Chelsea are not quite as imperious as last season

It's hard to work out just what Chelsea are at the moment. One minute they are thumping Stoke City and beating Atlético Madrid away from home and the next they are being beaten by Burnley and Crystal Palace. Their up and down form has got pundits already writing them off from defending their Premier League title, but away from home it is only the Palace game that has really put a stick in their spokes.

Without Diego Costa, Chelsea don't seem quiet the team
they were but they still have an impressive line up.

Antonio Conte was said before the Watford win to be not worried but realistic that Chelsea could sack him if results did not improve. What Chelsea would consider an improvement is harder to put your finger on as even against Watford there were moments when the Hornets could have given Conte more of a scare. David Luiz and Gary Cahill have looked vulnerable this season and while Morata and Batshuayi have been among the goals there is a distinct  unpredictability about Chelsea. Fabregas was on the bench most of last season but has been playing a lot more this season, especially with Kante being injured, while the loss of Costa is still probably having a lingering affect around the team and the dressing room.

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Unfortunately, Chelsea did not have a European Champions League game this week so they could rest their best players for this game. There has been rumours of over training at Chelsea to which the players have been upset about, but Conte is unlikely to change what proved successful for him last season. Chelsea will see Bournemouth as an easier game than many they will have but there are definite signs that Chelsea are not having all things there own way.

Meanwhile, with Asmir Begovic and Nathan Aké now at Bournemouth, the game takes on a new meaning of importance for AFCB. Players playing against their old club always like to do well and Bournemouth have a scalp, if they could get a home win against Chelsea. It would give Bournemouth 10 points from 10 games and they would be more or less back on course with where they need to be to finish out of the bottom three.

Cherry Chimes has been answering some questions from Chelsea HQ ahead of this game. So if you head over to ChelseaHQ, after 7pm, you can find out how I did under the spotlight.

You can also see Cherry Chimes' AFCB v Chelsea match preview at ASkFans.

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AFCB sat too deep early on against Chelsea

It is understandable that Eddie Howe wanted his players to respect the Chelsea team who are top of the league. But the tactics he chose in the first half were to hold shape and defend fairly deep, knowing that Chelsea were excellent on the counter-attack. This may have made AFCB harder to breakdown, but it also meant that when AFCB won the ball they did so usually in their own half, and a good 70-80 yards away from Chelsea's goal which made it difficult to launch attacks.

AFCB couldn't have played much deeper in the first half.

There was great emphasis on the shape of the team against Chelsea and the discipline was there for everyone to see. While being organised, this is not AFCB's natural game and I some times feel AFCB have to be more confident on what they can do themselves to other sides. There were only two really quick players that would threaten on the break for Chelsea and they were Hazard and Pedro. Costa is a good target man, but he was not going to out run either Cook or Francis. So when AFCB lost the ball it was mainly Hazard and Pedro that the Chelsea midfielders and defenders looked to hit. The wing backs of Marcus Alonso and Victor Moses were the extra dimension that Chelsea had that made it complicated for AFCB to commit men further forward. So Pugh and Fraser were hemmed back far more in their own half than they would have liked.

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The first goal that was an own goal also developed with AFCB being too narrow and Moses found time and space to get the ball into Diego Costa who turned Francis, whom he had a yard on, and even though he didn't get anything like the contact he wanted on his shot, Adam Smith diverted the ball off his head and it was a very soft goal to concede. The second goal too was also made easier for Kante to spot a pass for Hazard, as AFCB were narrow and Smith did get back quickly enough to get to Eden Hazard.

You can defend deep, but AFCB need more work on this type of strategy in my opinion, because against teams like Chelsea that have quality players to pick passes from distance, the door opens up very quickly for players like Hazard when they have a couple of yards on a defender. Still, games like this are a learning curve and perhaps Eddie Howe will consider another approach next time.

AFCB lose their unbeaten run against title chasing Chelsea

Match Report

8 April 2017

AFCB 1 v 3 Chelsea
Attendance: 11,283

Bournemouth and Chelsea meet at Dean Court.

Chelsea kept their title charge on track with a relatively comfortable victory at Dean Court where they raced into a 0-2 lead in the first 20 minutes. First, a spooned shot by Diego Costa in the box that was going wide, diverted off Adam Smith and span in to the Cherries' net, and that was followed by a move from Kante, that saw Eden Hazard round Artur Boruc to score. A bit of balance was restored by Josh King just before half time, when he sped up the right side and whipped a sharp shot on the angle past Courtois and into the top corner. Bournemouth had their chances to get more from the game, although the charmed Chelsea goal denied them on more than one occasion. What marks the top sides out though is their ability to strike when they are looking to kill the game off, and Chelsea won the game with a superbly struck free kick from Marcos Alonso on 68 minutes. 

Former AFCB manager, Harry Redknapp was applauded to the CT Sport pundit's box.

AFCB brought Ryan Fraser back into the starting 11, but Dan Gosling was not fit enough to make the squad.

Jordan Ibe Jack Wilshere and Ryan Fraser before kick off.

Fabregas was one of Chelsea's subs.

More pictures will be on Match Day Gallery.

Bournemouth almost got off to the dream start as a strong run by Josh King and driven cross resulted in David Luiz slicing his clearance towards Chelsea's goal only for Courtois to react quickly and push it over for the first corner of the game. Wilshere then set Ryan Fraser on a run against Luiz only for him to hit his shot well wide.

Chelsea looked to break up Bournemouth's fast-led attacks with N'Golo Kante issuing the 'policy of thou shalt not pass', in what every way he could get away with. AFCB soon had a second corner and were intercepting and switching play well, but Chelsea were the ones that were soon pressing forward. 

Moses was first to see a yellow card but he made a good cross moments later that Francis headed away only for Maroc Alonso's shot to be blocked by Adam Smith, before the follow up was driven over. Hazard was next to shoot wide as the Chelsea machine started to build momentum.

Harry Arter was making his presence felt with a foul on Hazard that see him take out the Chelsea star player near the half way line. 

AFCB's attacks came at lightning pace with Fraser leading the charge and Josh King scuffing his shot wide, just failing to get his foot round the ball fully.

As luck would have it, Chelsea would go ahead a minute later with Moses passing to Costa who spooned his shot that looked to be going wide off the edge of his boot, but it deflected off of Adam Smith's head and squirmed into the net to give Chelsea the lead on 17 minutes. Matters became even worse for AFCB just a few minutes later when Hazard sprung the offside trap from Kante's pass, and sped to the left, rounded Boruc and tucked the ball neatly into the middle of the goal to make it 0-2. Steve Cook had played Hazard on side, when it looked at the time that the goal should have been ruled out to me and the other AFCB fans around me.

Bournemouth weren't playing poorly, but they were being punished cruelly. They worked they way back up to Chelsea's box where King and Ryan Fraser worked the ball on the right before Fraser smashed as shot that Courtois pushed away, but Pugh could not get his body in a shape to hit the high volley with a defender blocking his path.

Pressure was kept on by Wilshere winning a free kick on the edge of the box. Fraser ht the free kick into the wall, but when the ball was worked up the left with Daniels firing in a cross, Benik Afobe lunged for a volley and smashed his shot onto the left post and off Courtois, before it was cleared.

Arter received a yellow card or a foul on Costa. But a bit of fortune saw Adam Smith get the better of Alonso with the help of his hand and Afobe spotted the run of King who hit his shot against Luiz and if flew passed Courtois into the top corner on 42 minutes. 

Second Half

Some one forgot to put the floodlights on for a few minutes of the second half, but they went on eventually.  But would we see Bournemouth flick the switch to help Spurs? Well Ryan Fraser came close with an early drive that was a whisker the wrong side of Courtois' right post.

Chelsea were still counter-attacking well with Alonso bringing a save out of Boruc who used his feet to make the save.

The referee finally caught up with Kante's misdemeanours and gave him a yellow for a foul on King. The game was effectively killed when Steve Cook brought down Costa just outside the Bournemouth box. Alonso decided to take the free kick and struck it sweetly, right into the top right corner - Boruc's feet were stuck in concrete - it was 1-3. To be honest, I don't think if AFCB had two keeper's in the goal they would have stopped the shot from going in.

Ibe replaced Pugh on 71 minutes as AFCB looked for a response.

Chelsea's game management was then fairly good. Perez picked up a yellow for catching Arter around the head, as Chelsea took the odd foul to halt AFCB's progress. Afobe was subbed on 77 minutes to bring Mousset on and he was straight into the action and almost put King in before Matic spotted the danger.

Boruc then made a good save from Pedro with 10 minutes to go. AFCB were not going to finding it easy to get back into the game with Chelsea continuing to pose a goal threat.

Gradel came on for Pugh with seven minutes to go. Fabregas also replaced Hazard a couple of minutes later and Pedro went off for Willian, just to get a couple of minutes, and Victor Moses left the field in added time with Zouma finishing the match in the Chelsea defence.

AFCB slip down the table to 15th.

Summary

The gap between AFCB and teams like Chelsea are not as big as they were last season. There is improvement, but AFCB defended deeper than Howe would have wanted in the first half and brought pressure on themselves. On the counter Chelsea are good and their second goal proved that. They have the players to cut open defences with one pass from deep and Hazard is a top finisher. Add the unstoppable Alonso free kick and it would have seemed to many quite a simple win, but had Afobe's volley had gone a few inches the other side of striking the post and had Adam Smith not have made the opening own goal, it might have been a much tighter match - on such small defining lines are matches won and lost.

Simon Francis and N'Golo Kante shake the official's hands.

AFCB
Boruc, Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels, Fraser (Gradel 84), Arter, Wilshere, Pugh (Ibe 71),
Afobe (Mousset 77), King

AFCB SubsAllsop, B Smith, Cargill, Gradel, L Cook, Ibe, Mousset

AFCB Ratings
Boruc 6, A Smith 6, Francis 6, Cook 5, Daniels 6, Fraser 8, Arter 7, Wilshere 7, Pugh 6,
Afobe 6, King 9

Chelsea
Courtois, Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill, Moses (Zouma 90+2), Kanté, Matic
Alonso, Pedro (Willian 87), Hazard (Fàbregas 83), Diego Costa

Chelsea Subs
Begovic, Fàbregas, Zouma, Willian, Batshuayi, Terry, Chalobah

Referee Watch Andre Mariner - 6/10: I would have like to see a harder line taken with some of the repetitive fouling a bit earlier in the game. I wasn't sure about the second Chelsea goal but on replay You could see it was well constructed goal, so the officials did well there.

AFCB know Chelsea have match winners even without Costa

Chelsea are not top of the table for nothing. They don't rely just on one player to do the business. Yes, Diego Costa has scored most of the goals having netted 13, but he has a pretty strong supply route and even without him Michy Batshuayi will be keen to get a rare start.

Chelsea can even play badly and win games 1-0 this season.

More of a worry than Batshuayi though is Eden Hazard. He looks a totally different player again from last season and he is ripping teams up. That will be a problem that Charlie Daniels will have to try and solve and I imagine there may be a good amount of doubling up on Hazard. Of course hat creates spaces elsewhere, and this is going to be a hard game for the likes of Arter and Wilshere who will have to do more covering than usual one would suspect. 

The pace of Pedro has already been a prospect that teams have not dealt well with this season. He has a real appetite to make defenders have to turn and catch him and he picks intelligent positions up, while not being the most powerful of forwards. What he can do is finish.

N'Golo Kanté could be a bigger loss for Chelsea than Costa in this game. While Chelsea have goal scorers they don't have many with such a good engine as Kanté. Cesc Fabregas is probably who Conte will turn to and  he has had a few minutes under his belt to be ready for this game now.

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It's funny how David Luiz is always seen as the villain and yet this season he has been more of a hero at Stamford Bridge and seems well at home. He can also hit some special free-kicks and the Cherries will have to be mindful of making too many wild challenges around their own box. 

Chelsea's in-form player though has to be César Azpilicueta who has been stunning crowds with his range of passing and accuracy.

The home form of Chelsea is pretty impressive too!

Chelsea Home Form
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AFC Away Form
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In other news, Rico Seitz has been appointed as an AFCB director while John O’Neill has stepped down from the Board at AFCB

Are Chelsea still under performing?

Under Guus Hiddink the troops at Chelsea were doing well and stabilised themselves until they found the going a bit hard against Paris St Germain in the Champions League. That defeat resonated into their recent Premier League performances with defeat coming away at Swansea and at home against Man City. Chelsea were also knocked out of the FA Cup in March at Everton, so has Hiddink lost his magic touch?

To be honest I just think it has not just been about Chelsea feeling sad for themselves, but they have come up against sides that wanted the wins more. Swansea had every reason to play their socks off at home to Chelsea to edge towards safety while Man City have the top four finish to worry about. But what is there for Chelsea to play for now? A top 10 finish? A chance to play the youngsters?

Chelsea's players have had a strange and disappointing season.

The announcement of their next manager last week is perhaps an indication that they are a club already looking at the 2016-17 season under Antonio Conte. You might expect some of the Chelsea super stars to start putting in top performances and looking to catch the eye, but I get the feeling that the end of this season can't come soon enough for the players or the fans.

The one good thing that I can see has come out of Chelsea's season is the emergence of Ruben Loftus-Cheek who probably would not have had the chance if Chelsea were competing for a top four place. Whether he gets a look in next season or not, other clubs should be looking to see if they can take him on loan if Chelsea won't sell.

Williain has been the one outstanding player in Chelsea's ranks that has kept his reputation in tact, but on their day players like Fabregas, Costa, Cahill, Matic, Hazard and Courtois can play teams off the park and even an under performing Chelsea side is a match for many of the Premier League clubs. AFCB have seen how going a goal down to this type of team is all top sides need to get a real grip on a game and for AFCB there is still much to learn about playing a side like Chelsea - under performers or not. 

What's wrong with Chelsea this season?

I suppose everyone at Stamford Bridge is asking the question of how last year's Champions have not managed to play with their winning panache that was so magnificent at times only a year ago. Most of the players from last season are still a the club and the manager has not changed. But has Mourinho's style of management worn thin on his players?

AFCB can look forward to a great day at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea still have work to do this season.

At the end of the day it is Mourinho that will shoulder the blame for the results. He is certainly still in control of how he wants his team to play and who he wants on the pitch as Diego Costa found out in their last match against Tottenham Hotspurs. Some of the swagger has emerged in Champions League matches, but it is the Premier League form that is disappointing and it is baffling why Chelsea have not exploded back up the table yet.

Keeping Chelsea subdued for long though is unlikely to happen. The players are too good to be below half way in this league and Eddie Howe will have to remind his players not to get carried away, as Chelsea will surely punish a team that is too open sooner or later. Their best result at Stamford Bridge was probably the 2-0 win against Arsenal back in September, but Arsenal only had nine men on the pitch by the end of that game. Defeats against the likes of Liverpool and Southampton at home are probably not as shocking as a win for AFCB would be. Chelsea have only played Norwich and Aston Villa of the bottom six at home though and they dispatched both of them well enough.

What must be a concern though for Jose is that his top scorer from last season is only on three goals in this campaign. Does Diego really want to play under Jose at the moment? I can't help feeling that a parting maybe around the corner however much kissing and huddling the two do. Chelsea remains an unhappy camp and that just gives underdog teams like AFCB a slight chance that they could get something that they are not supposed to from a game like this.

In their last match against Spurs though, Mourinho feels his team played the best they have this season which is ominous to hear. "The team is back," said Jose. 

Eden Hazard is certainly playing his way back into form and AFCB will have to have do better than others who have failed to score against the Blues in the last three games. 

Chelsea Home Form
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AFCB Away Form
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Rival Lines: Diego Costa should be sold, says Chelsea Daft

Rival Lines
Match Preview: Chelsea v AFCB
Blogger Interview: Chelsea Daft
Twitter: @Chelseadaft

Well Chelsea have probably had a season to forget already as far as the Premier League is concerned. You'd be forgiven for thinking that some of the Jose brigade might bee feeling down in the dumps. Rather than skirt the issue though I was keen enough to ask Chelsea Daft what has gone wrong and whether Jose had rather lost the plot in recent weeks. We get right into it talking Jose, Petr Chec and the uncompromising Diego Costa.

CC: What has it been like to be at Stamford Bridge this season watching your side play so uncharacteristically unlike Chelsea?

CD: It's been frustrating to say the least. Normally, you can pinpoint one or two players who are out of form and not playing well. This season barring Willian, it's been everyone!

CC: Do you believe that Chelsea are now back on track in terms of the players being back to their normal levels of performance now or do you worry about some of the players in particular?

CD: I personally believe that 75% of the players are getting back to where they should be and the levels we are looking for. Eden Hazard in particular looks back on his game and re-focused. Others still need to raise their game if we are to have any chance of climbing the table and making a realistic challenge for the top four.

CC: Was the Bradford City game in the FA Cup last season an early sign that Chelsea needed to add to its defensive strength in the summer and why John Stones was chased so hard?

CD: Being honest, I don't think you can read much into the Bradford defeat on a lack of squad depth. If anything, the players thought that being at the top of the Premier League and cursing at that point; all they had to do was turn up to win it and they were turned over. Bradford were excellent that day and deserved the win.

As for John Stones? It's clear that Jose believes that it's important to have a core of English players in his side and especially in his defence. Stones would be the natural replacement for John Terry and that's why I believe he tried to sign him.

CC: Do you want Jose Mourinho to change and be bit more humble or do you like him being himself even if the club and results can suffer sometimes? (He does seem to like to think the world is always against him)

CD: Jose Mourinho is one of the most successful managers in the game and he is never going to change. Think back to when he left the first time and how people spoke to missing him. When he speaks, people listen whether they like him or not and let's face it, he tells it how it is. Would you prefer someone like that with personality or someone who is dull?

CC: Was the sale of Petr Cech to Arsenal more damaging than Chelsea fans really appreciated in the summer?

CD: Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it. Petr Cech was sold and it was a deal that suited everyone. However, no one would have predicted Thibaut Courtois' injury that has plagued his season. To be fair, Asmir Begovic has been outstanding despite our poor results.

CC: Have you been disappointed with Diego Costa's form this season and can you put any reason on why it has not been going so well for him?

CD: Diego Costa should be sold as quickly as possible in my opinion with his petulance on the bench against Tottenham towards Jose Mourinho as the final straw. No one is bigger than the team or the club and for someone who promotes team work and working hard for his team mates in the quotations he gives now and again, it's ridiculous.

His movement compared to last season is non-existent and he is beginning to wind the Chelsea fans up.

Someone like Cesc Fabregas has suffered because of Costa this season. Last season you would remember that Fabregas would pick the ball up in midfield, look up and Costa would be off on his bike. That combination was key for us last term. This year, he lifts his head and the movement isn't there and we are stuck passing the ball sideways.

Sell him!

CC: Willian has probably been Chelsea's best player this season but do you think he would get more star status if he was at a different Premier League club?

CD: I believe that Willian is getting the credit he deserves in the media now. All the Chelsea fans know just how effective he has been for us. His work rate, his quality on the ball and his skills are immense. Finally, he is getting the goals to add gloss to his performances. He is out player of the season no matter what happens.

CC: Can Chelsea put all their troubles behind them and win the Champions League this season or is the team short of a couple of players to really challenge the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich?

CD: Chelsea can beat anyone on their day as we proved in 2012. Lionel Messi has never scored against us and we beat Bayern in their own backyard. It would be typical Chelsea to struggle in the Premier League but to go and make a real challenge for the CL. I do admit that Barcelona right now would be a tough ask!

CC: Jose said Max Gradel was good enough to play for Chelsea but are there any other AFC Bournemouth players that give you concern from what you have seen of them?

CD: I really, really like Matt Ritchie. He is quality on the ball and is a real danger. I have watched Bournemouth a few times and really like the way they go about their business. As you have seen this season, anyone can beat anyone on their day and Bournemouth are the same on Saturday.

CC: Would defeat to AFC Bournemouth be a new low for Chelsea or would it simply be an unthinkable result?

CD: No disrespect here but Chelsea are the Premier League Champions and to play a side that has just been promoted - you expect to beat them. Right now as we are slowly picking ourselves up and putting a run of results together, a defeat would be unthinkable not because its Bournemouth but because of our situation.

Make no mistake. Chelsea need to be at their best week in, week out now and nothing less.

CC: I really enjoyed putting those questions to  Chelsea Daft as there is so much to talk about regarding the Stamford Bridge brigade. While Chelsea Daft was very honourable and respectful of some of the antics that have been going on at his club, I get the feeling that it would not take much for things to go out of control and that is kind of amazing seeing where Chelsea were in May this year. But clubs go through bad periods and like Man Utd, Chelsea will battle to try and get back to the top four this season. It is up to clubs like AFCB to put a proverbial spanner in the works and the game this weekend is a great opportunity for AFCB players to test themselves against the very best. Many thanks to Chelsea Daft, make sure you check out the site to see how their fans are viewing the build up to this clash.