Author name: Brad Smith

After a first win in eight games in the Premier League, it seems our rut may well have ended, and what better place to build confidence than at the Club World Cup this week.

It has been clear that goals were the problem, scoring them that is, as we only managed six goals in the seven games where we failed to record a win, compare that to nine in the last two, notably with Fernando Torres getting four of them.

Congratulations Andre Villas-Boas. Just moments after the ‘achievement’ of qualifying from the Europa League stages, knocking out the European giants of NK Maribor, and Panathinaikos, our former manager couldn’t resist talking about us in his post-match interview.

It is the fact that we have been awarded a Europa League spot that seems to have ruffled his feathers,  as he piped up saying “I think its extremely unfair” whilst sounding awfully like a disgruntled private school kid who had been told he couldn’t stay up to watch Match of the Day.

When a player is dubbed the next star, regularly they fail to live up to expectations. We’ve seen the next Diego Maradona, Pele and Zinedine Zidane come and go and it’s only now that the former duo finally have two stars fans are willing to call their natural heir. Then there is the man believed to follow in the footsteps of ex-Chelsea front-man Romelu Lukaku.

The powerful Belgian is currently on loan with West Bromwich Albion for the season having signed for the Blues 18 months ago. However, after initially failing to make an impact, his time at Hawthorns has seen fans finally bear witness the full potential of the teenage startlet.

Its hard to call the Chelsea managing position a career. The past 6 managers have notched up just 330 games together since Jose Mourinho left in 2007, a rate of just 51 games per boss.

With Rafa Benitez’s contract rumoured to be just until the seasons end, he will be lucky to rack up a half-century of games in charge, that’s if Roman hasn’t sent him his P45 before then. Comical chants, and the bedsheet brigade were out in force during his opening game, making it clear that he isn’t welcome at the Bridge.

Islam Feruz is a scoring sensation for both Chelsea reserves, Scotland U19s and U21s, and is tipped for big things in the future.

He is tipped for big things, and at just 17, some are already calling for him to be introduced to the first team set-up. You have to remember, a certain Wayne Rooney was just 16 when he scored that goal against Arsenal all those years back.

Successive 0-0 draws, followed by a 3-1 defeat, and its because his squad are tired, quipped Rafa Benitez this week. He claims that the Chelsea squad is simply not big enough, and those that are there, are just too tired, having to compete in a Champions League campaign alongside the domestic cups.

In fairness, he may well have a point. Di Matteo’s start was great, but just 19 players had been used by Chelsea this season, and Marko Marin became the 20^th last week, which is the lowest total in the league.

With new Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez having admitted that club legend Frank Lampard may leave Stamford Bridge ­at the end of the season, the Blues could be losing a midfielder who has provided them with almost 200 goals in fewer than 400 games.

An absolutely astonishing scoring record for a midfielder, Lampard has a ratio of slightly better than one in three for Chelsea in the Premier League and almost a goal every other game for the club overall.

After 6 clean sheets in our opening 10 games this season, Petr Cech has spent more time in the back of his net than ever before, which validates him praising new boss Rafa Benitez’s introduction this week.

20 goals had been shipped prior to the Manchester City match, in just 10 games; not quite the form you can keep up if you want to win games at this level.

Unpopular decisions make you an unpopular person. Fact. For the first time in his nine year tenure as the owner of Chelsea, he isn’t flavour of the week at the Bridge.

Hundreds of millions, and corridors full of silverware, aren’t everything to the Chelsea faithful at the moment, as 40,000 fans mourned the sacking of club legend Roberto Di Matteo, and to say they gave Rafa Benitez a hostile reception, may just be an understatement.

Well, well, well. What a few days. Di Matteo is gone, rightly or wrongly, and ex-Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is in, until May at least.

He becomes Abramovich’s manager No.9, and will hope that the appointment can spark the Chelsea No.9 into life, who of course was brought to England during Benitez’s reign at Liverpool.

If you believe that is a coincidence, think again. Romans biggest investment at £50m, and he wants results from him, and I certainly believe he is the man to do it

Fernando Torres started this season with some aplomb. But just one goal in seven games, coinciding with us winning just two from seven, means it looks like the bench may well be calling for the big clash on Tuesday night with Juventus.

Sturridge may be given a chance, more out of desperation than him forcing his way into the team, with Di Matteo saying “If I believe it is the right thing to do for the team, then yeah, I will leave him out”