Alrick

The Jose Bosingwa Effect

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Jose Bosingwa has been under fire recently by fans and pundits alike for his recent performances. Is the criticism valid or is he simply being used as a scapegoat for the poor performances of Chelsea? Let’s take a look at the statistics…

This season in all competitions Chelsea have played 36 matches, winning 19, drawing 9, and losing 8 (66 points total using 3 points per win and 1 point per draw as Cup competitions are not allotted points). Of these 36 matches, Jose Bosingwa has played the full 90 minutes in 22 of them.

In these 22 matches, Chelsea have won 9, drawn 8, and lost 5 – an average of 1.59 points per match. In the 14 matches Bosingwa has NOT played the full 90 minutes, Chelsea have won 10, drawn 1, and lost 3, (an average of 2.21 points per match). To put it succinctly, Chelsea are averaging 0.62 points MORE per game when Bosingwa is not on the pitch the entire match, a 39% increase in points.

A pretty alarming statistic, but one could easily say the difference in points could be due to the coincidental lack of offense when Bosingwa was on the pitch – to those arguments I present the following below…

In the 22 matches Bosingwa has played the full 90 minutes in, Chelsea have a +6 goal differential. In the 14 matches Bosingwa has NOT played the full 90 minutes, Chelsea have a +20 goal differential. That’s more than 3 times the goal differential when Bosingwa isn’t on the pitch the entire match.

Chelsea have kept 12 clean sheets this season in 36 matches – in the matches Bosingwa started and finished (22) Chelsea have keep only 4 clean sheets (thus keeping a clean sheet 18% of the time this occurs). In the matches Bosingwa does NOT play from start to finish Chelsea have kept 8 clean sheets in 14 matches, or 57% of the time. Again, a difference of more than three times as much.

Although Bosingwa did not feature in a couple of the Carling Cup and FA Cup matches which Chelsea won handily the difference is so substantial that even if these matches were thrown out the numbers would clearly tell you starting Bosingwa leads to an increase in goals allowed. In addition, given the goal difference discrepancy one could also argue the offense even plays better WITHOUT Bosingwa on the pitch.

While it’s easy to come to the aid of certain players who are under scrutiny there is simply no defense for Jose Bosingwa – he is clearly a defensive liability and his poor play is a key reason why Chelsea continues to struggle this season.

Alrick

5 must know facts for the United – Chelsea match

United Chelsea logos

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United Chelsea logos

The United – Chelsea match is on Sunday and thanks to both powerhouses having off seasons (and off the field issues) it’s become one of the most anticipated fixtures of the season as it could decide the fate of both teams. Here are 5 must know facts about the match you can use while watching with friends and family!

1. Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 9 Premier League home games against Manchester United, winning 6 and drawing 3.

This should give Chelsea fans confidence knowing that a result at home against United is not only possible but but based on previous history quite likely. United did win their last match at Stamford Bridge though with a 1-0 victory in the Champions League quarterfinal on April 6th 2011.

2. Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in only 25% (5 out of 20) of the matches Jose Bosingwa has played in.

This is far lower than the clean sheet percentage for Chelsea throughout the entire season (32% – 11 out of 34 matches) and supports the notion he is a defensive liability. With Bosingwa set to possibly feature at left back in place of Ashley Cole he could be in for a long day against an in-form Antonio Valencia (3 goals and 9 assist in his last 11 matches).

3. Chelsea have failed to score a goal in live action in 347 minutes.

The last goal was from Frank Lampard against Sunderland, who is questionable to feature in the match. Chelsea have scored 2 goals during this timespan, but one was a penalty and the other deemed an own goal. Especially if Bosingwa plays, Chelsea will need to find the back of the net somehow.

4. Manchester United have been knocked out of the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup by the end of January for the first time in their history.

This certainly has been a strange season for Manchester United in that the Europa League will be their only other competition as the end of the season approaches. This means in previous years when squad rotation and depth was critical for United to succeed both on a domestic and continental level now they can field their best players for the majority of the Premier League season.

5. Chelsea’s record against Manchester clubs when Howard Webb is the official: 0 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses.

Yes, Howard Webb will be the official of the match on Sunday and his Manchester bias is quite clear. The fact Chelsea with all their success in the past have not won a single match against a Manchester side when Webb is the official is very surprising and certainly will worry Chelsea fans regarding the way he calls the game.

I’m obviously hoping for a Chelsea win but given the form of the two clubs and players available United has the upper hand on paper. With this said, the match is at Stamford Bridge and although it’s not the fortress it once was you know the home fans will be fired up for this match.

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Alrick

Chelsea – Norwich Stats Recap

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Many Chelsea fans thought the 0-0 draw against Norwich today was not a great result – while it certainly wasn’t ideal, Norwich has been playing well lately…

Norwich has lost only 1 of their last 9 matches and are 9th in the Premier League. A draw away isn’t as terrible as some fans may think.

The result today spoke more of the effort by Norwich, who played well defensively, and also Chelsea’s continued and consistent lack of finishing off scoring chances…

Norwich get their 1st clean sheet of the season against Chelsea, who have scored only 3 goals in their last 3 PL matches. Not enough goals.

Spurs and Arsenal beat Norwich at their place, Chelsea draw. Today was arguably the best result for Norwich all season.

Chelsea today against Norwich: 20 shots (6 on target), 85% (467/551) passing, 4 successful crosses (out of 39 attempts, yikes), 15 tackles.

This is a match teams “equal” to Chelsea are winning and clearly a team Chelsea should be putting goals in against, yet Chelsea had only 6 shots on target.

However outside of Juan Mata who has been fantastic this season and Frank Lampard (who went off injured in the first half), the rest of the Chelsea attacked continues its up-and-down season…

Mata today against Norwich: 5 shots (led the team), 81% (51/63) passing, 3 chances created, 3 successful crosses (10 attempted), 2 take-ons.

Outside of Mata, Chelsea completed only 1 of TWENTY NINE crosses today. Speaks volumes about the long passing and lack of aggressiveness.

1 for 29 on crosses – it’s simply not good enough. Leading the charge was Jose Bosingwa who continues to not only receive criticism for his defensive work rate but also his offensive contribution…

Bosingwa today against Norwich: 1 shot, 78% (42/54) passing, 2 chances created, 3 take-ons, 0 completed crosses (8 attempted), 4 tackles.

0 for 8 on crosses is not helping his cause. A great comment on Twitter pointed out what I’ve been saying for awhile now, it’s as if teams almost want Bosingwa to have the ball because of his poor decision making and defensive work rate.

Alrick

Gary Cahill to Chelsea – How I Squashed the Rumors

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Gary Cahill wasn’t always destined to be a Chelsea player – with Arsenal hot on his tail only a few months earlier, the deal fell through hours before the transfer window shut – and Arsenal settled on Per Mertesacker instead. As Cahill remained a Bolton player for the first half of the season, the team struggled dramatically, hovering around the bottom half of the table. With Bolton trying to scrape together player and avoid relegation and Cahill’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, it seems inevitable Gary would be moved somewhere during the January transfer window.

Gary Cahill will be wearing blue this January

Rumors of Cahill to Chelsea really started to pick up steam when Alex was removed from training with the first-team by Andre Villas-Boas for allegedly speaking to other clubs. The delinquency of Alex coupled with injuries and suspensions to David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic meant players such as Jose Bosingwa were forced to play alongside John Terry in the center of defense, which given Bosingwa’s defending ability (or lack thereof) is certainly far from ideal.

Here is a timeline recapping the entire Gary Cahill to Chelsea transfer saga:

December 30th – It’s announced Bolton and Chelsea agreed to a fee for the transfer of Cahill to Chelsea, confirmed by Bolton manager Owen Coyle.

December 31st – AVB confirms the fee has been agreed upon but Chelsea and Cahill’s agent were  “miles apart” from reaching a deal.

January 6th – Cahill was rested for Bolton’s FA Cup third-round trip to Macclesfield, which would have cup-tied him, sparking serious rumors the deal to Chelsea was close.