Champions League draw: Group B - Valencia, Schalke 04, Rosenborg

hmm can't be too sure about Valencia, but i'm confident we can finish top of our group without too much trouble.

Liverpool Porto could be interesting

Could be better, could be worse. Wonder who Claudio will be supporting in the Chelsea v Valencia match!

Nice easy draw for Rangers. ;D

Well the easiest draw as usual goes to Arse-anal, just hope they do not qualify. Our draw I agree can be worse, can be better, but we definitely must qualify.

Valencia is tough, but Rosenborg has to be one of the easier teams in the competition. Liverpool has no easy ties, ManU has a deal of travelling to do, and Arsenal does have to get passed Seville which won't be easy. We have to win the group because we will have to face one of the Milans or Barca in all likelihood in the next round. Could have been a lot worse - just look what Rangers drew.

Chelsea are second favourite to win the CL. I hope Sheva and Joe Cole will be playing, then we have a good chance. I feel particularly very sorry for Joe Cole... Jose Mourinho please let him play!

Reasonably happy with the group.....

Valencia will be tough, Shalke is a challeng, but one we should overcome and Rosenberg should be the easybeats.

If we are serious about winning the Cup, then we should be more than capable of advancing from this group.

As we've alluded to, could have been better, could have been worse.

I'm happy we've avoided any trips to Russia / Ukraine, likewise Italy (after the abysmal behaviour of Roma fans last year).

Valencia will be tricky, but we should be o.k against Schalke and Rosenborg. And if we're not, we dont deserve to progress anyway.

Not entirely sure why the draw itself has to be a pantomime. Can't they just draw teams like the FA Cup draw. Why all the ridiculous defender of the year (clearly not Maldini) garbage ???

Still, congrats to Petr for being named UEFA Club keeper of the year.

And, by all accounts (from Mr Kenyon himself), no need for us to get excited about it being the last day of the transfer window. One out - Glen Johnson - and that's us done. Unless we sneak a late bid in for David Villa......

mourino just seems to be loosing it all?am begining to doubt him for once how can he not field joe cole he is definately among the best 10 in the premiership any day!
joe is the most creative player in both an english shirt and chelsea fc.i mean he scored a screamer(beauty) in the world cup which non of our players will ever accomplish. none has been better in destroying big teams in the premiership ie liverpool manchester arsenal than joe,i mean he has always scored against them!for once u lost the premiership without him playing i dont even understand why he is always being subbed? technically he is so gifted u subbed him in newcastle morinho lost u subbed him against barca morino u lost he did it again in the championsleague last season he lost infact all the subs missed the penalties. charity shield likewise. come on jose u cant get any dumber ,please dont always pick the "machines" atleast pick a "football brain" if u want success in the championsleague

Stop press:

Ronaldinho seen at Cobham checking out the hydration therapy pool and cosmetic dentistry facilities. Kaka spotted browsing estate agents windows near Sloane Square and Dean Windass and his agent spied in a greasy spoon on the North End Road with Roman and Peter Kenyon.

No, seriously...

JD,

I'd be careful if I were you. Shaun Custis from The Sun is rumoured to be on the lookout for a deadline day signing to join the footy writers at the rag.

With that sort of creative journalism, you could be head-hunted....

And based on time it's taken past foreigners to 'adjust' to the demands of the Prem, I'd take Windass over the other 2. Really.

Don't think even my imagination is fertile or far-fetched enough for a Custis headline, Fifty...!

Fifty...i'd just like to say mate you are off your rocker if you think Maldini is garbage! Honestly pal i'm mesmorised that comment has come out of your mouth as you actually one of a few ppl who speak much sense when i read your comments but to say Maldini is garbage is ridiculous. I know this is a Chelsea board so i'm sorry my rant isn't about Chelsea but it really grinds my gears when true legends of the game don't get their just reward when ludicrous comments are made like that. Best defender the world has ever seen...ever! Not opinion, FACT!
Has captained and won every major competition in club football and you call him garbage.

Anyway sorry mate,haven't got any beef with you but that comment as you can clearly see i didn't take too. Back to the blues, happy in a way we got Rosenborg without much CL experience. Shalke we are totally under estimating. Are a very strong side, combative, with a clever coach. I believe Kuranyi plays up top for them if my Bundesliga knowledge serves me correct. Woeful player but somehow manages to find the net, somewhat like Inzaghi. So apart from Rosenborg at home i'm not confident of us walking this group...I see again Arsenal and Liverpool have it easy. But we will show our worth again i'm sure and please God let us at least get one step further than last year.

Nice one, J. Raised a chuckle.

Glen Johnson's gone to Portsmouth for around £4m.

Can't say I'm upset to see him leave.

Guido,

I didn't call him garbage. That was my summation of the award as part of the draw itself.

That comment (apologies for the grammar) was on the basis that he was awarded 'UEFA Best Club Defender of the Year' or something similar at the Champs League draw last night. The whole thing was nigh-on pathetic. Yeah Milan won the tournament, but can any agree they had the best defender, midfielder and attacker ?? I dont think so.

Yes it's a Chelsea blog. I'm not gonna say JT should have won it just because he's Chelsea. Based on the team he was in at the time, Alex was pretty immense, as was Carragher from the 'Pool.

Just a bit too convenient in my eyes that Milan won the trophy and 3 awards last night. Had Dida been named 'Keeper of the year, well, who knows.

Bearing in mind he missed a few games in the tournament last season through injury, I personally dont think he was the best defender (as for who was, I dont know).

I never saw him (I'm too young), but there was a chap called Bobby Moore who, I'm lead to believe, was a tad handy at defending as well. He may well have been the best ever, but it's all subjective.

The whole 'most valuable player' type thing is a tad Americanised, but the draw has become a full-blown media event so I suppose it is inevitable that there will be a few concessions to making it more of a spectacle (as opposed to just a few blokes in suits pulling balls out of a hat).

Maldini - legend. One of the all-time greats (in my humble opinion, of course...!)

Maldini

In my all time 11. Somehow he has always been able to make defending look beautiful.

And Joe Cole is not in the side because of SWPs form. (There is something I never thought I'd write). But you can bet he will play a full part in our season.

Fifty,
Ok my friend glad we got that sorted, if it was a typo then my apologies. I personally was watching the draw when i got back from work with the old man and we both found it a bit suspect that 3 Milan players were named. Personally i thought they actually got it right for once on the best players part. I know most will scoff when i say that.
Kaka was without doubt the best player in the world last year. Cech, even after the horror injury proved again to be still No.1 gk! Maldini in my eyes is a God and at 37 still made sure Liverpool didn't get their hands on that cup which i'm thankful for!
Now to the Seedorf bit, personally i don't think he's fantastic but he was immense for Milan in the champions league last year. There wasn't really any other midfielder that stuck out in my mind, maybe Gattuso for battering Ronaldo all night in Milan maybe.

But Fifty, Bobby Moore mate, good shout on the legend front! And he has the one major trophy Maldini never had. The World cup!

It was all a bit Americanised, too much for my liking.

Maldini is indeed a legend - one of the best that I've ever seen, and I'm glad to say I've had the privilege of meeting him.

A thoroughly nice guy, and no mistake. Wonder how long he'll keep playing...

Seedorf has one hell of a record - four CL titles with three clubs now, isn't it?

Love Maldini for many reasons, but primarily for his part in the Saachi / Capello Milan teams of the late 80's-early 90's - one of the best club sides ever. The 4-0 final win over Barca in '94 is pretty much unsurpassed in terms of near complete domination over another excellent side.

Well this isn't good news LINK
but it might be good news for some on this board.

I'm relatively new to this blog (nice one, btw!) so I just want to make sure I get my terminology correct.

Americani*z*ed (;P) == bad and overproduced?

Quoting Guido aKa Blue geeza: "we got Rosenborg without much CL experience"

Do a background check before you speak about something you don't know anything about... Rosenborg has played in CL 11 times. They have beaten Real Madrid, Blackburn Rovers, AC Milan (they knocked AC Milan out and proceeded to the quarter final), they tied Juventus 1-1 twice, they beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in Dortmund... Well, I think you should think about it one more time before you underestimate Rosenborg. :-)

All this written by a Norwegian guy, but they are all facts;-)

Good luck! I'll see you in Trondheim november 28:-)

Frankie going down is not good news. Drogba's gotta find form now, right?

Here comes Joey's chance.

I'm shocked that we sold Lassana Diarra to Arsenal. Thought he was a decent player with lots of potential.

Really disappointed that they let Diarra go to the Gooners.

I always thought he was a strong squad player but I guess he wanted more game time and that was never going to happen at Chelsea this year.

Big concern though that they have let 2 right backs go on the fnal day of the transfer window..... Did they not learn anything from last year's injuries?

Not sure Ronaldinho next year ( see Daily Mail website)is much of a deal either...... Smacks of Sheva....getting the world's best player, two years after he is the world's best player.

Ho Hum.....We are still top of the league and United failed to buy another striker!

Diarra was too small to be a really top class right back and his preferred position was apparently the holding midfielder. We're a bit spoilt for choice there given Makalele, Essien, and Mikel, and no doubt Ballack could do the job, too if asked. With the arrival of Mikel, it has become increasingly difficult to see where Diarra could play. I'm surprised that he did not leave earlier. Pity, though, for he is a very good player, but so are they all. This is what is meant by strength in depth. I suppose now is the time for a midfielder hecatomb just as last year we lost all our centre backs having just sold off half of them.

Frank's injury is a blow given his current form. I wonder if TSO will play Joey Cole behind the attack to provide the same kind of forward momentum with Essien and Mikel patrolling the midfield - an aggressive 4-3-3. Alternatively, if Ballack is still not fit, Sidwell is the obvious replacement. I guess we'll see Sunday.

gutted about diarra.

Regardless of Diarra being good enough or not, it seems stupid to me to sell him to one of our rivals. One that will no doubt come back to haunt us.

The news about Lamps isn't good, although it sounds like he'll only miss the Villa game. But without Ballack to fill that role we're certainly going to lack creativity. Not sure what the team will be - Essien, Mikel and Sidwell / Joe Cole in midfield maybe ??? We always seem to struggle against Villa anyway, so tomorrow could be tough. And the Scousers could be top by then.

I need a lie down....

Diarra why? I hope Essien doesn't get too settled in midfield, because any left winger we face who has any pace he will be playing left back again.Neither Billetti of Paulo have any speed to speak of,that's why he played Essien against Liverpool.I know sometimes Diarra was a tackle away from being sent off but surely that's what the coaches get paid for,to help the players to overcome what weakness they have.Why do Arsenal any favours,they certainly wouldn't do us any.Hopefully this is all part of a cunning plan by Chelsea,why else would they act so stupidly?

For some strange reason the sale of Diarra hasn't been mentioned on the official site,perhaps if they keep quiet nobody will notice.

It has been.

LINK#/page/Homepage/article_1103887

Sat, 1st Sep 2007
Chelsea Football Club can confirm that the transfer of Lassana Diarra to Arsenal was completed just before the close of the transfer deadline last night.

i can't believe that i'm writing that but it seems that liverpool are challenging for the league this year?????????

Shame about Diarra. The only thing I can think is that he must have really insisted on going. A bit like when Duff left -- I remember Mourinho saying then that nobody wanted DD to leave, but they all knew his first-team opportunities would be limited so it didn't seem fair to him to make him stay. And with Mikel keeping Makalele out of the team, let alone miniMaka, when was Diarra going to play? Not a good sign to be losing such a good young player though.

Maybe there's someone coming up in the reserves? Is the kid Sam Hutchinson a defensive midfield/RB prospect? Hang on -- he'll probably be sold to ManU next year.

wow - can't believe we lost to Villa. Credit to them they have great pace and played very well.

I thought we played ok - but looks like this season we won't be able to grind out victories playing badly. Almost conceding in the last minute against portsmouth was a big sign of this. We missed Frank terribly and I hope this shuts up his boo boys.

Drogba seems really quite this season - that's a big concern and seeing him limp off the pitch doesn't look good either.

Chin up - it's early days, let's hope Roman just needed a pee and thats why he left early.

God Bless Roman's Blue Army

I'm waiting to read about how brilliant your Chelsea team was against Aston Villa. Would be nice to read that now. ...