He is a player that if he maintains the right attitude and keeps working and focussing on learning then he could really become an important player. He has all the qualities to become a top player but he just needs to work hard every day and not lose the desire to work hard in training. The common mistake for players of his age, when they play and are having compliments like I am giving him right now, is to stop learning. It is too early; he has the potential but he has to really keep his feet on the ground and work hard.”

Chelsea become the first side ever to crash out of the group stages as the reigning European Champions; a fact no Chelsea supporter can be proud of. It all looked bright for Chelsea at the start of this campaign but a dismal series of results saw Chelsea fall down to third place and in the Europa League. Another poor performance earlier saw them lose out to Atletico Madrid in the Super Cup and to Corinthians in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Where exactly did it all go wrong for them? Impatient owner? Tactics? Attitude? Let’s have a look one by one:

The revolving door at Cobham might have made Chelsea a strong force domestically, but Europe demands a little bit stability. A simple look at Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Dortmund says it all.

Mircea Lucescu is the manager of the Ukranian team which came second in Group E over Chelsea and Nordsjaelland as Juventus topped the group. The Romanian manager has been with Shakhtar since 2004 and has developed a formidable side, which has largely come down to stability.

Jürgen Klopp on the other hand, manages German side Borussia Dortmund. He has been with them since 2008 and over the years, he has developed the club into a side that could not only look into the eyes of a dominating Bayern Munich squad, but also challenge them and win.

If Chelsea had Mourinho, things would have been different. But we all know how the ‘Special One’ works. He likes to challenge himself. Though if we had Ancelotti, could Chelsea have been better than how they are right now? Roman Abramovich has always demanded beautiful football and managers have come and gone while trying to implement it. Ancelotti however stands out as the only manager who helped Chelsea play out beautiful, entertaining football and lasted more than a year. Could he have propelled Chelsea to greater heights?

Moreover, having an owner who constantly patrols the training ground is nerve-wrecking for any top-flight manager. Roberto Di Matteo felt the full force of it before flying to Turin.

Chelsea were good and clinical upfront but at the back, the story was very different. Luiz and Cahill were not the best pairing as Chelsea suffered with the absence of John Terry. A non-direct approach meant that Chelsea had to slave themselves off to create a decent opportunity. With an out of form striker upfront, things became even more difficult.

This could all have been prevented if Chelsea had John Terry at the back though. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Tactically going upfront was perfect but tactically, coming back and defending was close to horrendous. After going 2-0 up to Juventus, you would expect the game to be put to bed, but 2 defensive errors, and Chelsea were back to square one.

The attitude of players came seriously into question as Chelsea began setting into their infamous winter slump. A loss to Shakhtar in Ukraine could have been avoided if the boys in blue showed more spirit. Same goes for the surprising loss against West Bromwich Albion.

At one point, there was Fernando Torres who was not even willing to make runs, despite being one of the most hard-working players in the team. Then there was Petr Cech, who reportedly had a squabble with Roberto Di Matteo after the 3-0 loss in Turin.

A 8-0 thumping of Aston Villa is just about the perfect Christmas gift for Chelsea fans around the world. Records were broken throughout the course of 90 minutes. The tactical approach from Rafael Benitez was slightly tweaked as David Luiz got another start in midfield.

Here is Torres’s opener -

So Ashley Cole has made the dash forward, further emphasizing the fact that the full-backs at Chelsea will push forward to provide width, because playing with natural wingers ploughing down the flanks is too mainstream. Hazard is trying to move a bit back as the wide players have to provide decent cover in the sides. Torres has come forward,  hinting of a proper false 9 role. Still not convinced that he is a false 9? Well lets see what happens when Cole gives the ball to Lampard.

So this is an overhead view, to make things more comfortable. Cole and Torres are side by side. Aston Villa’s 3-5-1-1, is ready to be ripped apart by one proper move. This move involves the intelligence of the false 9. I have marked the area called NORMAL ST, along with a circle. That is where the likes of Van Persie, Aguero and Cisse ply their trade. On the other hand , the likes of Messi, Totti and Torres end up coming deep to collect the ball and assist play as they disrupt the defensive line of the opponents. Keep a close eye on Aston Villa’s 3 man defence.

Lampard squares the ball to Mata and Torres has started thinking. His movement can be deadly, as the two midfielders marking him try to follow him. The problem here being that when two midfielders try to mark one False 9 , the winger gets plenty of area to move forward. Eden Hazard knows that, and is capable of creating havoc. Also note that Lampard is moving forward and Cole has to come back for an impatient Luiz, who is providing cover for him. Moses is waiting for his chance too.

Now this is where you can see the amount of destruction caused by Torres. Assuming the fact that there are 2 defenders and 1 midfielder trying to mark Torres, we have Eden Hazard with loads of space on the side. A nice little top ball and Hazard could cross it in. THIS IS AN INDIRECT APPROACH. AVB loved it and Di Matteo loved it while Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez practice the exact opposite. But Chelsea are now under the management of Rafa, and under his instructions,  ONLY GO DIRECT. So, a DIRECT APPROACH  forces Azpi to look out for Torres.

This DIRECT APPROACH  made sure that Torres scored a bucket load of goals at Liverpool. With Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt , popping in beauties from time to time, Torres found life to be easy.

So as we give Torres a dramatic slow-mo moment to head the ball into the back of the net, let’s have a look at the other players. First circle to notice is the one right at the top. Torres could lose the ball and it could be retrieved by Moses. Let’s name that rebound# 1 . It could also drop down the middle and be picked up by Lampard or Mata. Let’s name that rebound# 2 and 3. It could also drop down to Hazard on the left, which can be very disastrous as there are 3 players trying to get the ball off Torres. Lets name that rebound# 4 .

To conclude from this picture, a direct approach if linked with the foundations of a False 9 can be devastating with the proper use of time, space and width. 

To conclude, here’s a classic Liverpool Torres moment, because rewind a year back and you’d never expect Torres to do something like this.

From left to right – Gary Cahill, Florent Malouda, Jose Bosingwa and Fernando Torres , react as Drogba scores Chelsea’s decisive penalty, as they win the Champions League

As the year comes to an end, Chelsea faithful around the world will have mixed feelings. 2012 will go down as one of the most important years in Chelsea’s history. Another FA Cup and the first Champions League definitely showed the good side whereas defeats in the Super Cup and failure at the Club World Cup highlighted the disappointments. So here are my Top 5 matches of the year for Chelsea Football Club.

Ramires (pictured) wheels away after scoring Chelsea’s first goal in their 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Wembley to grab their 7th FA Cup

Chelsea had to be at their best to see off a brave Liverpool side. A goal from Samba blooded Ramires in the 11th minute ensured that Chelsea were out to give their best, but the first half soon died out, as both the teams failed to entertain and create decent chances. Drogba then scored a record-breaking 4th FA Cup final goal in the 52nd minute, as Chelsea began to shift gears.

Andy Carroll then came on as a substitute for the Merseysiders in the 55th minute and introduced himself with a bang, as he forced his shot through the hands of Petr Cech. Controversies are ever-present, whenever these two teams meet, and though half the crowd in red at Wembley believed that the former Newcastle talisman had completed an astonishing come-back, the 82nd minute header was deemed to have not crossed the line and replays confirmed that a few inches had saved Chelsea some embarrassment. Cech was pivotal as he was the one who pushed Carroll’s header onto the bar.

The game ended with Chelsea’s John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba lifting the club’s 7th FA.

Revenge was knocking on the door. After re-watching the horrific 2009 match again and again, Chelsea fans like me were all pumped to see how Chelsea would fare against the best team in the world.

Didier Drogba’s theatrics from the start showed the negative side of Chelsea’s brilliant defensive performance against the Catalonians. Chelsea had one, and just one, shot at goal and they made it count. Frank Lampard dispossessed Lionel Messi at the center of the park and lofted the ball upfield as Ramires revved up his engines to charge at it. He then cut the ball across at such a tight angle that he lost his balance. The ball then fizzed across to Didier Drogba, who despite not getting the ball properly, found it gliding past Valdes’s gloves. He then wheeled across to the Chelsea faithful who sang his name.

Lionel Messi, on the other hand, had 7 shots at goal. One off target, one on target and 5 blocked. A mere 130 passes to Barcelona‘s 402, showed that passing never wins you a game. Gary Cahill had an immense game, as he was applauded for stopping Messi and Sanchez from spoiling Roberto Di Matteo’s party.

What mattered most to the fans though, was that Chelsea had taken their revenge for 2009 by frustrating Barcelona to such an extent that they even forgot about Real Madrid and the La Liga table.

Ivanovic (R) celebrates with David Luiz after scoring against Napoli to send Chelsea through to the semifinal with an aggregate score of 5-4

After a 3-1 defeat at Naples, and former coach Andre Villas Boas having a first hand experience at the revolving doors in Cobham, Chelsea looked down and out in the Champions League despite grabbing a 1-0 win against Stoke City under Roberto Di Matteo.

Ramires swung the ball into the middle at the 28th minute and met Drogba’s diving head gracefully. With Chelsea leading, the faith in the hearts of fans everywhere grew. The captain’s call came when John Terry himself headed the ball in from a Frank Lampard corner in the 47th minute. With Chelsea looking more and more threatening, Napoli came up with a shock goal as Gokhan Inler’s shot found the back of the net. Chelsea were searching for a goal that would send this game to extra-time and they won a penalty after Ivanovic’s header from a corner hit the arm of Andrea Dossena. Frank Lampard stepped up like he always did and smashed the penalty home. Every member of the old guard had scored.

Deep into extra-time and Chelsea look menacing as they try to grab the goal that could send them through to the semi-finals.

Then, in the 105th minute, Drogba received the ball from Ramires at the right-flank. He then proceeded to the edge of the box with his back turned, rotated 360 degree and crosses the ball in. The ball flashed across the surface of the pitch, kissed Ivanovic’s boot and slammed into the top corner. They had done it; created a historical and magical night. 5-4 was the aggregate score and Chelsea had once again done the impossible.

50 million repaid? – Fernando Torres (pictured) celebrates scoring the second goal against Barcelona as Chelsea win 3-2 on aggregate

Everything you can imagine that can go wrong in one game went wrong is what all the Chelsea faithful had in their mind throughout the first half. A Gary Cahill injury in the 12th minute made sure that Chelsea had to play a right-back as the center-back against the best team in the world. Busquets then tied the game on aggregate in the 35th minute after scoring into an empty net, Cuenca being pivotal as he drew Cech away from his line and crossed in.

John Terry was then sent off in the 37th minute and each and every Chelsea fan have their arms on their heads. Captain, Leader, Legend who was expected to inspire brought them down again. The Chelsea faithful at Nou Camp chanted “Only One England Captain” as the man went down the tunnel.

44 minutes in and Messi found Iniesta with a gorgeous through-ball. The European player of the year calmly put the ball away past Petr Cech. All hope was lost as the fans begin to fear the worst. A 5-0 thumping on its way?

Then came a moment when we all realise why we actually love football. Frank Lampard put in a through ball right in between the defenders and Ramires got his running boots on. The Brazilian in him produced a deft touch and caught the under-side of the ball beautifully, as the ball found itself flying over Valdes’s hands and into the net, as the top-right corner of Camp Nou, erupted in joy. The faith was back.

48th minute and Fabregas went down after a challenge from Drogba. Despite being suspicious, the referee gave it. Lionel Messi stepped up and despite never having scored against Chelsea, was calm and collected as ever. With Cech trying his best to distract him, Messi hit the ball towards the right and Cech jumped to the left. Chelsea fans around the world got up and screamed ” GET IN THERE” as the ball hit the bar and bounced back.

Chelsea fans had an anxious look at their watches every 30 seconds as the clock slowly ticked away. Time slowly began slipping away and then it happened. IT happened.

Ashley Cole cleared the ball after another vain Barcelona attack, and found Fernando Torres, who had acres of space. The Spaniard just ran and ran. He approximately ran for about 6-8 seconds. Sit down and imagine what Chelsea fans around the world did in those seconds. What did I do? Close my eyes and waited for Gary Neville to begin.

I cried as the man ran towards the Chelsea faithful with his arms aloft in prayer. 10 men down and we had beaten the best team in the world at their own backyard. “I said it at the Bridge, I say it right now. Their name is written on the cup!” was how Gary Neville ended that night. One of the most memorable games I have experienced as a Chelsea fan.

Didier Drogba (pictured) gestures towards the fans while celebrating Chelsea’s European triumph

The greatest night in the history of Chelsea Football Club. The night when Didier Drogba was knighted. Chelsea were under heavy criticism for the way they “parked the bus” against Barcelona, but Di Matteo was having none of it. He started Ryan Bertrand on the left and gave the young man a Champions League debut in the final.

Chelsea barely looked in the mood to attack as Bayern had loads of chances and ended up missing them all. Then, in the 83rd minute, the face of the game changed. Thomas Mueller leapt to meet a cross sent in by German team-mate Toni Kroos, to ensure that the Bavarians were bound to have a happy German night.

This time though, I didn’t stop believing at all. I knew something would happen. I just had a gut feeling. Fernando Torres went on to win a corner in the 88th minute. Juan Mata stepped up and curled it in as Chelsea hurry. Drogba jumped up and connected with the header. Pure poetry in motion as the ball found itself in the back of the net. Chelsea fans around the world jumped out of their seats in joy and screamed till they couldn’t breathe.

Into extra-time the teams went and Bayern had a penalty as Drogba fouled Ribery at the edge of the box turning from hero to zero. Former Chelsea player Arjen Robben stepped up and shot the ball low and hard into the right corner. Petr Cech had saved us again as the Czech captain flew to the right and found the ball squirming at his feet.

Onto penalties the teams went and Chelsea fans had nightmares of Moscow 2008. Juan Mata gave Chelsea the worst possible start with a penalty miss, after German captain Lahm had scored. Gomez went on to score as Luiz slammed the ball past Neuer. The Bavarian goalkeeper stepped up, showed his confidence and scored. Chelsea’s captain for the night, Frank Lampard, then put the ball into the net as Olic missed for Bayern. Schweinsteiger then hit the pole after Cech pushes it away as Ashley Cole coolly put the ball past Neuer.

Didier Drogba then stepped up and the rest is history. With one kick of the boot, Chelsea were Champions of Europe. What did the fans do? “ ARE YOU WATCHING WHITE HART LANE”, as the Chelsea fans mocked their city rivals on how they had taken their Champions League spot.

Truly a memorable year for Chelsea Football Club.

What are your top 5 matches of the season?

The Brazilian’s dreams were torn into pieces as he was forced into watching his boyhood club, Corinthians, celebrate a trophy that is highly-regarded in South America. No one knows why they really want to win it, when almost every other European club just treats it as a nuisance because it hampers the ongoing progress the  club is making domestically. Jet lag and fatigue are just a few of the factors to be tackled with, before going on to the pitch in-front of thousands and giving your best. For the South American’s it’s a matter of pride, as the status of World Champions is just overwhelming after being overshadowed by the Europeans for years.

Apart from an embarrassing and totally unexpected loss Chelsea suffered against Corinthians, something else was noticed. The team did not set their heads straight before coming for this game. Levaram-o levemente, which can be roughly translated from Portuguese to, “they took it lightly.”

John Terry has been the leader of the locker room for quite some time now. Apart from maybe Frank Lampard, no one else has had a bigger say for the last decade, more so than even the manager sometimes. The time has come though, for us too look ahead because fairy-tales don’t last for too long. Terry has always put the club before himself and in doing that, he has achieved enormous success, with a career glittered with silver-ware. At this point of time, I would give him about 3-4 more years, as defenders have the most physical of jobs in the English Premier League.

David Luiz on the other hand is young. He has been facing criticism ever since he was introduced to the world of English media. Never too serious or mature enough to be applauded. In-spite of that though, the fans have always loved him to bits. Even though he was to blame for the truckloads of goals Chelsea conceded, people sang his name and adored his hair.

Compare the players and you have a lot of similarities. Yes, Luiz hasn’t gone deep into the world of scandals and controversies but how they have both been massacred by the country’s media is rare.

John Terry has gone on to show his emotional side, whenever Chelsea have lost something or won. He is not the type of person to hold back his tears when it comes to the club he loves. He might have shed some saline drops in Moscow but he even shed them after Chelsea won their first title in over 50 years.

Luiz is the carbon copy, after crying when Chelsea achieved the holy grail and after seeing his side suffer in Japan.

The fact is though, that Chelsea will have to decide a future captain when John Terry is gone. Petr Cech for me will never be considered, cause a goalkeeper being a captain is pretty much pointless. Casillas wears the armband as Alonso orchestrates in the middle and acts as the leader, same goes for Buffon and Juventus, with Pirlo in the middle calling the shots. The two examples are just about one of the few reasons, why the role of captaincy in football, is terribly overrated.

Lets analyse for a minute. Saying we give Terry 4 years before he hangs up his boots. Chelsea then have to name another captain, someone who will do justice to JT and breath passion in the same level as the fans. Luiz for me is the perfect option. He loves the fans, has been mentored by Terry and Thiago Silva. He may act like a kid but knows when to mature up and owe up to his mistakes. His love for the game is unparalleled.

In my opinion, Luiz should be given the arm-band a year before Terry retires. In this way he can properly settle into a different view-point to the beautiful game and be guided along the narrow path by JT. Just as Terry was mentored by Marcel Desailly.

The point is making mistakes only makes us humane. Its a character which separates us from super-natural beings, but owning up to it for yourself and others make you a leader. Luiz even went on to post a tweet apologizing for a terrible performance. The truth though is that everyone played a part in Chelsea’s 4-1 loss to Atletico Madrid, but only one owned up to it.

Summarizing everything up, it looks like Luiz’s broad biceps are destined for captaincy, not just because he’s the perfect option but also because the armband has a strange affinity to him. The exact affinity the arm-band had to Terry, under Mourinho.