Scorers: J.Cole(I2'), Anelka(26'), Lampard(45'), Deco(89')

Starting Eleven:
Cech 
Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry, A.Cole
Lampard, Mikel, Ballack
Deco, J.Cole
Anelka

Subs: Hilario, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Malouda (on 38), Di Santo, Alex, Ferreira (on 83).

Chelsea had a perfect start to the season as we smashed four goals past Redknapp's clueless Pompeys. In what was a perfect start to the campaign, both Deco and Bosingwa made impressive debuts and Deco was awarded man of the match after he rounded off his efforts for the day with a stunning 30-yard shot to beat David James. Stamford Bridge saw some of the best football played there in recent times. Chelsea dominated the game completely, with accurate, slick passes and great movement in the midfield. It was like all the Pompey players were invisible, except of course the goalkeeper whose efforts meant Portsmouth were punished with four only.

Bosingwa made his debut alongside Terry, Carvalho and Cole in the defense. His recovery from the injury picked in the pre-season friendly was fast and he made it to the squad. But, Essien didn't. Essien's unavailability meant Mikel did the defensive role in the midfield. Scolari had a line-up that was predictable, but what we were to spectate was never predicted. Anelka played the lone man upfront with Joe Cole supporting him.

In the first half, Chelsea showed all its class and quality with overwhelming possession and great passing. Deco demonstrated his range and vision with deft touches and accurate passes, while Lampard and Ballack were exquisite and calm. The ball rarely went behind Mikel, who was sitting pretty in the Makalele role. To add to the worries of Pompeys, both Chelsea fullbacks were attacking down the flanks. Ashley Cole, given the freedom to go forward did so with grit and flair while Bosingwa was impressive with his runs and crossing. Anelka played as if he wanted to prove a point and that Kalac wasn't the only reason he scored four in the last pre-season match.

The things that impressed me most was that all the players were involved and wanted the ball. Whenever Pompeys had the ball, they were closed down quickly and the ball was snatched with determination and ease. The last season had given enough reasons for motivation and it showed. It took eight minutes for Lampard to register his first shot, a long range shot that forced David James into action. After watching the early stages of the game, the first goal was just a matter of time, and the match was about how many.


Ze German showed his class when his perfect pass found Joe, after Anelka and Deco combined to initiate the move. Joe was through on goal and beat James with a low shot to the far post. Eight minutes later, Anelka should have doubled the lead having beaten the offside trap, but his low shot was straight at James. The second goal came as Deco found Anelka somehow from a Bosingwa pass and the Frenchman headed into an empty post. Ballack was forced to withdraw in the 37th minute and Malouda replaced him, though he played on left flank. But nothing changed for Pompeys. Hreidarsson handled inside the area when Pompeys were looking to escape first half with minimum damage and Lampard scored his first this season with ease.


The second half was the same. Maybe Portsmouth got a bit more possession when Chelsea downed their tempo but there were no genuine goal threats. Chelsea dominated possession again and Scolari decided to bring in Wright-Phillips and Ferreira instead of Joe and Bosingwa. Just when Redknapp sighed with relief that they will be punished with three goals only, Deco came with a shot from 30 yards out that surprised him, James and everybody. There was no wonder Deco was awarded 'man of the match', as Chelsea began their quest with a victory, and now is back on top of the league.


Just when I thought things couldn't get better, United drew at home to Newcastle. So both records stayed intact. United's record of not winning the opening match of the season since 99' and our home record. And Deco, Torres and Santa Cruz starred in my fantasy team. Chelsea plays Wigan next at the JJB. An away game considered tough taking into consideration the JJB pitch. But from what we have seen, there are more good things to come and the season promises much.

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Chelsea begins a new era in the Premier League today with Scolari, the new manager at the helm. It is important to get a good start to the campaign, but a win today would mean much more to the Blues because Scolari's Chelsea would then start on a positive note. The Blues are not only looking to extend their majestic home unbeaten streak to 83 games, but also their 21 game Premiership unbeaten run.

Today's match will also see the Premiership debut of Deco, and Bosingwa if he is injury-free. Nobody would dare to predict the midfield Scolari selects for this match. It would be hard for him to accommodate all. The only one's who look untouchable are Lampard, Ballack and Deco in midfield. J.Cole and Mikel are fit to start, but their involvement in the match would be dependent on the formation Chelsea plays, which also remains a mystery. There are also reports that Essien is in the injury list along with Deco, who didn't train on Friday.

Anelka, in the absence of Drogba, might be the lone striker upfront. Franco Di Santo could be named on the bench as back up for Anelka. If its a 4-3-3, Malouda or Wright-Phillips may start with Joe Cole in the other flank. If its a 4-2-3-1 as many experts predict, then Anelka would be the lone striker upfront. In defense, Terry, Carvalho, Ashley Cole and Bosingwa would be in front of Petr Cech. If Bosingwa doesn't start, Belletti and Ferreira are likely candidates to replace him. There is plenty of cover there. With seven substitutes allowed on the bench, Alex will have lots of company there. Portsmouth have rarely troubled the quality teams and its unlikely that Chelsea will be much troubled at Stamford Bridge today.

The fixture will mark a return to the Bridge for Lassana Diarra and Glen Johnson. Defoe and Crouch would be a great partnership upfront. But taking all that into consideration I still feel we'll have a comfortable victory today. So, lets hope its a grand start to the season that promises so much. Go Blues !!

Referee: Mike Dean 

Time : 13:30 BST

TV Timings: 1755 ESPN(IST), 17/08/08. 

Scoreline prediction: 2-0

 

"Further to media reports, Chelsea Football Club can confirm we have made an offer to Real Madrid today (Thursday, August 7) for the transfer of Robinho." The Official Chelsea site made this announcement yesterday confirming that Chelsea has bid for Real Madrid winger Robinho. The possibility of Robinho arriving at the Bridge seemed less likely after Ronaldo decided to stay in Manchester and Sneijder got injured. But the confirmation by the Official site that a bid for Robinho has been made, adds another twist to the summer-long story.

Sky Sports News says that Chelsea have lodged a £19.7million bid for Real Madrid forward Robinho.Earlier this week, Kenyon had openly expressed the desire of the Club to sign the Brazilian winger. And Robinho, when asked about it, had refused to rule out the move. This could be Chelsea's last bid this summer and if the bid proves to be successful, we would see Samba magic at the Bridge soon.

 Chelsea are understood to be thinking about an offer from Roma for their winger Florent Malouda, who has failed to make an impact after arriving from Lyon last summer for £13.5m  Roma need to replace Mancini, who was sold to Inter, and was at first interested in a loan deal for Malouda. If the Robinho bid succeeds, Malouda may find himself in the Italian capital next season. Meanwhile the Pompeys from south coast are still said to be interested in Wright-Phillips and Redknapp believes Wright-Phillips would be another expensive buy like Crouch.

Moving onto other news, the Blues, back in London after thrashing the Rossoneri, have started the training sessions as scheduled. And one guy who is missing the party is Salamon Kalou. Kalou is in the Olympic squad of Ivory Coast, who lost their first group game in the Olympics as Argentina secured a 2-1 win. Ivory Coast will go into their next game against Serbia on Sunday with no points.

The article was originally published in Living True Blue. (subscribe)