Champions League review: Chelsea 1 - 1 Valencia

Loved the game...pissed at the result and yes I do agree with you here...Lamps was crap reason for the draw...

TSO should also avoid starting Kalou...He is better coming off the bench...

Would go for a diamond of
Mikel
Ballack
Essien and
Lampard

We conceeded a wonderous strike but the belief to recover and take this round is there for me... We will be in Athens!

Come on Chelsea Come on Chelsea Come on Chelsea

Diarra was my man of the match.

Overall I think this is a neutral result and I'm confident we'll score in Spain.

Lampard is not Crap at all. Completely disagree. Tell you wat's crap. The system and T(so-called)SO. I hate lumping(saw two openings where a through ball to Sheva would have saved the day). But when it comes to what he's good at, he's the best in the world. He needs the wingers back to make those trademark runs the we know. And lets face 411112 works for Drogba only.

It's too late to hope TSO change things but hey he's only going to around for about 10 more matches and then history.

Please lay off Lampard, its the system that's wrong

Kalou definitely a good man to bring off the bench, but until Joe Cole is fit he'll have to start. Mikel again superb. Poor result, but I think we can do it over there - their style does not make them a terrifying proposition at home and i'm pretty sure we'll score at least once.

I think we will score in Spain also.

I thought we played pretty well, but we created very little. We miss Robben's invention and threat and Essien's surging runs and energy. Wasn't too impressed with Albelda who'se sole purpose seemed to be to kick people. Essien would have had him for breakfast.

Lamps was bad, everyone else gave a good showing and I thought Ballack, Mikel and Ash were excellent.

Henry I don't know how you can complain about the 'system' affecting Lampard's form. The team has been completely built around him and Maka for the past three years, and admittedly the formation has been tinkered with this year, last night we played 4-3-3 again and he was rubbish.

I have to say Tony i thought Ayala was excellent. He is dirty but I thought he handled Drogba very well (apart from the goal, obviously!) which was remarkable providing he is about a foot shorter than him and well past his prime.

Valencia impressed me a lot. Technically superb in every position with the exception of their captain, and brilliantly well organised.

The second leg will be tough, but I think we can do it.

Up the Chels.

Some might think that what I say is blasphemy, but Lamps was not good all the season. With Robben and Essien injured our midfield creativity equals zero. The goal Drogba scored was long pass over midfield.

I too thought Lampard had a poor game.

Ballack's first half was immense, the best I've seen him play in a Chelsea shirt.

Henry, I thought the long ball up to Drogba was the only aspect of our game that really rattled Valencia. There are very few players as good as Drogba at creating something from them, and I expect to see a lot more in Spain next week.

Henry...Henry...

I have to be honest with you here mate...Lamps is meant to be our creative force in the middle and he did nothing save for the back pass to Cech (applause)...away from that...He was awful at passing, awful at creating and even awful at the set pieces...

He is the reason that we failed to dictate, reason why we conceded reason why we did not score more...etc etc...I hope am clear here... I love this bloke and when he is on his game but I have to really strain to remember when he played like he wanted to...

TSO has to do something...

When others think Ballack had a good game I start to doubt my knowledge and understanding of football, like I’m watching in some parallel universe. Apart from one great tackle against Watford I can't remember anything decent from Ballack all season.

When Essien's fit I'd drop Ballack but I don't think TSO will - be interesting to see who he does drop.

As for Robben I think it best if we build our plans without him. Bit like a 1982 Ferrari - great when it's running but you wouldn't want to rely on it for commuting. Robben's going to spend most of his life injured or moaning. Ronaldo runs just as fast and gets as much kicking but he seems to get on with it.

Mark - I'm doubting my knowledge of the game now. I'm not saying Ballack's had a good season - he's been awful at times - and I'm not saying he had a good 90 minutes last night, just a good first half (I'd like to watch it again just to make sure - and I hadn't been drinking!). It's just a shame he can't produce it consistently.

I entirely agree with you about Robben.

Mark completely agree about Robben.

Dilemma with him is that on his day he is the most lethal player we have. I keep trying to convince myslef that he has just been unlucky with injuries (apprarently he regularly played 40 games plus a season for PSV) but over the last couple of years he has shown himself to be both injury prone and pathetic - a disastrous combination for someone of his talent.

On current form (i.e the last month) I would drop Lamps and play Mikel, Essien and Ballack.

I really don't see why Ballack gets so much stick. He should probably score more goals, though he has notched around seven I think (considerably more than the "greatest midfielder in the Premiership" i.e. Fabgregas) most of which were very important ones, it is a myth that he has a poor workrate (yet again last night at half time (not sure about the full 90) the stats showed he had covered considerably more ground than any other player) and he has the most varied passing ability of any of our midfielders.

I can only assume there is something about his style (or his wages?) that aggravates, and so when he loses the ball, which any footballer will do at some point during a game, there is a collective groan from all of those around me as if he is the worst footballer they have ever seen.

Mark Ballack has done a lot more than you say this season. He scored the winners against Porto and Bolton, assited Droggers's first
in the Carling Cup Final, made taking penalties an art form-it seems like the only positive press we have ahd all season was over the "greatest ever" penalty against Bremen, and as Anthony has said, I just think people don't like the fact he is paid a lot of money.

Sur he has been appalling at times, but so has Super Frank, yet no one seems to notice unless he is wearing an England shirt. At the end of the day, Ballack is a world class player just give him a season then we can make a judgement...

It's entirely a matter of perception - Ballack looks like he's strolling, while Frank puffs his cheeks and chest out and looks all fire and brimstone all the time. Frank was terrible yesterday; it's time Ballack took control of midfield.

It's similar with Drogba last year - cos he has a languid stride, people didn't realise all the hard work he was putting in (much more than this year, when he's become lazier and lazier and is leaving Shev to do all the legwork). Mikel suffered similarly at first, but people are already starting to see his obvious class - that boy can really play.

Re: Robben, you can't build a team round a player who can't play five games in succession without breaking a fingernail and missing six weeks.

I find myself slightly stunned that Jose Musumba and I agree on something for once. Think I might lie down to get over the shock (just kidding Jose).

Sorry Henry, but Lampard was crap and despite his goals this season I've rarely been able to praise him in my reviews. Last night was as poor as I've seen from him all season. The SYSTEM might be different but world class players adapt accordingly. Even if he's uncomfortable next to Ballack (as he appears to be with Gerrard and used to be when playing alongside Beckham) then he should be good enough to impose his talent on the game and the others.

As I said in my review, perhaps the answer is to quit England a la Scholes or Shearer in order to eke out a more rewarding last 5 or 6 years of his career. To my mind it is the criticism he has taken from all areas over his England performances that are affecting him, and I grant that people like me don't help this by also jumping at him, but the review is there to reflect MY view of the game and I like to think that I am reasonably objective. Frank is a GREAT player but was CRAP last night and has NOT been the player we all know and love this season.

Maybe next season when the relationship with Ballack and Essien has matured he will once again show the value he has to us. And if he does leave the England set-up he can do what I would and shove the finger up to the manager and press and fans of England when the clamour starts for a recall.

Oh and as for Robben...one more season to show his worth and how he can be as good as Ronaldo. If he keeps breaking fingernails, or crying off with bad hair days then replace him with someone a bit more...robust.

i knew valencia would get something at the bridge, they are a really really good team. Chelsea will struggle to score there, i went to the games arsenal played there, and it is an awesome atmosphere at the mestalla, especially when the fans sense a great result coming. One thing for sure is that valencia WILL score, chelsea are well in it of course, but theyv not won in spain. Villa is definately a home player as well, and valencia have even better players to come back so it will be hard.

"The Greasy Diving Cheat Cristiano Ronaldo"

well, i'm sorry man, but this is just not being able to look at the evidence. C.Ronaldo is the best player of the world right now, and his the one who is guiding Man United to the title. Instead of this nonsense talk, you should praise players like Ronaldo.... just like I praise a coach like Mourinho or a player like Drogba. In the end, you're making the same mistake about Ronaldo, that some others make about Mourinho...

It's just envy...

PS: i'm portuguese, and a fan of english soccer... Man.United has the best player of the world (just right now, because Ronaldinho isn't playing at his best); and Chelsea has the best coach of the world (well... maybe Ferguson is better... but that's another story... Mourinho is still to young).

Danny-goon.....Appreciate the relatively sensible response from a gooner, and welcome to the site.

People seem to be forgetting that the scoreline at the Bridge now means that Chelsea don't need to win in Spain. They do need to score, but since they have scored in all but about 3-4 games this year, I really don't see that being a problem.

Dissappointed to see the Ballack bashing still going on..... I thought he had a good game last night, and according to the commentators here in Oz, all of the players were wearing some sort of pedometer last night, and in the first 45 minutes Ballack clocked up more metres than any player on either side....which rather puts to bed the theory of him being too lazy to backtrack.

Laps did have an ordinary game last night, and I agree with Tont, that the sooner he qits the England side the better. He gets no credit there and needs a break from the game occassionally.

For me though, the future looks very brigh....... Mikel looks assured beyond his years in the middle of the park..... Diarra appears to have finally solved our problem position at right back.... Kalou seemsto now be a creditable alternative to Sheva and Drogba if things aren'tworking out..... And hopefully Sahar and Sinclair will get the chance to shine over the next year or two.

Personally, I really hope Jose and Roman sort things out......Mourinho deserves great credit for the way he has held things together this year, with all of the injuries, boardroom distractions and the wonderful form of the Mancs....... It would set us back greatly if we have to start building again without him, as he is the glue holding this team together.

I think we will get a result in the Mestalla....... If onlybecause we have a score to settle with the Scousers , who cheated us out of our last Champs League final appearance.

Keep the Faith......

Just checked the Valencia website......

In their last 4 home La LIga matches, they have conceded 5 goals....... Hardly the impenatrable defence that the press would have you believe, in my opinion

Any idea that Lampard played poorly is very misguided. No problems with his contribution from me. Nor Ballack who, while he was less prominent in parts of the 2nd half, made strong contributions in the middle and upfront.

As good as Mikel has been he had no idea what to do against Silva in the first half. It was probably right to play him ahead of Maka in the home leg but the situation reverses in the away leg. I'm not confident Essien will be there - indications are that his knee injury is similar to Ashley's so it's not a quick return.

Sheva and Drogba played well, but it was Kalou who didn't do a single thing right all game. I Sky+ it and re-watching when I got home confirmed the one good thing he did was when he was heading toward his own goal around the halfway line. He had a big chance at the start of the 2nd half that he should have made contact with instead of fresh air.

The refs have to do something about Valencia's behaviour in defence at set-pieces. All bar on two occasions JT, Ballack and Drogba were dragged to the floor. 3 maybe 4 cast iron penalties that the ref ignored, let alone the hit job Ayala did (twice) on Sheva.

They were all at sea aerially. This will be the way we go in the return. Ayala was great in organisation, but everything that went wrong for Valencia was through his mistakes in the major events. Play on him - he is very weak indeed and he'll commit a bad foul.

Very confident of the return game, even though I know how big the atmosphere is there.

Andy - re Ballack and the metres he covers - if distance was the criteria for judging performance Robbie Savage would be world player of the year.

I'm not Ballack bashing but what does he actually do? He's not an all out tackler, he's no great passer and he rarely shoots.

For £120k per week and as German captain I'm hoping for a bit more.

Seems we are all about criticising Lampard. but did we watch and analyse the match well. bar for the 1st 15-20min, valencia played defensively and they are surely not aston villa playing that sort of game and their goal,was out of individual brilliance.

we could have only broken Valencia down by playing wide, which we never really did, even when JC and SWP came in. to expect Lampard to dominate a crowded midfield is over the top.

The second leg, will surely be different! Valencia will open up (so our left and right backs must be on top of their game), midfield will be less congested and bet you, you will see the Frankky we've all known. we surely need our wingers to put this oppurtunity right for us.

No need to panic guys, i will always say this, Prior to 3 years ago, we have NEVER had some much belief in our team to pinpoint who is playing well or not, and that all i can see in all of us.

keep it up guys! up chelsea! up BLUES!

Fola
To say the second leg will be different is a bit strange! It's Chelsea that have to score and play a bit more openly, a 0-0 will suit Valencia very nicely.

Agree with Clive....... Can't see Valencia opening upuntil we get the goal.

Mark....Accept your point about the distance, but the critisism that always gets levelled at Ballack is a lack of effort and a failure to backtrack. I don't think he was guilty of that at all.

As fola comments, the midfield was very crowded and to expect either Lampard or Ballack to stand out was unlikely.

Hope the story about dressing room unrest in the Daily Mail is untrue, because Ballack is beginning to grow on me.

Anthony, How exactly did Valencia impress you? They barely touched it in the 2nd half. The 2 impressive things about the spaniards were, the fans and the wonder goal from David Silva. I was at the game, sitting in the top tier of the Matthew Harding Stand and one thing stood out for me about Valencia. David Villa's movement was very good in between the 2 centre backs. He was very isolated, but that was expected without Morientes, and he didn't get the type of service he needed but he reminded of Shevchenko when he was at Dynamo Kyiv and early AC Milan. He needs the ball into feet against tall defenders like John Terry because he is lightening quick and can finish with the best of them. He looks like he could be suited to the english football, but it's always difficult to tell, but pace is a massive asset. I think he has the potential to be a fantastic signing for chelsea. I reckon between 25 and 30 million pounds. None of 70 million rubbish.

We dominated proceedings, and Valencia were poor on the night, except for the 2 Davids: Silva and Villa, and I feel we will still win in Spain. But there is a tendency to hit long balls to drogba if we are losing in the 2nd half, and while this worked on wednesday it will not work all the time. We have missed Joe Cole and Robben for creativity this season, and maybe Ricardo Quaresma from FC Porto would be a good signing. We should give Robben another season to see if he can have a trouble free season, and if he doesn't we should cut our losses on him and get someone more robust and less inconsistent. Kaka anyone?

Lampard had a poor game, but he was playing to deep to do what he does best. He should retire from the national side as Gerrard gets all the praise for some truly awful displays while frank is slated by the whole country for being England's best and most willing player. If Frank played for Man Ure, heaven forbid, he would have won World Player of The Year twice by now. Ballack wasn't bad, his form is improving, he is putting in more effort, hell he even tracked back vs Watford and next season he will be closer to what he was at Bayern Munich. Sheva is also improving, and he seems to have more time on the ball than he did earlier in the season, but he still looks half a yard short. Half a yard that David Villa has! Defence was solid, except for the goal. While it was a wonder goal no gk could have saved, JT and Riccy backed off and backed off until Silva was in a position to score.

The atmosphere was awesome, especially after our goal, and the Valencia fans really helped make it a special but frustrating night, shame we couldn't break them down. Also, it was a shame an attacking team like Valencia came for the draw, despite having some wonderful attacking players. Admittedly they were missing a few first team players, but so were we.

With Essien back and Joe Cole fitter, we should beat them, especially if Morientes is still out. And although they are good at home we are the better team and the midfield will be less congested, so Lampard, Essien, Ballack and Mikel and really control the middle of the park.

The Quadruple is still on!!

C'mon the Chels!!!

To some people in this blog: " Believe is not the last thing!!!"HERE COME THE THREE POINTS FROM THE MOON!!!!!!!! Thank you uncle Harry

Well, the moon bit RedNoses bum this evening :o)))
Well done Pompey for not rolling over

man your report is a great reading for me (as a french chelsea fan) !
I really hope tomorow will be start of Chelsea killing goals !
Lads, mission for tuesday night : Score 2 goals avoid to take some (basic football).

If they win, I think we will see a new team, going higher and higher, and fighting all fainals thay'll face !

About the 1-1 draw, Valencia played very well, and you said, with such a stunning goal, respect. They had better collective games, we hadn't much solution, but now I think the blues know better who they are going to face, so they will give whatever it needs to win this leg.