Tiki-Taka vs The Chelsea Way ?

The Euros are underway and all the fans would appreciate that finally there is some football to watch. Exciting times lie ahead as a lot of Europe's premier talents are on display. The transfer season is also open. You combine the two and gossip columns get overloaded. Clubs and fans alike will be keen to unearth a magical player for their club to sign.

We have had some interesting results so far with a few upsets. Well organized Danes got the better of the Dutch. Russia performed a Czech mate. Poland was held to a draw, after an inspiring start, by Greece. Among all this news, the catch phrase for this edition of the Euros seems to be 'The Chelsea Way'.

Chelsea FC Trophy Cabinet

Wondering what it means? Commentators and pundits are using 'The Chelsea Way' to describe a defensive football strategy being employed by teams that are weaker on paper. Guess after centuries of football existence, only recently has anyone thought about playing a defensive game. Credits belonging to Chelsea.

Chelsea's Cinderella run leading up to the finals of the Champions League and eventually Frank Lampard, who goes down in history as the first ever Chelsea captain, lifting the coveted trophy has made the defensive football strategy most sought after these days. Now every team wants to play in 'The Chelsea Way'. Why? Because it gives the lesser fancied teams a shot at winning.

So was the tactics invented by Roberto Di Matteo? No. Recent examples: The Special One, Jose Mourinho lead Porto and Inter Milan to achieve Champions League victory. So what exactly is 'The Chelsea Way'?

It is simple. You organize your team in such a way that, you frustrate the opposition so much so that they forget defending and leave acres of space in a counter-attack. That is what happened when Ramires was allowed to run with a Frank Lampard diagonal ball from the halfway line, which eventually resulted in Drogba scoring a beauty of a goal against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League Semi-Final first leg. Well maybe it is not as simple as it sounds.

Without divulging too much into the tactics, this writer wants to ask you another question. As a loyal fan would you want your club to play Tiki-Taka (Barcelona & Spain) style of football or The Chelsea Way? Tiki-Taka style relies on the midfield players, a lot, to construct a short passing, keeping possession style of football and terrorizing the defense with loads of creativity and flair.

Drogba Consoling Messi

If you answered Tiki-Taka, there is a catch. Would you be content if your team plays Sexy football and only to remain trophy less for many seasons? Certain London rivals should come to your mind now.

Football is a professional sport today, has been for a while now. The key word is Professional. It is a livelihood for many, including the players to pitch curators and many more. It brings food to their table. It is not a sport that just serves as an entertainment. It is about winning. Although, the audience do like to be entertained.

As someone put it 'mildly', Chelsea were one penalty miss away from Europa League. If that had happened Chelsea would have stood to loose over a £100 million, which is a rough estimate. The actual figure could even be double or triple that. Just showing up for Champions League earns your club a lot of cash. If you think money isn't everything then think about this:
"Hazard signs for Manchester." Enough said?

The Champions League victory has given Chelsea a huge boost in the transfer market. Now the wonder kids WANT to come to Chelsea. Hazard has signed, Charly Musonda Jr and his brothers are on their way and many more young talents to come in the future.

Chelsea under Jose Mourinho did play Tiki-Taka. Surprised? Well, in parts that is. Under JM if Chelsea took the lead, whatever the opposition was, the team would sit back and keep the ball. It was up to the opposition to have a go at snatching the ball away from Chelsea, which was not easy to do. And if by any luck they did manage to get the ball, our players were very adept at destroying an advancing attack. Remember Makalele?

Not a bad haul for a player who was 'one dimensional'

JM had got one aspect of Tiki-Taka covered - Possession Football. What Chelsea lacked during his tenure was a flair player like a Hazard or a Modric. Not convinced? Chelsea did not have a Messi. If Chelsea had a Messi then Tiki-Taka would have been known as The Chelsea Way.

As a fan, I wouldn't care less If Chelsea play Sexy Football or a Defensive one. As long as my team wins, how it wins is not important. However, playing an entertaining style is also important in today's environment, to keep the fans happy.

The One that Eluded Roman and Chelsea for years

This writer staunchly believes that it is the Right of every football fan to voice his opinions. So we at ChelseaFC360 would definitely want to know what You, as a Fan, think? Tiki-Taka with no trophies or The Chelsea Way with a cabinet full of trophies? Please share your feelings. We are curious.

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Petr Cech - from Hero to Villain

Would you believe only recently a Czech goalkeeper was the hero of 2012 Champions League Final? Probably.

Would you believe the same goalkeeper let in 4 goals in the next competitive fixture he played? Probably not.

The player in question is none other Chelsea FC goalkeeper Petr Cech. On May the 19th, Cech was the hero as he saved crucial penalties. First Arjen Robben's spot kick in extra-time then  Schweinsteiger's penalty take during the shootout. Yes, you are right. Cech got a hand to it, which resulted in it hitting the post. Furthermore, Cech guessed every penalty the correct way.

Lucky? No way. That is Skill.

Cech was the Man of the Match, in this writer's humble opinion, in the final as well as in the semi-final spread over two legs. He may not have saved the Messi spot kick, but he did guess the right way. Cech made many saves during those two games. He acted like an invisible shield.

So what happened to Petr Cech in the game against Russia in Euro 2012? How could he have let in 4 goals, almost all of them he should have stopped?

One would be tempted to say that the Czech defense does not possess the same quality as the Chelsea back line. You wouldn't be wrong if you feel so.

Cech's major skills as a goalie are Positioning, Anticipation, Reaction and Hand-eye coordination. Even with a mediocre defense he can keep the ball out most of the time. However, his weak point(s) was his ability to stop penalties. He was an excellent shot stopper. Now he has become a complete goal keeper.

Alas, the question remains. What went wrong in the game against Russia? Let us investigate, shall we?

You wouldn't get to see this too often.

This writer believes it has got something to do with the football - the match ball. Adidas Tango 12 is being used for the Euro 2012.

Adidas Tango 12

Remember the names Jabulani and Teamgeist? The former was used in World Cup 2010 in South Africa and the latter in 2006 World Cup in Germany. One would also recall Roteiro balls used in Euro 2006.  Many controversies were connected to them. Sergio Ramos could argue that he was given one of those for his spot kick against Bayern in the Champions League Semi-Finals. Rumour has it that the ball is till flying. Flubber Deja vu anyone?

Recall this: "The new ball is really unpredictable. We will see lots of goals from 30 meters out. The balls are so quick, they have scarcely any wind resistance and they can change direction any second, also in the last five metres."?

Those words were spoken by Petr Cech to Rotweiss, the online magazine of the Swiss Football Association, prior to Euro 2008. (Source)

After having seen a helpless Cech in front of the goal in the game against Russia, this writer feels the match ball controversy would get kicked up again.

All the goals that Cech failed to stop, he was in a great position to block them. He usually does get it right. However, one got the feeling that he reacted too slowly. There is a possibility that the ball traveled too quick in the air. If a player can manage to fire a shot when he is in or around the 'D', he could be in luck. To have a higher percentage of success, a player should focus on power and low altitude strikes.

So if you are still wondering whether Petr Cech is as good a goalie we saw on May the 19th, then the answer is, YES.

As history suggests, tournament match balls have been designed to help the goal scorers. After all, the audience wants to be entertained with the spectacular, don't they?

As always, we at Chelsea FC 360 would like to know your thoughts. Also, KTBFFH.

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Chelsea could be Banned from Champions League

When Eden Hazard finally decided to sign for the European Champions, as a fan like every single Blues fan like you, this writer felt relieved. Relieved, for one major reason. An up and coming talent decided to select Chelsea rather than clubs that can boast of History, Success, Player Development and Financial Clout, respectively.

Expectedly a bulk of rival fans wanted to vent their frustration in Hazard ditching their club. Remember he had flirted with quite a few clubs in Europe: Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester United and City to name a few. So the number of angry rival fans was certain to exceed the number of happy fans.

The one major talking point of those fans was, Chelseais definitely flouting UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations. One could argue, one signing worth £32m wouldn’t be an issue. However, they were relying on the fact that Chelsea was ready to pay Porto£38m for Hulk and planning to recruit more players. As a fan, this writer was also alarmingly concerned.

This prompted the writer to dig further into the FFP and Chelsea matter. If you want to read a detailed explanation of the rules, visit ChelseaFC site here. If you would rather be content with the writer’s explanation please read on.

The biggest fall out from the inability to meet the FFP regulations is the ban Chelseacould face from Champions League or any UEFA tournament. A ban would impact Chelseain more than one way. There would be a snow ball effect.

In simple words, in order to comply with FFP, a football club has to break even at the end of a financial year. Break even means, your income should be at least equal to or more than your expenditure. If you had to explain to a six year old, you could say if you earn £10 then you can spend only £10. Sounds simple now doesn’t it?

If you would like to know what Chelsea FC chief executive Ron Gourlay had to say on FFP, go here.

Chelsea Chief Executive Ron Gourlay

So does that mean, if Chelseamanages to earn enough income then they can even buy players like Hulk and Falcao? Absolutely. Chelsea can even buy Cristiano Ronaldo, with a buy out clause of €1 Billion, and Messi, with a buy out clause of €250 Million, at the same time!

According to the FFP, income source includes revenue from gate receipts, broadcasting rights, sponsorship and advertising deals plus profit made from the transfer of players.

Expenditure includes the cost of transferring players in, salaries and employee benefits expenses and other operating expenses.

Not included in expenses are expenditure on youth development activities, community development activities and development of infrastructure such as stadiums or training grounds. A club can spend limitless amounts on these with no risk of failure to comply with FFP. The before mentioned point is great news as Chelseacan develop a new stadium with increased capacity without the fear of UEFA breathing down its neck.

Time to increase stadium capacity

However, unlike in the past, Roman Abramovich, as an owner, can not pour his billions directly into the club and help it break even. Also the income from sponsorship deals such as the one with Sauber F1 cannot be beyond a ‘fair value’, as mentioned by UEFA, if it is a club related company. This means, the club would have to look towards other sources of income.

Worrying times for Roman on FFP front

Good news is that Sauber is not related to Chelseaand their sponsorship deal would go a long way in helping the club in terms of finance. Also, the windfall from the Champions League victory adds to Chelsea’s income.

Another noteworthy point is that whenever a club buys a player from the transfer market, it doesn’t pay to its seller upfront. For instance, in the case of Hazard signing, Chelseacould have an arrangement with Lille, to pay his transfer fee of £32m over the period of 5 years (his contract length with Chelsea).  That means Chelseawould only be paying £6.4m every year for the next 5 years.

Furthermore, FFP doesn’t stipulate any salary cap or transfer market spending limit. Those rules have been put in place in other sports such as AFL and NRL in Australia. A few years back, a club (Melbourne Storm) had to sell almost all of its star players and pay a hefty fine, when it was found guilty of having breached those rules by cooking its books.

As per the FFP, clubs can not make loses of more than £36 million over the period of two years. (Source)

Bad news is Chelseahas struggled to break even for many years. As of 31^st January 2012, the club had made loses of £67.7 million (according to Guardian). Even though Roman took over the club in 2003, the desire to establish Chelseaas an European power house has impacted the club’s finances in a negative way.

On the other hand the Champions League victory has had a positive impact on many fronts. Prize money, TV rights, Hazard and other young talents arrival, to name a few.

So as long as Chelsea can find means to earn more than they spend, us fans, club officials, players and one and all related to Chelsea in one way or the other can breathe easy.

If you have some interesting anecdotes, please do share with us. And as always KTBFFH.

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Blues Being Linked To Ben Arfa And Jovetic

In a bid to rebuild the squad and get at par with the two Manchester Clubs the Blues are digging deep in the transfer market.  Yet another striker is being linked to the reigning European Champions in - Stevan Jovetić who is a Montenegrin footballer and plays for Serie A club ACF Fiorentina. He plays as a Second striker and is known for  his impressive dribbling, close control, flair and technical qualities  and another addition from the Rumor mill is Magpies winger Hatim Ben Arfa.

Reports from HITC UK read as follows-

Italian newspaper Gazetto dello Sport report that Chelsea are ready to move ahead with their interest in Stefan Jovetic. The Montenegro playmaker can also play as a striker and is a versatile attacker who would surely suit the new Chelsea vision. He scored 14 in 27 this season for Fiorentina, and would cost around £20 million and is only 22. He has been linked with a move to Chelsea ever since January, and after bouncing back from an injury his stock his high and the Viola may be tempted to cash in if the price is right.

Reports from Yahoo Sports read as follows-

Chelsea chief Michael Emenalo is being linked with a move for Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic.Jovetic is a favourite of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and is frustrating Fiorentina management by refusing to go public over his commitment to the club.Now its emerged Emenalo has been spotted in Spanish holiday destination Formentera this week - which is exactly where Jovetic is currently taking his summer break.

In other reports Chelsea are astonishingly being linked to Newcastle’s Hatim Ben Arfa. The former Marseille man has bounced back following a serious injury and scored a couple of wonder goals last season as well as producing consistently effective displays.

RDM may feel the need to bring in new wide options given that Flo is getting on in years and Danny Sturridge reportedly wants more of a central role. Marko Marin has been brought in but perhaps Ben Arfa will offer another possible attacking presence to the Stamford Bridge squad.

Reports from Daily Mail-

Chelsea’s transfer tank rumbles on with Newcastle wizard Ben Arfa new £18m target

Hatem Ben Arfa is next on the list of Roman Abramovich’s transfer targets as Chelsea’s Russian owner looks to add more flair to his squad.He appointed Roberto Di Matteo as full time manager with a two-year contract on Wednesday and is providing him with plenty of fire-power.

Chelsea have already acquired Marko Marin and Eden Hazard to bolster their attacking midfield options but Newcastle’s twinkle-toed Frenchman is next.Blues representatives have approached Newcastle to enquire about the player and Chelsea believe they can procure him for around £18million – although Newcastle will demand more than £26m.

Well personally I would prefer Hatim Ben Arfa at Chelsea. The Frenchman excites fans with every touch of the ball, and before his unfortunate injury against Manchester City in 2010, he was widely considered to be the Magpies' best attacking player. In France also he was among one of the most talented and skill full players. But about Jovetic I can’t say much as a player he has impressive skills and has grabbed 22 goals from 83 appearences. He stands strong at 6 feet but lacks some elements which a world class striker needs. Anyways Hulk and Malaga’s José Salomón Rondón are the two top notch strikers who could really come to Stamford Bridge and strenghten the Blues upfront.

Till then fellow Blues KTBFFH...

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New Battersea Power Station Owner Offers Chelsea Little Hope

Only a miracle can help the Blues now to help securing this iconic site.....

The Malaysian investor who outbid Chelsea to redevelop Battersea Power Station is unlikely to assist the Blues in developing the site for a new stadium.

 Liew Kee Sin told The Daily Telegraph.

"I don't want to say anything right now, but from what I know, from what I read...a stadium is out of the question, but we need to speak to the respective councils about what is and isn't possible. For now we're committed to following the [agreed] plan which is residential, commercial, retail and social [housing], [and an] extension of the Northern Line. 

I don't know Mr Chelsea, Mr Abramovich. We haven't discussed the bid. We're just a foreigner bidding for a bit of land in London. We'd like to get it first then talk about other things. It's not ours yet and we don't know what will happen over the next 28 days. Let's do one thing at a time."

Well there's a litlle chance now that Chelsea will be able to secure the iconic site with the Malaysian giants looking favorites to take the project forward and say their project will benefit the city much more  than a football stadium and also help to revive the economic cycle in this time of recession. In order to maximise the club's revenues ahead of the implementation of UEFA's incoming Financial Fair Play regulations, the Blues had planned to construct a brand new stadium with an increased capacity of 60,000.

The Club on the other hand have been given a boost by the local City council. After seeing their bid for Battersea Power Station lose out to a Malaysian consortium, Chelsea are now discussing with their local council in a bid to expand Stamford Bridge, The Guardian reports.

Rebuilding and expanding the Bridge just like the CFC team is a much viable option...

The Blues could get help from Hammersmith and Fulham Council to upgrade Stamford Bridge after their latest attempt to find a site for a new stadium failed.The European Champions submitted a bid to move into Battersea Power Station last month but it emerged this week that a joint proposal from two Malaysian companies was selected as the preferred bid. The Blues are seeking a new home due to the problems of improving their 42,000-seater ground, but finding a site in the local area has been just as tough.

The new leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Cllr Nicholas Botterill, has insisted he wants to see Chelsea remain at Stamford Bridge and has been in touch with the club in an attempt to open the discussions. He said: "It now looks highly unlikely that CFC will be moving away from their historic home."

He added: "The council remains committed to working with the club to explore all possible avenues for keeping the Blues here at their original home.

"The door is open and the council is again ready to sit down and discuss how Stamford Bridge can be appropriately upgraded so that it is fit for one of Europe's leading football clubs."

Expansion plans for the Bridge ahead?

 Well leaving the Bridge and going to somewhere else will not be quite a pleasant experience for the Blue faithful. The memories attached to the Bridge are priceless and are embedded in every diehard CFC supporter..

Chelsea who have been at the Bridge since 1905 are very unlikely to leave their temple of football in the Bridge and where they have achieved so much consummation. The Bridge is and will always remain a part of Chelsea's Golden History....

Stay updated for more news...

Till then fellow Blues, BLUE IS THE COLOR.

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The Road Ahead for Fernando Torres

Torres with the CL trophy

Frustrated Fernando

Fernando Torres' Chelsea career has been filled with extreme highs & lows. He has been part of a squad that has won both the FA Cup & the Champions League in the same season, but he's scored only 12 goals in 67 games for Chelsea.
                                                   
Mark Twain once said, "There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies, & statistics" . Yes, Torres' Chelsea stats are extremely poor. But statistics tell only one side of the story. 7 of Torres' 11 goals in the 2011-12 season came in the last 2 months, a late resurgence that shows a return to form for the £50 million man. Numerous assists have also helped him regain some of his confidence. Question is, will he ever truly return to form?

Here are 3 reasons why everyone (not just Chelsea fans, everyone!) should believe that Torres will return to form next season:-

Torres after scoring against Barcelona

1) Late resurgence towards the end of last season- As I highlighted before, Torres scored 7 goals in the last 2 months of the season. Those goals included a double against Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals, a hat-trick against QPR & a goal against Barcelona that ensured us a spot in the Champions League final. Considering the fact that he had not scored for 24 games prior to his double against Leicester, his 7 goals in 2 months showed us that he is slowly regaining his confidence, & more importantly his form.  

2) Team will play to his strengths- When Fernando first arrived at Chelsea, he often appeared lost while on the field. That wasn't due to a lack of effort on his behalf, but mostly due to the fact that his new team-mates wouldn't necessarily play to his strengths. After years of playing a long-ball, back-against-the goal game that was suited to the strengths of Didier Drogba, the Chelsea midfield struggled to provide Torres with the kind of service he was accustomed to at Anfield. He was still making his customary runs, but there was no one there to provide that final ball to compliment the run. This changed slightly with the arrival of Juan Mata, but Chelsea still played a style of football that suited Drogba more than Torres. With the arrival of players like Eden Hazard & Marko Marin, expect plenty of quality service to be provided to the Spaniard. 

Fernando Torres, Chelsea's No. 9

3)  Currently Chelsea's main striker- The tear-filled departure of Didier Drogba has ensured that Fernando Torres is now Chelsea's No.1 choice to play as the lone striker. Daniel Sturridge would have been first-choice if he didn't experience a dip in form at almost the same time that Torres decided to find some of his own. The other option is Romelu Lukaku, but it seems likely that the 19-year old will be loaned out next season in order to get some game time. At Anfield, Torres was accustomed to being the No. 1 striker, and he repaid that confidence placed in him with plenty of goals. With Drogba no longer at the club, it seems likely that Torres will be top dog at Chelsea. It also seems likely that he will repay the club & the fans for keeping faith in him during his dark period that seems to be over now. 

My faith in El Nino is not blind. I have watched Torres since his Atletico Madrid days, & he was probably the only other Liverpool player I admired besides Steven Gerrard. Having seen him play for so long, I believe that his bad run of form, however long it may have lasted, was only a temporary thing. He appears to have put his past behind him, & looks set to spearhead Chelsea FC into a new era of greatness. Form is temporary, class is permanent. And Fernando Torres, Chelsea's No. 9, is pure class. 

Ireland Coach- We Can Use The Chelsea Way

Teams around the world are taking inspiration from The Chelsea Way

The Euros now up and running the group stages are soon going to end and some vital fixtures are yet to take place. In the wake of Spain's clash with Ireland, Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni has taken inspiration from Chelsea's victory over Barcelona and in Munich as they face Spain.

A report on Sky Sports UK read-

Ireland coach Giovanni isn't ruling his sides chances against World Champions Spain

The Blues shocked the footballing world when they overcame the then European champions in their UEFA Champions League semi-final.

"Nobody gave Chelsea any hope when they played Barcelona he said.

And Trapattoni feels Ireland can take heart from Chelsea'sunexpected win as they face Spain knowing defeat would knock them out after they lost their opening match to Croatia.

"Every game in this Euro could be a surprise. We have to believe this," said the Italian.

"We know how difficult this is going to be because Spain are the world champions and they have very big players.

"But nobody gave Chelsea any hope when they played Barcelona.

"In the Champions League Final nobody thought Chelsea would do it. They had four or five players missing.

People wrote the BLUES off pretty early, only for CFC to prove the doubters wrong.

"Bayern Munich had 17 corners to Chelsea's one but Chelsea won.

"That is football, anything is possible."


The way the Blues countered Barcelona's tiki taka and Bayern's attacking football with their ultra defensive tactics shocked millions of people worldwide and made their jaws drop as well. The Chelsea Way is really a newly found way for some teams who don't use attack as their main strategy. The Chelsea Way is a newly found hope for millions of fans around the world in this case Ireland fans. 

All we can do is wish luck to Ireland and hope they use The Chelsea Way well.


Till then, KTBFFH as always .

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