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**Steve@Chelsea** · 15-02-2025, 08:10 PM

The season continued for Chelsea, as the best club in London looked to kick on in the league and in the Champions League. The below report will take in rounds 3 to 12 in the Prem, the 3rd round of the FA Cup as Chelsea travelled to Spurs, and the first 3 games in their Champions League group. Enjoy.

Prem - Round 3
Leeds 2 - 2 Chelsea

We're on a mini run of bad luck at the moment, an 11-16 shot count here verses a weaker team on the development path should have yielded the Spice Boys the full three points.

Instead we will need to accept a draw, that feels like a loss a little bit.

So far this season we have earned 2 points from 3 games, when our XP should be at least 7, maybe even 9. A combined total shout count of 60-38 shows that we are just experiencing some negative variance which is to be expected, if you understand math. Out keeper has made 12 saves so far this season but conceeded 7 goals. A really poor ratio which demonstrates this 'bad luck'. But if needs be we will kiss someone’s feet, the Blarney Stone, and maybe even a leprechaun’s hat if it means getting some positive luck on our side as we need to put the Chelsea machine into gear and get the season going.

Prem - Round 4
Chelsea 3 - 0 Blackburn Rovers

Comfortable win over my hometown club. We predicted that the Rovers random would be 442D (as it often seems to be!), and went for the more shots and hope opton. We managed to break the seal with two early goals. The random doesn't change tactic because it's dumb so it lead to a boring game. Doku added his 2nd goal for a 3rd late on and we pick up three points to bring us our first win of the season.

Prem - Round 5
Cardiff 2 - 4 Chelsea

Could have been a banana skin slip waiting to happen away to Cardiff. But despte falling behind early in the game we soon pulled 1-3 ahead with goals from Leao, Firminio and Doku and decided to get some minutes into the subs. This could have cost us as Cardiff pulled it back to 2-3 but thankfully the next goal was to the Spice Boys as one of the subs Zefi made it safe with a late goal. A good solid three points here in a game in which Lamptey made his return to Chelsea despite having been sold in the bonanza. Seemingly Talbot must have regrettted selling the ball playing defender.

Champions League - Group A/Round 1
Spurs 3 - 2 Chelsea

We took the lead early on through Doku having gambled on the old E away. The game ebbed back and forth 1-2, 3-2 to Spurs and was heading towards being a classic when unfortunately Lamptey got sent off for us on 38 minutes. Playing with 10 men away to the Prem Champions wasn't ideal. Funnily enough, there was no further goals and Chelsea still had a equal share of the stats despite being down to 10 men. We can count ourselves unlucky, as with 11 on the pitch I'd fancy ourselves to get back into it especially that early on. The red card killed the game and the ref should be having serious questions asked of him, as a 2nd yellow card for an alledged 'holding foul' is extremely harsh, and probably qute frankly corrupt.

Prem - Round 6
Chelsea 2 - 1 Wolves

Although Ray has been quiet lately, taking a short break from the Discord Disco before recently returning - we knew Ray is a good manager and wouldn’t be on autopilot – we expected him to try and counter us in some form. We set up anticipating a possible N, which did arrive during the match but not from the start, as Wolves played on the counter against our initial passing style.

We weren’t unhappy with this, as we’re confident in our P and A against most teams C, and that proved to be the case today. Doku opened the scoring on 25 minutes, before Wolves switched to the N at -1. We added a second goal through golden oldie KDB, and at +2, we decided to give the squad players some minutes. This nearly cost us, as the away side pulled one back in the 80th minute. However, it felt like if there was to be another goal, it would go the way of the Spice Boys. In the end, nothing else happened, and we secured the three points to leap up the table into 4th spot. GG Ray.

Prem - Round 7
Leicester City 1 - 1 Chelsea

A frustrating draw on the road when we dominated the game - notching up a 12-21 shot count. Leao got the opener for us, before the Foxes pulled it back on 9 minutes and then to much suprise, no more goals. Despite all the attempts on goal, only 8 made it on target from the 21 which is a much below par roll of the RNG dice. Had a few of these bad luck rounds already so far this season, but let's look at the positives. We picked up a point, only drop 1 place to 5th and generally keep pace with everyone else. Once we do start to click we will be decimating teams, so let's look forward to that as bad times don't last, but bad guys do.

Champions League - Group A/Round 2
Chelsea 1 - 1 Inter Milan

We countered the best side in Milan for most of the game and together with HA, all things on the balance of most probabilities, should point towards a win for the sugar, sweet and all thing's nice Spice Boys. Not the case though. Once again we took the lead through Leao, who laughed off a transfer speculation about a move to the bot league of EFL1 and La Viola, by scoring and then doing the touch of death, kissing the Chelsea badge. I guess we will see on that one. Inter though are a good team, we edged them last season in the Champions League semi finals so we know they are no mugs and they came back to level things up. The game finished a draw and looking over the stats, it appears that the key metric was the amount of tackles made in the game. Chelsea made only 2 tackles, while Inter made a whopping 11 tackles which seriously reduced the amount of shots the best team in London could get off. A draw wasn't the worst result against Inter, but at home and after losing the first game away to Spurs we really needed a win here. It's going to be tough to get out of this group but we will give it a good shot.

Prem - Round 8
Chelsea 6 - 1 Sheffield United

Kinda expected a big win here given how Dave has had Sheff U playing this season. They are obviously looking to develop their team and have accepted relegation, so fair play. We had a job to do though, and we delivered putting the away side to the sword. Three points on the board and we climb into 4th spot above Villa who lost at home. Man City looking impressive so far at the top of the table undefeated in the league.

Prem - Round 9
Burnley 1 - 0 Chelsea

A game that I thought we should win as we are a better team, and if we don't win it - then we can pretty much write off a title challenge. To be in the hunt for titles you need to win games like this and so far this season we haven't been doing so. Burnley on the day, got their tactics right and deserved the win as much as it grates me to say it, but at least we beat a real life Dingle Bastard in Ray who has just outed himself, earlier in the season. Although, I think I already knew that, but we can take solace in that fact as we lost to the in game Dingles fair and square today.

FA Cup - Round 3
Spurs 0 - 2 Chelsea

We recently lost to Spurs away in the league so I did fear the worst when we drew our London rivals out the hat. We appeared to have much the best of the stats and actions in the game though, probably assisted by Spurs getting Vrsaljko sent off just after half time. Both sides played cauctiously and the game was taken to extra time. We threw on super sub Tadic for the extra 30 minutes and although he didn't get registered any goals or passes or anything, I like to think that he increased our team output being the lucky charm that he is, and allowed Firminio and Doku to add the goals in extra time that sealed our passage into the FA Cup Quarter Finals.

Prem - Round 10
Chelsea 1 - 0 Bristol City

When a win feels like a loss! I meant to play E in this one as I fully expected a the counter from Bristol but I must take full responsability for a balls up with my sheet in the conditionals which meant we switched to A in minute 1 and got countered for most the game. It looked like the game would finish a bore 0-0 draw, but Bristol suddenly switched away from the counter very late in the game which gave us an opportunity and Firminio scored to basically steal us a win here. But I'm kicking myself at the potential loss of a bigger win and lost abs. C'est la vie.

Prem - Round 11
Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham

One of them games were both managers obviously scout, and play the scisors, paper, stones routine. Tottenham shifted to an A away from home which normally walks right into our A, but they would predict that perhaps I think they would go C, and therefore would play E. I see their thinking. But we shifted in a different direction and played the Passing style of play, so I was happy to see the P v A initial starting tactics. A tight game ensused in which both teams had a man sent off, and we won with a KDB goal. Despite dominating the possession, we only managed 10 shots. Whenever we get a low amount of shots it always feels like a loss, never mind the result.

Champions League - Group A/Round 3
Barcelona 1 - 3 Chelsea
The battle of the so called 'pensioners'. Sometimes HA & TA amounts for shit verses a better team. We expected the C from Barca but played to our strengths anyway as we needed a win, with the group situation. Looks like Spurs are high and flying and it could be between Inter and Chelsea for the next spot, but I suppose you still can't count out Barca, albeit unlikely.

Prem - Round 12
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Chelsea

Was unsure who would be in the opposition dug out so was difficult to sheet for this one with the job being decided on the same day as the match. I expected a very close game and that's what we got with it being 31-30 on 'chances'. Goals from Firminio and Leao got us the win in what was very much a 50/50 game. We go up into 3rd on goal difference, still some way behind top placed Man City who just seem to grind out these 1-0 type wins. Couple of players rated up on 2nds including Leao and Lacroix which is always good news, but today marked the final game for Doku in his short Chelsea career as a transfer has been done with PSG that will see Fati and cash come in the other direction as the club continues to build and grind out value were they can with these savagely high wages to pay for.

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**Steve@Chelsea** · 26-03-2025, 11:05 AM

Chelsea Match Review - rounds 13 to 21

Match Report Round-Up: Chelsea's Thrilling Campaign

It’s been a rollercoaster few weeks for Chelsea, with a series of intense battles across both domestic and European competitions. From dominating Premier League matchups to frustrating setbacks in the Champions League, the Spice Boys have had their fair share of highs and lows. In these latest rounds, Bobby Firmino’s scintillating form and Ben Chilwell’s goals have highlighted Chelsea’s fire power. However, there have also been challenging moments, like the unexpected defeats in the Champions League and tough draws that have kept fans on edge. As the season pushes forward, the excitement is far from over, and Chelsea’s pursuit of glory promises to be a thrilling ride to the finish now that the mid season break is just mere days away from being over. Let’s dive into the details of the recent fixtures that the Blues have competed in.

Prem - Round 13
Chelsea 4 - 1 Arsenal

Both teams started on the counter, until Bobby Firmino scored the first goal on 9 minutes and then the Gunners switched to passing while we remained on the counter attack, which of course suited us better. Firmino completed his hat trick in the second half and Leao got the 4th goal, with Olise getting the consolation goal for Arsenal. A good win for Chelsea which pushes the blues back into 3rd placed, and equal 2nd bar the goal difference, 5 points behind City who finally lost a game in the league.

Champions League - Group A/Round 4
Chelsea 0 - 3 Barcelona

Really disapointing result. It seemed to be heading towards a dour type draw until the 63rd minute when our DM Lamptey got red carded. Barca 10 minutes later got the first goal, and then switched to the big D, aka the Mati. Two late goals followed for Barca despite the switch to bus being parked (only the 2nd score via a D). Luckily for us Spurs also beat Inter which means we are somehow still in 2nd place in the group. But we have a tough trip away to Inter and group leaders Spurs still to come so it may very well be tough for us to progress now, but as ever we will give it a go.

Prem - Round 14
Southampton 1 - 2 Chelsea

A tight game that we edged on the stats and on the scoreline by the slimest of margins. All the goals were early in this game. We fell behind to an Isak goal in the 12th minute only for Firmino and Varane to quickly respond back in the 21st and 24th minutes. There was no further goals in the game and we ground out an important 3 points on the road over a good Saints side who should qualify for the Champions League this season.

Prem - Round 15
Chelsea 1 - 0 Liverpool

Any game verses Livi is one that I look forward too and we've had many battles over the years. In this one Chelsea had a little too much for Liverpool with new signing Ben Chilwell scoring the winning goal on his debut after signing from Roma. The stats show this was a deserved win and we now sit a little clear of the rest in 3rd place, and somehow also sit joint top of the league with only goal difference seperating three sides. Could be an amazing season. GG Livi.

FA Cup - Round 4
Stoke City 3 - 6 Chelsea

Can Chelsea do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke? The answer was conculsively yes, as the Spice Boys dispatched their lower division opponents altough the home side did themselves proud in scoring three goals, it was just unfortunate that the Blues scored six! When two goals up, Talbot also got his subs on early to get some much needed minutes into the legs of some squaddie players, such as Petrot, Zefi and Rawson who all got 70 to 73 minutes between them. The minutes played are probably 3-4 normal games worth so it was a great boost to get these plaers ticking over towards their targets. A good win for Chelsea as we progress into the Quarter Finals and earn some much needed prize money.

Prem - Round 16
West Ham 1 - 2 Chelsea

A hard fought London derby saw the Spice Boys claim all three points, propelling them to the top of the league for the first time in many seasons, with both Manchester clubs dropping points. The original aim this season was to secure third place and finish as the top London club in the Premier League, but it seems we might be ahead of schedule, after all, a serious title challenge wasn’t expected until next season. That said, we’re not getting ahead of ourselves and will stick to our original goals, with anything beyond that a welcome bonus. Still, doesn’t the league table look beautiful with Chelsea blue sitting proudly at the top?

Prem - Round 17
Chelsea 2 - 1 Barnsley

This game exploded in the second half with all three goals coming after the half time break. We continue to chip in with goals from around the pitch with both coming from the back 6 defensive unit in Varane and Lamptey. Barnsley made it close and tight for us, but we mixed up our tactics and strategies and were always confident that we would win the game. Elsewhere both Manchester clubs drop points again.

Champions League - Group A/Round 5
Inter Milan 2 - 0 Chelsea

I wouldn't change how we set up for this one, as I predicted a high chance of an attacking set up from Inter so to counter them with a C seemed the best choice. A draw even would have seen us still in with a good chance come the last round so I'm happy with the tactic and set up. We seemed to have edged the game on the stats, but the most important stat is goals scored and Inter got 2 plus had the luxuary of missing a penalty so no complaints from us about the loss. Well done Johnboy. Much deserved.

In the other game though Barca beat a Spurs team full of squaddies, which basically gifted Barca a win and now means we are out whatever the result of the Barca v Inter game in round 6. Personally I'm not a fan of playing squaddies when it can affect results elsewhere in the group, but not everybody has the same integrity, I get it.

Prem - Round 18
Crystal Palace 2 - 2 Chelsea

Rob has had Palace ticking over nicely recently so I knew it wouldn't be easy. Chilwell once again popped up on the scoresheet, this time with two goals, and it looked like we were heading for three points. Palace didn't give up though and pulled it back level through Eze on 86 minutes. On reflection we could say we could have tightened up late in the game, but that's now how we play, we'd rather go and score another goal than sit back and this time it didn't work out for us. Still a point on the road isn't to be sniffed at in the prem, although Varane went off injured also and will miss 2 games. However, one of them will be the dead rubber CL game, and the other a guranteed home banker, so it wasn't too bad.

Prem - Round 19
Chelsea 1 - 1 Manchester United

Debutant Renato Sanches stole the headlines in dramatic fashion, almost poetically - after his controversial transfer was reluctantly approved by HQ. Chelsea took the lead in the first half through yet another Ben Chilwell goal, but Sanches second half red card halted the Blues momentum and handed Manchester United a lifeline. The dismissal skewed the game’s stats, and the visitors capitalised, with Karim Adeyemi netting the equaliser in the 79th minute. A tense, tactical battle ensued as it did throughout, but neither side could find a winner.

A draw was a fair outcome, and the point secured Chelsea the Mid Season Prem Cup. However, the real challenge lies ahead. Both Manchester clubs boast stronger squads on paper, and the Spice Boys will have to face away trips to both in the second half of the campaign, which could prove most tricky.

Champions League - Group A/Round 6
Chelsea 2 - 3 Tottenham Hotspur

The battle of the squadies! The stats show us with more than double the amount of shots at 26-14 but a Bergwijn hat trick got the win for Spuds. To be fair, the actual result was the least important stat of anything in this game. The main priority was getting the 5 or so squaddies their mins and also bringing some off the bench to get theirs. The second priority was getting abs, and we got a decent haul. The third and last priority was to not get much yellow or red cards as we have a terrible amount of DP racking up at the moment. We got away with just a yellow to Leao and can look forward to the next Prem game with none missing as the 2nd half of the season now kicks in.

Prem - Round 20
Chelsea 6 - 1 Newcastle United

A big win over a Geordie team who came to play to give them credit. Two goals from Firmino, and one each for Fati, Leao, Varane and KDB sealed the decisive win. Chelsea got 44 shots in this game which will do well for the teams development and the win see's the blues go 5 points clear at the top but with some big and tricky games still to come. Next up is Man City away with Varane out, which is going to be a big test.

Prem - Round 21
Manchester City 5 - 1 Chelsea

I expected this to be a close game, but in what was an odd game City ran out big winners on the only stat that matters, goals. Chelsea did have more shots and posession of the ball so to lose in such a manner was odd, but not out of the ordinary given the talent of City. In particular we went to European football when down by two goals and had the tactical advantage, yet lost a further two more goals. Perhaps the difference was the keepers. Ederson was 27 rated and Henderson 26 rated. Ederson saved 9 of 10 shots on target, while Henderson saved only 5 of 10 on target. To be honest though you can spend too much time trying to make sense of the stats and the action, sometimes it's just not your night and you move onto the next one.

While the road ahead is filled with tough challenges, especially with the Premier League’s top teams breathing down our necks the massive displinary points issue the squad are having, the Blues have shown time and again that they have the heart, depth, and determination to compete at the highest level. The goals are clear, continue to build on the momentum, weather the storms, and push for silverware. With key players set to be missing due to DP issues, the club has brought in Casamiro for a fee of £32m from PSG. It is hoped Casamiro will provide some much needed back up for the squad.

Casemiro is a Brazilian defensive midfielder known for his exceptional tackling, positional awareness, and leadership. A key player for both Real Madrid and Brazil in the past, he is now in his twilight years but he excels at breaking up attacks, dictating tempo, and providing stability. His work rate, physicality, and experience make him a crucial asset to any team.

Casamiro is a decent DM and will fit the teams tactical outlook nicely. It's up for debate as to how long a contract he has been offered, and or will see out at Stamford Bridge, but he could play a very critical role for Chelsea over the next dozen games or so.

Up the Blues!

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